The moon outside the fortress had turned a sickly red, hanging low over the mountains like an omen. Warriors ran across the courtyard, shouting orders, shifting half-formed as fear clawed through the pack. No one had ever seen Kael—their strongest, their Alpha heir—collapse so violently.
Inside the healer's chamber, Kael's body shook uncontrollably on the stone table. His skin burned with fever, darker veins crawling up his neck like something poisonous fighting its way to the surface. His wolf, usually powerful and dominant, was barely a whisper now… fading.
"Hold him down!" the healer shouted.
Three warriors pressed their weight on Kael's limbs, but he still thrashed with frightening strength. His claws ripped through the mattress, his jaw tightening like he was fighting something inside his own soul.
"Kael, stay with us—!" the healer cried, her voice cracking.
Kael's eyes snapped open—glowing a wild, unstable gold—but there was no recognition in them. Only pain. Only the battle he was losing.
"Liana…" he rasped, barely audible.
Then his body arched, and a violent scream tore from his throat—raw, animalistic, echoing through the entire fortress.
The clan froze.
Someone whispered, "If Kael dies… the bond between him and that girl—"
"Don't say it!" another snapped.
But deep down, everyone was thinking the same thing.
If Kael's wolf gave up…
Liana's demon would break free.
---
Inside the Prison Cell
Liana's hair clung to her sweat-soaked face as she crouched in the corner, trembling violently. The silver cuffs around her wrists glowed, trying to hold her back, but the demon inside her was stirring too fast—too loud—too hungry.
Her vision blurred.
Her heartbeat thundered.
Her veins pulsed with black fire.
Voices outside the prison sounded distant, worried, frightened.
"Her energy is rising—!"
"She can feel Kael slipping!"
"If her demon breaks out of that cell—"
"She'll tear through the entire pack—"
Liana pressed her forehead against the cold wall and choked on a sob.
"This is my fault," she whispered, shaking. "Kael… I hurt you… I pushed you away… and now—"
The demon growled inside her, furious, restless.
Let me out.
He is dying.
Let me out!
Liana screamed as a surge of dark power blasted through her chest, slamming into the walls of the cell like a shockwave. The guards outside stumbled back, shields barely holding.
The entire prison trembled.
"Alpha!" a guard yelled. "We can't contain her much longer!"
---
Back in the Healing Hall
Kael's breaths came in shallow, broken gasps. The healer pressed a glowing stone to his chest, but the light flickered—then died.
"This has never happened before," she whispered in terror. "His wolf… it's rejecting the healing."
The Beta grabbed her arm. "Then what do we do?!"
She swallowed, eyes wide.
"He's fading because the girl is fading. Their souls are tied now. If she spirals… he spirals. If she dies… he dies."
A cold silence fell.
Then Kael suddenly bolted upright, coughing violently.
Blood splattered across the stone floor.
His hands clawed at the air. "Liana… she's breaking… she's drowning…"
His voice cracked, desperate. "Don't let her—don't let her fall into the dark. She won't come back."
The room froze.
Because they had all heard the fear in his voice—fear Kael never showed.
---
The Prison Bursts Into Chaos
Cracks spread across the walls like lightning.
Power surged under the stone floor.
The torches blew out all at once.
Then—
BOOM!
The entire prison exploded in a wave of black energy.
Warriors flew backward, smashing into pillars. The ground shook. Dust filled the air. The silver bars glowed red, melting like wax.
Liana stood in the middle of the destruction, eyes glowing an eerie, dangerous crimson.
Her voice was layered—hers and the demon's together.
"Bring me Kael…"
The guards trembled.
She took one step forward—
the ground beneath her cracked.
"NOW."
---
Back to Kael — The Final Thread
Kael gasped suddenly, grabbing his chest like something inside him was being ripped away.
"She's losing control…" he whispered. "She'll destroy everything… because of me…"
The healer grabbed his face. "You must stay alive! If you let go now, Liana's demon will take full control!"
Kael's head dropped backwards, body shivering violently.
"Let her come," he breathed, barely conscious. "She's the only one who can pull me back."
"But she'll kill half the pack in this state!" the Beta shouted.
Kael's lips curved into the faintest, pained smile.
"She won't hurt me."
His eyes drifted closed, his heartbeat slowing—
—just as the prison doors blew open with a thunderous crash.
And Liana stepped inside.
Her eyes found Kael's unconscious body…
and something inside her snapped.
A roar shook the entire fortress.