The moment the courtyard cracked behind us—dragons roaring, elves shouting, magic flaring—Owain didn't hesitate.
"Kanah—move!"
He grabbed my wrist, but this time he didn't yank.
He guided.
Fast, but gentle enough that I never lost my footing.
Helion slipped ahead like a shadow, clearing our path.
Yllas walked slightly behind, frost swirling around him just enough to discourage any pursuit.
Gerrin remained tense and silent, keeping pace despite the anger vibrating in his aura.
We ran through Sylvarin's shimmering forest until the lights dimmed, the trees thinned, and the ground sloped downward into harsh, darker terrain.
Only then did Owain speak again.
"We're crossing the border. Everyone stay alert."
"What's on the other side?" I asked.
"My home," he said quietly.
"The wolves?"
He nodded. "Fenr Vale."
The forest changed quickly as we descended.
The glowing vines disappeared.
The silver trees faded into towering evergreens.
The soft white lights became fireflies.
And the air grew colder.
Thicker.
Wilder.
I swallowed, nerves building. "Will your pack… welcome me?"
Owain paused for half a breath.
Honest.
Cautious.
"They'll react strongly. Maybe too strongly."
"That's not comforting."
"It's the truth."
Helion murmured from ahead, "Wolves are territorial. Especially with someone like you."
Yllas added, "Stay near Owain. Wolves respond to hierarchy."
Gerrin snorted. "Says the dragon who tried to freeze him."
"Your sarcasm is noted, elf."
"You're welcome."
Owain sighed. "Enough. Kanah, stay close."
We walked another minute before I saw it.
Fenr Vale.
A massive valley carved between mountains—dark, deep, and alive with shifting shadows. Wooden structures mixed with stone dens spiraled around the valley floor. Bonfires roared in the distance, their smoke curling upward like serpents.
Howls echoed across the cliffs.
Low, mournful.
Then higher, sharper.
Then dozens layered into a haunting symphony.
Every hair on my arms stood up.
Owain glanced at me. "Don't be afraid."
"That's a really weird sentence," I muttered, "when I can literally hear giant wolves howling."
He smiled faintly. "They're greeting the night."
Helion added, "And warning the valley something's coming."
Gerrin responded, "Yes. Us."
Yllas' frost simmered lightly. "They already know."
A pair of golden eyes appeared on a cliff to the left.
Then another.
Then twenty more.
Wolves.
Huge ones.
Watching.
Studying.
Whispers echoed in a language I didn't understand—but Owain did. His jaw tightened.
"What are they saying?" I asked.
He hesitated.
Helion translated for him. "They're guessing whether you're prey… or something else."
I swallowed hard. "Something else?"
"A human," Gerrin said. "The impossible."
Owain's grip tightened on my wrist for the first time. Not painfully. Protectively.
"Don't let go," he murmured.
"I wasn't planning to."
As we entered the valley, wolves—both in beast and human form—emerged from alcoves and dens. Men, women, some older, some young. Many barefoot. All impossibly strong-looking.
Their eyes glowed softly, their expressions confused, curious, or tense.
They weren't looking at Owain.
Or Yllas.
Or Helion.
Or Gerrin.
They were staring at me.
A human.
Whispers rippled through the packs.
"How is she here?"
"What is she?"
"Impossible."
"She smells like—nothing."
"No scent."
"No category."
"Not prey… not threat…"
"Then what is she?"
Owain stiffened, baring his teeth. "Back off!"
The pack stilled instantly.
Some wolves growled low—not at him, but at each other. Instinctive. Conflicted.
Yllas stepped closer, frost drifting like falling ash. "This is going to escalate."
Helion smirked. "Obviously."
Gerrin muttered, "Wolves have the subtlety of brick walls."
I whispered, "Can someone please tell me what's happening?"
Owain glanced back at me, guilt flickering behind his golden eyes.
"They're reacting to your scent," he said softly. "Or… lack of one."
"Meaning?"
"You're triggering their instincts." He exhaled. "I should've brought you alone."
Yllas growled low. "No. You should never be alone."
Helion chuckled. "Glad we all agree on something."
Gerrin ignored them. "Her rune is interfering with beast hierarchy."
"What does that mean?" I asked.
"It means," Helion said casually, "they don't know whether to chase you, obey you, or claim you."
"Claim me?" I squeaked.
Owain cursed under his breath. "Shut up, Helion."
Helion only smiled.
Before the argument exploded again, a huge wolf padded forward—dark gray fur, almost the size of a horse. He shifted mid-step into a tall, broad-shouldered man with silver hair and scarred arms.
Owain exhaled.
"Father."
Father?!
The man—Owain's father—stared at me with cold, evaluating eyes.
"This is the human?" he asked in a deep voice that echoed across the valley.
"Yes."
"She brought dragons into Fenr Vale?"
Yllas growled softly. "I go where she goes."
"She brought a leopard?"
Helion waved lazily. "Hello to you too."
"She brought an elf?"
Gerrin crossed his arms. "Not by choice."
Owain's father's eyes narrowed. "And she brought chaos."
Owain stepped forward, shoulders squared. "She didn't bring chaos. She survived it."
A murmur spread through the pack.
Owain's father walked closer until he stood just a foot away from me. His presence was heavy, ancient, commanding. Every wolf bowed their head slightly as he passed.
He lowered his chin, sniffing.
Not touching.
Reading.
Then he spoke.
"No scent."
"No instinct."
"No category."
His eyes narrowed. "Human."
I kept still, refusing to flinch.
Owain's father studied me for a long moment.
Then he turned sharply to the pack.
"None of you will touch her."
Silence.
"You will not chase her."
Growls subsided.
"You will not corner her."
Every wolf bowed their head.
Owain's father continued:
"She is under the protection of Fenr Vale… and under the watch of my son."
Owain stiffened. "Father—"
The older wolf raised a hand.
"No arguments."
Owain shut his mouth immediately.
My throat tightened. "Thank you."
He didn't respond.
He simply looked at me again, eyes unreadable.
"You should rest," he said. "Your aura is unstable."
I wondered how many times I would hear that sentence in this world.
Owain stepped closer. "Come on. My den is this way."
"A den?" I asked nervously.
"Pack housing," Helion said. "Communal structure."
Gerrin added, "Wolves sleep close. Warmth and instinct."
Yllas muttered, "They're clingy."
Owain glared at him. "I am not clingy."
"You dragged her out of an elf court."
"You froze half the forest trying to get her back."
Helion: "You're both clingy."
I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Can we stop arguing for ten minutes?"
They all went quiet instantly.
Owain led me toward a path carved between two large rocks. The valley shifted from open space to a warmer, quieter cluster of wooden homes built into stone.
The wolves here were calmer. Curious, but not aggressive.
Helion walked beside me. "This is the inner circle. Only high-ranked wolves live here."
"And Owain is…?"
Owain answered before Helion could tease him.
"Captain of the Guard. First Alpha heir."
My eyebrows shot up. "Heir?! To the entire valley?"
He scratched his neck. "It's… complicated."
"No, it isn't," Yllas said. "He's next in line."
Owain stomped up a wooden ramp. "Shut up."
Gerrin smirked. "He hates attention."
"Gerrin," Owain growled, "I'm begging you to be quiet."
Helion whispered to me, "He won't."
He didn't.
We reached Owain's den—a large wooden lodge built into the rock face, lit with soft firelight.
Owain pushed the door open. "Inside."
I stepped in, expecting a cabin.
Instead—
It was warm.
Softly lit.
Filled with furs, wooden bowls, neat shelves, and a large stone fire pit.
Not primitive.
Not luxurious.
Comfortable.
Safe-looking.
Owain rubbed the back of his neck. "It's not much."
"It's perfect," I said honestly.
His ears turned slightly red.
Yllas stepped in next, frost melting from his hair. "Wolves live simply."
Gerrin sat on a fur mat, stretching his legs. "It's warm. I approve."
Helion leaned against a beam. "Smells nice."
The wolves outside howled as night deepened.
Owain closed the door, turning to me.
His voice was quieter now, more cautious.
"There's something you should know about wolves, Kanah."
I straightened. "What?"
He hesitated.
Then:
"When a wolf invites someone into their den…"
His eyes flicked away, embarrassed.
"…it's intimate."
My heart stuttered. "Intimate how?"
Helion answered casually from behind him.
"Like… sharing a bed."
Gerrin added,
"Sharing warmth."
Yllas finished bluntly,
"Sharing instinct."
Owain's face went red. "Not like that—"
Helion smirked. "Yet."
Owain whipped around. "I will throw you out a window."
"You don't have a window," Helion said.
"I will make one."
Gerrin laughed softly.
Yllas crossed his arms. "You brought her here, wolf. Explain it."
Owain swallowed hard.
"Kanah… wolves don't bring strangers into their den. Ever. Only people they…"
He trailed off.
"People they what?" I asked.
He met my eyes.
"People they trust."
Something warm spread through my chest.
Then the rune pulsed.
A soft glow pressed against my sternum.
Owain saw it.
So did the others.
Helion's eyes narrowed. "Your rune is reacting again."
Gerrin leaned forward. "It activates around emotional thresholds."
Owain stepped closer but didn't touch. "Kanah… what are you feeling right now?"
I swallowed.
"Tired," I whispered. "Scared. Grateful. Confused."
The rune pulsed again.
Owain smiled faintly. "It's responding to honesty."
Yllas murmured, "And to safety."
Helion added, "And to proximity."
Gerrin said quietly, "She feels safe with you, Owain."
Owain's breath hitched. "She does?"
I nodded.
And it was true.
He had dragged me, yes.
But he had also protected me.
Warmth radiated from him.
His presence grounded me.
And his den felt like shelter in a world that wanted me dead.
Owain stepped even closer.
Too close.
But the rune didn't flare in warning this time.
It hummed.
Soft.
Warm.
Comfortable.
Owain lifted a hand—slow, careful—hovering near my cheek.
"Can I?" he whispered.
My heart clenched.
"Yes."
He touched my cheek lightly with his thumb.
My breath caught.
And the rune over my heart glowed—
not in warning,
not in rejection—
but in recognition.
The others watched silently.
Yllas' jaw tightened.
Helion looked amused but hungry.
Gerrin's expression softened with understanding.
Owain whispered my name.
"Kanah."
But before anything more could happen—
A howl ripped through the valley.
Loud.
Commanding.
Ancient.
Owain froze.
Yllas straightened.
Helion's eyes narrowed.
Gerrin's markings brightened.
"What was that?" I whispered.
Owain didn't answer.
He stepped outside.
The entire valley was silent—every wolf frozen, staring upward.
A dark crack split the night sky.
A rift.
Owain's father appeared beside us, voice grim.
"It's him."
A chill ran down my spine.
"Who?" I asked.
Owain whispered—
"The Beast King."
And the rift widened.