The morning sun tried to break through the thick blanket of clouds that loomed over the forest, casting a sickly pale glow over the camp. There was no warmth in the light, no comfort in the air. Only tension — tight as a drawn bowstring — pulling at everyone's nerves. It had been two days since Nova's arrival and the failed ambush at Hollowed Crossing. Two days of silence from the dark alpha, and that silence had everyone on edge.
Ayana stood at the edge of the encampment, arms crossed tightly over her chest. She stared out at the treetops, brow furrowed. The forest had grown too quiet. No birdsong. No rustling animals. Even the wind moved carefully, whispering instead of howling. Nature itself was holding its breath.
Behind her, the camp stirred. Warriors paced, sharpened weapons, mended armor. Some sat in quiet prayer. Others tried to laugh, tried to cling to normalcy. But fear was there — hidden in their eyes, in the tightness of their voices. They all knew what was coming.
Kael approached her, his footsteps heavy but deliberate. "Scouts reported movement near the southern ridge," he said, voice low. "But they couldn't confirm if it was them."
"It's them," Ayana said flatly.
Kael didn't argue. He stood beside her for a moment, watching the treeline. "You haven't slept."
"There's no time."
"There's still time to break if you're not careful," he warned gently. "Even steel can shatter under too much strain."
Ayana exhaled slowly. "I don't feel like steel. I feel like I'm barely holding together."
Kael reached out, his hand brushing hers. "You're not alone."
His words lingered longer than the contact. In that moment, Ayana allowed herself a second of quiet — just one — before the storm returned.
Nova joined them soon after, her expression unreadable as always, but her energy taut. "I saw something in the shadows last night. A marking I recognize — from the children they turned."
Ayana tensed. "The blood-marked?"
Nova nodded grimly. "They're using them now. Not just as bait or guards — but as weapons."
"Children," Kael said bitterly.
"No longer children," Nova corrected. "Once the mark takes full hold, what's left inside them dies."
Ayana's heart ached. Every new revelation from Nova felt like a wound reopening. There was no limit to the dark alpha's cruelty. No line he wouldn't cross.
"We have to cut off his reach," Ayana said. "Before more are turned."
Nova looked at her carefully. "Are you ready to do what's necessary?"
Ayana met her gaze. "I'll do what I must. But I won't lose myself in the process."
---
That evening, the camp council gathered in the command tent. A crude map of the forest region had been stretched across a wooden table, covered in charcoal markings — paths, known enemy camps, patrol routes. Tension rippled through the group as Ayana laid out the next plan.
"We strike first," she said. "Not a full assault — not yet. We send small teams to cripple their communication and isolate their forces."
Kael pointed to the western ridge. "That's their supply run. We cut it off, and they'll be slower to regroup."
Nova added, "And here—" she tapped the heart of the map, where a black X had been drawn "—is where the dark alpha was last seen. If we can confirm his location, we can draw him out."
There were murmurs of doubt. Fear. But Ayana's voice cut through them.
"This is our chance. We either wait for them to bring the storm to us, or we rise and face it head on."
Ayana unleashed a wave of energy from the pendant around her neck, blasting the lead beast off its feet. Nova sent out a pulse of light that disoriented the others, buying them precious seconds.
They ran.
Branches whipped past them, the ground trembling under the weight of the Warborn chasing them. Ayana could feel the curse flaring within her, trying to awaken. She fought it, gritted her teeth, forced herself to stay human. Stay grounded.
They reached the river just as the largest beast lunged. Kael turned and met it head-on, sword flashing.
The battle was brutal. Claws against steel, fangs against flesh. Kael took a deep gash to his side but kept fighting, driving his blade through the creature's throat.
Ayana and Nova combined their strength to push the others back, eventually forcing the remaining beasts into retreat.
Panting, bleeding, but alive — they stood at the riverbank, watching the smoke rise from the destroyed outpost behind them.
"We weren't supposed to survive that," Nova said quietly. "That wasn't a trap. That was an execution."
"And he failed," Ayana said.
Nova looked at her. "Not yet. But he's getting desperate. And desperation makes him more dangerous."
And with that, the camp began to move like a machine preparing for war.
---
Ayana, Kael, and Nova led the western team at dusk. The forest felt thicker, darker — as if it had grown heavier since the night before. Shadows clung to the trees, and the air smelled like metal and rot.
As they neared the edge of the ridge, Ayana held up a hand. They dropped into crouches, peering through the underbrush at the enemy outpost below.
It was smaller than expected. Only six guards, two supply carts. No reinforcements in sight.
Kael frowned. "Too easy."
"It's bait," Nova muttered.
"Or a trap," Ayana added. "Either way, we don't retreat."
They moved with practiced silence. Nova cloaked them in a veil of shadow, muting their presence. When they struck, it was fast and ruthless. By the time the last guard fell, none of them had taken a single blow.
But the moment was short-lived.
A deep, rumbling sound echoed from the forest beyond. Not footsteps — something deeper. A growl. A roar.
Then the trees erupted.
Massive wolf-like beasts — eyes glowing red, bodies thick with blackened muscle and twisted armor — charged from the darkness. Warborn. Corrupted werewolves bred for destruction.
"Fall back!" Kael shouted.
They returned to camp under the cover of night. Word spread quickly of what had happened — the beasts, the ambush, the narrow escape.
And with it, a new understanding: the dark alpha was not invincible. He had weaknesses. He could be pushed. Provoked.
Ayana sat by the fire, Kael's arm bandaged beside her. She looked into the flames, the pendant pulsing gently at her chest.
"What now?" Kael asked, his voice hoarse.
She didn't answer immediately. Her mind was already turning, already planning.
"We find where he's hiding," she said. "We take the fight to him."
Nova approached, nodding. "Then we end this. Together."