The forest outside erupted—an explosion of howls, claws tearing through earth, branches whipping violently. The chorus wasn't random anymore.
It was organized.
A hunt.
Amina stiffened against Kade's chest as the ground trembled beneath dozens—maybe hundreds—of paws. He held her steady, breathing hard, sweat and blood streaking his jaw.
"A pack that size?" Amina whispered. "That's impossible."
Kade's eyes gleamed gold, feral and focused. "Not a pack," he growled. "A horde."
A horde of rogues.
Moving in unison.
Rogues never moved in unison. They were chaotic, broken wolves, minds shattered by the curse.
But this wasn't chaos.
This was command.
Amina's heart stuttered. "Someone's controlling them."
Kade turned toward the shattered doorway, his shoulders heaving. "Yes. And I know who."
She waited.
He didn't answer.
Because the trees outside shuddered—then parted as something massive stepped out of the shadows.
A wolf the size of a horse.
Dark silver fur.
Eyes glowing sickly green.
A leader.
And behind it… a figure cloaked in black, hood drawn low, holding a staff twisted with dark runes.
Amina felt the air squeeze around her lungs. "Kade… who is that?"
Kade's voice was a growl of pure hatred.
"Varyn."
The name vibrated through the bond like a blade.
Amina had never heard him speak a name with so much venom.
"Who is Varyn?" she whispered.
"My brother."
Her breath caught.
Before she could speak, the doorframe exploded inward and the giant silver wolf barreled straight into the cabin.
Kade shoved Amina behind him as the beast lunged—jaws snapping, drool flying, eyes sick with corruption.
He shifted.
Fully.
Bones cracked, fur ripped through skin, and in seconds the Alpha wolf stood towering—jet-black, massive, radiant with golden fire around the eyes.
Amina had never seen anything so deadly—and so beautiful.
Kade collided with the rogue leader, snarling, claws ripping through fur. The two wolves slammed into the cabin wall, splintering wood and stone.
Amina ducked as debris rained down.
The bond burned through her veins—fear, adrenaline, Kade's rage pouring into her like wildfire.
"Focus," she whispered to herself. "Don't lose control."
But the magic inside her was reacting to the chaos, rising hot and sharp, begging for release.
Outside, the cloaked figure stepped closer to the doorway.
Amina froze as the stranger's voice slithered through the night.
"So this is the girl," the figure murmured. "The one who awakened the Alpha-Link."
His tone was amused.
And chilling.
Amina reached for her magic instinctively—and pain lanced through her skull. The bond sparked violently, reacting to something deeper, darker.
The figure tilted his head. "Oh, you feel it, don't you? The truth clawing inside you."
She backed up, stumbling. "Stay away from me."
"Why? I'm not here to kill you." He lifted a pale hand, the sleeve sliding back to reveal black veins like cracks in stone. "I'm here to welcome you."
"No." Amina's voice trembled. "I don't know you."
"You don't have to, Amina." His hood tilted. "Your magic knows me."
The silver wolf threw Kade across the room—wood snapping beneath his massive form. Kade shook his head, dazed.
Amina screamed, "KADE!"
Her magic ignited—white-hot, blinding.
The cloaked figure smiled beneath the hood. "There it is."
Amina's palms glowed, heat gathering so fast it stole her breath.
The robed man lifted his staff.
Dark energy spiraled around it.
"I've waited 18 years for you to wake," he whispered. "Your parents hid you well."
Her heart slammed against her ribs.
"My… parents?"
"Oh yes," he purred. "The last of the Elemental-born. You are their daughter. The heir of the storm."
Amina staggered back. Memories flickered—flashes of wind, voices, lightning, fear—
A lie she'd lived her whole life shuddered.
"I—I'm not—"
"You are." His voice sharpened. "And the rogues want you. Kade wants you. Even the Moon wants you."
Her power crackled violently, white lightning dancing around her fingertips. The cabin lights flickered.
Kade's wolf staggered up, bloody, furious, eyes blazing gold. He took one look at the robed figure—
—and roared with a hatred Amina had never felt from him.
"That's my father's killer," Kade growled through the bond, voice distorted with rage. "Amina—RUN!"
The silver wolf lunged.
The cloaked figure raised his staff.
The bond between Amina and Kade snapped so tight Amina cried out.
Magic exploded.
And the entire cabin shattered.