For a single heartbeat, the entire battlefield froze again. Every wolf, everyone, every conscious being within sight of that fallen form went still, staring at the broken thing that had just saved them all.
Behind Malrik's defensive formation, the Silverpine Alpha stood protected by the wall of his own wolves, James and Felicia flanking him on either side. All three of them were breathing hard, faces pale but unharmed, shielded by the dozens of bodies that had burned in their place. Malrik's eyes were locked on the fallen form, his expression unreadable, and when he finally spoke his voice carried across the sudden silence with cold authority.
"Regroup," he ordered, already turning away from the smoking corpse as though it were nothing more than an inconvenience. "Reform the lines. We finish this."
