"Legends are just survivors who refused to die quietly."
---
Selene collapsed behind a boulder, her chest heaving.
Blood soaked her torn shirt. Her legs burned. Her vision flickered. She could barely hear over the thundering beat of her heart.
But she heard it again.
That howl.
It wasn't like the Ravenscourge—a low, corrupted sound twisted by rage. This one was sharp. Cold. Clear.
And it came from the north.
The Devil Alpha stilled, his eyes narrowing. Even he seemed... wary.
Selene clutched the rock. Her wounds pulsed. Her breath fogged.
A new scent hit her nose.
Not the iron of blood. Not the smoke of war.
But—
Frost.
---
They arrived in silence.
One by one.
Seven figures. Cloaked in silver hides and glowing with frostlight. They didn't leap through the trees like animals. They strode—like kings returning to a battlefield they'd never lost.
And they howled in unison.
The sound tore through the night like broken chains.
The Ravenscourge instantly spread out, nervous. The Devil Alpha's grin returned—but smaller. Tighter.
Selene pushed herself upright.
One of the silver-cloaked wolves stopped in front of her.
He pulled back his hood.
And the world paused.
---
His face was young—but his eyes were ancient. Scarred. Intelligent.
Not cruel. Not soft.
Just unshaken.
His jaw was cut from marble. His hair fell in a loose wave, like snow in the wind. And his scent—
> Alpha. But not like the Devil.
Stronger. Colder. Calmer.
He looked down at her.
Then knelt.
And offered his hand.
"You're Selene," he said.
Not a question.
She stared at him. "Who the hell are you?"
He tilted his head. "I'm the ghost your enemies forgot to bury."
---
One of the Ravenscourge tried to interrupt—lunging from the side with a blade in each hand.
The silver-cloaked wolf didn't even flinch.
He flicked his wrist.
A spike of ice shot from the ground—straight through the attacker's throat.
The corpse fell, twitching.
Still kneeling, the stranger looked at Selene again.
"I'm not here to save you," he said calmly. "I'm here to recruit you."
She blinked. "You don't even know me."
He leaned in close.
"I know what's inside you. I know the ghost wolf that walks behind you. I know what the Devil Alpha fears."
She narrowed her eyes.
"And what's that?"
He smiled.
"You."