The shadows surged around Faye like a rising storm.
Darian didn't hesitate—he stepped closer, hands steady on her shoulders as her breath tightened.
"Faye. Listen to me," he said firmly. "Let your wolf guide you. Don't force anything."
Her knees wobbled as the pressure built inside her chest. It wasn't sharp pain this time—more like the heavy, overwhelming feeling of power with nowhere to go.
Faye squeezed her eyes shut.
"I'm trying," she whispered.
roar—deep and unnatural—rumbled across the pack grounds, vibrating through the floorboards.
Faye gasped. "It's here already?"
Darian's expression darkened. "Too close."
Warriors shouted orders somewhere downstairs. Boots thundered across the front yard. The air smelled sharp—fear mixed with adrenaline.
Darian took Faye's hand.
"Stay with me. We're getting to the safe chamber."
Her legs trembled, but she nodded.
They hurried around the corner—
only for a sudden burst of darkness to flicker across the wall.
The hallway lights dimmed unnaturally.
The shadows stretched toward Faye like they recognized her.
Faye's wolf snarled:
"THE VOIDBORN SEARCHES."
Her heart pounded. "Darian—"
"I see it." He moved in front of her without hesitation. "Just keep breathing."
Two warriors appeared at the end of the hall, tense but alert.
"Alpha-to-be!" one called. "Gamma sent us—we're to escort you both underground."
Darian nodded once. "Good. Stay on either side of her."
They closed in protectively around Faye, guiding her toward the staircase leading to the reinforced shelter.
But halfway there, Faye's vision blurred.
Her wolf pushed again—harder.
"LET ME SHIFT."
Faye stumbled, catching herself on the wall.
One warrior stopped. "Is she hurt?"
Darian shook his head. "No. Her wolf is coming through. We don't have much time."
Faye pressed a hand over her racing heart. She could feel the shift pushing close—hovering just under her skin like heat waiting to ignite.
"It's too soon," she whispered. "I'm not ready."
"Yes, you are," Darian said. "You've handled worse than this."
Faye gave a shaky laugh. "When?"
"Living in this pack," he said honestly.
They reached the stairwell door—
but before Darian could pull it open, a deep, thundering pulse shook the entire house.
The lights blew out in a burst of sparks.
Shadows flooded across the ceiling like spilled ink.
Faye's breath caught.
The shadows weren't random.
They were moving toward her.
They reached the stairwell door—
but before Darian could pull it open, a deep, thundering pulse shook the entire house.
The lights blew out in a burst of sparks.
Shadows flooded across the ceiling like spilled ink.
Faye's breath caught.
The shadows weren't random.
They were moving toward her.
Her wolf braced:
"DO NOT RUN.
WE FACE THIS."
Darian stepped in front of her again, jaw tight. "It's targeting your magic."
A flicker of cold hit Faye's spine. "Can it sense me through the walls?"
"Yes," one warrior answered, voice low. "Creatures like that track essence more than scent."
Darian placed his hand on the stairwell door. "We need to get deeper underground—now."
He pushed the door open—
Far outside, a massive, shuddering howl rolled through the night—so loud it made the air vibrate.
Warriors on the first floor shouted.
Darian's expression turned grim. "That was it."
Faye swallowed. "How close?"
A warrior answered, "Too close. It's on the grounds."
Another powerful pulse of energy hit the packhouse—
the walls groaning,
windows rattling,
the floor trembling beneath their feet.
Faye clung to Darian's arm. "It knows where I am."
"Yes," he said. "And that's why we have to move. Now."
Darian guided her down the stairs, one arm around her waist to keep her steady as the pressure of her shift built again—stronger this time.
Her wolf whispered urgently:
"We must rise soon.
Or we will be caught unprepared."
Faye shook her head weakly. "I can't shift here. I'll hurt someone."
"No," Darian said, voice steady. "We'll make it. Just hold on a little longer."
They reached the bottom of the stairs and moved into a long stone hallway. Torches flickered along the walls—backup lighting for emergencies.
Ahead stood a thick steel door—the entrance to the safe chamber.
But before they reached it, Faye froze.
The shadows on the floor twisted strangely.
Not like normal shadows.
Like something was crawling beneath them.
Her breath hitched. "Darian…"
He followed her gaze—
And his eyes widened.
The shadows were gathering.
Like a pool.
Like a doorway.
Like something was trying to push through the floor.
Her wolf snarled in warning:
"THE VOIDBORN HAS FOUND US."
The shadows twisted like ink stirred by an invisible hand.
Dark ripples spread across the stone floor, gathering into a swirling pool of black.
Faye stumbled back. "No—no, it can't get in here—"
Darian immediately stepped in front of her, one arm extended protectively.
"Get behind me," he ordered the warriors. "Shield her."
The two warriors moved fast, forming a wall around Faye even as they stared at the floor with wide, horrified eyes.
One whispered, "That's… that's not possible. This hall is reinforced—"
"It's not breaking the walls," Darian said. His voice was tight, controlled.
"It's slipping through the shadows."
Faye's wolf growled:
"THE CREATURE BENDS THE DARK.
AS WE DO."
Faye felt cold creep down her spine.
Was this monster tied to her magic?
Linked somehow?
"Darian," she whispered, "it's coming through the floor."
"I see it." He clenched his jaw. "We need to move. Now."
He grabbed Faye's hand and pulled her toward the safe chamber door.
But then—
a tendril of darkness shot upward from the floor, slithering like smoke.
Faye gasped as it reached toward her ankle.
The nearest warrior shouted, "Move!"
The man shoved Faye forward just as the shadow struck the ground where she had been standing.
The stone floor cracked.
Faye's heart pounded. "It's trying to drag me in—!"
"We can't outrun it forever," he said, breath sharp. "Faye—your wolf needs you."
Faye shook her head, terrified. "I'm not ready—I can't shift in here—"
"Yes, you can," Darian said firmly. "You don't need the full shift. You just need your power."
As if responding to Darian's words, Faye's wolf surged.
Heat rushed through her veins.
Her vision sharpened.
Her hearing amplified.
But the shadows on the floor reacted too—pulsing faster, spreading outward.
Her wolf warned:
"IT FEELS OUR MAGIC.
IT FEEDS ON IT."
Faye clutched her chest as a burst of pressure ignited behind her ribs.
"It's pulling at me—my wolf—my power—it wants it."
Darian tightened his grip.
"Then you hold onto me instead. Don't let it take you."
Faye's breathing turned rapid, uneven.
She wasn't afraid of the monster—
She was afraid of losing control.
Afraid of shifting wrong.
Afraid of hurting someone.
Afraid of being the danger.
"I can't," she whispered.
"You can," Darian insisted. "Because your wolf isn't scared."
Another shadow tendril shot upward.
This time it darted straight for Faye's arm.
Darian moved to shield her—but before he could—
Faye's hand sparked.
Literally.
A silver-black burst of energy flickered across her palm, like light made of shadow.
She gasped.
The tendril recoiled violently, shrinking away from the glow.
The warriors stared, stunned.
"What—what was that?" one breathed.
Darian didn't look surprised.
Just relieved.
"That," he said, "is her wolf waking."
Faye stared at her trembling hand as the dark-silver glow faded.
"I didn't mean to do that."
"You didn't have to mean it." Darian placed a steady hand on her back. "You just listened."
The shadows on the floor thrashed, widening the cracks.
The Voidborn was forcing its way closer—slow, but relentless.
Faye's wolf murmured:
"THE CREATURE IS WEAK HERE.
YOUR LIGHT BURNS IT."
"My… light?" Faye whispered.
"Yes," Darian said. "Your power. Use it."
"I don't know how!"
"You don't need training. Just instinct."
Another tendril whipped upward.
This time Faye didn't step back.
She raised her hand—
heart hammering—
and willed the spark to return.
Please. Please work.
A pulse of silver-black exploded from her fingertips.
It wasn't huge.
It wasn't dramatic.
But it was enough.
The tendril shrieked—not a sound, but a shivering quiver through the shadows—as it shrank away, retreating into the floor like a burned vine.
Faye blinked. "I… did that."
"You did," Darian said with a small, fierce smile. "And you're going to do it again."
The shadow pool on the floor stopped moving.
The warriors glanced at each other nervously.
"Why did it stop?"
Darian's shoulders stiffened. "It's adjusting."
Faye felt her wolf bristle sharply.
"THE VOIDBORN LEARNS."
And then—
The shadows began to spread outward.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
Not upward.
Not toward her.
But outward, creeping along the floor toward the walls.
Faye realized the creature wasn't trying to drag her down anymore.
It was trying to surround them.
Trap them.
Cut off every escape.
Her wolf snarled in alarm:
"IT WILL SEAL US IN.
WE MUST MOVE NOW."
Darian grabbed Faye's hand again.
"We make a run for the chamber," he said. "Before it closes the path."
The warriors moved into position.
Faye swallowed hard.
"Okay," she whispered. "I can do this."
The shadows rushed faster—
The safe chamber door loomed ahead—
And together, they ran.