The morning sun over the Wolf Territory was cold. It bit at the skin in a way the swamp never did.
Qing Lin stood on the edge of the stone balcony, his fingers tracing the pulsing golden mark on his wrist. The life link. It hummed faintly, a reminder that his heartbeat was now synchronized with a Panther, a Tiger, a Wolf, and his female.
The goddess, he thought, his emerald eyes narrowing as he looked up at the clear blue sky. Mán Shū. Our creator.
It was a lot to process.
For centuries, they had believed they were simply beasts shaped by nature. To learn they were the result of a divine sibling rivalry... it was strange. And yet, looking at the golden barrier surrounding the fortress, looking at the life link on his wrist, he could not deny it.
He turned back to the courtyard below.
It was chaos.
Absolute chaos.
