The howl tore from my chest before I understood what I was doing.
It wasn't human.
It wasn't learned.
It rose instinctively—raw, powerful, threaded with something ancient that vibrated through the clearing and out into the forest beyond. The sound echoed back to me, answered by startled silence and then a ripple of movement in the trees.
The Hollow Fang wolves faltered.
Just for a heartbeat.
But it was enough.
Kael—no, the massive midnight wolf that was Kael—lunged forward with terrifying speed. He hit the nearest attacker like a force of nature, knocking it sideways in a blur of fur and snapping jaws.
I staggered back, heart racing, senses screaming overload.
Everything was too much.
The scent of blood—hot, metallic—hit my nose, sharp and intoxicating. I could hear bones collide, teeth scrape, snarls layered with intent and hierarchy.
This wasn't chaos.
This was war.
"Stay behind the stones!"
Kael's voice wasn't sound—it slammed directly into my mind, commanding and urgent.
I stumbled backward toward one of the carved pillars just as a wolf broke free from the fight and charged straight for me.
Time slowed.
Its eyes burned with hunger and hatred. Its thoughts brushed mine like knives.
Kill the heir.
My body moved before fear could root me in place.
I raised my hand.
I didn't know why. I didn't know how.
The word ripped out of me anyway.
"Stop."
The wolf skidded to a halt mid-lunge, claws gouging deep into the dirt. Its head snapped up, eyes wide, body trembling violently as if invisible chains had wrapped around it.
Shock blasted through me.
"I— I didn't—"
Command, something whispered inside me.
The wolf whimpered.
Not in pain.
In submission.
Kael tore through another attacker and skidded to a stop beside me, massive head swinging toward the frozen Hollow Fang wolf. His golden eyes widened.
"You did that," he said.
"I didn't mean to."
"That doesn't matter," he replied fiercely. "Do it again."
Another wolf lunged from the side.
Fear flared—but this time it didn't drown me.
I stepped forward.
"Enough!" I shouted.
The word cracked like thunder across the clearing.
Every Hollow Fang wolf froze.
Not just their bodies—their presence stilled, thoughts suddenly loud and frantic in my mind.
Moonbound.
The blood is awake.
Impossible.
My knees nearly buckled under the weight of it. Their awareness pressed against mine, wild and sharp, but beneath it was something else.
Recognition.
Kael moved in front of me again, protective even now, his body a wall of fur and dominance.
"You were warned," his voice thundered through the clearing. "Leave."
One wolf—a larger one, scarred and defiant—bared its teeth.
"The heir is untrained," it snarled aloud. "She will be claimed."
My chest burned.
Claimed.
The word struck something ugly and furious inside me.
"I am not yours," I said.
My voice shook—but it held.
The scarred wolf laughed, a harsh, broken sound. "You don't belong to him either."
Kael growled low and deadly.
Before either of them could move, something snapped inside me.
"Go."
The command exploded outward.
The wolves cried out—not in pain, but in shock—as the force of it slammed into them. One by one, they backed away, heads lowered, tails tucking.
Even the scarred wolf hesitated.
Kael took a step forward.
"Run," he said.
They did.
The Hollow Fang vanished into the trees, their retreat frantic and disordered, fear bleeding through the forest like smoke.
The clearing fell silent.
I swayed—and this time, I didn't catch myself.
Kael shifted mid-step, fur dissolving, bones cracking, until human hands caught me against his chest.
"Easy," he murmured, arms tightening around me. "I've got you."
The world tilted.
I clutched at his shirt, breath shuddering out of me. "I didn't know… I didn't know I could do that."
"You weren't supposed to," he said quietly. "Not this soon."
"Is that bad?"
"Yes," he admitted. "And no."
My legs gave out completely. Kael lifted me without effort and lowered us to the ground, keeping me upright against him. His heartbeat was steady beneath my ear—strong, grounding.
"They'll come back," I whispered.
"Yes."
"When?"
"Soon."
Panic fluttered weakly in my chest. "I can't fight them."
"You already did."
"That was luck."
"That was blood," he corrected.
I pulled back enough to look at him. His face was tense, eyes dark with a mix of pride, fear, and something dangerously close to reverence.
"You shouldn't have been able to command them directly," he said. "Not without training. Not without full awakening."
"So what does that mean?"
"It means," he said carefully, "your power is stronger than we thought."
The weight of that settled heavy in my stomach.
"I don't want power," I said.
"I know."
"But everyone else does."
"Yes."
Kael brushed dirt from my cheek with his thumb, the touch gentle despite the tension in his body.
"That's why you're in danger."
The realization sank in, cold and sharp.
"I can't go back," I said.
"No," he agreed. "You can't."
"Even if I wanted to pretend none of this happened?"
He shook his head slowly. "The packs felt you tonight. The moon marked you."
"What about you?" I asked softly. "What did it do to you?"
His jaw tightened.
"It tied me closer than I'm allowed to be," he said. "Standing between you and them wasn't just instinct."
I swallowed. "Then why did you do it?"
"Because if anyone is going to stand beside you," he said, voice low and steady, "it will be me."
The words settled deep, warm and terrifying.
The forest stirred again—this time not with threat, but with awareness.
Something had changed.
Not just in me.
In the world.
Kael helped me to my feet. "We need to move before dawn."
"Where?" I asked.
"To Shadowveil territory," he said. "To your pack."
My heart stuttered. "My pack?"
"Yes."
I looked up at the moon—still bright, still watching.
"I don't know how to be what they expect."
Kael met my gaze.
"Good," he said. "Neither do they."
We turned toward the forest together.
Behind us, the stones hummed softly.
The pact had felt my blood.
And it would not be silent again.
End of Chapter Four