“Easy, wolf.” A massive figure emerges from the shadows. Chief Bran of the Bear Clan stands nearly seven feet tall in human form, his broad shoulders and thick black beard making him look like a mountain given life. “I got your message.”
Relief floods through me. “You came yourself.”
“When the Storm Eagles and Dire Wolves form alliances, old rivalries seem petty.” He moves beside me to survey the valley. “My scouts report Viktor has at least fifty Storm Eagles and twice as many Dire Wolves.”
“An invasion force,” I murmur.
“No.A ritual gathering.” Bran’s deep voice is grim. “My clan’s historians believe the southern temple was built for magical convergence—ceremonies requiring hundreds of participants.”
A chill runs down my spine despite the warm night. “Viktor wouldn’t?—”
“He would.” Bran turns to me, his green eyes reflecting the moonlight. “My scouts intercepted a message intended for his commanders. Viktor plans to conduct an ancient ritual that will grant him dominion over all storm magic. It requires blood sacrifice—hundreds of them.”
Nausea rises in my throat. “We have to stop him.”
“That’s why I brought help.” Bran gestures behind him, where shapes begin emerging from the darkness—dozens of bear-shifters, wolf-shifters from other packs, even a few solitary shifters I don’t recognize.
“The neutral clans stand together,” he says simply.
For generations, the wild territories have been divided—each clan keeping to itself, protecting its borders, maintaining uneasytruces. Now, facing extinction, ancient enemies stand shoulder to shoulder.
“We need to coordinate with Kael’s loyalists,” I say, mind racing through strategic possibilities. “And Haven’s Heart, if they’ll listen.”
“Already done.” Bran points to a dark-haired man approaching from the eastern ridge. “Marcus Ashford arrived an hour ago with thirty Haven’s Heart soldiers. Elena is his sister.”
The pieces click into place. “That’s why the wounded scientist was headed to Haven’s Heart—to alert her brother.”
“The Storm Eagles loyal to Kael have established a perimeter around the temple itself,” Bran continues. “But they’re outnumbered. Viktor’s allied forces will reach the main entrance by dawn.”
I study the terrain, calculating distances and defensive positions. “We need to reach Kael before Viktor does. Whatever he and Elena have discovered could be crucial.”
“Agreed. But a frontal assault of Viktor’s forces would be suicide.”
“Then we don’t assault. We infiltrate.” I point to a narrow ravine cutting through the western face of the mountain. “My pack can navigate that passage. If we can get inside, find Elena and Kael?—”
“You’d need a distraction.” Bran’s expression is thoughtful. “Something to draw Viktor’s attention away from the western approach.”
A new voice joins our conversation. “I believe I can provide that.”
Marcus Ashford steps into our circle, his Haven’s Heart uniform replaced by muted combat gear. The resemblance to his sister is striking—same determined jaw, same intelligent eyes.
“My troops can stage an attack from the south,” he says without preamble. “Military precision, maximum visibility. Viktor will be forced to divert forces to counter us.”
I eye him skeptically. “Why would Haven’s Heart help wild clans?”
“I’m not here for the clans. I’m here for my sister.” His expression softens slightly. “But Elena’s research suggests Viktor’s ritual could destabilize magical balances across all territories. No one’s immune.”
Bran and I exchange glances. The wild clans have always distrusted Haven’s Heart’s motives, but desperate times require unlikely alliances.
“We attack at dawn,” I decide. “Bear Clan and Haven’s Heart forces create the distraction. My pack infiltrates through the western ravine. Our objective is to reach Elena and Kael before Viktor can complete whatever ritual he’s planning.”
As we finalize plans, I find myself gazing up at the mountain. Somewhere in those ancient ruins, two people from opposite worlds have discovered something worth dying for—worth killing for. Whatever truth they’ve uncovered about the prophecies, about the relationship between Storm Eagles and ground-dwellers, it’s powerful enough to change the course of this war.
I’ve kept my pack neutral for years, believing the conflicts between Haven’s Heart and the aerial clans weren’t our fight. Now I realize no one can remain neutral when all magic hangs in the balance.
Dawn approaches, painting the eastern sky with pale light. I shift back to wolf form once again, gathering the others with a soft growl. The ravine awaits us—a narrow path that might lead to salvation or slaughter.
As I lead my pack into the shadows, one thought burns in my mind: after generations of isolation and conflict, the fate of allterritories now rests on an impossible alliance—and on whatever Elena and Kael have discovered in the ancient heart of the mountain.
