Alden’s POV The barn door exploded. Wood shattered into splinters, hay burst into the air, and the entire frame shook as something massive crashed through it. I flinched backward, shielding my face from the flying debris. Mara froze, dagger still raised, her hair whipped back by the force of the impact. For a heartbeat, the world fell silent. Then it stepped inside. A monster. The size of a horse but shaped like a wolf, though no wolf on earth could look like this. Its fur was pitch black and matted, clinging to flesh that seemed too tight over unnaturally swollen muscles. Its ribs rose and fell with every slow, heavy breath. Its snout dripped blood and saliva that hissed when it hit the barn floor. Its eyes Gods, its eyes They burned red. Like coals pulled from a forge. Mara’s breath caught in her throat. She took a single step back but the beast locked onto her. I knew she wanted to run. I felt the slight tremble of her hand as she steadied the dagger. But she didn’t move

Rowan’s POV The smoke stung my eyes as I guided my Pegasus through the charred remains of Greywood. The scent of burned wood, blood, and death clung to the air like a suffocating blanket. From the sky, the village looked like a wound upon the earth, blackened and smoldering. Even with the wind beneath my wings, my stomach turned. The Red Moon had passed, but its mark lingered. I landed carefully on the outskirts, hooves of my steed kicking up ash, the ground cracked and uneven from the fire. Eleven of us in formation my Knights and I dismounted, the leather and steel of our armor heavy on muscles honed for war. I drew a deep breath. Silence followed us, except for the occasional crackle of dying flames and the soft moans of the wind through ruined timber. The priest and an elderly baron who had been overseeing Greywood approached hesitantly, their faces etched with grief. Behind them, a boy knelt near a grave, shaking, exhausted, and hollow-eyed. I recognized him immediately as the

Rowan’s POVThe forest swallowed sound the deeper we rode.Pine shadows stretched long across the trail as the morning light thinned into something cold and silver. My horse’s hooves thudded softly on the packed soil, the rhythm familiar, steady yet my mind was anything but.Behind me, Alden walked.Walked.Bruised, limping, stubborn as a damn mule… and still trailing us with his jaw clenched and his shoulders squared like he thought sheer will could hold him together.Hoseman’s cut still marked his arm. A small wound, shallow and already drying, but it had changed something among the Knights. They weren’t saying it out loud not yet but they were watching the boy differently now.Not with respect.Not with trust.But with a wary curiosity.Like they were trying to decide whether he was a future soldier……or a future corpse.I kept my eyes forward.The trail dipped between two ridges, the air growing colder, sharper. Clouds thickened overhead. Even the trees seemed to lean away from th

Alden’s POVThe stream wasn’t far Thomas said as much but my legs were trembling long before we reached it.Branches scraped my arms as we walked, and the sound of rushing water slowly grew louder through the underbrush. Thomas moved with easy confidence, stepping over roots, ducking under low limbs. I followed, clutching the empty water skins, trying to keep my breath steady.The sun hung low through the trees, turning the leaves amber and gold. Evening was coming fast.“We’ll return before dark,” Thomas said, glancing back at me. “Rowan doesn’t like being out after sundown. Not in these woods.”“I don’t either,” I admitted.He chuckled. “Smart boy.”We reached the stream a thin, cold ribbon cutting through mossy stones. I knelt beside it, cupping water in my hands to splash over my face. The relief was instant, like cool glass sliding down my skin.Thomas filled the water skins. “You did good today,” he said casually. “Fallon will never admit it, but you outsmarted him on that ridge