The night was no longer silent.
Far beyond the burning camp…Beyond the shattered battlefield soaked in blood and ruin…The forest had awakened. Howls echoed through the mountains one after another, deep and ancient, rolling across the dark wilderness like a storm gathering beneath the moon. The trees trembled softly as movement spread through the shadows.
Wolves.Dozens.No…Hundreds.
They emerged from every direction, their glowing eyes piercing through the darkness as they moved between the trees with unnatural urgency. Massive black wolves descended from the northern ridges while lean gray predators climbed from the valleys below. Packs that normally hunted separately now moved together as one.
Drawn by a single presence.
The Shadow Wolf.
The Hollow radiating from Tiza's transformed body had spread far beyond the battlefield, reaching deep into the wild like an ancient call carried through blood itself. It was not a sound the ears could hear.
It was instinct.Command.Dominance.
And the wolves obeyed without hesitation.
Even now, standing amidst the ruined camp with Lara beside him and their newborn child resting safely against his chest, the Shadow Wolf could feel them approaching.
Getting closer.
Fast.
The crimson glow in his eyes flickered toward the distant forest line where countless pairs of glowing eyes had already begun appearing between the trees.
The wolves had come for their king.
And Tiza understood exactly what would happen if they reached the battlefield while his family remained there.More death.More bloodshed.More destruction.
The Hollow inside him stirred violently at the thought. The beast welcomed the incoming pack, craving the chaos their arrival would unleash upon the remaining soldiers.
But something deeper—
Something human—Resisted.
Lara.
The child.Protect them.That instinct overpowered everything else.
Without hesitation, the Shadow Wolf lowered himself beside Lara. She was trembling badly now, her body barely able to remain upright after everything she had endured. Blood still stained her clothing from childbirth, and every breath she took carried exhaustion and pain.
Carefully—far more carefully than a creature like him should have been capable of—he nudged her gently onto his massive back.
Lara gasped softly as her weakened body settled against the thick black fur covering him.
The newborn remained cradled securely within one clawed arm against his chest.
Then—
He ran.
The ground exploded beneath his feet as the Shadow Wolf launched himself away from the camp with terrifying speed.
The surviving soldiers could only stare helplessly as the massive creature vanished into the darkness beyond the battlefield.
Behind them, the wolves finally arrived.
The first pack burst from the tree line like a flood of shadows, their howls shaking the night as chaos consumed the camp once more.
But Tiza did not look back.
His focus remained ahead.
Far away from bloodshed.Far away from war.Far away from the Hollow's growing influence.
The wind roared violently around them as he raced through the forest faster than any living creature should have been capable of moving. Trees became blurs. Rivers vanished beneath enormous leaps. The moonlight barely touched them before they disappeared deeper into the wilderness.
On his back, Lara held tightly to him with trembling hands.
Her body ached unbearably.
Every movement sent waves of pain through her, but her fear now stretched far beyond herself.
"Tiza…" she whispered weakly against the rushing wind.
The Shadow Wolf's ears twitched slightly at the sound of her voice, but he did not slow.
His instincts screamed at him to keep moving.Keep running.Protect them.
"Tiza… stop…"
Her voice cracked painfully.
He continued forward.
Lara struggled to lift her head slightly, tears forming again in her exhausted eyes.
"You don't understand…" she whispered weakly.
The child stirred softly against his chest.
Lara's breathing became uneven.
"She needs me…"
The Shadow Wolf leaped across a fallen cliffside, landing heavily before continuing deeper into the mountains.
"She needs someone…"
Still he ran.
His mind was consumed by survival.
Escape.Protection.But Lara's voice continued reaching him through the darkness.
"She needs you too…"
This time, the words caused something inside him to stir uneasily.
The Shadow Wolf slowed slightly.Not fully understanding.Not fully hearing.
Yet something about her voice carried fear deeper than the terror of the battlefield they had left behind.
Lara lowered her head weakly against his back, her strength fading rapidly now.
Tears slid silently down her face as she looked toward the newborn child resting safely within his grasp.
A child Tiza believed he had saved completely.A child he believed was safe now that they had escaped the camp.But Lara knew something he did not.
A secret she had buried within herself since the moment of childbirth.
A truth hidden for only one reason—To protect her daughter.
And as the Shadow Wolf disappeared deeper into the endless darkness of the forest, racing toward an uncertain future beneath the moonlit sky…
Lara realized with growing dread that the truth could not remain hidden forever.