The howl echoed again.
Closer this time.
It rolled through the forest like thunder, shaking the leaves and sending a shiver through every wolf in the territory.
The warriors immediately moved into formation.
Alpha Kael stepped forward, his eyes glowing faintly silver in the darkness.
"Positions," he ordered calmly.
The warriors shifted into wolves within seconds, their bodies stretching and transforming with sharp cracks of bone. Massive wolves now stood guard around the clearing.
Aria watched in awe.
Even after everything she had seen, the sight of an entire pack preparing for battle still made her heart race.
Beside her, Ikechukwu leaned on his wooden staff.
"Oga Alpha is serious tonight," he murmured.
Kael glanced at him.
"You find this amusing?"
Ikechukwu shrugged.
"In Nigeria we say something."
Kael sighed.
"I already know. You will say it, then I must ask you to translate."
Ikechukwu grinned.
"You are learning fast."
Aria almost laughed despite the tension.
But the laughter died quickly when another howl split the night.
This one was right outside the border.
Kael's voice turned deadly calm.
"They're testing us."
Aria frowned.
"Testing?"
Before Kael could answer, the trees at the edge of the territory rustled violently.
Then—
Three massive wolves stepped into the clearing.
Their fur was dark.
Their eyes burned red.
The symbol of Magnus was carved into the leather armor strapped across their shoulders.
The warriors around Kael growled deeply.
But the three wolves did not attack.
Instead, one of them stepped forward and shifted into human form.
The same soldier who had come earlier that night.
He smiled arrogantly.
"Good evening again, Alpha."
Kael did not smile back.
"You were told not to return."
The soldier shrugged.
"I brought friends."
Aria felt the mark on her wrist pulse again.
Hot.
Bright.
The soldier's eyes locked onto it instantly.
"There it is."
Kael stepped in front of her again.
"You will not look at her."
The soldier chuckled.
"You're very protective."
Kael's voice lowered into a warning growl.
"And you're very close to dying."
The man raised his hands slightly.
"Relax. Magnus only wanted proof."
"Proof of what?" Aria asked.
The soldier's smile widened.
"That the Moon Vessel is real."
The warriors growled louder.
Kael's patience was fading quickly.
"You have seen it. Now leave."
But the soldier shook his head slowly.
"No."
He pointed toward Aria.
"Magnus wants to see how powerful she really is."
Aria frowned.
"What does that mean?"
The soldier snapped his fingers.
Instantly, the two wolves beside him lunged forward.
Not toward Kael.
Toward Aria.
Everything happened in seconds.
Kael moved like lightning, shifting mid-air into a massive silver wolf and slamming into one of the attackers.
The clearing exploded with growls and snapping teeth.
But the second wolf was still racing straight toward Aria.
Her heart froze.
She had never fought before.
She didn't know how.
The wolf leaped.
Claws out.
Teeth bared.
Time seemed to slow.
Aria felt the burning mark on her wrist flare brighter than ever before.
A strange warmth spread through her chest.
Then—
The moonlight above suddenly intensified.
A beam of silver light fell directly onto Aria.
The attacking wolf froze mid-leap.
As if an invisible force had grabbed him.
Aria lifted her glowing wrist without thinking.
The wolf was thrown backward violently, crashing into a tree.
Silence fell over the clearing.
Everyone stopped.
Kael shifted back into human form slowly, staring at her.
The warriors were frozen in shock.
Even the enemy soldier looked stunned.
Aria looked at her hands.
"What… did I just do?"
Ikechukwu walked forward slowly, smiling like a man who had just seen something he had been waiting for.
"Ah."
Kael groaned.
"Not again."
Ikechukwu tapped his staff gently on the ground.
"In my homeland…"
Kael rubbed his temples.
"Translate."
Ikechukwu's eyes sparkled.
"It means…"
He looked at Aria proudly.
"…the moon has finally chosen to fight."
The enemy soldier stared at Aria with new interest.
Then he began to laugh.
"Magnus will love this."
He shifted back into a wolf.
"Tell your warlord something," Kael growled.
The soldier paused.
"What?"
Kael's silver eyes burned fiercely.
"If he sends hunters again…"
His voice was full of promise.
"…they won't leave alive."
The wolves retreated quickly into the forest.
Within seconds, the clearing was silent again.
Aria looked around at the stunned warriors.
"Did I really just throw a wolf across the forest?"
Ikechukwu nodded calmly.
"Yes."
Kael crossed his arms, studying her carefully.
"Looks like the Moon Vessel is stronger than we thought."
Aria swallowed.
"But what if Magnus sends more hunters?"
Kael's expression turned serious again.
"He will."
The wind rustled the trees once more.
And far beyond the forest—
A massive figure watched the moon rise above the mountains.
Red eyes glowing.
A deep voice whispered into the night.
"So…"
The man smiled slowly.
"The Moon Vessel has awakened."
The hunt had just become far more interesting.