The forest was eerily silent after the explosion of energy that had sent the wolves scattering. The trees, once alive with the sounds of nature, now seemed to hold their breath, waiting. But Eryk could feel it—a tension in the air, a weight pressing against him from all sides. The wolves hadn’t gone far. He could sense them, lurking in the shadows, their eyes watching him. They were waiting for the right moment to strike.

Kael was crouched low beside him, his sword at the ready, his eyes flicking between the shadows and Eryk. His grip on the blade was firm, but his face betrayed a hint of uncertainty.

“Eryk,” Kael’s voice was low, but urgent. “We need to move. We can’t stay here. They’ll come for you again.”

Eryk’s chest tightened as he nodded, pushing himself shakily to his feet. His body still hummed with the power he had unleashed—power that he still didn’t fully understand. The magic inside him felt like a beast, clawing at the walls of his mind, begging to be set free again. But he wasn’t sure he could control it. Not like Kael seemed to believe.

“Where do we go?” Eryk asked, his voice hoarse. “The river...?”

Kael’s eyes darted to the trees, his expression sharp. “It’s too risky now. They’re too close. We need to head for the mountains. There’s a cave system there—an old refuge from the war. If we can make it that far, we might have a chance to regroup.”

Eryk swallowed, his throat dry. Every instinct screamed at him to run, to hide, but deep down, something told him the wolves were only the first of many dangers. If the rogue sorcerer Velkor was behind all this, there would be no real safety anywhere. Not until Eryk understood what he had become.

But for now, survival was the only thing that mattered.

The sound of snapping branches reached Eryk’s ears, sharp and sudden. His heart lurched in his chest, and before he could even process it, Kael was already on his feet, his sword raised. The tension in the air grew thicker, an oppressive weight that made every breath feel like it was fighting against him.

“We’re not alone,” Kael muttered.

A low, menacing growl echoed through the trees, coming from all around them. A cold wind rustled the leaves, the sounds of the forest now feeling like a funeral dirge, quiet and heavy. From the shadows, a pair of amber eyes glowed like twin beacons, and then, a massive wolf emerged into the clearing.

Eryk’s breath caught in his throat as the creature stepped forward, its body rippling with muscle, its fur dark as night. The wolf was nearly as tall as a man, its jaws wide, revealing rows of sharp, gleaming teeth. And its eyes—those eyes were filled with an unnerving intelligence, as if it understood far more than a simple animal should.

“Not just any wolf,” Kael muttered, taking a defensive stance beside Eryk. “This one’s an Alpha.”

Eryk’s stomach turned, and his skin prickled with the intensity of the gaze locked on him. He could feel the power inside him flare again, a deep, undeniable call to the magic that he still barely understood. The wolf was watching him, sizing him up, like it could feel the power rippling under Eryk’s skin. It was hunting him.

“Kael, what do we do?” Eryk’s voice trembled despite his best effort to stay calm.

Kael’s eyes never left the wolf. “We fight. It’s too late to run.”

The Alpha wolf snarled, its lip curling back to reveal its fangs. It lunged forward with terrifying speed, its body a blur of motion. Eryk barely had time to react before Kael was moving, intercepting the creature’s strike with a powerful swing of his blade. The wolf snapped its jaws around the sword, but Kael was faster, ducking low to avoid a retaliatory swipe of the beast’s claws.

The sound of steel against bone rang through the air as Kael managed to land a hit on the Alpha’s shoulder, the blade sinking deep into its flesh. The wolf howled in pain, but it didn’t retreat. Instead, it pushed forward, its claws raking through the air, forcing Kael to step back.

Eryk stood frozen, his body tense and his breath shallow as the battle raged before him. The power inside him burned like fire, and it was all he could do to keep it contained. He could feel the magic pushing against his skin, surging with raw, untamed force. His pulse quickened, the sound of it deafening in his ears.

Then, without warning, the ground beneath his feet trembled.

The earth cracked open with a deep rumble, and a surge of magic—dark and violent—exploded from within him, a torrent of energy that he couldn’t control. His body trembled as the power surged out of him, the air around him crackling with electricity. It was as though the earth itself was reacting to his inner turmoil, the energy from his bloodline finally erupting.

A shockwave of force exploded outward, knocking both the wolf and Kael off their feet. The Alpha let out a bone-chilling howl, but it was overpowered by the force of Eryk’s power.

The world around him seemed to freeze. For a moment, everything was still. The only sound was his ragged breathing and the pounding of his heart in his ears. His hands were shaking, and the magic that had burst from him still hung in the air, like a storm waiting to strike again.

Kael staggered to his feet, his sword dripping with the Alpha wolf’s blood. His eyes met Eryk’s, and for the first time, Eryk saw a flicker of something in Kael’s gaze—a mixture of fear, awe, and concern. “Eryk... you need to control it. This power—it’s a part of you, but it’s also dangerous. You can’t let it take over.”

Eryk’s hands were trembling as he tried to calm his breathing. “I didn’t... I didn’t mean to. It just—it just happened.”

“I know,” Kael said softly, stepping closer. “But you can’t keep letting it happen. You’re not the only one at risk anymore. If you lose control again, there’s no telling what’ll happen.”

Eryk nodded, swallowing against the lump in his throat. The weight of Kael’s words settled over him, and the realization hit him hard. He wasn’t just fighting for his life anymore. He was fighting for Kael’s life too—and for the kingdom that was at risk if this power spiraled out of control.

The sound of rustling leaves broke through the tension, and Eryk’s heart skipped a beat. Another howl—louder this time. The pack was closing in. And this time, they weren’t alone.

Kael’s hand gripped his shoulder, pulling him out of his thoughts. “We need to move. We’ll talk later. Right now, we survive.”

Eryk nodded, his throat tight as he turned to follow Kael, his pulse still pounding in his ears. They had only just begun to understand the full scope of what Eryk had become. And already, the hunt had begun.