My heart pounded violently as I rushed back out into the corridor, my footsteps echoing too loudly against the stone walls, as if the castle itself was listening to my panic and amplifying it. Every breath felt sharp and shallow, my chest tightening more with each step I took.
"Ember," I called, my voice breaking as it echoed through the halls, bouncing off cold stone and closed doors. I said her name again and again, louder each time, as if saying it enough would make her appear in front of me, safe and unharmed, like she always did.
Suddenly, a deafening crack split the air, so loud it felt like the sky itself had been torn open. The barrier protecting the pack exploded outward in a violent burst of energy, shattering into countless flecks of golden light that sparkled briefly before dissolving into nothing. The ground beneath my feet trembled, the shockwave rippling through the entire territory.
Something inside me snapped.
