It began with a dream.
But not Kael's.
Not really.
It was too sharp for a dream. Too still.
The world around him shimmered silver—moonlight frozen over blackened earth. His boots crunched ash, but there was no sound. No sky. Just light. And silence. And her.
The silver-eyed woman stood in the center of it all—barefoot, bloodless, beautiful in the way only something hollow can be.
"Hello, Alpha," she said, like they'd already met. Like this wasn't the first time he'd stepped into her void.
Kael's jaw clenched. He reached for his wolf, but it was gone. No presence. No heartbeat. No heat in his bones. He was… alone.
She tilted her head. "He won't come. I asked him to be still."
A flicker of cold rage pulsed through Kael's chest. "You asked?"
Her smile cut sideways. "Kindly."
She stepped forward. Not rushed. Not threatening. But with certainty, the kind that said: I do not need to raise my voice to burn you down.
