The night was darker than it had any right to be.
The forest, which usually whispered with life, had fallen into an eerie silence, as if every living creature was holding its breath—watching.
Kael led the way, his every movement sharp, deliberate, and laced with tension.
Seraphina followed closely, her senses heightened, the lingering chill of Lilith's presence still clinging to her like a second skin.
The further they walked, the louder her thoughts became.
Who was Lilith? What did she mean by the beginning of your end?
Kael wasn't talking.
His shoulders were stiff, his expression unreadable, his silence screaming louder than words ever could.
Seraphina's eyes darted around the trees, their shadows long and strange under the pale moonlight. Every creak and rustle made her heart leap.
Her instincts whispered that they weren't alone.
And she trusted her instincts now—because they had kept her alive.
"Where are we going?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Kael didn't turn. "Somewhere safe."
She frowned. "That's not an answer."
"It's all you're getting," he snapped.
Seraphina clenched her jaw.
She was tired of half-truths.
Tired of fear.
Tired of feeling like a passenger in her own fate.
They emerged into a small glade.
A hidden place, surrounded by weeping willows and old stones covered in moss.
The air here was cooler. Still.
Too still.
Kael turned abruptly, eyes scanning the trees.
"We stop here," he said.
She narrowed her eyes. "You said it was safe."
His silence was answer enough.
"It's not, is it?" she asked.
"No," he admitted. "But it's where I can protect you best."
Seraphina's heart thudded painfully in her chest.
Protect her from what?
Before she could ask, a loud snap echoed through the trees.
Then another.
Kael pushed her behind him in one swift motion, his eyes glowing, claws extending from his fingers.
Three figures stepped into the clearing.
Tall.
Shrouded in black.
And not entirely human.
Seraphina's breath caught.
She didn't know what they were.
But she knew they weren't just wolves.
Kael's voice was low and dangerous. "Step away."
The one in the middle laughed, deep and mocking. "Still pretending you're in control, Kael?"
Seraphina's blood ran cold.
She recognized that voice.
It was the same one that had whispered from the trees the night before.
And now, it had a face.
One carved with scars and eyes like frozen ash.
Kael didn't flinch.
But Seraphina could feel the tension rolling off him like thunder before a storm.
The scarred one stepped forward, slowly, deliberately, his boots crunching over dead leaves.
"I warned you," he said. "You should've delivered her to us the moment you found her."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "She's under my protection."
The man smiled, and it was all teeth. "Then you'll die protecting her."
Seraphina's heart pounded wildly, and her throat tightened.
She couldn't speak.
Couldn't breathe.
Everything about the man felt wrong—like he didn't belong to this world.
The other two figures flanked him silently, shadows with glowing eyes and twitching fingers.
Seraphina felt Kael shift slightly, his stance adjusting.
He was preparing to fight.
She wanted to scream—for him to run, for her to run, for someone to wake her from this nightmare—but her feet wouldn't move.
The scarred man raised a hand.
"I'm feeling generous tonight," he said. "Step aside, Kael. We only want the girl."
Kael bared his teeth. "Then you'll have to go through me."
"Gladly."
In the blink of an eye, the glade exploded into chaos.
Kael lunged, claws slashing through the air.
The figures responded just as fast—inhumanly fast.
Seraphina stumbled backward, dodging a swipe meant for her head.
She tripped over a root and hit the ground hard, breath knocked from her lungs.
Kael fought like a beast unleashed.
Every move was fluid, savage, precise.
But they were three.
And he was the only one.
Seraphina scrambled to her knees, heart hammering, hands trembling.
She could barely track the battle—flashes of silver claws, bursts of light, snarls that didn't sound like anything she'd ever heard.
Kael cried out as one of the figures slammed him against a tree.
Blood sprayed the bark.
Seraphina screamed.
And then something snapped inside her.
The world tilted.
The air thickened.
And heat surged through her veins like liquid fire.
She didn't think.
She didn't choose.
Something ancient and buried and angry rose from the depths of her soul.
A blast of white light erupted from her chest.
The attackers flew back as if hit by a tidal wave.
Silence followed.
Kael lay motionless on the ground.
The three figures groaned, smoke rising from their bodies as they staggered to their feet.
Their eyes—wild, furious, terrified—locked on her.
The scarred one spat blood. "She's awakening."
Then they vanished into black mist, melting into the forest like ghosts.
Seraphina stood frozen.
Heart racing.
Fingers burning.
Kael stirred, coughing weakly.
She ran to him, falling to her knees beside him.
"Kael," she whispered. "Are you—?"
He opened his eyes.
And for the first time, she saw fear in them.
Not for himself.
But for her.
"You're changing," he rasped.
Tears filled her eyes. "I didn't mean to."
He touched her cheek with a bloodied hand.
"I know," he said.
"But that doesn't stop what's coming."