The guardian beast's growl deepened—
a bass rumble that vibrated the ground under their feet.
Owain immediately shifted his stance, pulling Kanah behind him with one arm while steadying her with the other.
"Kana. Stay close."
She clutched the fur on his shoulder, breath still shaky from the bond aftermath.
"I can feel him," she whispered.
"He's coming."
"Your brother?" Helion hissed, ears flattening.
Kanah nodded slowly.
"It's… not like before.
The pull isn't inside me anymore.
It's outside.
Like pressure."
Owain growled.
"Good. It means the bond is holding."
Gerrin rose, mana circling his hands like silver ribbons.
"And pressure means numbers. They aren't sending him alone."
Yllas stepped in front of Ilai, frost-flame curling down his forearms.
"They're testing us. We must hold until Kanah can move."
Kanah tried to straighten.
"I can move."
Owain pressed a firm hand to her hip.
"No. Not until your body finishes syncing."
She opened her mouth—
but then she felt it.
A wave of dizziness.
Her heart skipping a beat.
Her Devourer hunger quiet but raw, still adjusting to the new anchor.
"Okay," she murmured. "Maybe… maybe sitting for another minute is smart."
Owain shot her a soft, proud look.
"That's my girl."
But there wasn't a minute left.
Because the forest shifted.
Branches twisted.
Roots coiled upward.
The air thickened with a metallic tang—
the unmistakable scent of Devourer resonance.
Gerrin went pale.
"It's not just the brother."
Helion bared his teeth.
"Twenty… thirty… no. More."
Owain stiffened.
"Kana. Behind me. Now."
The guardian beast stepped forward, towering, claws sinking deep into the dirt.
Kanah's pulse skipped.
"What is that smell…?"
Her brother's voice drifted through the trees.
"Come now, sister.
Don't pretend you do not know your own kind."
Kanah shivered violently.
Owain snarled, the sound feral and sharp:
"SHOW YOURSELF!"
Silence.
Then—
One Devourer scout stepped into the clearing.
Then three.
Then ten.
Barefoot.
Long-limbed.
Strange shadows clinging to their bodies like living smoke.
Kanah's breath stalled.
These were not like the assassins from earlier.
These were awakening-born.
Creatures created during the surge—
raw, unstable Devourer forms brought to life by resonance overload.
Yllas hissed under his breath.
"That is not possible."
Gerrin whispered:
"Her father must have triggered the old forges…
He's making Devourers again."
Kanah clutched Owain's arm.
"No—no—only high bloodlines can awaken. They… they shouldn't…"
Owain growled:
"He's cheating the biology."
More than two dozen Devourer-born surrounded the clearing.
Kanah's brother stepped out behind them.
His eyes glowed bright gold, hunger twisting around him like a halo made of smoke.
"Sister."
Owain braced.
Yllas's flame flared brighter.
Helion crouched low.
Gerrin's mana sharpened.
Ilai grabbed a fallen branch like it was a sword.
But Kanah—
newly bonded, newly anchored—
stepped forward.
Just one step.
Owain caught her hand immediately, voice low but shaking.
"Kana. No."
She didn't move farther.
She didn't challenge.
She just stood between her mates, breath trembling, bond pulsing softly.
Her brother watched her with eerie calm.
"You stabilized."
A tilt of his head.
"So the wolf succeeded."
Kanah swallowed.
"Yes."
"And how does it feel?"
His tone soft, almost curious.
"To bind yourself to one of them?"
Kanah flinched.
Owain stepped further in front of her.
"She doesn't answer to you."
Her brother didn't look at Owain.
He looked directly at Kanah.
"Does it soothe you?"
Kanah hesitated.
Owain's arm wrapped protectively around her waist.
She answered anyway.
"Yes."
The brother's smile widened.
"And does the hunger listen?"
Kanah's instinct surged—
a flash of warmth from the bond that steadied her heartbeat.
"It listens to Owain."
Owain froze.
The others sucked in a breath.
Her brother's expression shifted—
like something in him cracked.
"Then he is your anchor."
"Yes."
Silence rolled across the clearing.
Then—
"I see."
He lowered his chin.
Devourer-born behind him hissed and twitched in a wave.
Yllas's wings snapped open.
Gerrin stepped closer.
Helion's claws slid out with a slow metallic scrape.
Ilai whispered, "Oh no…"
Owain growled:
"What. Did. You. See."
Her brother lifted his head again.
And smiled.
Not cruelly.
Not mockingly.
Hungrily.
"She has chosen her anchor."
His eyes glowed hotter.
"So now I must break it."
Kanah's blood went cold.
Owain stepped fully in front of her.
"You can try."
Her brother's smile sharpened.
"I intend to."
He lifted his hand—
the Devourer-born surged—
the guardian roared—
Owain braced—
Yllas ignited—
Helion sprang forward—
Gerrin raised a shield—
Kanah clutched her newly marked shoulder—
And the first attack came in a tidal wave of Devourer claws.