The elites stepped out of the tree line in perfect silence.
Six of them.
Tall.
Sharp.
Predatory.
Eyes gold with a polished, controlled gleam that the half-awakened Devourer-born lacked.
Their movements were fluid.
Precise.
Deadly.
These weren't experiments or shadows.
These were full-blooded Devourer elites—
trained, honed, and obedient to the bloodline.
Kanah's breath stuttered.
Owain felt the way her fingers dug into his back.
"Kana," he said quietly, "remember what anchored you."
She pressed her forehead against his spine.
"You."
He growled softly.
"Good. Stay behind me."
Yllas exhaled frost, eyes narrowing.
"These ones are different."
Helion scoffed.
"Yeah. They look like they might actually be a challenge."
Gerrin muttered, "Helion, please stop inviting death."
Ilai yanked a root out of the ground and brandished it like a spear.
"If one of them comes near us, I swear to every star, I'm stabbing something."
Owain planted his feet, claws extending.
The guardian beast moved beside him, lowering into a ready crouch.
Kanah's brother watched from atop a tree limb—
as calm as if overseeing a training ground.
He lifted two fingers.
A silent command.
The elites moved.
THE FIRST ELITE STRIKES
One elite shot forward, a blur of shadow.
Owain intercepted it mid-charge, their claws clashing with a crack of bone and air.
The elite twisted its wrist, trying to slip past, aiming directly for Kanah.
Owain snarled.
"NO—!"
He shoved the elite back so hard it skidded across the leaves.
Yllas breathed out a wave of frost-fire, cutting off its path.
Helion landed from above, claws slicing a deep line across the elite's back.
The elite didn't scream—
it just turned its head, expression calm, assessing.
Helion hissed.
"Oh, that's new. They don't feel pain."
"They do," Gerrin muttered.
"They're just trained to ignore it."
"Wonderful," Helion said.
THE ELITES SPLIT THEIR TARGETS
Three elites peeled off to the right toward Yllas and Helion.
Two moved to flank Gerrin and Ilai.
One headed straight for Kanah.
Owain's eyes widened.
Absolutely not.
He lunged—
but he wasn't fast enough.
The elite was already in front of Kanah.
Kanah didn't scream.
Didn't run.
Didn't freeze this time.
She stepped back behind the guardian's arm—
instinctively.
The guardian slammed its arm down so hard it left a crater.
The elite jumped back just in time, landing lightly on a branch.
Kanah's breath quickened.
"It's trying to test my defenses."
Owain snarled.
"Over my dead body."
Her brother, still perched above, smiled faintly.
"That can be arranged."
Owain spun, voice erupting:
"COME DOWN HERE AND SAY THAT—!!"
The brother didn't.
He simply raised his hand again.
And the elites changed tactics.
THE ELITE TACTICS
Two elites vanished.
Not shifted.
Not phased.
Moved so fast they blurred.
They reappeared behind Yllas, claws slicing toward his ribs—
Helion dove between them, taking both claws to his arms.
"HELION!" Kanah screamed.
He hissed in pain but twisted, using the momentum to flip one elite over his shoulder while slashing the other across the face.
Yllas caught Helion's arm.
"You're bleeding."
Helion grinned, sharp and wild.
"You noticed."
Yllas scowled.
"This is not the time."
"It's always the time."
"HELION."
"Fine."
But Helion didn't fall.
Didn't falter.
He stood, blood running down his arm, grin sharper than ever.
"Next."
THE ELITES NEAR KANAH
The elite closest to Kanah dropped from its perch—
Owain moved, teeth bared—
But something happened Kanah didn't expect.
Her hunger snapped.
Hard.
A shockwave pulsed out from her chest—
weak but sharp—
Devourer resonance.
The elite faltered mid-lunge.
Owain blinked.
"Kana—?"
She shook, clutching her bonded shoulder.
"Owain—I didn't do that on purpose—!"
Her brother murmured from above:
"Interesting."
Owain growled.
"Don't talk about her."
The brother smirked faintly.
"She's stronger than she realizes."
Kanah's stomach twisted.
She didn't want to be stronger in that way.
Not like them.
Not like him.
THE SHIELD BREAKS
Gerrin's silver barrier flickered violently as two elites hammered into it repeatedly.
Ilai stood behind him, holding her branch like a sword.
"Gerrin—is it—is it supposed to be cracking?!"
"No," Gerrin said through clenched teeth.
"No, it very much is not—"
Another strike.
The shield cracked loudly.
Kanah gasped.
"GERRIN—!"
Gerrin looked at her—
calm, reassuring, even as his arms trembled.
"It's okay. I can—"
The shield shattered.
The elites lunged.
Ilai screamed.
Kanah's heart dropped—
But the guardian beast was there.
It slammed into both elites, throwing them across the clearing like dolls.
Gerrin exhaled hard, shaking.
"Thank you," he whispered to the guardian.
The giant beast rumbled low in response.
Owain looked back at Kanah.
"Stay behind the guardian. Don't move."
She nodded—but her pulse thrashed.
THE BROTHER MOVES
Her brother sighed softly, hopping from his branch with effortless grace.
"Enough testing."
Owain growled.
"DON'T TAKE ANOTHER STEP—"
Her brother looked at him calmly.
"You completed the bite.
Good.
It means she won't break."
Kanah's breath hitched.
He stepped forward again.
"But I can still tear the anchor."
Owain's growl deepened.
"You're welcome to try."
The brother blinked slowly.
"I intend to."
He snapped his fingers.
The elites changed formation instantly.
Three toward Owain.
Two toward Yllas and Helion.
One toward the guardian — to separate Kanah.
Kanah's heart jumped into her throat.
"Owain—!"
Owain didn't hesitate.
"WOLF FORM," he barked.
Then—
He shifted.
Fully.
A rush of fur.
A burst of muscle.
A roar that shook the clearing.
Owain, the Wolf King, landed on all fours—
towering, enormous, golden-eyed, claws ripping into the ground.
Kanah gasped.
Seeing him in full form—
fur bristling, breath steaming, power radiating from every inch—
hit something deep in her chest.
"Owain…"
He growled, lowering his massive head to her level.
Stay behind me.
You are mine to protect.
She felt the meaning through the bond—
not words, but instinct.
Her brother's smile sharpened.
"So. The King awakens."
He raised his hand again.
"Let us see if the wolf can withstand the blood of his mate."
Before Kanah could react—
The elites lunged for the wolf.
The brother lunged for the guardian.
And the clearing erupted into chaos.