The door sealed with a quiet hiss that sounded far too final.
Aria stood where Damien had left her, fingers still curled as if his sleeve were there, warmth fading from her skin. The room seemed to breathe around her. Firelight trembled across ancient symbols. Her name watched her from the wall, ink dark and unblinking.
Outside, the first howl split the night.
It was not a pack howl. It carried no unity, no ritual rhythm. It was jagged, feral, sharpened with intent.
Aria's heart slammed hard enough to hurt.
Another howl answered it. Then another.
She backed away from the door, breath shallow, every instinct screaming to run and nowhere to go. Damien's command echoed in her head, heavy and absolute.
Do not leave this room.
The alarm continued to wail through the mansion, a steady, pulsing cry that set her nerves on edge. Somewhere below, boots thundered across stone floors. Doors slammed. Orders barked through comms.
Then a sound cut through everything.
Metal tearing.
