Weeks passed quickly, and Aisha remained under Salomon's supervision, constantly watched, circled like prey under his sharp gaze.The Nevri leader insisted that to survive, she had to learn to control her beast side. Yet, after days of training, something didn't add up.While the other Nevri shifted effortlessly under his guidance, Aisha remained incapable of doing so.—Focus, Aisha. Feel your beast. Let it flow from deep within your chest —Salomon ordered, his voice firm yet patient.She closed her eyes, trying to obey. Frustration burned in her throat. She knew she couldn't shift, but she wouldn't admit it. Not in front of him.
Then it happened. During sparring with another Nevri, her palm brushed against the edge of a blade. A thin line of blood welled from her hand, and its scent filled the air.The entire group tensed immediately.—What… is that scent? —one of them asked, voice hoarse.
Salomon's eyes locked onto Aisha amidst the chaos. The beasts around them turned savage, devouring each other, unable to resist the scent of her blood. Her blood.His own fangs grazed his tongue, and he wasn't sure if it was hunger, rage… or raw fascination.Careful, Salomon, he warned himself, his jaw tightening.He thought he had her calculated. Thought she would be another piece on his chessboard—a chosen queen, tamed under his command.But seeing her now, standing amidst the rabid creatures, wielding her weakness as a weapon, reminded him of something primal:He couldn't control her.Not yet. Maybe never.And that thought didn't scare him as it should. It thrilled him. It disarmed him.The mark on his palm was a constant reminder…Aisha wasn't just the key.She was the lock, the snare, and the wolf he still wasn't sure he could tame.
Salomon's amber eyes burned with intensity. He instinctively stepped back. But it was too late.One of the nearby Nevri collapsed to the ground, writhing and snarling, his body shifting in a brutal, uncontrolled transformation.—Aisha… your blood! —Salomon roared, struggling to restrain the others, who succumbed to the sweet, intoxicating aroma.
The immediate shock was bitter, but significant.The beasts around her fought for control, their reason obliterated. Salomon had to chain each of them until dawn.
Morning brought tense calm. The Nevri kept their distance, watching Aisha with a mixture of fascination and respect.Salomon stood beside her, analyzing the scene with an unreadable expression.Aisha's blood… it was like Sanathiel's when he transformed into the Grey Wolf. But he needed the lunar collar.She, on the other hand, was a natural source of chaos.—Unique among your kind —the Ebony Wolf whispered, examining the wound on her palm, which had already healed—. You could be the key to mastering all Nevri… as my queen.—I'm no one's tool. I have one goal: reach Rasen, even if it costs me everything —Aisha shot back, her glare sharp as blades.Salomon smiled. A smile full of intent.—Very well. We'll track him down together. But be careful, Aisha… playing the savior may cost you more than you imagine.
Night fell as Aisha and Salomon ventured into the forest. With each step, the air thickened, humming with instinctual alert.Salomon led the way, tense, prepared.From the shadows emerged faceless, grotesque creatures, immense in size. Some resembled savage werewolves, others were pale, hairless, with bony spikes jutting from their backs. Glowing eyes in the dark, skin stretched taut over skeletal forms like reanimated corpses.—Get ready, Aisha! They're Varek and Luciano's work! —Salomon shouted, shifting into his beast form.
Aisha unsheathed a bronze sword. Though she couldn't transform, she'd use everything she'd learned.A creature lunged at her. She rolled aside, driving the blade into its gut. It snarled, but didn't fall.—So that's how you want to play —Aisha muttered. Without hesitation, she sliced her own arm, letting her blood drip onto the ground.
The effect was immediate.The beasts turned toward the scent, driven mad. They tore into each other in mindless carnage.Salomon watched her, impressed.Aisha, wasting no time, finished off the stragglers amid the chaos.
In the southern woods, Sanathiel advanced alone. His Nevri were patrolling elsewhere, but the creatures hunting him were different. Bigger. Faster. Deadlier.He recognized Varek's mark carved into their limbs. These weren't mere beasts. They were weapons.One lunged from the undergrowth. Sanathiel barely dodged, countering with his claws. The fight was brutal. For the first time in ages, he was pushed to his limit.
Rage consumed him, and his body shifted. The Grey Wolf emerged, towering, more imposing than ever.A feral howl ripped from his throat, slicing through the forest like a war cry of fury and power.
Aisha felt it.Deep. Primal. It struck her marrow.She turned toward the distant side of the forest, wide-eyed.She recognized that call.Unexplainable. Unavoidable.
But there was no time.The creatures kept advancing.And everyone's fate still hung by a thread.
Aisha pressed her fingers to the wound on her arm, taking a deep breath.
Sanathiel's howl still echoed in her bones.
But she didn't run toward him.
Not this time.
First, she would finish what she started.
First, she would learn to master her own curse.
Only then would she be ready to face him…
…and to decide, finally, which of the wolves she would follow.