The attack came at dawn.
A single howl shattered the silence, followed by the crash of stone and the scent of blood on the wind.
Ares jolted awake, claws digging into the cold basalt beneath him. The den was in chaos—wolves howled in pain, weapons clashed against metal, and firelight flickered through the tunnels like an unnatural heartbeat.
Kael burst into the chamber, his fur matted with dust and blood. "They're here," he growled. "Renn's forces."
Ares was already moving before Kael finished speaking. He sprinted through the winding passages, dodging fleeing wolves and leaping over fallen bodies. Smoke filled the air, thick and acrid, stinging his eyes.
At the heart of the den, Renn stood atop a raised platform, surrounded by his most loyal followers. The rogue leader had torn down the banners of unity that once hung from the walls. In their place were symbols of war—claw marks carved into stone, ancient sigils of rebellion.
"You would let our kind be ruled by ghosts and humans?" Renn bellowed to the gathered wolves. "You would follow a leader who lets the Echo walk among us unchallenged?"
Kael stepped forward, his voice calm but edged with fury. "We are not cowards. We do not strike each other in the dark."
Renn smiled coldly. "Then you are weak."
In a flash, Renn lunged.
The two collided in a storm of teeth and claws. Dust exploded around them as they rolled across the floor, snarling, biting, tearing. Blood streaked the ground in crimson arcs.
Ares tried to push forward, to help Kael—but hands seized him from behind. Two, then three. Rogues.
He fought, twisting, striking, but they overwhelmed him. One slammed his head against the stone. Stars burst behind his eyes. Darkness threatened to take him.
Then everything went black.
---
Elsewhere – Rogue Wolf Stronghold
When Ares woke, it was to the sound of chains rattling.
He was bound—arms shackled above his head, legs secured to the cold floor of what looked like an old mining cavern. The air was damp, laced with the scent of rust and decay. Flickering torches cast long shadows across the jagged walls.
Across from him, Renn sat lounging on a makeshift throne of broken steel beams and scorched wood.
"Sleep well?" Renn asked mockingly.
Ares spat blood onto the floor. "Let me go."
Renn chuckled. "Oh, I don't think so. You see, we've been waiting for this moment. Ever since you started hearing voices. Ever since you stopped transforming."
He leaned forward. "You're not one of us anymore, Ares. You never were."
Ares pulled against the chains, muscles straining. "I am."
"No," Renn said. "You're something else. Something alien. And if you won't tell us how to use your power, we'll rip it out of you."
One of the rogues stepped forward with a crude scalpel made from salvaged human tech. Its edge gleamed in the dim light.
Ares braced himself.
But then—
A pulse.
It started deep within his chest, like a second heartbeat waking for the first time. It spread outward, slow at first, then faster, until the entire room trembled.
The torches flared.
The chains snapped.
Ares dropped to the ground, gasping, feeling something surge through him—power, raw and untamed.
Renn's eyes widened. "What the hell—"
Ares rose slowly, his body trembling with energy. His vision blurred, then sharpened. Every detail became clear—the cracks in the stone, the sweat on Renn's face, the fear in the eyes of the rogues.
He took a step forward.
And the ground cracked beneath his feet.
"No," Renn whispered. "This isn't possible."
Ares didn't speak. He didn't need to.
With a single motion, he reached out—and sent Renn flying across the chamber with nothing but force alone.
The rogues scattered, screaming.
Ares turned and ran.
---
Back at the Den – Aftermath of Battle
By the time Ares returned, the battle was over.
Bodies littered the ground. Fires smoldered in the ruins of once-sacred spaces. Survivors tended to the wounded, whispering prayers to ancestors long gone.
Kael sat near the entrance of the den, his side bandaged, his breath labored.
Ares approached cautiously.
Kael looked up, eyes tired but sharp. "You escaped."
"They weren't ready for what I've become," Ares said quietly.
Kael studied him. "Neither are we."
Ares knelt beside him. "Where is Renn?"
"Gone." Kael exhaled. "With what's left of his pack. They fled into the wilds."
Ares clenched his fists. "They won't stop."
"No," Kael agreed. "They won't."
There was a long pause.
Then Kael placed a hand on Ares's shoulder. "You've changed."
Ares met his gaze. "I know."
Kael nodded slowly. "Then it's time you understood why."
He gestured toward the deeper tunnels. "Come. There's something you must see."
Ares followed without hesitation.
Behind them, the den mourned its losses.
But ahead, something greater awaited.
Something ancient.
Something that had been waiting for Ares all along.
---
Later That Night – The Hidden Chamber
Deep beneath the den, past crumbling walls and forgotten paths, Kael led Ares into a sealed chamber unlike any other.
At its center stood a monolith—smooth, black, pulsing faintly with light.
"This is where it began," Kael murmured. "Where your kind was born."
Ares stepped forward, drawn by instinct. As his fingers brushed the surface, the monolith responded—glowing brighter, humming with energy.
Then came the voice.
"Echo of the Hollow Moon… the time has come."
Ares staggered back.
Kael watched him carefully. "You're not just a wolf. You're not just a man. You're the last piece of something far older than either of us."
Ares swallowed hard. "What am I?"
Kael placed a hand on the wall beside the monolith. "You're the beginning of something new."
Outside, the wind howled again.
And somewhere beyond the dunes, Renn watched from the shadows, planning his next move.
The war wasn't over.
It was only just beginning.