Selene's POV
The sound of Kira's laughter echoed like broken glass through the night.
It was faint at first, then louder, cruel and hollow, as though the shadows themselves carried her mirth. The torches had gone out and the pack house stood in utter darkness. Even the air tasted of iron and burnt herbs.
"She was holding something," Eldric whispered beside me, his hand raised, magic sparking faintly at his fingertips.
The moon outside, still black and swollen, hung over the forest like an omen. My wrist burned beneath its glow, the silver mark pulsing with a rhythm that felt both alien and familiar, as if it recognized the energy that now filled the room.
From the darkness, a faint shimmer of light took shape. Slowly, step by step, Kira emerged from the shattered doorway. Her face was calm, disturbingly serene, her eyes silver like the moon's reflection on still water.
