CHAPTER 48: CONVERGING FORCES

Multiple POVs

Aiden POVThe howl that split the night air made every wolf in our group freeze. It wasn’t just any howl—it was Brock’s war cry, but it sounded wrong. Desperate. Terrified.

"He found them," I said, my heart pounding against my ribs. Through our pack bond, I could feel my brother’s rage and fear mixed together like a storm.

Elder Marcus, who’d insisted on coming despite his age, grabbed my arm. "That howl came from the Cursed Cliffs. If the Shadow Wolves have made their base there..."

He didn’t need to finish. Everyone knew the stories about those rocks. Wolves who went up there alone never came back down.

"We have to help him," Luna said, startling me. The former beta’s daughter had changed a lot since the Winter Moon Festival, but I hadn’t expected her to offer for something this dangerous.

I was about to agree when another sound reached us—Lily’s voice, carried on the wind like magic.

"I can feel all of you. The pack ties aren’t really broken."

Hope and fear crashed together in my chest. Lily was living, but her voice was coming from the same direction as Brock’s howl. The Shadow Wolves had all three of the most important people in my life.

"Change of plans," I announced to our group of twenty dogs. "We split up. Half of you come with me to help Brock. The other half head toward Lily’s voice and get her out of there."

"Bad idea," Elder Marcus said firmly. "We’re stronger together."

"And slower together," I shot back. "Every second we waste arguing is another second they’re in danger."

That’s when the ground beneath our feet started to shake.

Lily POV

The old evil stirring below the Sacred Grove was getting stronger. I could feel it pulling at the pack ties I’d just restored, trying to feed on them like a vampire drinking blood.

But I wasn’t letting up. Not when Caleb was chained somewhere in these caves, not when Brock was facing impossible odds above us, and not when every wolf pack in existence was counting on me to figure this out.

"Your healing magic is impressive," the Shadow Wolf leader hissed, circling me like a shark. "But you’re too late. Our master has already tasted the power of the broken ties. Soon he’ll have enough strength to break free."

The chains around me burned with green fire, but I ignored the pain. Through the pack bonds, I could feel wolves all across the territory. Some were facing Shadow Wolf attacks. Others were running toward the Sacred Grove, pulled by instincts they didn’t understand.

And underneath it all, that terrible presence was getting stronger.

"You don’t understand what you’re doing," I gasped, my strength fading as the ritual chains drained my power. "If that thing wakes up, it won’t just kill the wolf packs. It’ll swallow everything."

The Shadow Wolf laughed. "Our master has slept for a thousand years, thinking of revenge against the wolves who imprisoned him. Your pack bonds are exactly what he needs to reclaim his power."

Horror washed over me as I finally understood. The old evil wasn’t just any monster. It was something the wolf packs had fought before, something they’d barely managed to beat by working together.

And I’d just given it a feast of repaired pack bonds to devour.

The ground shook again, harder this time. Cracks emerged in the cave walls, and I could hear something massive moving far below us.

"The awakening begins," the Shadow Wolf said with satisfaction.

That’s when I heard footsteps running toward us through the tunnels. Multiple sets of footsteps, going fast.

Brock POV

I broke free from the shadow tentacles just as the cave started shaking apart.

The green chains that had been reaching for me fell to the ground as whatever power source they were connected to got sidetracked by something bigger. Around me, Shadow Wolves were looking confused and scared as rocks started falling from the ceiling.

"Caleb!" I shouted, running toward my brother.

He was still aware, barely, but the chains holding him were flickering like a broken light bulb. I grabbed them with both hands, ignoring the burning pain as the green energy tried to fight me.

"Brock," Caleb whispered. "You have to get out of here. Something’s coming. Something terrible."

"Not without you," I grunted, pulling at the chains with all my strength.

That’s when I heard voices echoing from deeper in the cave system. Familiar sounds.

"Lily!" someone was screaming. "Where are you?"

"This way!" came another voice. "I can smell her scent!"

My heart leaped. Aiden had brought help. But as the cave shook again, even harder this time, I realized help might not be enough.

The Shadow Wolf boss who’d been taunting me earlier was backing toward a tunnel, his red eyes wide with something that looked like fear.

"It’s too early," he was saying. "The master wasn’t meant to wake for another hour. We’re not ready!"

A terrible roar echoed up from the depths below us, a sound that made every wolf instinct I had scream in terror. The Shadow Wolves around us weren’t looking confident anymore. They were looking like they wanted to run.

I finally managed to break Caleb’s chains, catching him as he fell. My brother was weak but aware enough to stand with help.

"What did you idiots wake up?" I demanded of the Shadow Wolf boss.

But the creature was already gone, vanished into the shadows like smoke.

Aiden POV

We found the opening to the cave system just as the whole mountain started shaking like an earthquake.

"Lily!" I shouted into the darkness. "Brock! Caleb!"

My voice echoed back from various tunnels. The cave was like a maze, and we could hear sounds coming from several different directions.

Luna pressed close to my side, her face pale but determined. "I can hear fighting from that tunnel," she said, pointing to the left. "And voices from that one," she added, pointing the right.

"We split up," I decided quickly. "Luna, take half the group and find whoever’s fighting. I’ll take the others toward the sounds."

"Be careful," she said, startling me by grabbing my hand briefly. "If something happens to you..."

She didn’t finish, but I understood. Despite everything that had happened between us, we were still packmates. Still friends.

I led my group down the right path, following the sound of familiar voices mixed with something that made my skin crawl—the hissing of Shadow Wolves.

The tunnel opened into a room where I saw something that made my heart stop.

Lily was chained to a stone altar in the middle of the room, her body glowing with silver light as she fought against some kind of magical ritual. Around her, at least a dozen Shadow Wolves were chanting in a language that hurt to hear.

But that wasn’t the worst part.

The worst part was the big crack in the floor behind the altar, a crack that was getting wider every second. And from that crack, something was climbing up toward the surface.

Something with too many eyes and teeth that belonged in dreams.

Lily POV

I could feel the old evil getting closer to the surface with every passing second. The pack bonds I’d restored were being drained faster than I could keep them, feeding the monster’s return to power.

But I could also feel help coming. Aiden’s drive as he burst into the chamber with a group of wolves. Luna’s fierce protectiveness as she led another group toward wherever Brock was fighting. And through the crumbling caves, more pack members rushing to reach us.

"The ritual!" I shouted to Aiden as his group attacked the Shadow Wolves. "You have to stop the ritual!"

But even as our friends fought the Shadow Wolves, I could see it was too late. The crack in the floor had grown big enough for something the size of a truck to climb through. Green light was coming out of it, along with a smell like death and rotting meat.

"FINALLY," a voice boomed from the crack, so deep it made the whole mountain shake. "AFTER A THOUSAND YEARS OF SLEEP, I TASTE FREEDOM AGAIN."

A huge claw reached up through the crack, followed by part of a head covered in scales and burning eyes. The old evil wasn’t fully awake yet, but it was close.

"All pack bonds will feed me," the monster continued, its voice getting stronger. "All dogs will bow before me. All life will serve my hunger."

That’s when Brock emerged in the chamber entrance, supporting a barely conscious Caleb. My heart leaped to see them both living, but then I saw what was behind them.

More Shadow Wolves. Dozens of them, running from whatever was rising below us.

And mixed in with the Shadow Wolves were regular wolves—pack members who’d been controlled by shadow magic, their eyes still empty and black.

"It’s not just our packs," Caleb gasped, his words barely audible. "The Shadow dogs have been collecting controlled dogs from everywhere. Hundreds of them."

The truth hit me like lightning. This wasn’t just about our pack or even our area. The Shadow Wolves had been building an army of controlled wolves from dozens of packs, all to feed this old monster.

And now all those controlled wolves were streaming into the room, surrounding us on all sides.

Aiden, Brock, Luna, and our small group of friends were hopelessly outnumbered. Even worse, the controlled dogs weren’t just enemies—they were victims who needed to be saved, not fought.

The old evil’s laughter shook the entire mountain as more of its massive body began emerging from the crack.

"SO MANY WOLVES," it said with pleasure. "SO MANY BONDS TO DEVOUR. I WILL BE STRONGER THAN EVER BEFORE."

Through the pack bonds, I could feel wolves from miles around racing toward the Sacred Grove. They were coming to help, drawn by feelings they didn’t understand.

But they were going straight into a trap. The more wolves that came, the more food the old evil would have.

I had to make a choice that could save everyone or doom them all.

I could try to break the control over all the Shadow Wolf puppets at once, freeing them but also possibly giving the ancient evil access to their restored pack bonds.

Or I could try to limit the monster’s power, but that would mean leaving hundreds of innocent wolves trapped as shadow slaves forever.

The massive creature was almost fully emerged now, its burning eyes fixed on me with hungry expectation.

"CHOOSE QUICKLY, LITTLE OMEGA," it rumbled. "SAVE THE MANY AND DOOM THE ALL, OR SAVE THE ALL AND DOOM THE MANY."

Around me, controlled dogs moved closer with empty eyes, while my friends and family prepared for a fight they couldn’t possibly win.

And in the distance, I could feel more packs racing toward us, unaware they were running straight into the jaws of their own destruction.