Hope

I close my eyes.

The massive wolf above me rears back, jaws opening wide, hot breath washing over my face.

This is it.

My wolf goes still inside me—not in surrender, but in defiance.

My energy is low, pain rising but I'm not ready to give in.

I feel the tremor of his growl through the stone beneath my back. Blood pools warm beneath my shoulder. My vision swims, but I force my eyes open one last time.

If I die, I’ll die looking at my enemy.

His teeth descend—

And the night explodes.

A sharp, ringing sound slices through the air, like crystal shattering. Light—bright, silver-blue light—slashes across...