For Silver Pine

The forest held its breath.

Then, without warning, the shadows split open, birthing creatures forged from nightmare. The demons spilled forth like a plague, their twisted bodies slithering and clawing across the moonlit ground with grotesque speed. The air turned electric, thick with the scent of sulfur and bloodlust.

Lily didn't hesitate.

She felt it ripple through her—the ancient power surging in her veins as her bones cracked and shifted, fur replacing skin. Her transformation was seamless, a dance of sinew and fury that ended in a snarl. Alec shifted beside her, and one by one, the pack followed suit, forming a wall of snarling guardians. They didn't need a signal. They moved as one. This was their territory, their home. And they would defend it.

The first wave hit like a tsunami.

Demons lunged, talons gleaming under the moon, their mouths foaming with malice. Lily leapt into the fray, teeth sinking into flesh that hissed and smoked on contact. Her claws were a blur, every motion honed by years of training and pain. She fought not just with instinct—but with purpose. With Caleb's memory burning behind her eyes like wildfire.

Alec was a whirlwind at her side, his strikes surgical, fierce, and unrelenting. They moved as if tied by an invisible thread—ducking, slashing, defending each other's blind spots. The pack was a symphony of motion around them, howls and growls forming a chaotic harmony. Every warrior fought with a desperation that bordered on holy.

But it wasn't enough.

The demons came faster than they could kill. For every shriek that signaled a victory, a dozen more arose in its place. Their ranks swelled, thick and choking. Lily's limbs grew heavier. Blood—hers and theirs—matted her fur. Her lungs burned. Her mind screamed. But she didn't fall back. She couldn't.

And then she saw him.

Towering above the battlefield, cloaked in shadows that seemed to swallow the light around him, stood a figure. Not like the others. Bigger. Sharper. Hungrier. The air bent around him, as if the world itself wanted to retreat. He didn't charge. He walked—casual, cruelly calm—until the chaos parted for him like water.

The demon lord.

Their new king.

Lily froze for a fraction of a heartbeat, her beast instincts whispering that she should run. She ignored them.

His voice cut through the clash of battle like a blade. "So you're the new Alpha."

She raised her chin, claws curling. "And you're the coward hiding behind foot soldiers."

A smirk twisted his lips. "Brave words from a pup still playing leader. Caleb should've known better."

The name hit her like a blade to the chest. For a second, her vision blurred—not from exhaustion, but grief. Pain. Rage. But it gave her clarity. She leapt.

He moved faster.

His claws sliced across her forearm mid-air, sending her crashing to the ground with a thud that rattled her bones. Pain lanced through her, white-hot. But she didn't scream. She rose—bloodied, furious.