Kano's War

Chapter 36

Kano

The first roar broke the silence like thunder.

It wasn't mine.

But it sparked something deep in my chest—something primal, ancient. My wolf pressed forward in my mind, snarling, impatient. He wanted blood. He wanted her.

And this time, I wasn't going to hold him back.

We surged through the trees like shadows made flesh, our warriors fanned out and tight behind me. Cole and his pack hit from the left, Galen and Elias from the right. Isla and 8777788 flooded the perimeter as we closed in on the Prince's border wall—more stone than strategy, old and weak in spots.

But the guards were ready.

Steel clashed against teeth. Swords met claws.

And then I was in it.

Ripping.

Tearing.

Fighting through a wave of men in black and crimson—soldiers of a king who thought he could steal what was mine.

Blood sprayed across my chest as I tore through a thick-bodied warrior who lunged at my flank. My wolf growled, satisfied. More. Behind me, Rael's axe cracked bone, his eyes flashing amber as he yelled something I couldn't hear over the frenzy.

Another enemy soldier dove for me. I caught his throat before his blade made it to mine and crushed it beneath my grip.

There were too many.

But we were stronger. United.

And they didn't have what we did.

They didn't have a reason.

A second wave of Cole's wolves exploded past the barricades on the left, their howls lighting up the night. We were winning the front. But my eyes—my whole soul—were locked on the towering spires of the castle just beyond the bloodied stone.

"She's in there," I breathed. "She's close."

A guard broke from the left and ran toward the gates, no doubt to warn the inside.

Not today.

I shifted fully, bones snapping and lengthening as I dropped to all fours, letting the wolf take control. The world tilted, sharpened. My senses screamed awake.

I lunged.

His scream was cut off in an instant.

Then I heard it.

A single yell.

Not mine.

Not Galen's.

It was raw. Wounded.

A bolt of terror—and fury—ripped through me so fast I nearly lost balance. I shifted back mid-run, chest heaving, already sprinting toward the far wall where Galen had said the southern breach would open.

"ELIAS!" I shouted over the chaos, "TAKE THE EAST. HOLD IT."

Elias nodded sharply and whistled a signal.

Galen appeared beside me, blood already streaked across his arms. "What do you hear?"

"She's close," I panted. "And she's in pain."

He didn't ask how I knew. He just nodded and pulled his twin daggers from his belt. "Then we finish this."

We stormed the southern side with a dozen of our fastest warriors behind us, blades raised, eyes glowing in the dark. There was no hesitation anymore.