I had to reach him.
I had to save him.
I tore through the hallways, my bare feet slapping against the cold stone, until the night air hit my face like ice.
The forest loomed ahead, dark and silent, the trees swaying under the blood-red glow of the moon.
“Maximus!” I screamed, my voice cracking the quiet. “Maximus!”
The forest swallowed my words, the silence pressing back until I thought my own heartbeat might echo forever.
And then—
The growl.
It was closer this time, deep and guttural, rattling through my bones. My eyes widened, my chest tightening so hard it hurt.
A shadow moved between the trees.
And then he stepped out.
I froze.
The beast was towering. Covered in thick, black fur that gleamed under the moonlight. His claws dug into the earth, his eyes burning like molten fi
