KAEL'S POV
The earth came back in fragments—heat first, then the iron sting of blood. My ears rang like bells struck inside my skull.
Smoke drifted through the snow, gray twisting into white until I couldn't tell where the ground ended and the sky began. Wolves were shouting somewhere—my wolves—but their voices warped through the ringing.
I forced my body to move. Every nerve screamed. When I pushed up from the ice, the ground was cratered, burnt to glass in a perfect circle. In the center of it—Ayla.
She stood barefoot in the snow. Light pulsed under her skin, silver and gold chasing each other like veins of molten metal. Her hair streamed in the wind that wasn't there.
For a heartbeat, the entire army held still.
"Hold the line!" I bellowed, voice raw. My throat caught on the taste of ash. "No one moves until I say!"
The command tore through the haze. Warriors stumbled into formation. I could smell their fear—sharp, animal, real.
I took a step toward her.
Her eyes lifted.
