The clearing had never felt so crowded.
Not with bodies—
but with power.
The dragon lord's ember-gold aura burned like a furnace.
The werewolf alpha radiated raw dominance.
The elf high mage shimmered with natural mana.
The leopard elders crackled with feral energy.
Kanah felt all of it pressing against her skin.
But she did not shrink.
Not this time.
Owain stood behind her, one hand on her shoulder—warm, grounding—while Yllas, Gerrin, and Helion formed a protective half-circle.
The guardian beast crouched behind Kanah like a living fortress.
High Mage Lythar spoke first.
"Let us begin."
The tribes formed a loose circle.
Not touching.
Not trusting.
But agreeing to the shape.
For now.
Vaeryn, the dragon lord, folded his arms.
"Human girl. Speak."
Owain's eyes flashed dangerously.
"Watch your tone."
Vaeryn smirked.
"I said girl, not insult."
Kanah stepped forward before Owain could lunge.
"It's fine."
Owain growled low in protest, but she pressed her hand against his chest gently.
Her voice was steady.
"The Devourers want to rebuild their species. They've started awakening dormant seeds. My father is forcing the hunger open, and my brother is hunting me."
She swallowed, but didn't look away.
"They won't stop. Not until they tear this world apart."
Silence.
Then—
Rhaegor, the werewolf alpha, cracked his knuckles.
"Then we kill them."
Lythar sighed.
"Wolves always choose the straightforward answer."
Rhaegor shrugged.
"It works."
The Leopard Eldress chuckled from her perch on a fallen branch.
"But this time, wolf, the enemy cannot be simply 'killed.'"
"Why not?" Rhaegor growled.
Lythar answered:
"Devourers don't die easily. And their awakening spreads like infection."
Vaeryn nodded.
"Their numbers will multiply. Their hunger will expand. And the first gateway is—"
His gaze landed on Kanah.
"Hers."
Owain's snarl shook the trees.
"She's NOT a gateway."
Kanah stepped closer to Owain, gripping his arm.
"It's okay," she whispered.
"We need the truth."
His muscles stayed tense—but he let her speak.
Gerrin raised his hand, stepping into the circle.
"Kanah is different. Yes, she carries Devourer blood. But she anchored the resonance with a wolf bond. She mastered the inheritance instead of falling to it."
Lythar's eyes gleamed.
"That alone is unprecedented. Humans should not survive Devourer seed awakening."
Kanah hesitated.
"Why… why not?"
Vaeryn answered bluntly.
"Because humans are fragile."
Owain snarled.
Helion hissed.
Yllas bristled.
Gerrin winced.
Kanah raised her chin.
"Maybe that was true. Once. But I'm still here."
"And you shouldn't be," the Eldress murmured—softly, honestly.
"That is the part that frightens your father."
Kanah froze.
"My father… is afraid of me?"
"He should be," Owain growled, pulling her closer.
Gerrin exhaled.
"Kanah, understand this: Devourers don't understand restraint. Or control. Or tenderness. You can command their resonance because you feel. That alone makes you unpredictable to them."
Kanah swallowed hard.
Vaeryn added:
"And dangerous."
The wolf alpha stepped forward.
"But not to us."
Owain's grip on her tightened, proudly.
The Eldress's grin widened.
"Yes. The question is—does the girl choose to be a weapon…
or a queen?"
Kanah blinked.
"A queen?"
Vaeryn spoke flatly:
"Your resonance stabilized every beast here when you shouted earlier."
Lythar nodded.
"It reached further than this forest. Other tribes felt the pulse."
Rhaegor's jaw tightened.
"My pack fell still for a heartbeat. As if… listening."
Kanah's breath hitched.
Helion nudged her lightly.
"You kind of yelled at an entire species, honey."
Yllas added softly:
"And they heard."
Kanah looked down at her hands.
"I didn't do it on purpose…"
Gerrin touched her shoulder.
"That makes it stronger. You were speaking from pure instinct—human instinct, not Devourer."
The Eldress laughed sharply.
"Imagine what she could do on purpose."
Owain growled.
"We are NOT making her a weapon."
Kanah squeezed his hand.
"I won't be. Not like that."
Vaeryn stepped closer, studying her carefully.
"You misunderstand. A weapon destroys.
A queen unites."
Kanah froze.
"What makes you think I'm… that?"
"Because you already are," Yllas said quietly.
Kanah turned to him, startled.
His blue eyes softened.
"You anchored Owain.
Stabilized yourself.
Freed the guardian.
Stood before your brother.
Spoke with a voice that bent elites.
And rallied every tribe to this forest—"
He gestured at the circle.
"Without lifting a finger."
Kanah's throat tightened.
Helion chimed in:
"Also, dragons flew across the continent for you. That never happens."
Vaeryn nodded, dead serious.
"We do not answer calls lightly."
Lythar stepped closer.
"And we did not come for Owain.
Or for Yllas.
Or for any tribe."
His silver eyes locked onto Kanah.
"We came because your resonance called us."
Kanah's heart slammed into her ribs.
A queen.
Not a weapon.
Not prey.
Not a mistake.
Something new.
Owain stepped behind her, his voice low and warm at her ear.
"Whether you want that or not…
you're already leading us."
Kanah swallowed, her hair brushing his lips.
"But I didn't ask—"
The Eldress interrupted, voice soft and honest:
"No one chooses greatness.
Greatness chooses them."
Kanah trembled.
Rhaegor crossed his arms.
"So. What now?"
Vaeryn answered:
"We must prepare for war.
And we need to understand exactly what the girl can do."
Kanah flinched.
"I… I don't even know myself."
Gerrin smiled gently.
"Then we'll learn together."
Owain growled approvingly.
"And I'll be beside her the whole time."
Helion rolled his shoulders.
"Me too."
Yllas bowed his head.
"And I."
The Eldress leaned forward.
"And I will teach her to use instinct without fear."
Kanah looked around the circle—
the tribes, her mates, her guardian—
And took a breath.
Human.
Devourer blood.
Beastworld's new resonance.
Maybe she wasn't a queen.
But she wasn't prey anymore.
She lifted her chin.
"Then let's begin."
Silence.
Then Vaeryn spoke.
"The Devourers move at night.
We hunt at dawn."
"And until then," Rhaegor growled,
"the girl stays with us."
Kanah exhaled.
Owain wrapped his arms around her.
"You're safe," he whispered.
"I promise."
But Kanah's Devourer sense tingled.
Her brother was watching.
Somewhere in the trees.
Somewhere close.
Somewhere listening.
And for the first time—
he didn't terrify her.
He worried her.
He feared her.
And maybe he should.