"They're here."
Silence followed the Hunter's words.
For the first time since arriving, all twelve Hunters looked uneasy.
The Guardian slowly lowered its wings.
Its golden eyes remained fixed on the darkness beyond the university.
The howls continued.
Hundreds of them.
Maybe thousands.
They came from every direction.
The entire city seemed to be singing with wolves.
Somewhere beyond the shattered gates, windows rattled in nearby buildings. Distant car alarms began to wail, then cut off one by one, as if the city itself were holding its breath. Even the crimson rings overhead seemed to pulse in time with the howls, casting long, trembling shadows across the courtyard and making every face look ghostly, unreal, and suddenly very small in the dark.
Liam's breathing became uneven.
He could hear them.
Every single howl.
Some were near.
Others were incredibly far away.
Yet somehow...
He understood them.
They weren't sounds.
They were messages.
Calling.
Searching.
Waiting.
Then one voice became clearer than the others.
Alpha.
Liam froze.
The voice sounded ancient.
Powerful.
Alpha.
Another howl echoed.
Again, he understood.
Come.
His heartbeat accelerated.
"Liam?"
Trisha's voice sounded distant.
Come.
The call grew stronger.
Come to us.
Pain exploded inside his head.
He stumbled.
"Liam!"
Trisha grabbed him.
He looked at her.
But for one brief second—
He didn't recognize her.
His vision had changed.
Everything looked sharper.
Brighter.
He could hear her heartbeat.
Fast.
He could smell fear.
Then he blinked.
Trisha was still there.
Looking worried.
The strange feeling disappeared.
"I'm okay," he whispered.
"No, you're not."
He couldn't argue.
Because he wasn't.
The Hunters were watching him carefully.
One of them stepped forward.
"Interesting."
The Guardian growled.
The Hunter ignored it.
"The Alpha's Call already reached him."
Silence.
Professor Vale looked horrified.
"So soon?"
The Hunter smiled.
"Earlier than expected."
Liam frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
Nobody answered.
The growling inside him became louder.
Come.
His knees nearly gave out.
Then something warm touched his hand.
Trisha.
She was holding it.
Immediately—
The pain lessened.
Everyone noticed.
Including the Hunters.
Silence filled the courtyard.
One Hunter slowly tilted its head.
"Impossible."
Another nodded.
"It calmed him."
The Guardian looked thoughtful.
Then it smiled.
Very slightly.
The Hunters noticed.
And their expressions darkened.
One of them looked directly at Trisha.
"The bond."
Silence.
"It already exists."
Nobody understood.
"What bond?" Liam demanded.
The Hunter ignored him.
Its red eyes remained fixed on Trisha.
Then—
"Kill her."
Silence.
Everyone froze.
The words had been spoken so casually.
As if discussing the weather.
The Guardian roared.
Golden light exploded around it.
The Hunters immediately stepped backward.
Their cloaks whipped violently in the wind.
The Hunter remained calm.
"If she completes the bond, everything changes."
Another Hunter nodded.
"The Alpha must remain uncontrolled."
Liam's eyes narrowed.
"What are you talking about?"
Again, nobody answered.
The Hunter suddenly raised its hand.
Black energy gathered above its palm.
Trisha's face paled.
The Guardian moved.
It appeared directly in front of her.
Boom!
The dark energy struck the golden barrier.
Cracks spread across it.
Everyone stared.
The barrier had actually cracked.
The Guardian's expression darkened.
The Hunters smiled.
"We have grown stronger."
Black energy appeared above every Hunter's hand.
Professor Vale's face lost color.
"No..."
He looked at everyone.
"We need to leave."
"Leave?" Britney repeated.
"How?"
The old man pointed toward the administration building.
"There are underground tunnels."
Nobody moved.
The Guardian looked at him.
"You remember."
Professor Vale swallowed.
"I remember enough."
Another attack struck the barrier.
Boom!
More cracks appeared.
Britney jumped.
"Okay! Tunnels sound great!"
Nobody disagreed.
The Guardian looked toward Trisha.
Its golden eyes softened.
"You must go."
She blinked.
"What?"
"I will remain."
Silence.
"No."
Everyone looked at Liam.
He stood beside Trisha.
"You can't fight all of them alone."
The Guardian smiled.
"You are brave."
"I'm serious."
"I know."
Another attack.
Boom!
The barrier trembled.
The Hunters were getting closer.
The Guardian looked toward Liam.
Then it did something unexpected.
It bowed its head slightly.
"Protect her."
Silence.
Liam frowned.
"What?"
"You are her shield now."
Nobody understood.
The Guardian's expression became solemn.
"The Queen chose well."
Silence.
Trisha stared.
"I don't know you."
The creature smiled softly.
"You did."
She opened her mouth.
Then stopped.
Because suddenly—
She saw something.
A flash.
A gigantic throne.
Golden flames.
An enormous dragon kneeling before her.
Then—
Darkness.
The vision disappeared.
She gasped.
"Trisha?"
She looked at Liam.
The image was gone.
But the feeling remained.
Sadness.
An unbearable sadness.
The Guardian looked at her carefully.
Then its expression changed.
"You remembered."
"No..."
She looked frightened.
"I saw something."
Silence.
The Guardian's eyes softened even further.
"You truly returned."
Another attack exploded against the barrier.
Boom!
This time, pieces of golden light shattered.
The Hunters smiled.
The barrier was breaking.
The Guardian immediately turned.
Its expression became cold.
"Go."
Nobody moved.
"NOW!"
Its roar shook the courtyard.
The ground trembled.
Everyone finally snapped out of their shock.
Professor Vale turned.
"This way!"
He ran toward the administration building.
The others followed.
Britney grabbed Ethan.
Grey grabbed Henry.
Everyone moved.
Except Liam.
He looked at the Guardian.
Then at Trisha.
Finally—
He grabbed her hand.
"Come on."
They ran.
The howls outside the university became louder.
Much louder.
Almost deafening.
As they reached the administration doors, Trisha looked back.
The Guardian stood alone before twelve Hunters.
Its wings spread wide.
Golden light covered its body.
The Hunters raised their hands.
Darkness gathered.
The barrier shattered.
Boom!
A violent shockwave exploded through the courtyard.
Then—
A terrifying roar shook the entire city.
Not from the Guardian.
Not from the Hunters.
Something else.
Something bigger.
Something ancient.
The howls immediately stopped.
Silence swallowed everything.
Even the Hunters looked frightened.
The Guardian slowly lifted its head.
Its golden eyes widened.
Then it whispered,
"He found us."
At the edge of the university grounds, hidden within the darkness beyond the broken gates, two enormous crimson eyes slowly opened.
And they were looking directly at Liam.