Midnight Encounter

Lucas moved like a wraith through the midnight forest, following the smell of intruders. His shadows stuck to him like a second skin, making him nearly invisible against the dark trees. Only his silver eyes gleamed as he tracked his prey.

Three Darkhaven wolves had crossed his line ten minutes ago. He could smell their fire magic – bright and wild, so different from his controlled blackness. They were trying to be quiet, but their golden eyes gave them away, glowing like embers in the dark.

Nova's voice echoed in his mind, telling him of her warning: "If you find Darkhaven wolves, talk first. We might need them as friends."

But when he saw them approaching the ritual site Nova had found, his wolf's protective instincts took over.

Lucas stepped out of the shadows right in front of the intruders. "You're a long way from home."

The Darkhaven wolves jumped back, shifting immediately into fighting stances. Their hands sparked with fire, casting dancing light across the forest floor.

"Wait!" The biggest one stepped forward, and Lucas recognized Kael Darkhaven, the eastern Alpha's brother. "We're not here to fight."

"Really?" Lucas let his power swirl clearly around him, darkness curling like smoke. "Three fire wolves sneaking through my territory at midnight? Looks like trouble to me."

"Your territory?" A new voice cut through the darkness, bright with power. "Last I checked, this was neutral ground."

Heat shimpered through the air as Elijah Darkhaven appeared from behind a massive oak tree. The eastern Alpha's copper-red hair seemed to glow in the darkness, and his amber eyes burned with challenge.

Lucas's wolf stirred at the sight of his foe. He'd seen Elijah at council meetings, but never this close. Never alone in the dark, with both their powers dancing around them like live things.

"Neutral ground ends a mile back," Lucas said coldly. "You know that."

"The borders moved when the wards fell." Elijah stepped closer, his fire magic reaching out like curious fingers. "Or didn't you notice your territory shrinking?"

Lucas growled. Of course he'd noticed. His link to the land had felt wrong ever since the attack, like someone had redrawn the magical boundaries while he slept. But he wasn't about to admit that to Elijah.

"Why are you really here?" he asked.

"Same reason you are," Kael replied before his brother could. "Following the trail."

Lucas stiffened. "What trail?"

Instead of answering, Elijah pointed to the ground. Lucas followed his eyes and saw what he'd missed before – paw prints in the soft earth. They were huge, bigger than any wolf he'd ever seen, and they glowed dimly with a sickly purple light.

"They're heading toward the ritual site," Lucas realized aloud.

"Ritual site?" Elijah's eyes narrowed. "You found one too?"

The possibilities hit them both at the same time. Lucas remembered Nova's finding – the blood-stained clearing, the dark magic lingering in the air. And now Elijah's reaction confirmed it: the same thing had happened in Darkhaven land.

A twig snapped in the darkness.

All five wolves spun toward the sound, their magic flaring reflexively. Lucas's shadows met Elijah's flames, causing a strange twilight effect in the forest.

"There," one of Kael's friends whispered, pointing.

A figure stood at the edge of the opening – tall and misshapen, more beast than wolf. Its eyes glowed red in the darkness, but not like normal rebel wolves. These eyes seemed to swallow light itself.

Before anyone could move, the thing howled. The sound made Lucas's bones tremble, and he saw Elijah wince beside him. It wasn't a normal scream. It carried magic in its notes – dark, hungry magic that made his wolf want to run and hide.

The thing charged.

Lucas and Elijah moved in perfect sync, their skills reaching out together. Shadow and fire twisted into a barrier between their packs and the charging beast.

But the creature passed through their power like it was mist. It headed straight for Kael, claws extended.

"No!" Elijah's fire pushed forward in a golden wave.

Lucas didn't think. He just played. His shadows joined Elijah's flames, blending into something entirely new. The combined magic hit the creature like a physical blow, sending it flying backward.

For a moment, everything stopped. Lucas felt Elijah's power running through him like lightning, wild and bright and perfectly matched to his darkness. Their magics didn't fight each other as they should have. Instead, they seemed to sing.

The creature scrambled to its feet, growling. In the combined light of darkness and fire, Lucas saw its true form. His heart nearly stopped.

It wasn't one beast. It was many wolves, their bodies joined together by dark magic. Their fur was patchy, showing skin marked with glowing purple lines. And around their joined necks hung a familiar crystal – exactly like the ones that had shattered in both regions.

"Impossible," Elijah breathed. "The binding ritual was destroyed ages ago. No one should be able to..."

The creature's mouth opened in a terrible grin, showing too many teeth. It spoke in a voice like breaking glass: "The prophecy begins."

Then it turned and fled into the darkness.

Lucas started to follow, but Elijah grabbed his arm. The touch sent sparks through both their magics.

"Wait," Elijah said. "Look."

Where the thing had stood, the ground had turned black. The rot spread outward like spilled ink, killing the grass and flowers it touched. In the middle lay a wolf's body – one they hadn't noticed before.

Together, they approached the body. It was a gray wolf, not from either of their packs. Its fur was burned away in patches, showing the same purple runes they'd seen on the creature.

"It's a message," Lucas realized. "They want us to see what they can do."

"No," Elijah said quietly. "They want us to see what we'll become if we don't stop them."

Their eyes met in the strange twilight made by their mixed magic. Lucas saw his own realization reflected in Elijah's amber gaze: this was bigger than their rivalry. Bigger than borders and pack pride.

"The prophecy," Kael said from behind them. "Fire and shadow becoming one. Could this be why our magic..." He pointed to the lingering evidence of their combined power.

Lucas pulled away from Elijah's touch, trying to ignore how cold he felt without it. "We need to talk. All of us. But not here."

"My castle is closer," Elijah offered. When Lucas started to protest, he added, "And we both know they'll attack again. Soon."

As if confirming his words, another howl echoed through the trees – this one coming from multiple directions at once. The thing hadn't been alone.

Lucas looked at the dead wolf, at the corruption spreading through his lands, at the way his shadows still reached automatically for Elijah's flames.

"Fine," he said. "But I'm bringing my sister. And if this is a trap..."

"It's not." Elijah's eyes held something new – not the usual arrogance, but resolve tinged with fear. "We both felt it when our magic merged. Whatever's coming for us, we need to face it together."

More howls filled the night, closer now. The corrupted power pulsed beneath their feet like a heartbeat.

"Together," Lucas agreed unwillingly. "For now."

As they hurried through the dark forest, their powers lighting the way, Lucas couldn't shake the feeling that he'd just stepped onto a road he couldn't turn back from. His wolf paced restlessly inside him, drawn to Elijah's fire in a way that had nothing to do with magic.

The prophesy begins, the creature had said.

Looking at the way his shadows danced with Elijah's flames, Lucas feared it had started long ago. They just hadn't known it until now.

Behind them, the corruption continued to spread, making the forest as black as the night sky above. And somewhere in the darkness, more howls joined the chorus – a promise of the fight to come.

The real question was: would they be ready when it arrived?