Theme: Confronting legacy, the pain of belonging, and the primal call of blood
The forest whispered his name.
Not Haken. No… the name beneath it. The one he buried when he ran from the pack. The one spoken only by moonlight and bone.
He walked deeper.
The trees thickened. The light vanished. Roots twisted like claws, and every breath carried the scent of memory — blood, earth, fur, home.
He passed stones etched with runes older than kingdoms. A clearing opened before him, moonlit and silent… until a voice growled from the dark.
"You dare return."
A figure stepped out — tall, scarred, silver-eyed.
His brother.
Meanwhile…
Vivi stood on a balcony overlooking the palace gardens. Her hands were bandaged, the heat still thrumming under her skin.
The Queen approached from behind.
"Do you understand now?" she asked softly. "What we tried to protect you from?"
Vivi turned, her gaze sharp. "You didn't protect me. You prepared me."
Lysara didn't deny it.
"I saw what I could become," Vivi whispered. "A tyrant made of fire. And beside me, Viper. You knew that would happen."
Lysara's veil fluttered in the wind. "We didn't know. We feared."
"Then maybe you should start fearing me."
For a moment, the Queen saw it — the fire behind her daughter's eyes.
And it scared her more than the mirror ever had.
Back in the forest…
Haken's brother circled him.
"You should have died with the rest of them," he spat.
"I tried," Haken said.
"But you lived," the brother growled. "And you became human."
"I never stopped being one."
The brother laughed bitterly. "Then prove it. Bleed for your place. Or run again."
Haken didn't flinch.
"I'll fight. But not to belong."
He stepped forward.
"I'll fight because something worse is coming. And we need to be more than beasts to survive it."
The brother paused — then threw the first punch.
The fight wasn't fair. It was brutal. It was honest. And when it ended, Haken stood bloodied, breathless — but unbeaten.
The pack began to emerge from the trees, one by one.
Watching. Waiting.