Chapter 188. A New Plan

Xerina’s POV

The world was a blur of shadows and echoes when I finally woke. I was lying on the cold, hard ground, the remnants of battle still lingering in the air like the aftertaste of blood and fear. Rasmus’s face was the first thing I saw, his eyes filled with a mix of relief and something else—something haunted.

“You’re awake,” he said softly, his voice cracking just a bit as he reached for my hand.

I tried to speak, to tell him that I was okay, but my voice came out as a raspy whisper. “Morvan… is he gone?”

Rasmus’s jaw clenched, and he shook his head. “For now, yes. But not for good. What we destroyed back there was only a fraction of his true form. He’s still out there, in the shadows, regrouping. And the worst part is, he’s stronger than before. He’s feeding off the chaos he’s created.”

I sat up slowly, the ache in my bones a reminder of how close we’d come to losing everything. Around us, the pack was gathering, licking their wounds, t