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The vision scorched Alex's mind like wildfire—Talia Hale standing at the mouth of a burning forest, holding a child wrapped in crimson cloth. Not him. Someone else.
The flames didn't touch her, but they danced around her as if alive, feeding on power.
Alex stumbled back from the sigil, gasping. "She… she gave someone else away."
Eira steadied him. "What did you see?"
Before he could speak, the earth split nearby—roots cracking apart, soil burning with unnatural heat. Something was forcing its way through the ley line again.
From the smoldering ground rose a towering creature—hulking, fur-covered, part-wolf, part-shadow. Its red eyes burned with hatred.
"A primal," Eira whispered. "An ancient guardian, twisted by the broken bond."
The primal roared, sending out a shockwave that knocked both of them backward.
Alex transformed mid-air—his eyes burning gold, claws extending. He landed on all fours, then launched at the beast with a snarl.
They clashed violently—raw force meeting trained ferocity. Alex ducked under a massive swipe, slashing across its torso. The primal bled black flame, screeching in fury.
Eira chanted in the background, weaving energy sigils through the air, trying to bind the creature's power.
But the primal spoke.
"You carry the mark… of the betrayer."
It slammed Alex into the ground. The impact cracked the earth, and for a moment, the world blurred.
In the haze, Alex saw another memory—Talia, kneeling before a council of ancient shifters. Her voice trembled as she spoke a name: Kaelen.
Not Alex's name.
"I wasn't the only one," Alex muttered, claws digging into the soil. "There was another heir."
He roared, shifting fully into his beast form—fur dark as shadow, eyes glowing like molten amber. He tackled the primal with renewed strength, forcing it back toward the sigil.
Eira unleashed a spell—five glowing rings of arcane energy that slammed into the beast's chest, holding it in place.
"Now, Alex!"
With a furious cry, he drove his claws into the creature's heart, flooding it with shifter flame. The primal howled in agony before crumbling into smoke.
Silence fell, broken only by their ragged breathing.
But the air was different now. Charged. Shifted.
Eira looked at him, wide-eyed. "You tapped into something deeper… not just shifter power. Bloodline magic."
Alex stared at the mark glowing faintly on his forearm—a crescent wolf surrounded by flame.
"Talia lied," he said quietly. "I wasn't her only secret."
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Next up: Chapter 17 – The Other Heir