The air was thick with tension as the trio moved down the narrow hallway, their footsteps quick but measured. Serena could feel the weight of their urgency pressing against her chest. Every corner they passed seemed to narrow, every shadow lurking just a little longer than it should. They didn't speak as they moved; words seemed unnecessary. They all knew what was coming.
Serena's mind, still wrapped in the knowledge of the map and the cult, struggled to keep pace with the emotions stirring within her. The Onyx wolf, the power that coursed through her veins, was growing stronger with every passing minute. It was almost like a hunger, a low growl in the back of her mind that she couldn't quiet. She'd always fought it, always tried to keep it contained, but now... now it felt like it was awakening, stretching, testing the boundaries of its cage.
