The echo of the beast's laughter still lingered in the wind, cruel and triumphant. It didn't belong to Dante—at least, not entirely. It was older, more feral, laced with something ancient and vengeful that made the night air coil with dread.
Selena clutched Dante tighter as he writhed in her arms. His veins darkened beneath his skin, a web of black lightning spreading across his chest. His eyes—no longer silver, no longer human—flared crimson, swirling like a vortex.
"Dante!" she cried, her voice breaking.
He gritted his teeth, jaw clenched so tight blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. "S-something's wrong… The Oath—it wasn't supposed to feel like this."
Cassius approached slowly, his face grim, the open tome trembling in his hands.
"I feared this," he muttered. "The Fang should have tamed the beast, but the blood moon changed everything."
Selena's heart raced. "You knew this could happen?"
