"Vengeance is a poison that has seeped into your heart, poisoning your pack," I roared, my voice echoing off the ancient pines surrounding us. "But it can end here, Biansky. It must."

"Silence!" he barked back, his voice thunderous and raw. The air crackled with the dark energy of his rage, each word a barb aimed to wound. "You speak of poison, yet it was your pack that first let it flow!"

My eyes narrowed, and I stepped closer, unflinching. "We have both lost, both bled. It's time to heal, not ...