Lyla lunged.

Not with claws.

Not with fangs.

With the bond itself.

The whisper’s domain cracked around her shifting, twisting, reshaping.

It wasn’t a place.

It was a prison.

And Riley was still trapped inside it.

The whisper didn’t move.

Didn’t flinch.

It simply watched.

"Brave, little Guardian."

Its voice slithered through the shadows.

"But tell me how do you fight what has no form?"

The darkness collapsed.

Lyla barely had time to react before it ...