Kaelen’s POV…..

War was a living thing.

It breathed smoke and blood, roared with steel and magic, and crawled beneath my skin like a second pulse. The battlefield stretched before me in violent layers—wolves clashing, warriors shouting commands, magic detonating in blinding bursts that scarred the earth. Every heartbeat carried the weight of a thousand lives depending on the next order I gave.

I lifted my blade and my voice cut through the chaos.

“Third flank—advance, then ...