The trapped wolves writhed, snarling as the Tangible Shadows constricted around them, pinning their spectral bodies to the earth. Their forms flickered, shifting between physical and immaterial, but the weight of Ren’s technique kept them from slipping away completely.

  Yet something was wrong.

  The air changed. The atmosphere grew heavier, thicker—unnatural. Ren felt it before he saw it: a presence, massive and deliberate, closing in.

  Then came the growl.

  Deep. Resonant. Like a tremor in the earth.

  Ren’s eyes snapped toward the tree line.

  From the darkness of the woods, two pale orbs emerged—cold and predatory. The shadows seemed to bend and twist around the figure, as if reality itself recoiled from its form.

  Then it stepped forward.

  The Alpha.

  Ren’s breath hitched as he took in its size—nearly twice the height of the others, its fur a matted black with streaks of ashen white. Its body phased in and out of existence, a half-real entity that defied the very laws of nature.

  Its fangs glowed dull silver, shimmering in the dim light.

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  And then it spoke.

  Not with words. Not with sound.

  But with pure intent, drilling into Ren’s mind like a cold whisper.

  Hunter…

  Ren’s fingers twitched. It’s aware.

  This wasn’t just a monster.

  This was something else.

  The Alpha’s gaze swept over its packmates—bound and writhing in Ren’s Tangible Shadows. A low snarl rumbled from its throat, but it didn’t charge.

  No.

  It waited.

  Testing him.

  Ren exhaled. His heart pounded in his chest, but his mind remained clear. Panic wouldn’t serve him here.

  This thing wasn’t attacking outright—it was analyzing. Calculating.

  Which meant Ren had an opening.

  Alright, big guy. Let’s see how smart you are.

  He flicked his wrist, and the shadows holding the weaker wolves pulsed—tightening like a noose.

  The creatures yelped, their forms flickering wildly between states. The Alpha flinched, muscles tensing.

  So you do care.

  That was the confirmation he needed.

  Ren didn’t have to fight it head-on.

  He just needed to use its instincts against it.

  The Alpha took a single step forward.

  And Ren moved.

  His Abyssal Veil expanded, warping the battlefield. The shadows around him thickened, bleeding into the ground like liquid ink. Depth became an illusion. Distances stretched and shrank, perception twisting at will.

  For the Alpha, it would be like stepping into a maze of pure darkness—where time, space, and movement lost meaning.

  A trap.

  The moment the beast lunged, Ren was ready.

  His shadow coiled beneath him, shifting like a living thing. As the Alpha charged, its body flickered—phasing in and out of existence, dodging past the usual plane of attack.

  But that was exactly what Ren counted on.

  The instant it materialized, his shadows struck.

  Tangible tendrils lashed out, snapping around its legs and throat. The Alpha