Chapter 5

Alana's consciousness was ripped through the crimson tear. She plummeted into a chaotic dimension of shattered stars and raging cosmic storms-the Expanse.

Winds made of pure energy sliced across her astral form, bringing a tearing, burning pain that made her want to vomit.

Deep within the eye of the storm, she forced her eyes open.

A mountain of silver fur loomed before her. It was a wolf of impossible proportions, its body etched with glowing, star-forged runes. Its eyes burned like dying supernovas, radiating a pressure that threatened to crush Alana's soul into dust.

The giant wolf, Evertt, lowered his massive head. His icy gaze locked onto the tiny, fragile human soul floating before him.

Fighting against the god-like gravity, Alana raised her hand. She offered him her soul-mark, burning with the dark, heavy weight of her blood and her absolute need for vengeance.

Evertt paused. He sensed the unyielding, violent fire in her spirit. A flicker of genuine amusement sparked in his supernova eyes.

He let out a roar that shook the very fabric of the dimension. He leaned forward and pressed his colossal, wet nose against her glowing soul-mark.

The pact snapped into place.

Instantly, Evertt's massive body began to violently compress. To force himself through the tiny dimensional crack Alana had opened, he sealed away ninety-nine percent of his mass and power.

Back in the real world, the crimson light of the matrix in the slum dorm suddenly shifted to a blinding, holy silver.

CRACK.

A shockwave blasted outward from the center of the room. The mattress flipped over. Alana was thrown backward, her spine slamming hard against the peeling wallpaper. She coughed, a splatter of blood hitting her chin.

The silver light slowly faded. Dust motes danced in the air.

Alana blinked, trying to clear her vision, expecting to see a terrifying monster.

Instead, sitting perfectly in the center of the scorched floorboards, was a puppy.

It was the size of a house cat, its body made of flowing silver radiance, solid yet with a hint of translucence, like an ethereal ghost woven from starlight. It was covered in an illusion of fluffy, impossibly soft silver fur that shimmered with cosmic dust. The pup shook its head, its oversized ears flopping. It let out a tiny sneeze, and a small puff of silver sparks drifted from its nose.

Alana clutched her aching chest. She stared at the harmless little furball, her brain completely short-circuiting.

The pup trotted over to her, its paws making soft tapping sounds. It sniffed the deep, bleeding gash on her palm.

Then, it stuck out a small pink tongue and gently licked the wound.

A cool, soothing sensation washed over her skin. Alana watched in absolute shock as the torn flesh knitted itself back together in seconds, leaving smooth, unblemished skin behind.

Suddenly, her comm-link let out an ear-piercing shriek. The screen flashed a violent, strobing red.

System Alert: Unidentified High-Dimensional Entity Detected!

The red text vanished, replaced by glowing gold letters that seemed to burn into the screen.

Pact Confirmed: Evertt.

Classification: Apex-Tier (Exceeds System Parameters).

Alana stopped breathing. Her eyes locked onto the words Apex-Tier. A massive, overwhelming wave of euphoria crashed into her, washing away the pain and the cold.

Evertt seemed annoyed by the loud beeping. He raised a tiny silver paw and smacked the holographic screen.

The comm-link instantly went black. Silence returned to the room.

The pup climbed into Alana's lap, circled twice, and curled up into a warm ball, closing its eyes to sleep.

Alana's hands shook as she reached out and buried her fingers in his soft fur. The moment she touched him, a massive surge of pure, raw energy rushed up her arm, flooding her empty resonance pool. The power was intoxicating, shattering her previous limits in a heartbeat.

She pulled the little wolf closer to her chest. Her eyes narrowed, the silver light reflecting in her pupils.

She whispered the names of Cash, Dallin, Jered, and Charmaine into the dark room, a smile of pure, lethal promise curving her lips.