Novel-novel oleh SnowRoxy

Lyra’s POVI couldn’t sleep.It was past midnight, and I’d been staring at the ceiling for over an hour, my mind spinning with thoughts of ceremonies and Moon Goddesses and green eyes that held secrets I couldn’t quite decipher.Finally giving up on sleep, I slipped out of bed and padded barefoot to the kitchen, hoping some chamomile tea might quiet my restless thoughts.I wasn’t surprised to find Marcus already there, leaning against the counter with a steaming mug in his hands.“Couldn’t sleep either?” I asked softly.He looked up, his eyes warming when they met mine. “Too much thinking.”“About the ceremony?”“About you,” he said simply, setting down his mug. “Always about you.”Something in his voice made my breath catch. There was an intensity there I’d never heard before, raw and honest in the quiet darkness.“Marcus…”He crossed to me in two steps, his hands coming up to frame my face gently. “Lyra, I need you to know something. What happened at the ceremony, or what didn’t hap

Lyra’s POVI had to admit, Jadis was trying really hard to fit in.Over the past week, she’d thrown herself into pack life with genuine enthusiasm. She helped in the kitchens, tended the herb gardens, and even volunteered for the less pleasant tasks like mending hunting gear and organizing the supply storage. Everyone loved her, she was sweet, hardworking, and had this infectious laugh that could brighten anyone’s day.So why did I still feel like something was… off?“Lyra, could you pass the rosemary?” Jadis asked from across the kitchen counter where we were preparing healing salves for the pack’s medicine stores.“Sure,” I said, sliding the jar over to her. “You’re really good at this. Where did you learn?”“My grandmother,” she said with a soft smile, carefully measuring the herbs. “She was the pack healer before… well, before everything went wrong.” Her smile faltered slightly. “I used to think I’d follow in her footsteps, maybe find a mate who’d appreciate having a healer for a p

Lyra’s POVThree days.It had been three days since the ceremony, and I was pretty sure I was losing my mind.Not because of the Moon Goddess’s silence, okay, maybe partly because of that, but because of how everyone was acting. The visiting packs had left with barely concealed disappointment and a lot of awkward condolences. The Elxra pack members kept giving us pitying looks and whispering behind their hands. Even the pack children seemed confused, like they couldn’t understand why their favorite “almost-family” wasn’t celebrating.But the worst part? My boys were trying so hard to act like everything was normal that they were driving me absolutely insane.“Good morning, sunshine!” Kael burst into the kitchen with enough enthusiasm to power a small city. “Beautiful day, isn’t it? The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and I made pancakes!”I stared at the mountain of pancakes on the counter. There had to be at least thirty of them.“Kael,” I said carefully, “there are five peopl

Lyra’s POVI’d never seen anything more beautiful than the ceremony grounds at sunset.Many white candles flickered in the dimming light, creating a soft glow among the old oak trees. Flower petals, including jasmine and rose, along with an unfamiliar scent that reminded me of moonlight, covered the paths to the sacred circle. Representatives from twelve different packs filled the wooden benches arranged in circles around the ceremonial platform, their eyes shining with excitement.And at the center of it all, the Moon Stone. A massive piece of silver-veined marble that had been used for mating ceremonies for over three centuries, now glowing with an inner light that seemed to pulse in rhythm with my heartbeat.“You look incredible,” Darius whispered in my ear as he escorted me down the petal-strewn aisle.I smoothed the skirt of my dress, Kael’s “special blue” that did indeed match the color of moonlight on water. The fabric seemed to shimmer with each step, like it was woven from st

Lyra’s POVI woke up to someone playing with my hair.Not unusual, considering my brothers had gotten even more touchy-feely since our kitchen revelation. What was unusual was that I was pretty sure I’d fallen asleep alone in my room last night.“Please tell me you didn’t all sneak in here while I was sleeping,” I mumbled into my pillow.“Define ‘sneak,’” Kael’s voice came from somewhere near my left shoulder.I opened one eye. Kael sat on the floor next to my bed, gently braiding my hair. Marcus was in the chair by the window with a book, but he seemed to be watching me more than reading. Zane leaned against the doorframe, and Darius…“Where’s Darius?” I asked.“Making you breakfast,” Zane said with a grin. “He’s going through some kind of domestic phase. Yesterday he organized your closet by color.”“He what?”“Don’t ask,” Marcus said without looking up from his definitely-not-being-read book. “Just accept that we’ve all lost our minds since last week.”I sat up, which made Kael pou

Lyra’s POVIf I thought my brothers were protective before, it was nothing compared to how they acted after our kitchen confession three days ago.And I mean nothing.“Absolutely not,” Darius said firmly, blocking my path to the training grounds.“It’s just combat practice,” I protested. “The same combat practice I’ve been doing for two years.”“With males from other packs,” Marcus pointed out, appearing at Darius’s shoulder like a backup dancer in a very possessive boy band.“Males who might get ideas,” Zane added, joining the wall of overprotective testosterone.“About touching you,” Kael finished, completing their ridiculous formation.I stared at them. “You realize I could take any of those guys, right? I learned from the best.” I gestured at them. “You four made sure of that.”“That’s not the point,” Darius said.“Then what is the point?”“The point,” Zane stepped closer, his voice dropping to that tone that made my knees weak, “is that now that we’ve admitted how we feel, the th