Unbreakable BondNyra's POVIt had been a week since the chaos. A week since, Selene was taken away to the quiet exile of the Elder village. A week since Auren had been pulled back from the edge of Zaira's grasp. He was recovering gradually with enough strength, with the help of herbs, healing hands, and time.But the bruises left behind that were invisible were hard to heal.I had carried that weight with me every hour of every day. I sat by Auren's bedside until sleep finally forced me down. I woke in the middle of the night, and my heart was beating fast. I expected to see shadows at the window. I watched Draven moving around the pack like a man carrying a heavy weight on his shoulders. The Alpha, always watching, always steady, even when I knew his insides were shaking just like mine.The pack house feels different now. People were talking in quiet voices when they thought no one was listening. Children stayed closer to their parents. Even the morning training had a sharp edge to
The Weight of ChoicesNyra's POV The walk back home was heavy and quiet. Each step reminded me of how much had changed. Auren leaned on me, his weight was a steady press at my side, but I could not complain. His breathing was deep and uneven. Every few minutes his lips opened as if he wanted to speak, but no words came out. I held him tighter and close to me, saying words that were not meant only for him but for myself too. He would get better. I would not lose him. Everything we had been through had not been for nothing.Behind us, Selene was carried by two men. Her body hung loose. Her once proud frame was now nothing but a weak shell. Her eyes moved around, alive with fear and shame that no loss of movement could cage. She could not move, but she could see. That seemed worse than death itself. For the first time, I almost pitied her. Almost.The village lights came into view. They were faint spots of light against the dark night. Relief washed through me, though it was shallow and
The Cost of PowerNyra's POVZaira hissed as she pulled herself up. Her perfect hair was messy now. Her nice dress was torn. Her lips were split with blood running down her chin. But her eyes burned with anger. She looked like a wild animal backing into a corner. Beautiful and deadly.She stuck her hand forward. Power gathered into a sharp spear of light. The weapon hummed with energy and crackled like something alive. I could feel the heat from across the room.Selene stumbled next to her, shaking. Her face was white as milk. She seemed lost from the blast. Confused. For a moment she looked like the little girl she used to be. Scared and looking for someone to tell her what to do. But when Zaira grabbed her arm and pulled her forward, I knew what was coming."No," I said quietly. I knew what was coming. I had seen Zaira use this trick before.Zaira pushed Selene in front of her enemies, using her as a shield. Selene cried out. Her voice was high and scared. Her body locked up as the
Auren's FlameNyra's POVThe trees grew thicker, air growing thick around us, as though the trees themselves wished to conceal what was to be. Every step down the path to the hidden sanctuary of Selene and Zaira seemed as if we stepped into the open mouth of a monster. The wards loomed above us; I could feel them. A crawling trembled over my skin, a hum in the air that wasn't of the natural world. It was magic, wicked and intentional, woven to frighten away and confuse.There were ancient pines that towered above, their branches twisted into sickening forms that glared down on our approach. There was underbrush that stood still, no bird singing, no running of small creatures. Even the wind refused to blow, as if nature herself was holding her breath in anticipation of what was to follow."We're here," Draven breathed, his eyes sweeping through the darkness. His hand stayed beside mine, not on me, but close enough that its warmth pierced in through me. "Keep your wits about you."Like
The Hunt for a Mother's ChildNyra's POVThe forest went on forever. Every tree cast another shadow taller than the last, every branch reached out like fingers trying to grab me. My chest hurt from running, but it was not my legs that were tired. It was my heart. Each beat hammered out his name. Auren. His name banged around in my head like someone beating a drum.I could feel him. That link between mother and child pulled at me like rope tied to my bones, dragging me forward, making me keep going even when my breathing turned rough. He was close. Not close enough to grab me, but it was close enough to make my heart pound.The bushes cracked under my boots as I pushed another wall of thorns. Blood was running down my arms where the sharp points cut me, but I did not care. Pain was not close to me to knowing my kid was stuck somewhere in the woods, scared and all by himself. Every time I thought of his face, how he would squeeze my hand when storms came, I ran faster."Nyra."His voice
Mother's Fear 2Nyra's POVThe night was too quiet, too cruel. My heart beat felt like a drum against my ribs. It made me want to tear the earth apart until I had my son back in my arms. The forest lay ahead, the branches were twisted like skeleton hands. Somewhere out there, Auren was trapped, taken, scared or worse.My hands shook as I pushed a branch aside. The rough bark scraped my palm, but I did not really see it. Nothing mattered except where my son should be. The world felt wrong without him close to me.I wanted to run, to forget the reason, and to chase down the smallest scent that touched my nose, but Lydia's voice and Eira being there held me back from drowning in blind panic. And then there was Draven. His steady hand brushed mine as we walked, not holding tight, not chaining me, but keeping me steady."Breathe, Nyra," he said quietly, his voice low and sharp with command but soft with something much deeper. "If you fall apart now, we will lose him.""I can't," my voice b