LOGINLyra’s POV
The acrid smell of acid and dissolving flesh burned the inside of my nostrils. I hated that smell; it was enough to make you wretch and dry-heave for days, as no matter how much menthol rub you shove up your nose, it's still there. But this was a necessary evil as it had to be done. We couldn't just leave two very dead werewolves lying around in our suite or run off to Alpha Leon crying for help when it was very obvious humans had killed them.Amber’s POVThe penthouse had started to feel like a prison.A beautiful prison, admittedly. Most wolves in Star Pack would have considered staying here an honor. The rooms were larger than some family homes. The windows overlooked half the territory. Fresh flowers appeared every morning, meals arrived before I could ask for them, and servants seemed determined to make sure I never lacked for anything.Except freedom.That part seemed negotiable.I sat curled into one corner of the couch with a book resting open in my lap, staring at the same page I had been pretending to read for nearly an hour. Every few minutes my eyes drifted toward the windows overlooking the territory below.Somewhere out there were answers nobody would give me.Every day that passed without news felt heavier than the one before.The academy was gone. Lucian was dead. Richard was tightening his grip on the pack. And Lyra…I squeezed my eyes shut.No.I refused to think like that.Lyra was alive.She had to be.T
Lyra’s POVThe cabin was small, but it was dry and hidden.At that point, dry and hidden felt dangerously close to luxury.There was a narrow kitchen, a worn table, a hearth full of old ash, a cot near the wall, and a second room barely big enough to hold another mattress. Someone had already left supplies inside. Folded clothes sat on the table in rough stacks. Towels. Soap. A comb. Tooth powder. A chipped basin. A few blankets. A lantern with enough oil to burn through the night.Clean clothes.Soap.A real roof.I stared at it all like an idiot.After four days in the wilderness, those little things felt so painfully normal that I didn’t know what to do with them. My throat tightened in a way that made me angry because it was absurd. I could stand in front of armed wolves without crying, but apparently soap was where I lost my mind.Mara brushed past me and grabbed a towel from the stack. She didn’t look at me, but her voice softened just enough for only me to hear.“Don’t you dare
Lyra’s POV“Well,” the young man said coldly, his bow still trained on us, “this is either the stupidest invasion I’ve ever seen, or somebody better start explaining why two Alpha heirs are carrying a dying human across my border.”The woods stayed silent after that, except for Rowan’s breathing.That was the sound I couldn’t stop hearing. Not the creak of bows drawn tight around us. Not the shift of boots in the pine needles. Not the low growl rumbling from one of the Star Pack wolves half-hidden behind a tree.Rowan.Each breath scraped out of him like his body had to drag it up from somewhere too deep. Kael held him carefully, but there was no making Rowan look anything other than broken. His head rested against Kael’s shoulder, his skin pale beneath the dirt and fever, one hand hanging limp near Kael’s arm. Mara stood close enough to touch him, her backpack still slung over one shoulder, her fingers flexing like she wanted to check his pulse again but knew one wrong move might mak
Lyra’s POV Four days had gone by with Mara, Rowan, Cassian, and Kael following me through the wilderness toward Star Pack, all of us chasing the same fragile hope. Amber. That name had become the only thing keeping me moving. We were dirty, injured, hungry, and I was pretty sure we were all partially dehydrated at this point. My mouth felt like sand, my muscles ached with every step, and every breath tasted like pine, dirt, and exhaustion. I was also pretty sure I heard Kael and Cassian grumbling more than once that if we were all wolves, this would’ve gone by much quicker. Sadly, I agreed with them. Not that I would ever admit it out loud. We followed the river as much as we could, using the water to cover our tracks whenever the ground allowed it. It slowed us down, but it also kept us just one step ahead of literally everyone tracking us. Aurelia’s soldiers. Wolves loyal to the Snow Pack. Whoever else had decided we were worth hunting through half the damn territory.
Amber’s POVWe both moved without looking rushed. Miri returned to the towels. I sat at the vanity and lifted my hair away from the mark, exposing it in the mirror just as Richard walked in. He wore black, because of course he did. Mourning suited men who liked people watching them suffer. His dark hair was tied back, his jaw clean-shaven, his Star Pack ring gleaming on his hand. He looked powerful. He looked calm. He looked like a man who had never once considered the possibility that the woman he locked away might be thinking. “Amber,” he said. His voice made my stomach turn. I lowered my eyes because survival was sometimes uglier than defiance. “Alpha.” His gaze went straight to the mark on my neck. Satisfaction softened his mouth. “You look better.” “I rested.” “You needed it.” I almost told h
Amber’s POVBeta Flynn was new. Too new for most of the council to trust and too young for the old wolves to respect without choking on it first. He had dark blond hair, quiet eyes, and the kind of controlled danger that made even stronger men watch their mouths around him. He had been raised along the borders and promoted faster than anyone expected after the last Beta died in the chaos around Lucian’s death. Richard had wanted a useful Beta. He had gotten Flynn instead. Flynn was idealistic enough to believe Star Pack could still be saved and dangerous enough to make men regret laughing at him for it. Most importantly, Flynn hated Richard. Everyone with eyes knew it. “Beta Flynn has been careful,” Miri said. “He obeys in public, but he’s been moving warriors off Richard’s private patrols and replacing them with border-trained wolves. Quietly. He also spoke with Gamma James last night.” My heart beat harder. “What did they say?” “I don’t know. They were in the lower armory.
Lyra’s POV“Holy fuck, Lyra,” Rowan screamed at me as he grabbed me in a death grip and dragged me towards the window. Sticking both our heads out the window, he whisper-screamed in my ear, “Alpha Fucking Richard came with half his fucking Army! He said he’s not leaving until he finds out about Luc
Alpha Richard’s POVSnow hit my face the second I stepped out of the SUV. I didn’t react to it. Just kept moving.Leon was already waiting at the top of the steps. Stiff posture, like that would change anything. Like standing straight meant he wasn’t panicking. It did the opposite.“Where is my son
Alpha Leon’s POVThe phone fell from my hand, clattering onto my bedside table. It was super early in the morning, and Lucian had to be in bed. Right? Right! He had to be because at this point, unless I wanted Alpha Academy invaded by the Star Pack’s foot soldiers and possibly my imminent death, th
Alpha Richard’s POV Sitting out on my balcony, I watched as the snow surrounded me, chilling my tumbler of whiskey. I missed my wife so damn much, and no matter how much whiskey I consumed, it never dulled the ache I felt. I'd spoken to Lucian earlier, listening to his ravings on the humans and t







