LOGINLyra’s POVRowan stopped outside the bakery like it was just another stop on a route.He took a last drag from his cigarette, slow, controlled, like he didn’t care about it at all. Then he stubbed it out on his shoe and dropped it into the trash-and-ash tray by the door.He lingered half a second before going in.I noticed anyway.We followed him inside.Amber didn’t hesitate at all. She was already halfway to the counter like she belonged there.The café area was in the back—small tables, warm lighting, quiet voices, the smell of sugar and butter so strong it hit immediately.Rowan slid into a booth first, stretching out like he was relaxed, even though his eyes were already moving around the room.I sat across from him.Amber dropped into the seat beside us. “Okay. This place is dangerous.”Rowan glanced at her. “It’s a bakery.”“Exactly,” she said. “Dangerous.”A w
Lyra’s POVAmber pulled the car into a small parking area at the edge of Ravenmere and cut the engine.For a few seconds, none of us moved.Rowan was the first to break the silence. “That’s… not what I expected.”I didn’t answer right away. I was still looking out the window.Ravenmere wasn’t what I had been bracing for.Timber-framed buildings lined cobblestone streets, white plaster walls crossed with dark wood beams. Flower boxes spilled over with color beneath nearly every window, and iron lanterns hung from curved brackets that swayed slightly in the breeze.It looked… put together.Not rich in the loud way. Not flashy.Just cared for.Like something out a children’s story book.And that was what made it sit wrong in my chest.Because all I could think about was Aurelia.Tall brick buildings packed too tightly together. Narrow streets that always felt temporary,
Lyra’s POV By Saturday morning, I was one lecture away from stabbing Professor Lunatic with my own pencil. The week had been an endless cycle of classes, combat training, and the ridiculous group project he’d dumped on us. Thankfully, we’d finished it the night before over greasy pizza and cheap beer, which meant today was ours. Saturday was the only day students were allowed outside the Academy gates, each of us given a day pass from nine in the morning until nine at night. Our destination was Ravenmere—the small village bordering campus. I’d never stepped foot inside a werewolf-controlled village before. Alpha Leon had assured Rowan and me that Ravenmere was perfectly safe for students. Safe. Right. I adjusted the twin blades hidden beneath my jacket and rolled my shoulders. I hadn’t survived this long by trusting anyone else’s definition of safe. Unlike Rowan and me, Amber had been practically vibrating with excitement about today all week. Of course she had. Ravenmere wasn’t
Kael’s POV The door to my apartment slammed hard enough to rattle the walls, the sound echoing throughout the suite. “Crazy,” I muttered, dragging a hand through my hair. The Omega—Maria, maybe? Mia? Something with an M—hadn’t taken rejection well. All I knew for sure was that she worked in the kitchen and was pissed as hell when I told her to leave. Everyone knew I didn’t do serious relationships. I didn’t keep sugar babies, and I definitely didn’t do friends with benefits. I wasn’t interested in commitment—not until the Moon Goddess handed me my mate. Until then, I saw no reason to deny myself a good time. Being an Alpha heir came with perks. Attention was one of them. Endless, exhausting attention. Ever since I turned eighteen, it was like every she-wolf within a thousand miles suddenly found me irresistible. Maybe it was my height, physique, and blonde hair. Maybe it was the title attached to my name. Most of them had the same hope anyway—that after one night together,
Amber’s POVI swear to the fucking Moon Goddess I will shave every single inch of my hair off if one more strand falls in my face! For the ninth time this evening, as I was practicing suturing in my dorm room. Advanced Healing 2 wasn't for the faint of heart, and with it already being the second week, they've thrown the book at us. I've treated my first human and, in hindsight, gained a friend. I've treated burned wolves and observed the different speeds of healing in an Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Omega. It's all been so fascinating! “Damn it,” I screech as I pricked my finger with the suture needle. “I guess that's what I get for not paying attention,” I sighed as I stuck my finger in my mouth, already knowing that my wolf had healed it like two seconds after it was pricked. I guess there were some benefits of being a werewolf.I put the suturing kit in the drawer of my bedside table, knowing I'll come back for it in a few hours. But now, fuck, now I just needed to relax, I needed to b
Lyra’s POV I’d woken up having to pee; it was three am, and I groaned knowing that it'd take me forever to fall back asleep. After peeing and washing my hands, I walked back into the bedroom, still seeing Rowan snoring. Instead of climbing back in or waking him up, I went into the living room. I don't know what I'm doing or why I didn't just go lie back down to try and sleep. But fuck, my mind was running a mile a minute. Everything was piling up; this mission was supposed to be simple. It's been far from simple. It was supposed to just be to kill the heirs and hopefully come home. Now there's so much going on that it would make a conspiracy theorist jump for joy. I started compiling a list in my head to go over each item one by one, hoping to figure out what the hell our next steps are. I found a piece of paper and a pen and began to jot down the list so I wouldn't forget it: 1. Kill the heirs (Lucian, Kael, and Cassian). Lucian is suspicious of us, constantly on edge, and
Lyra’s POV “Welcome to Alpha Academy” Not trying to look at the Alpha any longer than necessary, we both muttered, “Thank you, Alpha.” This man is seriously creepy, but in an odd way, why did he look vaguely familiar? Shaking it off, I grabbed Rowan’s hand, and under the order of the comman
Lyra’s POV I quietly slipped out of the bed, my senses alert as I observed that Rowan was taking his time. I swear, he could be more prissy than a woman. But then again, what I had said to him earlier, especially after us having sex, might have gotten him in his feelings more than he let on. With
Lucian’s POVThe human girl, they call her Lyra, is now sitting beside me in the dimly lit classroom. I had tried to object, to move away or protest, but I knew Professor Judith would quickly call my dad or, worse, my mom—both known for their strict discipline and no-nonsense attitudes. That sounde
Lyra’s POV My fingers gently traced the lamented itinerary pressed against my hand. The glint of the plastic catches the fluorescent ceiling lights, listing the classes I’ll be attending this semester, arranged in a four-block system: Leadership Classes - Senior Block 1: Diplomacy - 8:30 AM Blo







