Chapter 4

LYRA

The hard wood floor of my bedroom feels cold under my feet as I pace back and forth. I go over my plan to sneak out over and over again. In order to get to the border by midnight I need to leave around 11:30 pm. Everyone in the pack house should be sleeping by then. I cross my fingers as I look at the clock. The soft glow of the clock at my bedside tells me it is 11:00 pm, I inhale a deep breath, thirty more minutes. A rapid knock at my door stuns me into silence. Dashing across the room I hop into bed and pull the covers up around my neck. “Come in,” I say in my sleepiest voice.

My door swings open and my father storms into my room. His dark eyes dart suspiciously around my room, as if he is expecting someone to be there with me. The look of anger on his face is terrifying. “We believe you are in danger,” he says simply. “Your door will be locked, and guards will be placed outside until Cain marks you as his mate.” Without another word he turns and leaves my room, locking me inside.

Panic sets in as my plan is ruined right before my eyes. I tiptoe from my bed and press my ear up against the door. I can hear voices on the other side. “Alpha Andrew has been spotted just beyond our borders. Near the stables. We believe that he will make an attempt to abduct my daughter tonight. You will not leave this post for any reason.”

Backing away from the door, I try to formulate a new plan, but I am finding it hard to concentrate. “We cannot stay here,” I tell River silently. “We are prisoners.”

“The window,” River whispers even though I am the only one that can hear her.

Racing to the window I pull it open and peek outside and see that there are no guards waiting on this side of the house. Father must not believe I would be brave enough to jump. “It is now or never.” I say to myself, and I fling myself from my second story window.

The force of me hitting the ground causes more noise than I expected and my ankle twists awkwardly under my weight. “Run!” River sounds off in my head and without looking back I run into the forest, my ankle burning in pain with each hit to the ground. “You just need to make it to the cover of the forest,” River cheers me on in my head. “Once there I can take over.”

Once inside the forest, I refuse to take a moment to breathe, I strip off my clothes as quickly as I can. “Are you ready?” I ask River who is pawing at the confines of my mind. Without hesitation she comes forward. My bones crack and shift, fur sprouts all over my body, and I am transformed into River’s beautiful silver wolf. Normally I would take time to admire how the moonlight shimmers off River’s coat but tonight there was no time. River grabs my clothes in her mouth and runs through the forest, heading to where we heard Andrew was waiting for us.

Keeping my ears alert I only hear the sound of my paws pushing off the ground beneath me. I take a little time to relish in the feeling of the wild blowing through River’s fur and the feeling of soil beneath her paw pads. I can see the edge of our territory in sight. There are several guards in wolf form pacing the border. I skid to a stop. It was stupid of me not think that there would be extra patrols in this area. “What now?” I question silently.

“We have two options,” River says. “We can try and barrel through the guards and hope they do not follow once we are off Silver Wolf territory. Or… We can circle back and cross the border at a different location.”

Taking a moment to consider the options, I decide on the less dangerous of the two. “Let’s circle back.” I tell her. “It is the safest option and maybe we can leave undetected.”

River takes a sharp left turn and heads for a different edge of the territory. River is tearing through the forest. I had almost forgotten how incredibly fast she is. In no time we have made it several miles north of where we wanted to cross. There are no guards stalking this area. River picks up the pace and skids over the border, when suddenly she runs into a dark brown wolf standing in the shadows of the trees. He gently sniffs her muzzle and nods his head as if she is supposed to follow him.

“Who is that?” I ask River.

“I do not know,” she replies. “But he did not attack us. I think he is safe.”

We quietly follow the brown wolf farther and farther from Silver Wolf territory. Panic raises in my chest, and I try to remain calm. I keep repeating to myself that this was the only way we would ever be free from my father’s plan. It seems like we have been walking for hours. Even River was beginning to tire from the distance. When suddenly an enormous black wolf steps into our path. River stares into his emerald, green eyes and lunges at him like puppy with a new chew toy. She tackles him to the ground and starts licking him all over his face. Before I can understand what is happening, the black wolf has shifted beneath her paws, and I am looking into the eyes of Alpha Andrew.

He throws his arms up to shield his face from River’s unwavering affection. “Okay, Okay,” he chuckles. “I am happy to see you too.”

River sits back on her hind legs and allows him to stand up. “Oh my goddess,” River purrs as she takes in his naked body in front of us.

“Look away!” I squeal at her not wanting this to be the first time I see a man naked.

“Speak for yourself,” she growls. “I am going to look at this all day.”

An amused smirk crosses Andrew’s lips as he walks over to a tree to pull a pair of gym shorts from behind it. “You can shift now. You are safe on Red River Pack territory now,” he says as he pulls on the shorts.

Without warning River shifts, leaving me completely exposed in front of Alpha Andrew and the other brown wolf. Squealing out of embarrassment, I gather my clothes from the ground and run behind the closest tree. “Ugh… these are covered in slobber,” I groan as I pull on the wet pajama pants and t-shirt.

“I am a wolf. I drool from time to time.” River pouts in my head.

Coming out from behind the tree, I notice that the brown wolf has now shifted as well. Both he and Andrew are extremely muscular and very good looking even though they are in stark contrast from one another. While Andrew has a mess of dark brown hair on top of his head the other man has short blonde hair, cut in a military style. I look from one to the other and find myself unable to speak for several minutes. We all just stood there staring at one another waiting for someone to make the first move.

“Well,” the blonde man starts, “as entertaining as it is watching you two drool over one another, I am going to bed.” He turns and stalks off into the woods that surround us.

“I am sorry about my wolf,” I say as I push a piece of hair behind my ear. “She can be a little overwhelming at times.”

“No worries,” Andrew says as he flashes a huge grin at me. “She was just excited to see me. Were you not just as excited.”

“Of course I am,” I stutter. “I mean… My father… I am no longer safe in my own pack, and I do not know what to do. I think you are the only one that can help me.” The words do not flow from my mouth, but instead come out in choppy thoughts.

“What do you mean you are no longer safe?” Andrew growls.

“I am officially a prisoner. I had to jump from my window tonight because my door was locked, and guards were placed outside.” I stop to catch my breath. “My father has this crazy idea about my brother and trying to have Cain challenge him for Alpha. My future is no longer mine if I stay there. But I fear for my brother. I fear for his life.”

“Are you willing to break your ties to the Silver Wolf Pack?” A serious look has overtaken Andrew’s face.

“I think I have to be. But I do not want to be a rogue,” I whisper.

“You have a home in my pack,” Andrew says as he pushes a pieces of hair from my face.

“My father will declare war,” I whisper as I lean into his hand. Something about Andrew makes me feel safe even though I barely know him.

Andrew cuts the palm of his hand and takes my palm in his. “Are you ready?” I nod in agreement and Andrew cuts the palm of my hand and then grabs my hand with his mixing our blood.

“I, Lyra Gale, pledge my allegiance to the Red River pack. Breaking all ties to the Silver Wolf Pack.” A surge of pain courses through my body as the ties to my old pack sever and new ones are formed. The last thing I feel from my ties to the Silver Wolf pack is my father howling in anger within my head. I swallow the large lump that has formed in my throat, he knows I am gone.