LOGINLYRA The pain flares white-hot into my back, and my beast roars in my head, pushing to be let out. I can already feel her pushing against my control. My gums tingles in an all too familiar feeling as my canines start to form. Just when Maria starts moving her hand downwards to slice across my back, I hear something crack and the grip on my ponytail disappears. The claws in my back are ripped from my flesh, and a warm liquid trails down my back, sticking my shirt to my skin. Maria's intense scream makes me spin around to face her, and I see her hand in a very unnatural position. Her claws are gone, but there are still drops of my blood on her fingers. Zane is standing between us, holding her wrist, which is turning bluer by the second. His teeth are bared. He looks ready to tear her apart. I should do it. I should rip the bitch to pieces. I clench my eyes shut, desperately trying to control the shift. Balling my hands into fists at my side, my claws dig into my palms.
LYRAI shake all the crazy thoughts out of my head as Zane and I enter the training hall. We immediately fall back into an easy rhythm, stretching together, and the first thing on our training agenda is, of course, the hunt.I turn my back on him as he shifts into his gorgeous black wolf and, for some stupid reason, I’m tempted to drag my hand through his fur. Nope. Zane bends down and pick up his bundle of clothes in his mouth. Which… why?I decide to just ignore his weird move, and I get my answer about thirty minutes in. My lungs are burning, but when I see my opening, I take it—springing for a low branch, ready to haul myself into the trees where his wolf can’t reach me.But he’s too fast.He catches me midair, tackling me to the ground. We tumble, leaves and dirt everywhere, but somehow he shifts us so that his wolf hits the ground on his back, and I land sprawled on top of him.I try to scramble up, but… technically, he caught me. The hunt’s over, right?That’s when his wolf
ZANE Lyra’s face drops at the question. Every last drop of emotion in her eyes disappear. “That won't happen,” she grinds out instantly. It’s not an answer… certainly not the one I wanted to hear. So I say the words that have been on my mind for so long. “Lyra, have you ever given any thought to the idea that we might be fated?" She stares at me, like she is trying to decide if I am joking. Then she releases bitter laugh. "We're not." Gods, her blunt refusal hurts more than that wolfsbane-laced dagger in my chest. My voice is much lower, barely a whisper as I ask, "How do you know?” "Lycans don't get fated mates," she shrugs like it is nothing, yet the words hit like me a blow. Because it makes no sense. If lycans don't get mates. If we aren't fated... then why does my body scream for her in a way it never has for anyone else. Why does she calm me in a way that no one else ever has? Why can she enter my shield? No, she is wrong. She has to be wrong. "How sure ar
Zane I just stare at her. Journal. She just said journal. “How on Earth do you—” The words catch, sticking in my throat as I shake my head. Did she really know? Not just about the relic. Or history. About everything? How is that even possible? My pulse slams in my ears, and I cannot keep the edge out of my voice. “Lyra. How did you…” I exhale slowly, trying to organise my messy thoughts. “You knew? She doesn’t flinch. She does not even look guilty. She simply takes another slow sip of wine and sets the glass down like she has all the time in the world. "Not when you dragged me into the forest on your little fucking mission," she sighs. "But Xander told me the whole history afterwards." I bite back the sudden wave of jealousy at her having such an emotional bonding moment with my cousin. If he shared so much with her, how much did she share with him? Does he know what she is? Are there other secrets between them? Secrets she would not share with me? Gods.
LYRA I can’t sleep. Maybe I slept too much yesterday. Maybe it’s the reminder of getting stabbed. Or maybe it’s the Alpha down the hall who keeps popping into my head like some persistent song I can’t turn off.After tossing and turning for a good two fucking hours, I simply give up and slip out of bed. I peel off my pj’s, leaving them in a bundle on top of my messy bed.After quickly pulling on a workout outfit and tying my hair into a braid, I decide not to put on shoes. The feeling of the cold ground beneath my feet might just help tire me out. Spoiler: it doesn’t. The trees, the soil, the smell of nature. All things that should calm me just… Don't. Finally I just give up, and by the time I circle back, my muscles are looser, but my head is still a mess. I walk down the hall toward my room, not giving a single shit that I’m dragging dirt across the clean floors. But when I pass the living room door — I stop dead. Zane’s sitting on the couch, resting his elbows on hi
ZANE I feel another strange sense of hope expanding in my chest. "Do you know what it is?"Her face crumbles slightly, but she quickly composes herself. A slow exhale leaves her lips as she looks around the office, refusing to meet my eyes. "I do, but before you ask, no, I can’t tell you ."The hope in my chest is immediately replaced with anger. My hands land on my desk as I lean towards her. The wood groans under my grip before I force my hands to loosen. My wolf lunges against my skull, furious at being shut out. At being handled. My power spikes before I drag it back under control.I hate this - being spoken to like a child in a game I do not understand. She flinches, her eyes drop to the floor, and she moves further into the chair. "Why the hell not?" "I can not interfere with fate. I have found loopholes. Ways to reveal what I may, but I can't reveal all.” She sighs again. “You need to find the weapon on your own." I pinch the bridge of my nose, slowly straighten
ZANE The morning light feels wrong, Something in my gut twists, as Lyra consumes my thoughts once again. The way she looked at last night’s gathering. Her family. Damn it… she has probably left with them. Closing my eyes, my thoughts spiral back to the office… Her eyes. Her face. Her moans. Her
LYRAI wake up alone, the morning sun stabbing through the blinds, and my head immediately groans in protest. Great. Just great. The last thing I want is to relive… that moment. My stomach twists as memories of last night flashes through my mind, and I wish - wish - I could crawl under the covers a
LYRA Elara gasps. “Oh. My. Gods.” I raise a brow in the mirror, but I already know what she’s reacting to. Because I look dangerous. The long black dress clings to every curve like it was custom-melted onto my skin. The thin straps barely hold it up, and the back dips so low I might as well
Lyra Zane steps out of the shower, leaving me right there to catch my breath. He wraps a towel around his waist, and rakes his fingers through his wet hair. A single water droplet falls from his hair onto his chest. My eyes trail the drop running down his chest, between his abs, and over that del







