CHAPTER 5

(Lyra’s POV)

The morning felt... different.

I groggily sat up in bed, rubbing my eyes, but the moment I did, a wave of sound crashed over me. The birds outside weren’t just chirping—they were deafening. The hum of the fridge downstairs vibrated in my ears, and I could hear Noah’s steady breathing from his room. Every single noise, no matter how small, was sharp, clear, and loud.

“What the hell?” I whispered, but even my own voice seemed amplified.

Shaking off the weirdness, I got ready for school, telling myself I was just overtired. Maybe I needed to lay off the late-night thinking about them—Ash and Aiden. They had taken up too much space in my mind lately, and I couldn’t explain why.

By the time I arrived at school, my senses still felt heightened, but I forced myself to ignore it. That was until I sat in class.

The teacher was droning on, but I could still hear the whispers—clear as day—from across the room. Tiffany and her group of mean girls were gossiping, their voices slicing through the classroom as if they were speaking right next to me.

“They’re just so hot,” Tiffany purred. “Especially Ash. I swear, he wants me.”

I stiffened, gripping my pen so hard it nearly snapped.

“Oh, please,” another girl giggled. “I think Aiden is the real heartbreaker.”

Tiffany scoffed. “Ash is mine. I’ll have him wrapped around my finger in no time.”

My blood boiled. Mine. The word echoed in my head, my chest tightening with an unfamiliar rage. What was happening to me?

The moment the teacher left, Tiffany strutted over to the twins, flipping her blonde hair and placing a hand on Ash’s desk.

“Hey, handsome,” she cooed, biting her lip.

Something inside me snapped.

Before I knew it, I was out of my seat, a growl rumbling from my throat. I lunged at her, my fingers curled like claws—except they were claws. My sharp nails glinted under the classroom lights, long and deadly.

Tiffany shrieked.

Ash and Aiden were beside me in a flash.

“Lyra, stop!” Aiden grabbed one arm, Ash the other.

“What the—” I gasped, staring at my hands. The claws. My claws.

Panic surged through me.

“Come on,” Ash muttered. He and Aiden practically dragged me out of the room before anyone could fully process what had just happened.

We stopped in an empty hallway, my breath coming in short gasps.

“What the hell was that?” I demanded. “What’s happening to me?”

Ash and Aiden exchanged looks, their expressions unreadable.

“I think,” Ash said slowly, “you’re not as human as you thought.”

I let out a shaky laugh. “Yeah, right. And what, I’m some kind of mutant?”

Instead of answering, Ash stepped back. His eyes darkened, his body tensed, and before I could blink, he shifted.

One moment, he was standing in front of me, and the next, a massive black wolf loomed where he had been.

I stumbled back, my heart slamming against my ribs.

“No way,” I whispered. “This isn’t real.”

Ash’s wolf stared at me with glowing eyes, waiting. Daring me to deny it.

I didn’t know how long I stood there, my mind racing, my heart pounding.

Finally, I swallowed hard and spoke.

“I need answers.” I turned to Aiden. “You knew about this?”

“We both just found out about you,” Aiden said. “We don’t know what’s going on either.”

I inhaled sharply. “Then there’s only one person who might.”

I had to talk to my mom.

—

That night, I sat across from her, hands clenched in my lap, while she avoided my gaze.

“Mom,” I said firmly. “Tell me the truth. What am I?”

She let out a slow breath, looking years older in an instant.

“I found you,” she finally said, her voice trembling. “Under a tree, the same day your father was attacked.”

My stomach twisted.

“You weren’t alone,” she continued. “You were crying, calling for Daddy.”

The word hit me like a punch to the chest.

She looked away, eyes glistening. “I wanted to help. So I took you in.”

I could barely breathe. “And my real father?”

She hesitated. “I went back. He was barely alive, covered in blood. He told me to take care of you. To love you. He said... you might show signs of something someday.”

I stared at her. “And you erased my memories?”

She flinched. “I didn’t want you to suffer, Lyra. I did what I thought was best.”

Silence stretched between us.

I wasn’t angry. I wasn’t sad. I just felt... lost.

Because if everything I knew about myself was a lie—who was I?