ANMELDENMirandaThe chime of my phone cut through the silence, sharp enough to draw my attention but not enough to rush me.“Mission failed.The girl still lives.”The message sat there, blunt and unimpressive.I lifted the teacup slowly, the warmth pressing into my fingers while thin strands of steam curled upward, delicate and unbothered by the shift in atmosphere.Then the cup left my hand.It struck the wall with a violent crack, scattered across the floor as tea streaked downward in uneven lines. The sound echoed briefly before silence returned.The Longbow unit had never failed a mission, not once, not under any circumstance. And yet a single girl had undone them?!Another chime followed.I picked up the phone and opened the message immediately.“The Veil Guards were present.”My gaze dropped to the file attached beneath it, and after a brief pause, I pressed play. The footage trembled at first before stabilizing enough to reveal her. Lyra Blackwood stood at the center of it, the chao
KaelSilence settled between us, thick with frustration and questions that had no answers.I looked down at my hands again, the dried blood still staining them. A bitter thought surfaced in my mind.Why did it always happen like this?Why were the innocent the ones who suffered at the hands of those meant to protect them?Lyra had trusted them, and they had broken her for it. Even the Alpha who had once claimed to love her had now become part of that cruelty.My fingers curled into my palms, nails biting into my skin as I swallowed hard, forcing the storm inside me back under control.Footsteps approached from down the corridor, drawing my attention.When I lifted my head, a small group stood there—familiar faces I had come to rely on over the years.I recognized them immediately.Eirah stood at the front, the woman who had overseen the children’s learning since Ashland’s earliest days, shaping something stable out of the chaos we had come from. Behind her was Dain, the man responsibl
KaelWhen Lyra’s hand settled over mine and she whispered for me to trust her, something inside me fractured in a way I had not felt in years.For a moment, I wasn’t standing in front of armed soldiers.I was somewhere else entirely.A smaller hand clutched mine, fragile but warm. Tear-filled eyes looked up at me with a smile that tried too hard to be brave.“Trust me… I’ll be watching over you from up there.”My daughter’s voice echoed through my mind, clear as the day I lost her.The memory struck like a blade.My gaze locked with Lyra’s, and the resemblance in that moment—the quiet resolve, the acceptance—was enough to make my chest tighten painfully. This was the same girl I had sworn to protect. The one person who had unknowingly filled the hollow space my daughter had left behind.And yet… I was about to let her walk into danger.She pulled her hand from mine gently, and I let her.That alone felt like a failure.I watched her step forward, each movement steady despite the storm
Lyra “Alpha Cassian…” Kael muttered beside me, the words leaving his mouth slowly, as though even saying the name felt wrong. “Isn’t that…”He looked at me and stopped.I didn’t need him to finish. Nothing about it made sense. Cassian couldn’t have ordered this. Of all people… not him.“But the Veil Guards are right in front of you,” Kyra snapped from within me, urgency and fury lacing every word. “Who else has the authority to deploy them?”Her words struck deeper than any blade. My thoughts spiraled back to the last time I had heard Cassian’s voice. I remembered the desperation in it when he had asked where I was, the raw concern that had bled through every word. At the time I had believed he was worried, that he had been searching for me.Now the memory twisted painfully in my chest.Had he truly been worried?Or had it all been a lie meant to lure me out?What had happened in Thorneveil all these years?What had he heard about me from the very people who had framed me?Had they
Lyra We had left Warden’s Pass after gathering information on the dens of mercenaries. I didn’t ask how Kael had managed it in only a few days, and he didn’t offer. I felt no need; the results spoke for themselves. Two places had already crossed our path—one where we struck a tense, uneasy deal, and another where we had barely escaped with our skins intact. Now, we were headed toward a territory called the Fangbound Clan. I joked lightly about how ridiculous the name sounded as I ticked it off the mental list. Kael shot me a look but didn’t comment.“They’re probably the best at gathering intelligence,” he said. “Martial artists, skilled marksmen. Very precise.”I arched an eyebrow. “We’ve got skilled marksmen too.”He shrugged, the faintest smirk touching his lips. “Fair point. But they’re still worth a visit.”The road stretched ahead, quiet under the pale streetlights. Slowly, I felt it—a subtle pulse under my skin. At first, it was just a whisper, but it grew, like a storm ri
Kael The kettle had just begun to whistle when the door opened behind me. I glanced over my shoulder as Lyra stepped into the kitchen area. She dried her damp hair with a towel, leaning against the wall. “I would like a cup too,” she said casually. I didn’t answer. I had already been making one for her. “Are you okay?” I asked quietly. “Okay about what?” I turned toward her, cup in hand. She looked genuinely puzzled and that alone almost made me smile. I held her gaze for a moment before answering. “I meant… about how things went today.” I clarified. “I’m fine,” she said. “I was already mentally prepared for something like that.” She pushed herself off the wall and stepped further into the kitchen, still drying her hair slowly with the towel. Then she added with a faint smile, “Besides… you said you were proud of how I handled the situation. I’ll take that as a win.” Lyra had always been like this. No matter how many times life knocked her down, she always f
Cassian The quiet inside Marcus’s guest residence was almost unsettling. Most of the other Alphas had returned to their territories hours ago, and the corridors that had been alive with voices earlier now felt hollow and distant. Even the wind outside seemed quieter tonight, brushing faintly ag
Unknown The chamber doors opened quietly as the soldiers escorted them inside. The moment my eyes landed on the man clearly, the memory finally clicked into place. Beta Kael Merrick of Silvercreek. He had been younger the last time I saw him—standing behind Alpha Connor during a territorial n
LyraAt first, it was subtle.A shift in the air. Boots moving with quiet precision through the crowd. Then suddenly, they were everywhere.Armored soldiers closed in from every direction, forming a circle around us before anyone else in the room seemed to fully understand what was happening.Kael
LyraAs we approached the entrance, Kael lifted the metal pass with the Warden's Pass insignia. The barrier ahead shimmered faintly for a brief moment before slowly parting, revealing the territory beyond.Warden’s Pass unfolded before us.And even through the veil I had just pulled into place, the







