LOGIN“Lyra!”The voice shattered the darkness.Then—Pain.Sharp.Sudden.Real.Lyra gasped violently as her eyes flew open.The ceiling above her came into focus slowly.Wood.Stone walls.The pack house.Her room.For a second she just lay there breathing hard.Trying to remember where she was.Trying to separate reality from whatever had just happened.Then the memory hit.Selene.Three days.The people who marked her.Her body jolted upright.“Lyra.”Damon.He was sitting beside the bed.Still covered in dried blood from the battle.His jaw tight with concern.Relief flashed through his eyes the second she woke up.“You’ve been unconscious for hours.”Her heart immediately started racing.“Three days.”His expression darkened.“What?”She swung her legs off the bed.“They’re coming.”Damon stood instantly.“Who?”“The people who did this.”She grabbed her wrist tightly.“The mark. The bond. Everything.”Damon went completely still.“Explain.”Lyra took a shaky breath.And for the next
“Lyra!”Damon’s voice sounded distant.Muted.Like she was hearing it through water.The courtyard disappeared.The pack disappeared.Everything disappeared.And suddenly—She was somewhere else.Again.But this time it wasn’t the stone chamber beneath the earth.It was a forest.Silent.Silver moonlight poured through ancient trees, illuminating a path she didn’t recognize.Or maybe—A path she had forgotten.Lyra stood alone.Her breathing uneven.“Hello?”No answer.Only silence.Then—A woman stepped out from between the trees.Tall.Beautiful.Terrifying.Her dark hair flowed down her back, and strange black markings curled across her throat and arms like living ink.The same symbols.The same ones appearing on Lyra.The woman smiled softly.And Lyra’s blood ran cold.Because she knew her.Not from memory.From instinct.The way prey recognizes a predator.“You’ve grown,” the woman said.Her voice was calm.Gentle.Which somehow made it worse.Lyra took a step back.“Who are you?
The courtyard stayed silent long after the creatures disappeared.No one knew what to say.What could they say after watching monsters bow to one of their own?Lyra stood frozen in the middle of the ruined stone, Damon beside her, while the rest of the pack watched from a careful distance.Not close.Not comfortable.Distance.That hurt more than she wanted to admit.The elder finally broke the silence first.“This changes everything.”Damon’s expression hardened instantly.“It changes nothing.”Several wolves exchanged uncertain looks.Because everyone knew that wasn’t true.The courtyard was destroyed.The barriers had been breached.Creatures from beneath the earth had called Lyra their queen.Nothing about this was normal anymore.Oliver stepped forward carefully, glancing at Lyra before looking at Damon.“We need to secure the borders first.”Practical.Smart.And thankfully not accusatory.Damon nodded once.“Double patrols tonight. Nobody moves alone.”Warriors immediately bega
“Our Queen.”The words shattered the battlefield.No one moved.No one even seemed to breathe.The creatures remained kneeling before Lyra, heads lowered beneath the glow of the black symbols burning across her skin.And the pack—The pack stared at her like they didn’t know her anymore.Lyra’s chest rose unevenly.“No…” she whispered.The power around her pulsed again violently.Not unstable.Controlled.That terrified her more.Damon slowly pushed himself up from the shattered stone where he’d fallen. Blood stained one side of his shirt from the creature’s attack, but he ignored it completely.His eyes stayed on Lyra.Only Lyra.The first creature spoke again, quieter now.“You remember enough to awaken.”Lyra shook her head instantly.“I’m not your queen.”The creatures didn’t move.Didn’t argue.As if her denial meant nothing.One of the feral creatures lowered itself even further, almost reverent.The sight made several wolves step back uneasily.Oliver’s face had gone pale.“Wha
Silence hit harder than the battle. Even the creatures stopped moving after the words left its mouth. “She was created to replace you.” Damon stared at it without blinking. The air around him had changed completely now. Not shock. Not confusion. Rage. Pure, controlled rage. Lyra’s breathing became uneven as the black symbols continued spreading beneath her feet like living veins through the cracked earth. “No…” she whispered. But the creature only tilted its head again. “You feel it.” And the worst part— She did. Something inside her had responded the moment it said the words. Not agreement. Recognition. Like an old wound reopening. Oliver shifted back into human form nearby, blood running down one side of his arm as he stared at Lyra in disbelief. “What the hell does that mean?” The first creature finally looked away from her. Toward Damon. “The bloodline weakens. The throne changes. The old Alpha falls.” Several wolves froze completely. Because now— This w
“Return her.” The words echoed long after the creature stopped speaking. The ground beneath the territory still trembled faintly, cracks spreading slowly through the earth like veins beneath skin. No one moved. No one breathed. Because something had answered back. From Lyra. Damon felt it. The warriors felt it. Even the creature standing before them had gone still afterward—as if waiting. Listening. Lyra’s chest rose unevenly. “What did I do…” she whispered. The mark burned brighter. Not wild anymore. Responsive. Awake. Damon stepped closer immediately, placing himself fully between her and the creature again. “You did nothing.” But his voice had changed. Tighter now. Because he heard it too. That second presence beneath her heartbeat. The creature tilted its head slowly. “She remembers.” Lyra’s stomach twisted violently. “No,” she said instantly. “No, I don’t—” Images flashed again. Chains. Stone. Darkness beneath the world. And eyes— Hundreds of eyes
The southern border didn’t fall loudly. It didn’t explode. It slipped open. Like something had been holding it shut from the other side—and finally let go. By the time Damon arrived, the damage was already spreading. Trees near the edge of the territory stood split down the middle. The ground
Lyra avoided everyone the next morning. Successfully? No. Absolutely not. The second she stepped into the courtyard, three different wolves smirked at her. One of them actually bowed dramatically. “Good morning, Luna.” Lyra stopped walking immediately. “…don’t start.” The wolf grinned. “T
By evening, everyone knew. Not officially. No one said anything directly. But the looks? The smirks? The very obvious whispering whenever Lyra walked past? Yeah. Everyone knew. “This is your fault,” Lyra muttered as she walked beside Kaia toward the dining hall. Kaia looked offended. “My
Lyra woke up smiling. Which was unfortunate. Because the second she realized it— She buried her face back into the pillow dramatically. “No,” she muttered into the blanket. “Absolutely not.” Unfortunately for her— The memory replayed anyway. The firelight. The conversation. The way Damon h







