Chapter 6

“Lyra,” Bruce says again, his voice perfectly calm and confident. “Come on out, now.”

He’s so sure he’s going to be obeyed. Of course he’s sure. The Alpha’s orders are always followed.

I’ll obey him now, even though I’m going to my death.

Throughout the store, the sounds of things being trashed have let up, and I can tell that whoever else is here has stopped ransacking the place looking for me. They’re probably standing there with big smirks on their faces, perfectly aware that they don’t have to find me now because I’m just going to hand myself over.

And suddenly, I’m furious.

What right do they have to take away my free will like this?

I’ve always accepted following my Alpha’s rule as a part of pack life. Bruce is a good Alpha. Every order he has ever given has been to make the pack stronger.

But that’s not what’s happening here. I’ve been one of them all my life, and they’re just going to kill me because Kaely says I’m a Moon Caster. There’s not even any evidence!

No.

I’m not going to obey this order. I’m not going out to them, only to be killed for it.

And I don’t know how, but the moment I make the decision, I feel a new sense of resolve. I feel the strength, suddenly, to resist what Bruce is asking. I don’t have to go just because he told me to.

That same rushing feeling courses through me, but somehow this time my heart feels stronger, not erratic.

And somehow, I’m resisting Bruce’s orders.

I don’t know how. I shouldn’t be able to do this. It feels like I’m plugged into something bigger than myself, like I’m being carried on a wave of energy that I don’t quite understand.

“She’s not here,” Bruce says.

“I’m telling you, I caught her scent on the way in,” Kaely says furiously. “She did come this way.”

“Okay,” Bruce says. “So maybe she did. But she isn’t here now. If she was, she would have shown herself when I gave the order. She would have had to.”

“She’s a Moon Caster,” Kaely bites out. “We don’t know what she has to do. We don’t have any idea what she’s capable of.”

“Listen, Kaely,” Bruce says. “I don’t know what else she is. But I knew her mother. Elizabeth was a wolf, as close to me as my own sister. I was there when she gave birth to Lyra. We’ve seen Lyra shift countless times. We’ve watched her follow orders—even orders she didn’t like—on many occasions. We know that the same rules apply to her as to the rest of the pack. If she doesn’t answer a summons, it’s because she didn’t hear it. She’s not in this building. Do you doubt me?”

“No,” Kaely grumbles.

“Let’s move on, then,” Bruce says.

I hug my knees to my chest and listen as they make their way to the front of the store, crunching over broken glass and eventually fading from my hearing altogether.

Even then, I wait another fifteen minutes before crawling out of my hiding place.

I can’t believe that worked.

Fuck, maybe I am a Moon Caster.

I take stock of my surroundings.

The building I’m in probably used to be a department store. It’s hard to be positive because it’s been raided many times over the past couple of decades, and most of what would make a department store recognizable is gone. My mother used to tell me stories about entire afternoons spent browsing places like this, picking out things she didn’t really need.

“My turn for some shopping, Mom,” I murmur aloud.

I find a section of the store that probably used to be devoted to women’s clothing. What remains of the clothing now is scattered on the floor in piles, the tables and racks that once held it all mostly overturned. I kneel in the center of the section and begin sifting through piles, looking for garments.

I hit upon a pile of underthings pretty quickly and pull them out by the handful. This is a treasure trove. Undergarments are hard to find. I’ve only had a handful in my adult life, making it necessary to wash them every day. Here, I’ve found at least twenty different sets, and it’s hard to restrain myself from taking everything.

I limit myself to two bras and six pairs of panties. It’s still more than I’ve ever had, and as long as I’m careful about my shifting, it ought to be more than enough.

I find a pair of blue jeans and pull them on, as well as a T-shirt, and over that, a hoodie. It’s an undeniable relief not to be naked anymore.

I trust myself to wake up at any sound. I’ve always been an alert sleeper. So I don’t hesitate to push the clothes on the floor together into a sort of nest and crawl into it.

I definitely haven’t found myself a long-term home. But at least this place is warm and sheltered. I’m safe for tonight.

In the morning, I’ll figure out what comes next.

I can’t believe this actually happened.

I open my eyes and stare at the ceiling above me.

I’ve dreamed of my own mating night ever since I was a little girl—the night I would be paired with the man who would become the father of my children. I never doubted that everything would go well. I was so confident that I even believed, without question, that I’d be the one to carry children successfully. I saw no other possible future.

I think of my mother, who died giving birth to her stillborn baby when I was nine years old.

Whatever is going on with me, she knew something about it.

It’s the reason she never wanted me to ask questions about my father. It has to be. She didn’t want the truth to get out.

Well, it’s out now.

And I’m going to have to figure out a way to deal with it.