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CHAPTER 4: Lyra's POV

“Look what we found crawling through the dirt, boys. A little pack ran away.”

The mocking voice sliced through the dark forest, accompanied by a low, vibrating growl that made the hair on my arms stand up. I didn't stop running until my legs completely gave out, collapsing heavily onto the damp earth. I knew almost nothing about the wild land outside my old pack's borders. I had spent my entire life confined inside those secure stone walls, feeling perfectly safe because of a mate bond that had ultimately turned out to be worth absolutely nothing. Now, I was deep inside a dense forest that belonged to no pack I recognized. This was completely neutral territory—the lawless wilderness lone wolves only used to talk about in terrified whispers. It was land nobody claimed because nobody was strong enough to hold it.

For two agonizing days, I survived on nothing but bitter stream water and whatever wild berries I could scavenge from the thickets. I forced myself to sleep high up in the branches of oak trees to avoid whatever dangerous predators moved on the ground at night. My back still bled through my torn shirt, the fabric sticking painfully to my raw skin with every single movement.

“She smells like the twins' pack,” another voice snarled from the thick shadows to my left. “But she’s completely cut off from them. There’s no alpha scent protecting her anymore.”

Three massive rogue wolves stepped out from behind the heavy trees, their golden eyes glowing in the dark. They circled me fast, snapping their jaws and testing exactly how weak I really was. I squeezed my eyes shut for a second, my heart hammering against my ribs. I had no pack warriors standing behind me now. I had no powerful Alphas to call out to for rescue. I only had my own completely exhausted body and a wolf that had barely fed or shifted in weeks.

“Get away from me,” I choked out, pushing myself up against a jagged boulder and flashing my teeth.

“Or what?” the largest rogue mocked, stepping closer and baring his long, yellow fangs. “Who is going to stop us? Your Alphas threw you away like garbage.”

I fought them anyway. When the first rogue lunged forward, I unleashed a scream of pure desperation, striking out with my bare fingernails and teeth. I managed to slice my claws across his muzzle, making him howl in surprise. But I was too weak, my movements too slow from days of starvation. The largest rogue seized the opportunity, throwing his heavy weight against me and driving me hard into the dirt. His sharp teeth tore directly into my side, leaving a deep, burning gash across my ribs.

“Is that all you've got?” the rogue growled, shaking the blood from his muzzle.

I clawed at his eyes, kicking out wildly with my boots until I managed to plant a heavy blow directly against his throat. He gagged, stumbling backward into the brush. The other two rogues hesitated, looking at their injured leader, before they all slowly backed away into the deep trees, realizing I wouldn't be an effortless kill.

The moment they vanished, my strength completely vanished too. I collapsed back against the cold rock, my hand clutching my side as warm blood soaked rapidly through my fingers and into the dirt. I stared blindly at the canopy above, certain this was exactly how it ended for me. I was going to bleed to death, completely alone in a piece of land that didn't even have a name.

“Hold your positions! Secure the eastern tree line immediately!”

The loud, commanding shout echoed through the clearing, shattering the quiet night. Through my blurred, heavy vision, I saw bright torchlight moving rapidly through the thick trees.

“Over here! I found a blood trail!” another voice barked.

Several men moved into the clearing with military precision, their voices calling out in a strict language of orders and formations that I didn't recognize at all. Their movements were highly trained, nothing like the wild, aggressive posturing of my old pack's warriors.

“Stand down, men,” a deep, incredibly calm voice commanded from the center of the lights. “The rogues are already gone.”

The crowd of armed men parted instantly, allowing a tall figure to step into the center of the clearing. He walked slowly toward me, the heavy thud of his boots stopping right where the dirt was stained with my blood. He knelt down directly in front of my broken body, his dark eyes fixed on my face as he quietly studied my fresh wounds.

“Another troublesome one…”