LOGINHis eyes stayed on my lips, and I bit them without thinking as his fingers touched my ear. "Are you feeling better?" he asked in that soft tone like a light brush in my ear.
After a bit, the door opened and someone came in. I looked over and saw Thorian and Vaelin walking toward us."Good evening, Lyra. How are you doing now?" Thorian's deep voice filled the room as he got closer. "Is she improving?" He turned to Soren this time, and Soren stood straight."SheAs they held me tight, every knot of tension inside me finally started to loosen. That deep, bone-deep feeling of safety wrapped around me like a blanket I never wanted to shrug off. I didn’t want to let go—I never wanted to step out of their warmth.“I don’t want to let you go,” I whispered, so quiet it almost didn’t make it past my lips.“You don’t have to,” Vaelin murmured back, his voice thick with feeling. “We’re not going anywhere. We’re right here—for you, always.”Thorian and Soren gave quiet nods, their arms squeezing me even closer.Standing there, tangled up together, a real sense of peace settled over me for the first time in forever. This was exactly where I was supposed to be—in the middle of my mates, surrounded by their love and protection.Time just stopped while we held on. The rest of the world blurred out until nothing existed except the heat of their bodies, the steady beat of their hearts against mine, and the promise that whatever came next, we’d face it side by
LyraMy heart jumped the second I heard Vaelin’s voice cut through the night. A rush of excitement and hope flooded me so fast it almost hurt. I’d been stuck here forever, surrounded by the Alpha’s guards, no way out in sight. But hearing him—knowing my pack, my family, had come for me—made everything feel different. I wasn’t alone anymore.My wolf stirred inside, sensing the shift in me, wrapping me in that quiet, steady calm only she could give. For the first time in what felt like forever, a little peace settled in my chest.I ran to the window, hands trembling as I shoved it open. There he was—Vaelin’s face right in front of me, tight with worry but burning with that stubborn determination I knew so well. Our eyes locked, and this wave of love and thankfulness hit me hard.“Vaelin,” I breathed, voice so soft I barely heard it myself.His whole face lit up, a real smile breaking through. He reached out quick, fingers finding mine. “Lyra, we’re here. We’re getting you out.”My chest
Vaelin's POVWe crept closer to where Lyra was being held, every sense dialed up to max. But the second we got there, we ran smack into a wall of guards—dozens of them, eyes locked on us like predators sizing up prey.“No way,” I growled under my breath, scanning the whole perimeter. “We’re not getting through that.”Soren’s jaw tightened, pure determination carved into his face. “We’ve got to try. She’s waiting for us.”Thorian’s eyes narrowed, mind clearly spinning through options. “There’s got to be an opening somewhere. Let’s split and look for a weak spot.”We tried circling around to flank them, but it was useless. The guards were everywhere—thick, endless, like they’d been waiting for us.My patience finally broke. I strode straight toward them, fists clenched, eyes burning. “I’m done standing around!” I snarled.Thorian and Soren lunged to grab me, but I shook them off hard. “No—I’m going in!”The guards saw their chance and swarmed. I planted my feet, ready, as they closed th
LyraI stood straight, staring right into the Alpha’s eyes. “I’m leaving—whether you like it or not,” I said, keeping my voice solid and clear. No way was I going to let him push me around like some servant or guard. If he thought he could just order me and I’d fall in line, he was dead wrong.I would never bow to him again. I wasn’t part of this pack anymore, and I never would be. They could tie a rope around my neck and throw me into the deepest part of the ocean before I’d ever come back to the place that once choked the life out of me and convinced me I was worthless. All my life I’d carried that same heavy belief—that I didn’t belong, that I’d always be nothing here because I just didn’t fit.The Alpha’s face twisted into a nasty snarl, eyes blazing with fury. “You’re never leaving this pack again, Lyra,” he growled, voice low and threatening. “You belong here. I won’t let you go.” His words were starting to get under my skin, and I hated how much they rattled me.I owed him abso
Thorian's POVIt felt like everything could explode any second as we stood right outside the Obsidian Pack's main den, ringed by growling guards. The air crackled with raw tension—we all knew one wrong move could spark a full-on brawl.I stepped up front, raising both hands slowly to show we weren't looking for trouble. "We're not here to fight. We just need to talk to your Alpha."The guards snarled louder, eyes glinting with pure hostility. One of them—a big, scarred guy with a jagged mark over his left eyebrow—curled his lip at me. "Silvercrest wolves. You've got no business here. What do you want?"Soren straightened up beside me, staring the guard down without flinching. "We're here for Lyra. She's one of ours, and we're not leaving without her."The guard bared his teeth in a vicious grin. "Then you'll have to get past us first."Vaelin shifted his weight, glancing quickly between the guards. He could see—we all could—that they outnumbered us badly and looked ready to pounce. St
LyraThe Alpha’s face stayed locked in pure shock, eyes stretched wide like he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. My words just floated there between us, sharp and heavy, and I watched his mind racing to catch up with the truth I’d thrown at him.Rage bubbled right under my skin, ready to spill out any second. I balled my hands into tight fists, forcing myself to hold it together. No way was I giving him the pleasure of watching me break.“You’re seriously saying you had no clue?” I hissed, keeping my voice low and steady. “You’re telling me you didn’t know your own pack was torturing me all that time?”His eyes flicked side to side, like he was hunting for some way out. “I… I swear, Lyra, I didn’t know. If I had—”A bitter laugh ripped out of me, cutting him short. “Don’t even bother, Alpha. I don’t buy it. You’re just scrambling to cover yourself.”His cheeks flushed dark red, anger sparking in his gaze. “How dare you,” he growled low. “I’m your Alpha. You don’t talk to me like t
The phone kept buzzing, getting on my nerves, so I had to pick it up even though I knew my mom would just say the same stuff—siding with them instead of me, like always. I took a deep breath and hit the answer button. Right away, she asked where I'd run off to. Then she went on, "You think runnin
LyraA sudden jolt woke me from a deep sleep. I stayed still as my heart raced in my chest, forcing me to snap my eyes open right away.After dealing with the dizziness for a moment, I tried to take in where I was. The room was dim, lit only by the faint glow from the lamp on the bedside table.I w
Thorian"What's going on?" A few folks in the meeting room stopped and asked as the guards' voices from the hallway echoed into the hall."I don't know...." someone started to reply when the door got shoved open all of a sudden, and a guard strode in. He bowed his head while reporting the problem t
I squinted my eyes halfway closed and tried to make out the figure right in front of me. It was all blurry, but I pushed myself to sharpen my focus on the guy with that soft touch.My heart jumped, and my expression scrunched up.The second I looked at him, I felt disgusted. He placed his hand on m







