LOGINVaelin’s POVMy eyes narrowed as I turned the scrap of fabric over in my hands, my mind firing off question after question. Where had it come from? How did it end up here, of all places — my secret base?I lifted it to my nose and breathed in. Lyra’s scent hit me instantly, familiar in a way that made my chest tighten. But what was it doing here?My thoughts pulled me straight back to the last time I had seen Lyra, the memory of her disappearance sitting like a stone in my gut. I had been looking for her ever since — combing through the territory, pressing anyone who might know something — and coming up with nothing every single time.And now, this.I looked the fabric over more carefully. The edges were torn and roughed up, like it had been ripped from her clothes during a struggle. My pulse picked up, every instinct in me snapping to attention. This wasn’t random. Someone had been inside my base. Someone who had been with Lyra.I swept my gaze around the room, hunting for anything e
LyraMy eyes drifted blankly across the walls of my luxurious prison, my mind heavy with thoughts of my mates. I missed them so much it hurt, the ache in my chest deepening with every day that passed. I wanted nothing more than to see them, to feel their warmth wrapped around me, to feel safe again.But I was stuck here, a prisoner of the alpha who had taken me. I had tried to find a way out, but every door was locked, every window sealed shut. I was completely at his mercy, left with nothing to do but wait for him to return.My thoughts turned dark as my mind circled back to the alpha. Why had he taken me? What exactly did he want from me? Every time I tried to ask, he’d just smile and tell me I’d find out soon enough.The door swung open, and the alpha stepped in, something knowing flickering behind his eyes. “Lyra, my dear, I can see you’re feeling a little… restless.”My eyes narrowed, my voice coming out flat and cold. “I want to go home. I want to be with the people who actually
SorenI couldn’t stop moving. Back and forth across Lyra’s room, my mind cycling through every worst-case scenario it could produce. She was never late — that was just who she was. And she would never go quiet without sending word. I had tried to convince myself it was nothing, just a delay, just a small thing. But the hours had kept passing and the room had stayed empty, and the knot in my stomach had only pulled tighter.I checked with Thorian and Vaelin. Neither of them had seen her. The knot became something worse. Had she been ambushed on her way to the grounds? Had someone gotten to her?Every instinct I had was telling me to move, to search, to do something — but I didn’t know where to point myself. I had already covered the surrounding areas, asked everyone I could find, sent word to our allies. Nothing had come back. No sign of her anywhere.By the time the sun started going down and the room filled with that quiet golden light, worry had become something sharper and colder.
I came back to consciousness slowly, like swimming up through something thick. The room was dim when my eyes finally opened, and the first thing I registered was the cold of the floor beneath me and the dull, relentless pounding behind my eyes. I tried to push myself upright and a wave of dizziness knocked me straight back down. I was alone. No Thorian. No Soren. No Vaelin. No one.The realisation hit me like cold water — I had been taken.I forced myself to focus, my eyes moving across the room as my mind tried to catch up. The space was strange in a way I hadn’t expected — not a cell, not a dungeon. It was almost obscenely luxurious. Velvet drapes, a four-poster bed, a marble fireplace, furnishings that looked like they belonged in a manor house rather than anywhere I had any business being. But none of it felt like comfort. It felt like a cage that had been dressed up to look like something else.I tried again to sit up, slower this time, and managed it — pulling myself back until
When I woke up, the first thing I was aware of was them — all three of my mates wrapped around me, arms layered over arms in something that felt like it had been arranged by instinct rather than thought. Soren’s chest pressed warm against my back, his hands loosely clasped across my stomach, his breathing slow and even, rising and falling in a rhythm that pulled me toward calm without even trying.I shifted deeper into Vaelin’s hold, letting myself sink into the safety of it, and my smile came without any effort at all. The morning light was already slipping through the curtains, soft and golden, spreading itself over all of us, over the quiet of the room. My chest felt full in a way that was hard to put into words.As I moved, Vaelin’s arm tightened — just slightly, just enough — like he was holding onto the moment before it slipped away. I reached up and let my fingers trace the curve of his arm, and he stirred, his lips brushing the edge of my ear.“Good morning, beautiful.” His vo
I made my way to the training grounds, my eyes moving constantly, taking everything in. My heart was already going faster than usual — the good kind of fast, the kind that comes with finally doing something you’ve made up your mind about. I had decided. I was joining the pack guard, and now it was just a matter of telling the captain.I pulled in a breath as I stepped onto the grounds. The place was alive with movement — guards training, drilling, moving through their routines with focused efficiency. I scanned the area, looking for him.Then I spotted him. Tall, commanding, with sharp yellow eyes and a jaw that looked like it had been cut from stone. He was in the middle of speaking with a group of guards, but the moment I got close, his gaze snapped straight to mine.“Lyra, good day. I wasn’t expecting you — what brings you here?” His voice carried the kind of natural authority that didn’t need to be raised to be heard.I straightened up and met his eyes. “Captain, I’m here to join
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
When my eyes finally opened, the first thing I saw was three faces looking back at me — Thorian, Soren, and Vaelin — each one carrying some mix of sleepiness and quiet concern. I lay there for a moment, trying to piece together how we had all ended up here, but the memories from the night before we
I stood there by the door, clutching his phone, and got lost in dark thoughts about all the nasty things I could do to him. "You can't let him get away with this," my wolf Nyssa's voice rang out strong and commanding in my head. Her brutal and fierce side was impossible to brush off. I'd believe
LyraKaelen's lips grazed softly along the rim of my ear, and his fingers combed through my long, dark hair while he leaned in for a kiss."Don't we need to hold off a bit, to make this moment even more magical?" I asked, since I couldn't quiet that nagging voice of doubt urging me not to.This was







