MasukLYRA Kael didn’t answer my question about whether he would step in and break the rules. He just looked at me for a long time, his eyes searching mine, and then he gripped my shoulder and told me we needed to start training. I didn't push him for an answer because I knew what it meant, and I knew that if it came down to my life, Kael wouldn't care about the laws of a pack that wasn't his. We spent the next several hours in a blur of sweat and violence, and I pushed myself until my lungs felt like they were going to burst. I worked with Rook first, then Kael, and every movement I made was on point. I had fought Lucian a thousand times in my head already, rehearsing every counter and every weakness I remembered from when I used to watch him train from the shadows. Kael watched me with the eyes of someone who knew me completely, and he didn't try to coach me like I was some inexperienced pup. He just reminded me of what I already knew and what I had already proven to the world. He c
LYRA I stood there in the center of the courtyard, expecting them to look at the ground or start planning their escape routes, but Rook stepped forward and shook his head. He looked me right in the eyes, and his face was set in a way that made me feel like the ground beneath my feet was finally solid. "We trust you with our lives, Lyra," he said, and his voice was loud enough that the Blackfang guards on the perimeter shifted in their spots. "You saved us when we were rotting in the dirt, and you took us in when every other pack treated us like trash. There is no way we are leaving you behind to face that bastard alone, and there is no way we are running while you’re fighting for one of ours." I felt a lump form in my throat, but before I could even say thank you, another voice joined in, and then another. They started to chant my name, a low rhythmic sound that grew into a roar that must have echoed all the way into the palace and into Lucian’s arrogant ears. "Lyra! Lyra! Lyra!"
LYRA I kept my head high as I walked out of the palace, and I didn't let a single emotion touch my face until the heavy oak doors finally shut behind us. The moment we were out of sight of the guards, the mask just fell apart. I turned to Kael, and I could feel my hands shaking so hard I had to ball them into fists. My eyes filled with tears before I could even try to stop them, and the panic came rushing in like a cold tide. "Kael, I’m scared," I whispered, and the words felt small in the open air. I looked at him, and I didn't see the warrior I had become, I just felt like that girl in the snow again. "I don’t know if I can actually take him. Lucian is a monster in a fight, and I’ve never faced an Alpha like him on the battlefield. What if I’m not strong enough? What if everything I’ve done for the last three years isn't enough to beat him?" I started pacing, my breath coming in short, jagged bursts, and I couldn't stop my mouth from moving. "I shouldn't have agreed to those stak
LYRAI didn't care about the laws of the Blackfang Pack, and I certainly didn't care about Lucian’s ego. All I could see was Tomas, a boy whose only crime was being in the wrong place at the wrong time, trembling as the guards tightened their grip on his thin arms. I walked straight past the elders, my boots thudding against the stone floor, and stopped right in front of the guard holding the boy."Let him go," I said. The guard looked at Lucian, his eyes wide with uncertainty, and he didn't move an inch. I turned my head to look at Lucian, who was still standing there with that arrogant, kingly mask on his face, and I felt the old familiar fire licking at my ribs. "I said untie him, Lucian. Now."Lucian let out a sharp, dry laugh that didn't reach his eyes, and he stepped down from the dais. "You don't give orders here, Lyra. You’re a guest in my halls, and I’ve already told you the boy is guilty. The matter is closed." Before anyone could react, I reached out and snatched the swor
LYRALucian stood over me, his height making me feel small but not afraid, and he looked at me like I was a fly he was deciding whether to crush or keep in a jar. He leaned in close, his voice dropping into that low, dangerous tone he used when he wanted to remind everyone who was in charge. "This is my palace, Lyra," he said, and I could feel the heat radiating off him. "This is my pack, and these are my laws. If I say the boy is guilty, then the boy is guilty. There is no debate, and there is no second trial. My word is final here, and you would do well to remember that before you find yourself back in chains."I couldn't believe my ears, and for a second, I just stared at him in pure shock. I turned away from him, looking at the semi-circle of elders who were watching us with varying degrees of boredom and malice. I walked toward them, my hands open in a gesture of desperation, begging them to see sense. "You can't be serious," I said, my voice cracking just a bit. "Look at him! T
LYRALucian sat back on his throne and he looked genuinely amused by the way I was taking control of the room, but he finally nodded and agreed to my terms. He waved a hand at the guards, and they grabbed Tomas by the chains, dragging him toward the stairs that led down to the dungeon so he wouldn't be able to hear a single word Marrek said. Marrek looked like he was in a tight spot for a second, his eyes darting around the hall as he realized I was actually going through with this, but he straightened his back and came forward with a look of fake confidence. He stood in the center of the hall, and he didn't even wait for me to ask the first question before he started talking."I caught him sneaking out of the King’s weapons room," Marrek said, his voice loud and clear so every elder in the room could hear him. "He had the dagger tucked under his shirt, and he was trying to slip through the side servant entrance. It’s the guards' fault, really. They weren't doing their jobs properly,







