FAZER LOGINLyraMy hands dropped slowly to my sides as I caught sight of Raguel, standing a few feet away. He glared at the space—or lack of—between Miguel and I. He looked ready to start a war.I stood rooted to the ground, shocked by the hostility radiating off him.Beside me, Miguel didn’t even flinch. His expression remained as jovial as it had been seconds ago, his warm hazel eyes crinkling at the corners as he lowered his hands. He tilted his head, leaning slightly on his right side, and offered his brother a soft smile.“Good morning, brother,” Miguel greeted. “You’re back earlier than the guards anticipated.”Raguel's jaw tightened.“Step away from her, Miguel,” he growled. He crossed the lawn, stopping right in front of me. “Now.”Miguel didn’t move away. Instead, he turned his gaze back to me, his lips widening with an infectious grin. “I was just introducing myself to my new sister-in-law, Raguel. You know, give her a proper welcome to the estate.”“She is not your sister-in-law,” Rag
LyraThe letters never stopped coming.Every morning, another bundle would appear on the breakfast table or be delivered to my makeshift study. Most of them were sweet, some were funny enough to make me laugh aloud and I found myself smiling far more than I had in years.I was halfway through another stack when I found the familiar parchment with no indication of who had written it just like the last two.The faint scent of human blood hit me as usual as I unfolded it carefully.If the werewolves were originally ruled by a she-wolf…then what happened to that lineage?That was all.I read it again and again, trying to make sense of the words.“What lineage?” I whispered to myself. “Who was sending these? Was it another black magic trap?”A sharp thud echoed from outside.I paused at the sound of steel hitting its target. A few seconds later, it happened again so I crossed the room to the window. In the eastern training grounds, someone was practicing archery with rhythmic precision.I
LyraI stared up at Raguel, my lips parted as his words echoed through the quiet space.I have always wanted you.“Five years ago,” Raguel murmured, his voice dropping. “You attended the Bakers’ charity gala at the Metropolitan Hotel in Denver. You wore a backless midnight-blue gown. It had a slit up to your thigh on the left side, and your hair was swept up in this complicated style that left your neck completely bare.”My breath caught. I remembered the exact evening Raguel was describing. It was a corporate charity event Aaron had forced me to attend to play the part of the supportive, quiet wife and I remembered that dress.“You were with Aaron, obviously.” Raguel’s voice was low, intimate. “He was holding your hand like you were something precious he was afraid of losing. But you kept pulling away, just slightly, every time someone approached. Like you wanted your space but didn’t want to make a scene.”I swallowed hard. Nobody had ever noticed that about me before. Not even Aaro
LyraEverything happened so quickly that my mind couldn’t keep up.Aaron's fingers slipped from my wrist and he turned so quickly toward Raguel that the guards barely had time to react.“You bastard!” He screamed as he launched himself forward. “You ruined my life! You ruined my marriage, you psychotic piece of garbage! I am going to tear you apart, you hear me? I’m going to destroy everything you—”Raguel didn’t even glance in his direction. Instead, he simply stepped an inch to the left.Aaron stumbled past him, unable to stop his own momentum, and with an ungraceful thud, he went crashing face-first onto the floor hard enough to knock the breath from his lungs.For a heartbeat, nobody moved. Not even the guards moved to help him up.Raguel stepped past Aaron’s groaning form, his focus on me. The anger in his eyes faded as he stopped before me.“Are you hurt, Lyra?” Raguel asked, his voice filled with protectiveness. “Did he touch you anywhere else?”I couldn’t even answer. My jaw f
LyraFor a second, I forgot how to breathe.Aaron looked thinner than the last time I’d seen him. The expensive suits had been replaced by a wrinkled shirt and dark circles underneath his eyes, but I’d have recognized him anywhere.The guards stood between us, watching him carefully like they were waiting for the order to strike.“Lyra!” Aaron choked out.Before I could react, he shoved past the guards.“Stop him!” someone shouted.He reached me anyway.He wrapped his arms around my shoulders, hugging me desperately like I might disappear if he loosened his grip.The force of the embrace made me stumble backward.He was trembling violently, his cologne mixing with the scent of sweat and fear.“Oh, thank God.”“Let me go, Aaron,” I gasped, my hands coming up to push against his chest.He pulled back, his hands instantly dropping to my shoulders, then my arms, frantically checking my body through the bars. His eyes were wide, bloodshot, and frantic as he scanned my face.“Are you hurt?”
LyraMy hands were still trembling, my breath coming in gasps as the gravity of what he had just done hit me.That was a complete abuse of power. It was exactly what Omar had warned me about in that restroom at the Summit.“What the hell was that about?” I yelled in panic. “You humiliated those men, Raguel. We’re going to wake up tomorrow to a protest at the gates! I’ve brought my bad luck here.”“Take a breath, sweetheart.” Raguel said casually, unbothered by my horror. He chuckled quietly. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”“How can you be this casual?” I demanded, my voice rising as I pushed my chair back. I got up and began to pace a few inches away from him.“You need to learn to trust me.”I let out a sceptical laugh. “Trust you? How can I trust a man who treats the people who used to be his peers like garbage? If you can do that to them, what stops you from doing it to me?”Before I could resume my pacing, Raguel got up and grabbed me by the waist. Effortlessly, he lifted me
Omar lifted his head slowly. I could see the barely concealed annoyance and irritation in his eyes. He looked at me longer again, like he was trying to make sense of something that didn’t add up. He shifted his gaze to Raguel. “She doesn’t look like Charlotte,” he muttered. “Not even close.”He att
A month ago, my biggest concern was whether the roast I’d prepared for Aaron’s dinner was seasoned well enough to earn a smile. I was a housewife, a shadow, a woman who measured her worth by the silence of her husband’s disapproval. Now, my entire existence was packed into a single suitcase in the
I stared at the document resting on the floor like it was a death warrant. Anger and the sickening realization of Aaron’s cowardice rose in my belly. I stepped toward Raguel, his jacket sliding off my shoulders and hitting the floor. I didn’t care that my gown was torn.“Who do you think you are?”
The room felt like it was shrinking, the walls closing in on the three of us. Raguel moved toward me and my body reacted before my mind did.I stiffened.He stopped just close enough.Then, without asking, he shrugged off his jacket and draped it over my trembling shoulders. It was warm, carrying t







