Chapter 3

After completing her first shift, Elara remained in her wolf form for less than a minute before collapsing into Mom’s arms.

Her wolf had awakened, but she was still dangerously weak. The healer ordered them to take her to the treatment room immediately. Until her wolf fully stabilized, no one was allowed to leave her side.

Everyone rushed away from the ritual grounds in a panic.

Only Rowan stopped as he passed the silver cell.

“Lyra?”

He called my name, but there was no answer from inside.

My spirit stood beside him, staring at the closed door.

I knew he couldn’t hear me, but I kept pleading anyway.

“Rowan, please go inside and check on me.”

He reached for the lock.

At that moment, the healer’s assistant came running down the hallway.

“Rowan, Elara’s body is rejecting her wolf. The healer needs you to keep the ritual circle stable.”

Rowan glanced back at the silver cell.

A thin trail of blood had seeped beneath the door.

His face tightened.

“There’s blood coming from the cell.”

The assistant didn’t seem alarmed.

“Forcing a first shift back can rupture blood vessels. It’s a normal reaction.”

Rowan looked at the door again.

“Then why isn’t she answering?”

“The suppressants may have put her to sleep. The wards will shut down automatically at sunrise.”

When Rowan continued to hesitate, the assistant added, “The suppressants have knocked her out before, haven’t they? She always woke up safely.”

Rowan remained silent for several seconds.

Finally, he released the lock.

“Lyra, I’ll come back for you at sunrise.”

Then he made another promise through the silver door.

“As soon as you complete your first shift, we’ll hold our marking ceremony.”

With that, he turned and walked toward the treatment room.

I followed him.

Elara lay trembling on the bed.

When Rowan entered, she opened her eyes with difficulty.

“Where’s Lyra?”

“The ceremony is over. Why haven’t you let her out?”

Elara struggled to sit up, but Dad pressed her gently back against the bed.

“You can’t lose focus now. The blood resonance between you won’t disappear completely until sunrise.”

Rowan stood at the foot of the bed.

“She was given three times the normal dose of suppressants. She’s probably asleep by now.”

“Lyra is stronger than any of us. She’ll be fine.”

Those words reassured everyone.

For six years, I had survived every single night they forced me to endure.

My family stayed beside Elara’s bed until they eventually fell asleep against one another.

At sunrise, the silver wards shut down automatically.

The red light on the control panel turned green.

The lock released.

But no one came out.

At nine that morning, Caden was the first to wake.

He remembered my desperate voice over our mind-link the night before and immediately opened the security feed from the silver cell.

On the screen, I had my back to the camera. My body was curled into the corner.

The silver door was unlocked, but I didn’t move.

I looked like a stubborn child hiding in the corner, waiting for her family to come and comfort her.

Caden stared at the screen for a long time.

“Lyra?”

He called me through our mind-link, his brow slowly furrowing.

Mom woke beside him.

“Has Lyra come out yet?”

“Not yet.”

Caden showed her the security feed.

“The door unlocked at sunrise. She can leave whenever she wants. She kept asking me to go to her last night, but I didn’t. She’s probably angry with me.”

Mom’s expression hardened when she saw my motionless body on the screen.

“Then she can stay there until she’s ready to stop punishing us.”

“She’s waiting for the whole family to go back and apologize.”

Caden looked at the screen again.

“Should we send someone to check on her?”

“No.”

Mom shut off the security feed.

“She’s eighteen years old. Every time she gets upset, she can’t expect the entire family to abandon everything and rush to comfort her.”

“Leave her alone. Once she calms down, she’ll come out on her own.”

Then Mom lowered her eyes to the schedule she had already prepared.

“The next full moon is in one month. I’ve invited every pack elder to Lyra’s first-shift ceremony.”

“She has always believed we cared more about Elara. This time, the entire pack will be there to celebrate her.”

Rowan took out the ring he had kept for our marking ceremony for two years.

Everyone waited for me to end my little tantrum.

They were planning the first day of my new life while my body remained curled in the corner of the silver cell.