ETHAN'S POVThe second her body slackens in my arms, my pulse spikes like a blade driven through my chest."Lyra, stay with me. Don't you fucking dare!"Her skin is clammy against my palms, lips paling, breath shallow. The wound along her side burns a sickly shade, darker than normal blood should be.I'm moving before my mind can catch up, every second she trembles in my arms feels like another nail hammered into my coffin.Warriors scatter as I barrel through the infirmary doors, nearly kicking them off their hinges, ignoring the startled cries of the healers.She weighs almost nothing, and that terrifies me more than any battle ever has. My wife, my Luna, slipping from my grasp because I wasn't fast enough."Clear a bed!" I snarl, my voice echoing. The scramble, dragging supplies closer, hands shaking. They've seen me angry before. This isn't anger. It's like an internal war waiting to be unleashed.I lower her onto the mattress, my hands reluctant to let go. Her eyelids flutter, li
LYRA'S POVThe forest smells of iron and smoke, and damp earth, a sickening perfume of battle. My pulse hammers like a war drum against my ribs, so hard I can feel it in my breath.My hands shake, fingers slick with sweat and residual blood from the earlier skirmish.In a blur of fur, flesh, claws and blood, Ravenwood warriors had managed to outnumber and finish off a good number of rogues, following their attack on Dan.A metallic tang lingers even after the rogues retreat, or are forced back into the shadows.Dan still lays sprawled on the ground, his shoulder twisted at an unnatural angle, blood soaking through his shirt, bone jutting beneath torn flesh. Clara is kneeling beside him, hands trembling as she whispers soft nothings.Amanda is by her side, hands glowing faintly over his wounds, as she works her magic, murmuring words that shimmer like sparks.They'd both been escorted over by some guards a few minutes ago, seeing as the perimeter was slightly safer now, and Dan needed
LYRA'S POV"No... someone's here. And they're not alone."My pulse flickers at the tension in his words, heartbeat kicking up a notch."Could it be–""I have to go check it out. The guards will make sure you get to the bunkers alongside other women and children."Just before I can ask him what he means by that statement, Ethan is already on his feet, muscles taut, danger radiating off him like a second skin. "Stay here." He barks over his shoulder as he pulls on his pants, already halfway out the door.Like hell I will. He didn't really expect me to just lie here and await his return when there's potential danger!I scramble up, ignoring the tremble in my knees and yanking on the first clothes I find. I'm restless, my pulse pacing under my skin, agitation spiking with every hurried step I take to follow him.By the time I reach the courtyard, the world has changed.The air is thick with tension and the arid scent of fear. Warriors sprinting towards the perimeter, pack members scrambli
LYRA'S POVThe scent of lavender and burning wood from candles mixed with Ethan's cologne and natural scent, makes my chest tighten, not from fear, but from anticipation.My hands shake slightly, and not from nerves.Ethan's hands map every inch of me, reverent and possessive, as he murmurs things that make my knees weak...that I'm his, that I've always been his and he, mine.It's not rushed, it's not about hunger or urgency. It's about us, just like our first time together."You look... incredible." He murmurs, voice low, laced with rawness and hunger. My stomach flips. "Goddess, Lyra..."I swallow, the sound catching in my throat, my fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt as he pulls away letting me down on my feet briefly, but keeping us against the wall. "I didn't know you were such a good party planner."His grin is slow, predatory at my tease. "Every last detail. You deserve to feel and see just how special you are."Heat curls in my veins. The affectionate words, sharp an
LYRA'S POVThe next morning, we're on our way back to Ravenwood, hearts lighter, moods high and smiles, brighter.The first person I see when we pull into the driveway is known other than Lucien who's already spotted us as well.He's leaning against the hood of his car, like some annoyingly hot extra in a vampire drama, mischief shining in his eyes as always."Well, well, well." He drawls, pushing off the hood with a lazy grin that's all teeth and trouble. "If it isn't my favourite person in Ravenwood. Back from silver moon in one piece, I see."I roll my eyes, but the corners of my lips twitch anyway. "Barely. But thanks for the vote of confidence, Lucien.""Confidence?" He gasps dramatically, pressing a hand to his chest in mock offense. "I had no doubt that Ethan would go on a killing spree if anyone even breathed wrong in your direction. And look..." He gestures towards Ethan who's walking over after exchanging some words with the guards. "No blood on his hands. Color me impressed
The ride to silver moon is quieter than I expected. Ethan sits beside me, letting me stew in my thoughts as the tires of the car rolls along the forest road.Ethan had simply listened to my explanation surrending Amanda's appearance and the news she came with, attentively and undistracted.And when I had asked if he could prepare a ride for us back to silver moon, he'd insisted on coming along this time.Not just because he didn't trust the my former so-called pack members and dad's cunning betas, but because he wanted to be there for me.Amanda sits in the front sit beside the driver, hands folded in her lap, her gaze darting between us and the passing trees, a trail of other cars carrying guards accompanying us.Amanda's words from earlier this morning continue to replay in my head.She was a witch...That bit of information was a lot to take in, just as much as every other one she'd shared with me.So what had made her to cross paths with my mother in the first place had been when