Se connecterLYRA POVMy senses come back to me slowly. As my eyes flutter open, it takes me a few blinks to realize I’m not in my chambers. But the room I’m in isn’t unfamiliar either. I’ve been here before. And I shoot up in bed as I realize exactly where I am.Theron’s chambers.Panic floods my veins as my gaze scours through the room. A pinch of relief settles in when I can’t find the Lycan King. Wherever he is, I have to get out of here before he returns. But just as I pull the covers off, something stops me.The clothes I’m dressed in aren’t mine. In fact, all I’m wearing is an oversized shirt with absolutely nothing underneath. Theron’s scent is all over it.My head hurts as memories start to flash in my mind. I remember… Dread. There were males after me, and they wanted to kill me. Then horror fades as an unexpected sense of comfort washes over me.I remember Theron’s words. I remember his touch. I remember how tightly he held me in his arms, and how sharply it contrasted with the viciousn
LYRA POVMy eyes widen as what the man said echoes in my head. Those words… They sounded awfully familiar. My mind scrambles for where I’d heard it before until a sudden clarity pierces through the fear.Valeria.She’s the one who sent these males after me.A cold wheeze leaves me as I start piecing the puzzle together. Of course. It all makes sense now. The sudden change in how pack members have been treating me, the things they’ve been whispering about me in the halls… Valeria must be spreading rumors about me. I know she wants to get rid of me.I just didn’t think she would go this far.“Please, I… I’ll do anything!” I try again as sheer despair consumes me. “I’ll leave! If you let me go now, I swear I’ll disappear and never set foot here again!”The taller male cocks his head. “A little bit late for that, don’t you think?” He laughs, the sound causing goosebumps to erupt all over my skin.“Besides, what’s the rush?” He lowers his voice as he leans in, and I turn my face in a foolis
LYRA POVI sit on the edge of one of the beds while the doctor finishes wrapping my wrist. Every muscle in my body aches. Bruises bloom across my ribs, shoulder, and stomach, but compared to what could have happened, I got lucky."Nothing serious," the doctor assures me as he steps back. "You'll be sore for a few days, but most of these injuries are superficial. The painkillers should help."I nod quietly. The physical pain barely registers. All I can think about is the look on Seris's face when she asked what I wasn't telling them. The memory follows me long after I leave the infirmary.Freya had been called away to deal with the disciplinary hearings involving the she-wolves who attacked me. Seris walked me back afterward, but the conversation never recovered from that question. Neither of us seemed to know what to say. Because the worst part is that she's right.I am hiding things.The truth sits between me and my friends every time we talk. Every laugh we share. Every meal we eat t
LYRA POVAdrenaline shoots through my veins. Though I have no idea what these she-wolves want with me, it’s obvious they’re not here for friendly conversation. My instincts scream at me to get up, to run, to do something. But I can’t. Every exit is blocked, and their harsh stares keep me paralyzed.When laughter starts again, it’s slightly different. It’s not just mocking, but filled with satisfaction. It sends a chill down my spine.“Do you think you have us fooled, rogue?” one of them says, tilting her head as if she’s amused by the question she already knows the answer to.My throat tightens at the word rogue. It lands heavier than it should, like it’s been waiting for me all day just to finally be spoken out loud. I force myself to push back against the ground, trying to rise, but another voice cuts in before I can.“I don’t know how the King allowed you to stay here, but no one becomes part of our kingdom this quickly.”I barely have time to try and understand what they mean when
LYRA POVThe days following my change in position are the most uneventful I’ve had since arriving at Thornhold. Instead of spending the entire day around Theron, which was stressful in and of itself, I only work a few hours daily. I have more time to hang out with Freya and Seris, and I’m able to focus more during our training sessions.I rarely see the Lycan King anymore. When we accidentally run into each other in the halls, I lower my head, and he doesn’t try to speak to me. I tell myself it’s better this way, even if his coldness makes my heart clench. Nothing good has ever come out of listening to it instead of my brain anyway.Moon is silent as ever, and though I still miss her, I’d rather she stays under if every time she comes to the surface it’s only to push me to do something I’ll regret. There have been no more fallouts with Theron. We haven’t talked about those two moments of lust in his office, and I’m okay with that. Of course he’d want to slip those mistakes under the r
LUCIEN POV“Alpha, please… It hurts!” the Omega screams, writhing underneath me as I pound her hard from behind.The sound of her voice makes my skin crawl. My hand shoots forward and I stuff her mouth with my fingers, making her gag as I growl at her, “Shut the fuck up!”Since my Luna doesn’t seem to do it for me, I decided to try something different. My wolf keeps pestering me about finding our submissive mate, so I picked one of the Omegas to see if that would shut him up. Maybe we just needed a frail, obedient slut to satisfy us.To my displeasure, that doesn’t seem to be the case.“This is not our mate!” Bones barks at me, infuriated. For a dog, he’s too fucking smart.“No shit, genius,” I mumble back at him. “It’s the closest thing.”“No one can compare to Lyra,” he shoots back, and it irks me.Because it’s true.After many failed patrols, I grew restless. Though I’d sooner let Shadow Lake burn than give up on trying to find my mate, I needed to find some kind of remedy. Somethi







