Chapter 6

LYRA POV

A rush of pain surges through me as the bond between Lucien and me shatters, but I don’t stumble. Even when it feels like my chest is about to tear open, I don’t slow down. I keep pushing through, sprinting away from Shadow Lake as though I’m running a marathon to save my life.

In a way, I guess I am.

At least the adrenaline helps mask the intense pain. The anxiety of not knowing where I’m going, combined with the fear of what danger may lurk nearby, keeps me sharp and motivated as I continue to run faster and faster. But I realize I haven’t seen the worst of it when I suddenly feel my wolf’s consciousness start to waver.

“Moon?!” I call out, already desperate.

“Sorry, Lyra…” she responds, but her voice is too faint. “The rejection… It… Weakened me.”

Fear spikes as I anticipate her next words. “I will be out… for a while.”

“What do you mean ‘out?’” I wonder, my pulse quickening. “I need you, Moon! You can’t leave me now!”

“You’ll be… Okay,” she insists, though my despondency won’t let me believe it. “It’ll be… Good. While I’m hibernating… You won’t… Feel the pain.”

“No! I can take the pain, Moon! I need you with me!” I continue to urge, terrified and apprehensive.

Unfortunately, it’s no use.

“Be strong,” she whispers before going completely silent.

I halt abruptly as fear takes over. I try calling her a few more times, but get no answer.

I can still feel her feeble presence somewhere inside me, distant and faint, as though she has fallen into a profound sleep. That scares me deeply. It was already bad enough that I couldn’t shift to defend myself. Now I don’t even have Moon’s voice in my head to guide me.

For the first time in my life, I’m truly alone.

I want to stop. I want to curl up somewhere and cry until I wake up from this nightmare.

Still I force my feet to move again.

Lucien must have sensed the rupture of our bond by now. I have no idea how long it will take him to find me, but I refuse to give him the chance.

So I run.

I run until my legs feel like they might collapse beneath me. I run until the last traces of Shadow Lake disappear completely, replaced by unfamiliar trees and strange scents. I keep going until I can no longer tell how far I’ve traveled.

The first day passes in a blur.

I have no real plan beyond getting as far away from Lucien as possible. I find water when I stumble upon puddles or small bodies of water, eat whatever berries I recognize as safe, and sleep for only a few hours beneath the cover of the trees.

Every strange sound keeps me awake. More than once, I hear movement in the distance and hide until it passes. I never find out whether those sounds belong to animals, rogues, or pack scouts. I don't want to know.

By the second day, the adrenaline has worn off. My body aches from head to toe, and every step feels heavier than the last. I’m constantly hungry, constantly thirsty, and increasingly aware of how little I know about surviving outside the pack.

Still, I keep moving.

The alternative is going back, and I would rather die out here than let Lucien drag me back to Shadow Lake.

By the third day, I stop thinking of my journey in terms of hours or miles. I simply put one foot in front of the other and keep going. That’s when I begin to notice the landscape changing. The trees become denser, and the terrain rises gradually beneath my feet.

When I catch sight of distant mountains through the branches, something about them feels familiar. I stop and stare. Then it hits me. Those mountains are on the maps I used to see in the Alpha’s office.

My stomach drops.

That is Thornhold Kingdom—the Lycan King’s territory.

I immediately look around, suddenly much more aware of where I am. I’m trying to escape Lucien, but I have no desire to stumble into the territory of another cruel leader.

From that point on, I become much more careful about where I’m going. Unfortunately, after three days of wandering through unfamiliar wilderness, I’m no longer certain which direction will take me where.

As night begins to fall, my legs finally give out beneath me.

I collapse onto the ground, breathing heavily as I stare at the darkening sky. I need water. I need food. More than anything, I need somewhere to sleep.

But before I can even decide what to do, something feels wrong.

The forest is silent, though not in a peaceful way. There are no birds calling from the trees. No rustling of some small animal moving through the underbrush. Nothing.

My heart begins to pound. I slowly push myself to my feet, scanning the darkness. Maybe I’m imagining it. Perhaps the forest is simply quieter at night, and I just hadn’t noticed before.

Then I hear it.

A low growl.

My entire body freezes. The sound comes from somewhere behind me. Petrified, I turn slowly, only to find myself surrounded by darkness and darkness alone.

Until I blink, and suddenly notice two glowing eyes stare at me from between the trees.

Another pair appears beside them.

Then another.

My stomach twists as I take a cautious step backward. Instead of disappearing, the eyes move closer, until shapes begin emerging from the darkness, one after another. Wolves—but not just any wolves.

Rogues.

I stumble backward, my heart hammering against my ribs. There are too many of them. And judging by the way they stalk me, they have no intention of letting me escape.

Regret and fear flood me immediately.

As I ran from Lucien, I didn’t realize I was running straight into a different kind of danger.