LOGINThe war council gathered under a canopy of storm dark clouds, the air charged with tension and the scent of blood. Maps were laid out before Lyra, creased and smudged from days of use. Her fingers hovered above enemy markers, symbols representing armies, beasts, and bloodshed but her thoughts were elsewhere.They were losing ground.Not because they lacked strength, but because the enemy had learned to anticipate them. Every move they made, the Storm King countered. Every battle, no matter how fiercely fought, brought more losses than gains.And the longer the war dragged on, the more her people suffered.“We need to change the game,” Lyra said finally, her voice low but clear.Kael looked up from across the table. “A frontal assault is suicide. They’ve reinforced the obsidian pass.”“We're not doing a frontal assault.” Her eyes met his. “We’re giving them exactly what they expect then taking something they never saw coming.”Mira leaned forward, arms crossed. “You have a plan?”Lyra
The cold was no longer an enemy.Nor was the fire.They were one.Lyra’s breath came out in small clouds that shimmered like frost. Her heart beat steady, but the rhythm was different, haunted by a pulse both burning and frozen.Around her, the camp waited in tense silence.No one dared move first.Dara’s voice broke the stillness.“Lyra… what happened in the temple? What are you now?”Lyra’s amber eyes flickered like a dying flame wrapped in ice.“I’m... neither fire nor frost. I’m both. And it’s tearing me apart.”Whispers spread like wildfire.Rowan stepped forward, voice heavy with disbelief. “You’re not the queen we followed. You’re… something else. Something dangerous.”“Dangerous, maybe,” Lyra admitted. “But if I don’t control it, it will consume me and all of
Ash coated everything. The battlefield was no longer a place of glory, it was a graveyard dressed in smoke. The victory chants from earlier had died out, replaced by the crackling of cooling embers and the whispers of the wounded.Lyra stood still in the heart of the chaos, cloaked in silence. Her boots sank into the scorched soil. Around her, the remnants of battle groaned under the weight of death. Blood painted the earth, and bodies, friend and foe were stacked like broken promises.This was her doing.Her power had won them the war.But at what cost?Dara approached cautiously. Her arm was bandaged, her face still smeared with soot. “You haven’t spoken since the battle ended.”Lyra didn’t look at her. “I can still smell him.”“The soldier you burned?”“He wasn’t just a soldier. He was a boy. He hesitated. I didn’t.”Silence.“You saved me,” Dara said quietly.“I destroyed him.” Lyra turned, her golden eyes dim. “What’s the difference anymore?”Dara sighed. “You can’t protect every
The scent of blood clung to the morning mist like a warning. Lyra stood on the scorched earth, the remnants of Kael’s sacrifice still fresh in her mind. She could feel the pulsing embers beneath her feet, the power of the Phoenix now burned in her bones. She was no longer just a girl without a wolf. She was a queen. A weapon. A fire reborn.Around her, warriors of ash and flame gathered. The remnants of Kael’s pack, those who had chosen to stay and rise with her. Their eyes burned with fury, pain, and loyalty.“We move before dusk,” Lyra commanded, her voice steady though her hands trembled. “The North is already sending scouts. They think we’re weak. We’ll show them what it means to provoke the Fire Queen.”Dara stepped forward, her arm still in a sling from the betrayal that had nearly taken Lyra’s life. “Are we truly ready? The wolves of the North are not just stronger, they have numbers, and they know our terrain.”Lyra turned to her. “I don’t need the land. I’ll burn it if I have
The fire did not flicker.It roared.The sky had darkened in mourning, yet from the northern ridge, flames lit the heavens, so bright they were seen even from the eastern watchtower. Wolves rushed to the walls, watching in stunned silence as the forest burned with unnatural light.But Lyra didn’t see it.She felt it.The bond between her and Kael had snapped like brittle glass, shattering through her body with devastating finality. She had dropped to her knees in the courtyard, hands digging into the snow, gasping as the world tilted.Pain sharp, electric, absolute flooded her chest.He was gone.The one anchor in her storm.The mate who’d fought beside her, bled for her, believed in her before she ever believed in herself.Now his warmth was gone.And something in her snapped.Not with a scream.Not with tears.But with a rising heat.Lyra stood.
The wind howled over the ridge, cold and sharp like a blade. Below, the valley was cloaked in shadow, and the moon hung heavy, a silent witness to what was coming.Kael stood at the edge of the cliff, staring into the darkness where movement stirred. Enemy scouts. Ash Moon wolves. Too close. Too soon.They were supposed to have more time.Behind him, Lyra’s footsteps crunched over frost. He didn’t turn.“They’ve broken the outer defenses,” she said quietly.He nodded. “I know.”“We’re not ready.”“No,” he agreed. “We’re not.”Her fire glowed faintly beside him, casting golden flickers across the cliffside.“Then why aren’t you moving?” she asked, stepping closer.Kael exhaled slowly. “Because I know what needs to be done.”Lyra frowned. “We have to fall back, not.....”“I’m not going with you, Lyra.”She froze. “What?”He finally turned to face her. The look in his eyes wasn’t fear. It wasn’t hesitation.It was final.“I’m going to stay behind,” Kael said. “Lead them off. Hold the rid







