Chapter 4

The heavy wooden door behind me stood half-open. From inside came Nara's soothing voice and the sighs of Cyrus and Knox.

Dragging my injured leg, I stumbled back to my stone house.

Moonlight fell on the wooden chest by my bed. Inside were the gifts the three of them had given me. I used to treasure them more than my own life.

I opened the chest, and my fingertips came to rest on the moonstone.

When I was 14, I had a fever that wouldn't break. Knox knelt at the Moon Goddess's altar and prayed for me. On every stormy night afterward, he would press the moonstone to my heart and tell me the Moon Goddess would protect me.

The wolf fang came from the first snow wolf Cyrus had ever killed on his own. He returned covered in blood and hung it around my neck in front of everyone. He said the fang was his glory, and so was I.

At the very bottom lay the soft leather armor Draven had made for my coming-of-age ceremony. He had ventured deep into the Black Marsh and spent a year hunting crocodiles for the toughest hide, then fashioned the armor himself. He said it would protect me from any danger.

I'd once believed these gifts would stay with me forever.

The moonstone still felt smooth and warm to the touch. The wolf fang still gleamed, and the armor felt soft and cool against my palm.

But the men who had promised to protect me with their lives had abandoned me and even forced me to apologize to someone else.

I threw them all into the fire and watched the flames swallow them.

Years of precious memories, and the girl I used to be, turned to ash in that fire.

I wiped away my tears and the blood, then turned and went straight to my father's office.

"Father, I'll go through with the Snow Wolf alliance. I'm the Alpha's daughter. I won't run from my duty."

My father's heart sank.

"Are you sure? Once you go, you may never come back to the Frostmoon pack."

"I'm sure." I closed my eyes.

My father looked at me for a long time, and I could see how much it hurt him. He pulled me into his arms, and a heavy sigh rumbled in his throat.

"All right... I'll see you off."

I had barely stepped out of my father's office when three tall figures blocked my way.

Cyrus looked thunderous.

"Lyra, so you really did run to your father to complain about us."

I stopped and looked at him coldly.

"Being spoiled was one thing, but now you're being downright cruel just to compete for our attention?"

Draven stood off to one side. "Nara spent the whole time defending you, telling us not to blame you. And what did you do?"

Knox's voice was even colder. "Lyra, running to your father won't make us give in."

The disgust in Cyrus's eyes, the contempt in Draven's, and the misunderstanding in Knox's finally showed me how little they truly knew me, even after all these years.

But I didn't care anymore. I would be leaving soon.

"Are you done? I didn't tattle. Believe whatever you want." I pushed past them and walked away.

The three of them froze. They were used to my demanding ways and my softer side, but they had never seen me this calm.

Behind me, Knox snorted coldly. "Let her reflect on what she's done! And don't any of you go after her!"

The footsteps faded away.

Back home, I leaned against the cold door and slowly slid to the floor.

Tomorrow, I would leave this land for good and never look back.

The next morning, the thick fog in the valley still hadn't lifted.

My father had arranged for guards and several wagons loaded with warm clothes, medicine, and supplies.

Wrapped in a heavy cloak, I took one last look at my father, then turned and climbed into the wagon.

The wheels rolled over the frosty ground, heading slowly north.

I didn't look back.