MasukPOV: ColtI found her in the hallway.She was leaning against the wall, her hands glowing with silver light.Her eyes were closed. Her breathing was shallow.For a moment, I couldn't move.She looked like a stranger.Like someone I had never truly met before."Lyra."Her eyes opened.Silver.Bright. Unnatural.My wolf recoiled inside me.That's not an Omega.I swallowed."Stay back," she said.I stepped closer anyway."What happened in there?"Her expression remained cold."What was that?""I don't know.""Don't lie to me."She pushed herself away from the wall.The glow disappeared from her hands. Her eyes slowly returned to normal."I'm not lying," she said. "I don't understand what's happening to me."I stared at her.Something was different.Her scent had changed.Not completely, but enough that my wolf couldn't settle.He was restless.Confused.Afraid.I reached for her wrist."Then we'll figure it out together."She pulled away immediately."Don't touch me.""Lyra—""I said don
POV: LyraThe pack house was suffocating.We had returned from the cabin two days ago. Colt had insisted.He said the pack needed their Alpha and Luna present.What he really meant was that he wanted to trap me somewhere I could not escape.I sat in the dining hall, surrounded by wolves who whispered behind my back. Their eyes followed me wherever I looked. Their lips curled with judgment.I had spent five years trying to earn their respect.Now I realized I had never needed it.Ravenna sat at the far end of the table, her father beside her.Elder Aldric.The man who had helped steal my assets.The man who had been quietly plotting against me for years.He watched me with cold, calculating eyes.I looked away.Colt sat beside me, his hand resting on my thigh.It was a performance.The doting Alpha.The loving husband.The man who wanted everyone to believe our marriage was perfect.He squeezed my leg gently and leaned closer."Smile," he whispered.I forced my lips into a curve.Insid
POV: LyraI walked until my legs burned.The forest swallowed me whole. Trees stretched toward the sky, their branches weaving together like a cage. I did not care where I was going. I just needed to move. To breathe. To escape.The cabin felt like a prison. Every room held a memory of humiliation. Every corner held Ravenna's laughter.I stopped at a small creek. The water rushed over smooth stones, clear and cold. I sat on a mossy rock and buried my face in my hands.My wolf stirred.She was restless, angry, hungry for release. I felt her claws scrape against the inside of my chest. She wanted out. She wanted to run. She wanted to tear something apart.I pushed her down.Not yet. I was not ready.Footsteps crunched behind me.I tensed. My body prepared to fight."Lyra?"Becca's voice was soft, hesitant.She stepped out from between the trees, her arms wrapped around herself. Her eyes were red. She had been crying.I relaxed slightly."How did you find me?""I followed your scent." Sh
POV: LyraThe couch was torture.Every spring dug into my back. The thin blanket did nothing against the cold. I stared at the ceiling, listening to the sounds of the cabin settling around me.Colt's snores drifted from the bedroom.Ravenna's soft breathing came from the spare room.Everyone else was asleep. Everyone except me.I sat up slowly. My body ached. My heart ached. Everything ached.I walked to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water. The moonlight spilled through the window, painting silver lines across the floor.I heard footsteps behind me.I turned.Colt stood in the doorway, shirtless, his hair messy. His eyes were heavy with sleep. He looked at me, and something crossed his face. Guilt? Longing? I could not tell."You should be sleeping," he said."I should be a lot of things."He walked toward me. His bare feet made no sound on the wooden floor. He stopped inches away. I could feel the heat radiating from his skin."Come back to bed," he said softly."No.""Lyr
POV: ColtI stormed out of the bedroom, my blood boiling.She had shoved me. An Omega. My Luna. She had put her hands on me and shoved me against the wall. The audacity. The sheer disrespect.I paced the cabin's main room, my fists clenched at my sides. Ravenna was on the couch, her legs tucked beneath her. She looked up at me with those wide, innocent eyes."Is she okay?" she asked softly. "I'm so worried about her."I ran my hand through my hair. "She's lost her mind. That's what's wrong with her."Ravenna stood and walked toward me. Her hand found my chest, pressing gently against my racing heart."She's just stressed," she said. "The pack has been demanding so much from her. And you've been working so hard. Maybe she just needs a break."I looked down at her. She was always so understanding. So patient. Why couldn't Lyra be more like her?"Maybe you're right," I muttered.Rake appeared in the doorway, a beer in his hand. "What's the problem now? Another Omega meltdown?"Liliana la
POV: Lyra.The cabin fell quiet after the others left for their run.I sat alone on the porch, staring at the forest where Colt had disappeared with Ravenna. Becca had gone inside to make tea, leaving me with my thoughts.My phone buzzed.It was my lawyer."Luna Lyra, I have uncovered concerning information regarding your mate bond. Please call me when you are alone."My heart raced. I stepped off the porch and walked deep into the trees. Far enough that no one could hear.I dialed.The lawyer's voice was grave. "I reviewed the paperwork you signed with the pack council five years ago. There are irregularities.""Explain," I said."Your mating ceremony contract was altered. The original documents show you were supposed to have equal rights to pack assets. But the version you signed was different. Your name was removed from shared ownership."I felt the world tilt. "Who changed it?""I traced the digital signatures. The modifications came from two sources. Colt's personal server. And R







