The Mask Cracks

POV: Lyra

I woke up stiff and cold.

The couch was too short. My neck ached from the awkward angle. The fire had long died, leaving the cabin freezing. I pulled the thin blanket tighter around my shoulders, but it did nothing.

From the bedroom, I heard laughter.

Ravenna's laugh. High and sweet. Then Colt's deep chuckle.

My stomach turned.

I forced myself to stand. My legs were numb. I walked to the kitchen and started making coffee. The movements were mechanical. I did not think. I just moved.

The bedroom door opened.

Colt walked out, still in his sleep pants. His hair was messy. His chest was bare.

"Morning," he said casually.

He walked past me and poured himself a cup of coffee. He did not ask how I slept. He did not look at the dark circles under my eyes.

Ravenna appeared in the doorway, wearing one of Colt's shirts.

"Good morning, Lyra! Did you sleep well?"

She smiled at me. Sweet. Innocent.

I stared at her.

She was wearing my husband's shirt.

Ravenna followed my gaze and laughed. "Oh, I hope you don't mind. I got cold in the night, and Colt lent me this. He's such a gentleman."

Colt shrugged. "It's just a shirt."

"Just a shirt," I repeated.

My voice was flat. Hollow.

Colt frowned at me. "Are you going to be like this all day?"

I said nothing.

He sighed. "Come on, Lyra. Ravenna came all this way to help you feel better. The least you can do is be nice."

I set down my coffee cup. My hands were shaking. I pressed them against the counter.

"I'm going outside for air."

I walked out before he could respond.

---

The forest was quiet.

I walked until I could not see the cabin anymore. The trees closed in around me, tall and ancient. Birds chirped overhead. The ground was soft with moss.

I leaned against a tree and closed my eyes.

My wolf stirred.

I felt it again. That heat in my chest. That power waiting to break free. I did not know what it was. I did not understand why an Omega like me carried something so dangerous.

All I knew was that it wanted out.

I pushed it down. I had to.

"Lyra?"

I opened my eyes.

Becca stood a few feet away, her arms wrapped around herself. She looked nervous, like she was afraid I would snap at her.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly.

I wanted to laugh. Was I okay? I was sleeping on a couch while my husband shared a bed with another woman. I had discovered my most private photos were being mocked by people I had welcomed into my home. I was planning a secret escape from my own marriage.

"No," I said. "I'm not okay."

Becca stepped closer. Her eyes were filled with something I had not seen in a long time. Understanding.

"I know," she whispered. "I see it. What Ravenna does. How everyone treats you."

I looked at her.

She flinched. She was always flinching. Rake's doing.

"Rake hits you," I said. It was not a question.

Becca's face went pale. She looked down at her feet.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I shouldn't have—"

"Don't apologize."

My voice was firm. She looked up, surprised.

I stepped closer to her. "You have nothing to be sorry for. He does. But you don't."

Becca's eyes glistened. A tear slipped down her cheek.

"I don't know how to leave," she whispered. "I don't have anywhere to go."

I reached out and took her hand. It was cold. Her fingers trembled against mine.

"Then come with me," I said.

She stared at me. "What?"

"When I leave, you can come too. I'm going to have my own territory. My own pack. You can be free."

Becca squeezed my hand. Her tears flowed freely now.

"You would do that for me?"

"I would do that for anyone brave enough to walk away."

She hugged me. Her body shook with quiet sobs.

I held her steady.

---

We walked back to the cabin together.

The others were outside now. Rake had started a fire in the pit. Liliana was roasting meat. Jaden sat apart, reading something on his phone. Colt and Ravenna were sitting side by side on a log.

Ravenna saw me first. Her smile was sharp.

"There you are! We were about to send a search party."

Colt looked up. His gaze flicked to Becca, then back to me.

"Where did you go?"

"For a walk," I said.

Rake snorted. "A walk. How romantic."

Ravenna patted the spot beside her. "Come sit with us, Lyra. We were just sharing old memories."

I sat on the opposite log. Far away from her. Far away from him.

Colt frowned but said nothing.

Ravenna kept talking, her voice light and cheerful. She told stories about their childhood. About the pranks they played. About the time Colt shifted for the first time and got stuck in a tree.

Everyone laughed.

I did not.

Rake stood up suddenly, waving his beer. "This is boring. Who wants to go for a run?"

Liliana jumped up. "Yes! It's been ages since I shifted."

Colt looked at me. "Lyra?"

"No," I said. "You go ahead."

He hesitated. Then Ravenna tugged his arm.

"Come on, Alpha. Let's run. Like old times."

He let her pull him away.

They shifted together. His massive dark wolf. Her sleek silver one. They disappeared into the forest.

Becca stayed with me.

"I don't think I can survive this," I whispered.

She squeezed my hand. "You can. I believe in you."

I looked at the empty space where Colt had been.

My wolf howled inside me.

End of Chapter 4