All Chapters of SHADOWBORN: The Rise Of The Dragon Wolf : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Chapter 40AlexMy eyes were glowing, I could see the reflection in Marcus's widening pupils as he scrambled to his feet, staring at me like I'd just turned into something monstrous. It was the same look my family had that night before I decided to leave.Not the normal amber-gold that I'd seen in other werewolves when they shifted, but something different, something that made the air around me shimmer with heat, almost white, like lightning captured in human eyes."That's not possible," Marcus breathed, his voice cracking slightly. "You've only been turned for a few weeks."Lyra stood frozen for a long moment, her sharp gaze fixed on me with an intensity that made my skin prickle. Her expression shifted through several emotions too quickly for me to read, shock, calculation, something that looked almost like fear, then settling into a mask of authority.She turned to address the crowd that had gathered to watch training. "Training is finished for today. Everyone back to your duties.

Chapter 42I heard them before I saw them, the sound of bodies colliding, the heavy breathing of intense physical exertion, Lyra's voice calling out instructions and corrections. I pushed through the tree line into a clearing where Alex was sparring with three wolves at once, moving with a speed and grace that should have been impossible for someone so newly turned.His eyes were glowing that eerie white-gold, and every movement radiated power that made the air shimmer around him. He was magnificent and terrifying and completely focused on the fight, so absorbed that he didn't notice me standing at the edge of the clearing.But Lyra did.Her eyes found mine across the space, and something flickered in her expression, guilt, maybe, or resignation, or perhaps just the cold calculation of someone who'd already won and knew it. She raised a hand, calling a halt to the sparring, and the sudden silence was deafening.Alex turned to see what had stopped the session, and the moment his eyes

Chapter 44AlexAnd maybe that was better. Maybe it was easier for her to hate me than to know the truth, that I was being forced into this, that every fiber of my being screamed against bonding with Lyra, that I'd spent the hours since learning about the prophecy desperately searching for any loophole, any escape, any way to choose Nyx instead.But there wasn't one. The elders had been clear, bond with Lyra or be exiled and hunted. And they wouldn't just kill me. They'd eliminate anyone who'd helped me, anyone who might know where I'd gone. They'd kill Nyx just for being associated with me, just for being the reason I might refuse my destiny.So I'd taken the coward's path. I'd lied about when I found out, made myself look worse than I was, pushed her away with calculated cruelty designed to make her hate me enough to save herself."I'm sorry," I whispered to the empty room, to Nyx wherever she was. "I'm so sorry, but I don't know how else to keep you safe. I don't know how to choos

Chapter 46Alex"It's not your fault," Finn's voice came from behind me, and I turned to find him jogging into the clearing with several other pack members. "Nyx made her own choice, Alex. You can't control what other people do.""I could have told her the truth," I said, my voice breaking. "Could have explained that I was being forced into the bonding, that I didn't want any of this. Instead I lied and pushed her away and made her think she meant nothing to me. And now she's out there alone thinking I chose Lyra over her, thinking she wasn't worth fighting for."The guilt was crushing, making it hard to breathe. I'd thought I was protecting her by making her hate me, but all I'd done was drive her into whatever dangers waited beyond the pack's territory."The scouts just reported back," one of the pack members called out, running toward us. "They found what looks like her trail, heading east through the forest. Looks like she's been gone since sometime after midnight."East. She was

Chapter 48NyxNo. Better to just disappear, let them think whatever they wanted about why I'd left. Let Alex believe I'd run because I was weak, because I couldn't handle pack life, because I wasn't worth the trouble of explaining things to.At least he'd be free of the complication I represented. At least he could focus on Lyra and their perfect prophesied future without the messy reminder of what he'd given up to get there.I made it past the outer perimeter of the compound without encountering any patrols, my footsteps careful and quiet on the forest floor. Once I was far enough away that I couldn't see the lights from the cabins anymore, I started moving faster, putting as much distance as possible between myself and the pack before anyone noticed I was gone.East. I'd head east, away from everything. Maybe I'd find another town, another place where I could pretend to be normal for a while. Maybe I'd eventually learn to control whatever power lived inside me, figure out what I