All Chapters of The Alpha's Forbidden Flame: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

The atmosphere in Stormfall felt different the next morning. Lyra sensed it the moment she stepped outside. Warriors moved with clipped urgency, while patrols were doubled.Ember paced beneath her skin, uneasy. ‘Something’s wrong.’Lyra didn’t need the warning. She could feel it too, the unmistakable sense that something terrible had happened.She found out exactly what when she reached the training grounds.Garren and Ana stood with the rest of their patrol team, their expressions grim. When they saw her, they exchanged a look.“What happened?” she asked.Garren swallowed. “Night patrol was hit.”Lyra’s breath caught. “How bad?”Ana’s voice trembled. “Two dead. One missing.”Lyra felt the world tilt. Bloodpine had someone missing, too.“Who was killed?” she whispered.“Damon and Rhea,” Garren said quietly. “They didn’t stand a chance.”Lyra closed her eyes. Damon had been one of the strongest warriors in the pack. Rhea had been young, but fierce. Neither should have fallen so easily.

Stormfall’s infirmary had never felt so full.Healers rushed between beds, their hands stained with herbs and blood, their faces drawn with exhaustion. The air was thick with the metallic tang of wounds and the sharp bite of antiseptic.Lyra pushed through the crowd, her pulse pounding. Ember pressed close beneath her skin, uneasy.‘He’s awake again,’ Ember murmured.Lyra didn’t know how she knew, only that she did. The bond between packmates wasn’t psychic, but fear had a way of sharpening instincts.She reached Liam’s bed just as a healer stepped back, shaking her head. “He’s fading again. We don’t know how long he’ll stay conscious.”Lyra moved to his side.Liam lay pale and trembling, his skin clammy, his breath shallow. He had already woken once, long enough to confirm he’d survived the attack, but now something else was happening. Something worse.His eyes fluttered open at the sound of her footsteps, unfocused at first… then sharpening with recognition.“Lyra…” His voice was a

Lyra slipped back into Stormfall territory, the pack house loomed ahead, dark and silent. She slipped in the side door, as she did every night, and made her way to her room. Once she was safely inside, she collapsed onto her bed, exhaustion pulling at her bones. But sleep didn’t come. Her mind replayed Kaelan’s words over and over.Come to Bloodpine. Just for a while. Until we know you’re safe.She wanted to. Gods, she wanted to, but she couldn’t, and she hated it. She hated the fact she felt like she was doing something illegal when it came to him. How she couldn’t be true with her feelings to anyone. But then part of her loved it; it gave her a thrill. The secrecy, the danger, and the way her heart raced every time she saw him waiting at the waterfall.It made everything feel hotter, more alive, and more impossible.Lyra woke to the pack house buzzing with tension. The air felt thick, heavy with fear. Lyra could sense something was wrong. She made her way to her father's office, and

Lyra slipped out of the pack house the moment her father left for a late patrol meeting. She didn’t tell anyone where she was going. Not that she ever did anyway. But tonight, she just needed air and space. She wasn’t meeting Talia like normal, or Kaelan. Well, she hadn’t arranged it anyway.The waterfall clearing opened before her, and mist drifted through the air, catching the last light like floating silver dust. Lyra exhaled, letting the sound of rushing water drown out the noise in her head.She stripped down to her underwear and slipped into the water. The cold hit her instantly, shocking her lungs, but it felt good. She dove beneath the surface, letting the water swallow her whole. It made it easier to get used to the cold this way. A quick full-body dunk.For a few precious seconds, there was nothing but silence. No rogues, no witch, no mate ultimatum, and no impossible love.Just water.She returned to the surface with a gasp, pushing her hair back, letting the chill settle i

Lyra successfully managed to avoid her father all morning while she was training. She pushed harder than she usually did, and by midday, her knuckles were raw, her breath ragged, and her mind no quieter than before.Lyra was towelling sweat from her face when the indoor training room doors opened and her father stepped inside.The room fell silent.Warriors straightened. Some bowed. Others stepped back, sensing the tension radiating off him like heat.Lyra stiffened.Her father’s gaze locked onto her instantly. “Lyra. With me.”It wasn’t a request.Lyra swallowed hard, tossed the towel aside, and followed him out of the training hall. Ember paced beneath her skin, uneasy.‘He’s angry,’ Ember murmured.‘He’s always angry lately,’ Lyra replied in her mind.They walked in silence until they reached her father's office. He opened the doors, and Lyra froze.A man stood waiting. He was tall, broad-shouldered, with blond hair tied back neatly. And a polite smile plastered on his face. He wor