Run. Lyra. Run. The voice in my head is a scream. My feet hit the dirt. I do not feel the rocks. I do not feel the thorns. I only feel the pulse in my neck. It is too fast. It is the sound of a trapped animal. Behind me. The woods are alive. I hear the snapping of branches. I hear the heavy. rhythmic thud of paws. They are gaining. They are always gaining.Keep moving. I tell myself. Do not look back.I leap over a fallen log. My hip clips the wood. I stumble. I catch myself with one hand. The dirt is cold. It gets under my nails. I scramble up. My breath is a ragged blade in my chest. I can hear them laughing now. Not the wolves. The men. The Red Fang guards stay in their skins when they want to play. They want me to feel the humanness of my fear. They want to hear my gasps.There. To the left. A guard shouts.I veer right. I dive through a thicket of brambles. They tear at my tunic. They tear at my skin. I do not stop. Red light filters through the trees. The Blood Moon. It is a cur
Last Updated : 2026-07-08 Read more