REJECTED BY THE ALPHA, CLAIMED BY HIS BLOOD
She learned that lesson the night her first pack cast her out.
“I didn’t know,” she said, swallowing hard. “If I had, I wouldn’t have crossed.”
A lie. She knew exactly whose territory this was. But honesty had never kept her alive either.
Tyler took a single step toward her.
The air thickened. Alpha dominance crashed over the clearing, forcing several wolves to bow their heads instinctively. Lyra felt the command press against her spine, demanding submission.
She resisted.
Tyler noticed.
His gaze flicked over her, assessing, calculating. Not a shred of warmth passed between them. The bond burned anyway, traitorous and alive.