The torchlight burned through the mist
as Lira crossed the threshold into Blackwood territory, her legs trembling with
pain and blood loss. Her clothes were torn, her side burned where claws had
scraped skin, and every heartbeat throbbed with the weight of what she had just
survived. But she held her head high.
Zane walked beside her, his hand
steady at her waist, helping her stay upright. She could feel the heat of him,
the strength in each step, even though he was wounded too. His blood soaked the
side of his shirt, and his jaw was tight with unspoken pain.
But he didn't let go.
Around them, the pack members emerged
from the shadows. Dozens of eyes—wolf and human—watched them from behind trees,
tents, and stone walls. Some whispered. Some growled low in their throats. No
one smiled.
Lira swallowed hard. She'd known this
wouldn't be easy. But the look on their faces—disgust, hatred, fear—cut deeper
than any blade.
And then she saw her.
Seraphina Voss stood at the edge of
the clearing, arms crossed, green eyes gleaming with fury. Her dark blonde hair
was pulled into a sleek braid, not a hair out of place despite the chaos. Her
voice cut through the murmurs like a dagger.
"You brought her back?" she spat,
stepping forward. "You brought the witch into our home?"
Lira stiffened, but Zane didn't
flinch. His voice was low, commanding. "She saved lives tonight."
"She endangers them just by
breathing," Seraphina snapped, taking another step toward them. "She's a curse.
A danger. A traitor."
Lira's fingers twitched, magic
sparking faintly in her blood. She could taste Seraphina's hatred like ash in
her mouth.
"I'm standing right here," she said
coldly, straightening despite the pain. "If you've got something to say, say it
to me."
Seraphina's lips curled. "Fine. You're
not welcome here, Kane. You never were."
Zane moved between them, his shoulders
squared. "She's under my protection."
Gasps echoed through the clearing.
Whispers turned into growls. Even Cassian looked startled.
Seraphina's eyes narrowed into slits.
"You'd claim her? After everything she's done? After your brother—"
"Enough!" Zane's voice cracked like
thunder, silencing the crowd. "My word is law. She's staying. She fought beside
us. She bled for us."
"She brought the danger," Seraphina
hissed.
"And she helped stop it," Cassian said
quietly, stepping forward despite the bandage around his middle. "Without her,
more of us would be dead."
Lira turned toward him, surprised. His
expression was unreadable—but he was standing on her side. That was something.
Zane glanced at the crowd. "If anyone
wants to challenge my decision, speak now."
Silence.
Tense. Heavy.
But no one stepped forward.
Lira exhaled slowly, the pain in her
chest easing just a little. She wasn't safe. She wasn't accepted. But she was
here.
Zane looked at her then, his eyes dark
and unreadable. "Let's get you cleaned up."
The healer's tent smelled of herbs and
smoke. Lira sat on the edge of a wooden table, wincing as the healer, a
middle-aged wolf shifter named Brynn, cleaned her wounds.
"You're lucky," Brynn muttered,
stitching Lira's side. "A little deeper and you'd have bled out before reaching
camp."
Lira didn't respond. She stared at the
canvas wall, the light flickering from a nearby lantern. Her thoughts swirled
like smoke—Julian's voice, the cloaked figure's laughter, the glowing bond
between her and Zane.
And Seraphina's words.
You're not welcome here.
Zane stood in the corner, arms
crossed, jaw clenched. His shirt was gone, revealing the claw marks across his
chest and side. He didn't flinch as Brynn stitched him up next, though the
wounds were angry and deep.
"You didn't have to say I was under
your protection," Lira said softly after a moment. "It'll make things worse for
you."
"I know," Zane said.
"Then why?"
He met her eyes. "Because it was the
truth."
Lira's heart twisted. She hated him.
She needed him. She didn't know how to breathe around him anymore.
Their glow had sparked again—earlier,
when they'd touched. It was happening more often now. Brighter. Stronger. It
didn't care about history or hatred.
It just was.
"Zane," she said slowly, voice barely
above a whisper. "What are we going to do about… this?"
He didn't look away. "I don't know."
Brynn cleared her throat loudly and
walked out, giving them space.
Silence stretched.
Lira slid off the table, wrapping a
clean cloth around her ribs. Her legs still trembled. Her magic felt like dying
embers in her chest. But she forced herself to stand tall.
"I don't need saving," she said.
Zane's jaw tightened. "I know."
"I'm not here to take over your pack,
or your title, or your loyalty."
"You couldn't if you tried."
That earned a dry laugh from her.
"Arrogant much?"
His lips twitched. "Always."
She looked at him, really looked. The
blood on his skin. The weight in his eyes. The line between anger and something
softer.
"You still hate me," she said.
He stepped closer. The space between
them thinned.
"I don't know what I feel," he said,
voice low. "But I know I don't want you dead. And I know I'd kill anyone who
tries to make that happen."
The bond between them sparked
again—blue and gold light curling like smoke where their skin nearly touched.
Lira inhaled sharply. She could feel it in her bones.
This wasn't just magic.
It was fate.
Later that night, the pack gathered at
the fire pit for a rare full moon meeting. Lira stood at the edge of the crowd,
wrapped in a clean cloak. Her wounds still throbbed, but the pain helped her
stay sharp.
Zane stood before the flames, his
voice calm but firm. "A hybrid creature attacked us last night. More will come.
We are at war."
Murmurs rippled through the wolves.
"She's part of that war," Seraphina
said, pointing at Lira. "She's the reason they're here."
"No," Lira said, stepping forward, her
voice steady. "I'm the reason you survived."
Every eye turned to her.
She met them all.
"I didn't ask to be born with cursed
blood. I didn't ask for my mother's magic, or the visions, or the power that
burns inside me. But I'm done hiding from it."
Cassian watched her with something
like respect. A few wolves nodded slowly.
"I can help you," she said. "But I
won't beg for your trust. I'll earn it—or I'll walk away."
The fire crackled. Zane's gaze met
hers across the flames. Something passed between them. Silent. Solid.
An oath.
Seraphina's eyes narrowed, but she
said nothing more.
That night, Lira stood on a cliff
above the camp, the moon casting silver light on her skin. Her breath fogged
the air. The forest stretched below, quiet for now.
Zane joined her without a word.
They stood in silence.
"You ever regret it?" she asked
finally. "Being alpha?"
"All the time," he said. "But I do it
anyway."
"Because someone has to."
"Exactly."
She turned to him. "That's why I came
back. Not because I wanted to. Because someone has to stop what's coming."
Zane didn't speak. He just reached
out, fingers brushing hers.
Their bond pulsed between them. Quiet.
Steady. Unbreakable.
Neither of them said what they were
feeling.
But both knew.
It was only beginning.