The cloaked figure's silver blade
gleamed under the cracked moonlight, slicing through the mist as it advanced.
Lira's body moved on instinct, dragging Zane upright, his blood warm against
her skin. Around them, the shattered outpost was alive with chaos—rogue howls,
Mira's frightened sobs, and the low, hungry hum that seemed to slither into
Lira's very bones.
Julian's voice, cold and smug, echoed
through the fog: "The witch's blood is mine."
Zane growled low, steadying himself
with the broken spear he still clutched. His golden eyes locked onto the
figure, feral and burning, but his wounds were deep. Too deep.
Lira's curse pulsed hot under her
skin, pushing her forward. "Stay behind me," she hissed, knowing he wouldn't
listen, but saying it anyway.
The figure lunged. Zane shoved Lira
aside and met the attack, spear clashing against the silver blade. Sparks flew,
the clang of metal sharp in the night air. Cassian, bloody but standing, rushed
forward too, slashing at a rogue trying to flank them.
Mira cried out, dodging behind a
broken wall. Lira's heart twisted, guilt clawing at her chest. This was her
fault. Her blood. Her curse.
"No more running," Lira muttered under
her breath.
With a cry, she summoned what little
magic she could, throwing a bolt of fire at the cloaked figure. It hissed as
the flames brushed its shoulder, but instead of retreating, it laughed—a high,
grating sound that made her skin crawl.
"You cannot escape your blood, witch,"
it snarled.
Behind her, Zane's breathing grew
heavier, and when she turned, she saw it—the glow around him and her sparking
again, brighter now, pulsing between them with a life of its own.
Fated mates.
The realization slammed into her
chest, raw and terrifying.
She didn't have time to think. Another
wave of rogues burst from the trees, snarling, eyes red with madness. Cassian
met them with a roar, but he was slowing, his wounds stealing his strength.
Lira caught Mira's terrified gaze and
shouted, "Run to the west trail! Get to the pack camp!"
"But—" Mira protested, voice breaking.
"Go!" Lira snapped, blasting another
rogue with a bolt of light.
Mira fled, disappearing into the mist.
Relief loosened Lira's chest—but only for a second.
The cloaked figure surged at her,
faster than any rogue, blade aimed straight for her heart.
Zane moved without thought. His body
slammed into hers, throwing them both to the ground just as the blade pierced
the air where she had stood. They rolled together, his heavy weight pressing
into her, his scent of pine, blood, and fury filling her senses.
"You're reckless," he growled into her
ear.
"You're bleeding all over me," she
shot back, heart hammering.
His mouth twitched, almost a smile—but
then he pushed off her and rose, facing the figure again.
Lira scrambled up, dagger clutched
tight. Her magic sputtered, weak from blood loss, but she forced it into a hard
pulse, enough to blast the figure back a step.
Cassian stumbled to Zane's side,
breathing hard. "We have to fall back. Can't hold them here."
Zane bared his teeth, reluctant. He
hated retreating. It burned his pride like acid. But one glance at Lira, pale
and swaying, and he made the call.
"Move!" he barked.
They staggered toward the west trail,
Cassian and Zane guarding the rear. Lira limped after them, teeth gritted,
every step agony.
Behind them, the figure's laughter
followed, chilling and sure. "You can't run forever, witch. The blood will call
me."
The forest swallowed them, mist
closing in tight. Twisted trees loomed like skeletons, and the trail underfoot
was slick with mud and old leaves. Every snap of a twig had Lira's heart
jumping.
After what felt like forever, they
slowed at a rocky ridge, panting. Cassian leaned against a boulder, wiping
blood from his mouth. Zane stayed close to Lira, scanning the fog.
"You hurt?" he asked gruffly, eyes
flickering over her.
"I'm fine," she lied.
He scowled, not believing her for a
second. But he let it go.
For now.
Cassian spoke, voice grim. "That
wasn't just any rogue. That cloaked one…it wasn't fully wolf. It moved wrong.
Smelled wrong."
Zane's jaw tightened. "Hybrid."
The word hung heavy between them.
Lira hugged herself, shivering despite
the warm blood soaking her clothes. "Julian," she said quietly. "He's behind
this."
Zane looked at her sharply. "Your
ex-ally?"
"Vampire lord," she said, voice
bitter. "I thought he was dead."
Zane growled low. "He wants your
blood. Why?"
Lira hesitated. Her visions—the bloody
symbol, her mother's voice, the cursed bloodline—they all pointed to one
terrible truth.
"My blood… it's tied to the Veil," she
whispered. "To magic older than the packs, older than Silver Hollow itself."
Cassian cursed under his breath.
Zane's eyes darkened.
"If they get you," Zane said, voice
rough, "they could tear the Veil apart."
Lira nodded once. "And let worse
things in."
For a long moment, none of them spoke.
Only the whisper of the mist and the distant howls of the rogues filled the
night.
Finally, Zane moved closer, so close
she could feel his heat.
"You're not facing this alone," he
said, voice low and fierce.
Lira looked up at him, surprised. In
his eyes, she didn't see hate. She saw something rawer. Something that made her
heart stumble in her chest.
"Even if you hate me?" she whispered.
He growled softly. "Hate's a funny
thing, Kane. Burns just as hot as everything else."
Their glow sparked between them again,
soft blue light brushing their skin. It pulsed with their heartbeats, binding
them in a way neither could deny.
Cassian cleared his throat loudly,
dragging them back to reality. "We should move. The pack needs to know what
we're up against."
Zane nodded, tearing his gaze from
Lira's. "West trail. Fast as you can move."
They started walking again, silent and
tense. Lira's body screamed for rest, but she pushed on, her mind whirling.
Julian was alive.
The hybrid was hunting her.
And something in her blood—something
terrible—was waking.
As they climbed a steep hill, Lira
stumbled. Zane caught her instantly, his hands strong around her waist.
"Careful," he muttered.
"I'm fine," she gritted out, trying to
pull away.
But he didn't let go. His hands
lingered a second too long, his thumbs brushing against her ribs where her
shirt was torn. His touch sent heat racing through her, even as pain throbbed.
"You're stubborn as hell," he said,
almost fond.
"Pot, meet kettle," she shot back.
A ghost of a smile crossed his lips
before he let her go.
Ahead, the trees thinned, and faint
lights glowed—torches from the pack camp.
Relief nearly buckled Lira's knees.
They'd made it.
Almost.
A snarl ripped through the mist, and
before anyone could react, a rogue wolf lunged from the trees. Cassian shouted
a warning, but it was too late.
The rogue crashed into Lira, knocking
her flat. Claws slashed, and she screamed, struggling to raise her dagger. Pain
blinded her, and for a second, she thought it was over.
Then Zane was there, a blur of teeth
and claws. He tore the rogue off her, throwing it against a tree with a
sickening crack.
Breathing hard, he knelt beside her.
"Lira!"
She blinked up at him, dizzy with pain
and adrenaline.
"I'm…I'm okay," she gasped.
His hands roamed her quickly, checking
for worse wounds. The worry in his eyes hit her harder than the rogue's claws.
"Don't scare me like that," he
growled.
She gave a shaky laugh. "Wasn't
exactly on purpose."
He snorted, helping her sit up. Their
faces were inches apart again, and the bond pulsed stronger than ever between
them.
His eyes dropped to her lips for a
heartbeat.
She saw it.
Felt it.
The pull. The mate bond. The hunger.
But before either of them could move,
Cassian called out, "Camp's sending scouts. We have to move!"
Zane tore his gaze away, cursing under
his breath. He helped Lira to her feet and half-carried her the rest of the way
to the pack's border.
Torches flickered. Familiar faces—some
friendly, some hostile—emerged from the mist. Cassian waved them down, shouting
orders.
Zane kept Lira close, his hand firm
around her waist.
As they stumbled into camp, Zane's
beta—Seraphina—stood waiting, arms crossed, green eyes glittering with
something sharp and dangerous.
"You brought her back?" Seraphina's
voice was pure acid.
Zane didn't even flinch. "She's with
me."
Whispers spread through the pack like
wildfire. Lira felt the weight of their stares—some fearful, some furious.
But she stood tall, even as her legs
shook.
She wasn't running anymore.
And if the pack wanted a fight?
Good.
Because Lira Kane was done hiding.