The servant girl couldn't stop looking at Lyra's scars. "Your food, Luna," she whispered, setting down a tray with shaking hands. Her eyes kept moving to the silver marks that twisted up Lyra's arms like chains. "What's your name?" Lyra asked softly. The girl jumped. "M-Maya, Luna. I'm nobody important." "Everyone's important, Maya." The servant's eyes went wide. Like no one had ever told her that before. She bobbed a quick curtsy and rushed out, leaving Lyra alone with bread, meat, and quiet. Outside her door, the guards whispered. "Can't believe Alpha chose her." "My money says she's dead within a week." "Did you see those scars? Ugly as sin." Lyra bit into the bread. It tasted like dust. She'd heard worse insults living as a rogue, but these ones came from people who were meant to accept her as their Luna. A crash echoed from the patio below. Lyra moved to the window and saw wolves training.
They fought with wooden swords, their moves fast and brutal. Vivian stood at the edge of the training ground, her blonde hair perfect even in the wind. She pointed at Lyra's window and said something that made the other wolves laugh. Heat burned in Lyra's chest. The mate bond pulsed, looking for Kael. But he was nowhere to be felt. Three sharp knocks interrupted her thinking. "Enter," she called. An elderly guy stepped inside. His gray hair was pulled back in a warrior's knot, and his dark eyes studied her like she was a puzzle to solve. "Elder Voss," he introduced himself with a slight bow. "I serve as advisor to Alpha Kael." "Let me guess. You're here to tell me I'm not fit to be Luna." Voss laughed, shocking her. "Child, I've seen many Lunas come and go. Worthiness isn't given by others. It's taken." He walked to Elara's old jewelry box and ran his fingers over the silver surface. "You knew her," Lyra said. It wasn't a question. "Elara was special. Bright as moonlight, clean as fresh snow." His voice grew sad. "Her death broke something in our Alpha." "How did she really die?" Voss's hand froze on the ring box. "Carefully, child. Some facts cut deeper than lies." Before Lyra could ask more, footsteps thundered down the hallway. The door burst open without knocking. Kael strode in, his gray eyes burning with anger. Behind him came Garren, looking smug as a cat with cream. "We have a problem," Kael stated. "Just one?" Lyra asked dryly. His mouth twitched.
Almost a smile. Then his face went cold again. "Three rogues were caught near our border. They claim they're here for you." Lyra's blood turned to ice. "What rogues?" "Old friends of yours, perhaps?" Garren suggested with fake innocence. "They say you promised them food and shelter if they helped you escape." "That's a lie." "Is it?" Kael stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. "You ran once before. Why should I believe you won't do it again?" "Because I gave you my word." "Words are wind, little rogue. Actions matter." Elder Voss cleared his throat. "Perhaps we should question these rogues before jumping to—" "They're already dead," Garren interrupted. "Killed while trying to escape." Convenient, Lyra thought. Very handy. "You killed them before I could speak to them," she charged. "They were trespassers," Kael said bitterly. "The penalty is death." "How perfectly tidy." Lyra crossed her arms. "No witnesses. No proof. Just your Beta's word." Garren's scarred face darkened. "Are you calling me a liar?" "If the fur fits." The temperature in the room dropped. Kael's wolf pressed against his human form, making his eyes flash gold. "Enough," he growled. "Both of you." But Lyra wasn't finished. Something about this whole situation stunk worse than week-old fish. "Where are the bodies?" she asked. "Burned," Garren said quickly. "As is our custom." "How handy. No evidence, no probe. Just your word that they were here for me." "Why would I lie?" Garren spread his hands innocently. "Because you don't want me here. None of you do." Silence stretched like a rubber band about to snap.
Elder Voss stepped forward. "The girl raises good questions, Alpha. Perhaps—" "Perhaps nothing." Kael's voice cut like a blade. "The matter is closed." He turned to leave, then paused. "The joining ceremony is tomorrow at sunset. Don't make me drag you there." "And if I refuse?" "Then you'll discover why they call me the Iron Alpha." The door slammed behind him. Garren stayed for a moment, his smile sharp as broken glass. "Sweet dreams, Luna," he purred, then followed his Alpha out. Elder Voss shook his head sadly. "That boy carries too much anger." "He has reason to," Lyra said softly. "As do you. But anger is like poison. It kills the one who drinks it." The old man left her alone with her thoughts and the growing knowledge that Garren was playing a dangerous game. Hours passed. The castle grew quiet as wolves settled for the night. But sleep wouldn't come. Every time Lyra closed her eyes, she saw Elara's ghostly face mouthing words she couldn't understand. Tomorrow. Tomorrow it starts. What begins tomorrow? The bonding? Or something worse? A soft scratching at her window made her sit up. For a wild moment, she thought it might be Elara again. Instead, she found a small brown owl sitting on the sill. A rolled paper was tied to its leg. Lyra opened the window carefully. The owl hopped inside and held out its leg like it had done this before. The message was short: The dead rogues were my pack brothers. They came looking for their sister who vanished three days ago.
A girl with silver eyes and Elara's face. She's in the house. Find her before tomorrow's moon rises, or the river will collect what it's owed. - A Friend Lyra's hands shook as she read the message again. A girl with silver eyes and Elara's face. In the house. Now. But Elara was dead. Had been dead for ten years. Unless... The river's curse. Soul swapping. Bodies that held the wrong souls. What if Elara hadn't drowned that night ten years ago? What if something else had taken her place in the water? What if the real Elara was still living, trapped somewhere in this castle of shadows and lies? The owl hooted softly and flew back into the night, taking all of Lyra's certainty with it. Tomorrow was the bonding ritual. Tomorrow, she would be tied to Kael forever, whether she wanted it or not. But first, she had to find a dead girl who might not be dead after all. And she had less than twenty-four hours to do it. The castle around her seemed to pulse with secrets, each shadow hiding another lie. Somewhere in this maze of stone and darkness, answers waited. Lyra just hoped she'd live long enough to find them.