The moon hung low and golden over the rogue sanctuary, casting a strange glow across the cliffs. In the heart of the temple ruins, Lyra stood before the altar carved into the stone.
Around her, silent warriors gathered, their cloaks pulled tight against the wind. The circle was complete. Tonight, they would begin the Ritual of Flames—a forgotten rite meant to bind rogues under a single Alpha.
For centuries, no one had dared to invoke it.
But Lyra wasn't like anyone.
---
Seris moved beside her, whispering low. "Once it begins, there's no turning back. You'll carry the flame of every wolf in this valley."
"I know," Lyra said. "And I'll carry it gladly."
Cassian stepped forward, holding a flame bowl. Inside, embers shimmered—lit from the hearth of the first Moonseer.
He met her gaze. "We do this together."
Lyra reached into the bowl, pressing her fingers into the embers. Heat surged up her arm—not pain, but power. Her mark glowed silver and red, pulsing with the rhythm of every heartbeat in the circle.
Seris began the chant.
The wolves knelt.
And Lyra spoke the old words:
> "By blood forsaken and moonlight bound,
I rise not for war, but for truth.
I call the flame. I claim the bond.
Let the fire choose."
The embers roared, rising into a spiral of crimson light. The flame curled around Lyra like a serpent, then burst upward—
—and was absorbed into her skin.
The wolves gasped.
Cassian dropped to one knee.
So did Seris.
So did everyone.
For a long, powerful moment… there was silence.
Then Lyra's voice rang out.
"Rise."
And her pack rose with her.
---
Far across the forest, Kael crouched behind the prison wall, blood dripping from his knuckles.
He'd dislocated his shoulder to slip through the enchanted cuffs.
Now, every step was agony—but freedom was near.
The guards were unconscious. The cell door shattered. Moonlight streamed in from the escape tunnel ahead.
He ran.
Through the tunnel.
Through the roots.
Through memories that burned.
Lyra's face haunted every breath.
He should have stayed away.
But the bond—
The bond had never died.
Not truly.
---
Somewhere in the forest, Kael stopped to catch his breath—only to freeze as a cold gust rushed past him.
Then a voice.
"Running from your past, Alpha?"
He spun, blade in hand.
A man stood beneath a twisted tree.
He was barefoot, pale as bone, and wore a crown of black thorns.
Eyes like liquid shadow.
Kael instinctively stepped back. "Who—what are you?"
The man smiled. "I go by many names. The Council once called me a curse. Others call me the Binder."
Kael narrowed his eyes. "What do you want?"
The Binder tilted his head. "To offer you a choice. Turn back, serve the Council, and bury your heart forever… or follow the bond that was never truly broken."
Kael's pulse spiked.
"You're saying… it can still be saved?"
The Binder's smile widened. "The bond? Yes. But not without cost."
"What cost?"
"Pain," the Binder said softly. "And truth."
He tossed a pendant at Kael's feet.
Black iron. Carved with the mark of the Moonseer.
"Find her. Before the third betrayal."
Kael blinked.
But the forest was already empty again.
---
Back in the sanctuary, Lyra sat alone in her chamber, the embers of the ritual still flickering in her blood.
The room was quiet, yet she felt… watched.
Not by enemies.
By fate.
Cassian entered silently. "You should rest."
"I can't," she said. "It's too quiet."
"You just became Alpha of the most dangerous rogue force in a hundred years. Enjoy the calm."
She looked at him. "The calm always breaks."
He studied her. "What did the flames show you?"
She hesitated.
Then whispered, "Kael is coming."
Cassian stiffened. "Are you sure?"
"I felt it," she said. "In the fire. He's closer than we think."
Cassian paced. "Do you trust him now?"
"I don't know," she whispered. "But I trust the bond."
---
Two nights later, Kael approached the edge of the rogue valley.
He wasn't alone.
Word had traveled. His face had been on Council scrolls, labeled defector.
But he didn't care.
He stood before the sanctuary gate and waited.
He didn't knock.
He didn't call.
He simply… waited.
---
Lyra felt it.
The moment he crossed the border, her mark burned like fire.
She rose from her bed, throwing on her cloak, heart pounding.
She met him at the gate.
They stood facing each other, shadows and torchlight between them.
Kael didn't speak at first.
Neither did she.
Then—
"I escaped," he said. "For you."
Lyra folded her arms. "That's not enough."
"I know," he said. "But I brought something."
He reached into his coat and held out the pendant—the one from the Binder.
Lyra's breath caught. Her fingers brushed the cold iron.
And the world shimmered.
---
She was pulled into another vision.
This time, the Moonseer stood beside Kaelen.
The two bloodlines. Brother and sister.
Above them, a crown of thorns burned in the sky.
The Moonseer spoke:
> "The third betrayal will not be a stranger.
It will come with love. And wear a familiar face."
Lyra gasped.
The vision faded.
Kael caught her.
"What did you see?"
She stepped back, shaken. "Someone close… someone I trust. They'll betray me next."
Kael's voice was low. "Cassian?"
She didn't answer.
Because deep down… she didn't want to know.
-------
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