The howl tore through the night, and Damon's chest tightened. His wolf, Ares, clawed inside him, restless, furious.
She's gone.
Damon stalked through the forest, nostrils flaring as he caught faint traces of Lyra's scent—fear, blood, and something else. His hands curled into fists. "Where is she?"
You let her go, Ares growled, his voice ragged with rage. You rejected her. And now she's gone.
Damon's throat tightened. He hadn't slept, hadn't eaten. The moment he'd seen Lyra's eyes break under his rejection, something inside him had cracked. But he had forced himself to believe it was right—for the pack, for their future.
Now Ares punished him for it, a constant burn under his skin.
"Enough," Damon hissed under his breath, though his wolf only snarled louder.
A branch snapped. He turned sharply to see Magnus, the Alpha, striding into the clearing with two guards at his back. The older man's presence weighed heavy, his aura cold and commanding.
"You're searching for her," Magnus said flatly.
Damon's jaw clenched. "She's missing. The rogues—"
"She is nothing," Magnus cut him off, his voice sharp as a blade. "You rejected her, as you should have. Weak wolves have no place here."
"She was still ours," Damon growled.
Magnus's eyes hardened. "No. She was never ours. Forget her, Damon. Your mate bond is a mistake. The pack needs you focused—on alliances, on power. Not on a girl fated to fail."
Ares roared inside him, so loud Damon nearly staggered. Tear him apart!
But Damon gritted his teeth, forcing control. He bowed his head stiffly, though every muscle screamed against it. "Yes, Alpha."
Magnus studied him a moment longer, then turned. "The pack's future comes first. Do not fail me."
When they were gone, Damon's mask cracked. He slammed his fist into a tree, splintering bark. His breathing came ragged, his chest heaving.
Forget her? Ares spat, voice laced with fury. Never. She is ours. Even if you're too much of a coward to admit it.
"I can't," Damon whispered, his throat raw. "The pack—"
The pack be damned! Ares thundered. Without her, we are nothing.
Damon squeezed his eyes shut, but Lyra's face swam before him anyway—her soft features twisted in pain as he rejected her, her tears shining in the moonlight. His heart clenched like a vice.
"I'll find her," he swore under his breath. "I'll find her, even if I can't keep her."
---
Far from the pack, Lyra stirred within Kael's camp.
The fire crackled low, shadows dancing across the rough tents. Rogues moved like restless predators, sharpening blades, whispering in low voices.
And at the center of it, Kael stood like a king, his golden eyes sharp as he surveyed his people.
Not just a rogue, Lyra realized. A leader. A ruler.
She hugged her arms around herself, uneasy. Rogues weren't supposed to have order, weren't supposed to have loyalty. Yet they obeyed Kael with silent respect, their eyes never straying too long in defiance.
He felt… dangerous. But not just because of his strength. There was something else—secrets coiled deep beneath his scarred exterior.
Selira stirred in her mind, voice low. He is not what he seems. There is power in him. Old power.
Lyra shivered. "Why me?" she whispered under her breath. "Why is he tied to me?"
Her wolf didn't answer, only purred darkly.
Kael's gaze flicked toward her as though he'd heard. His mouth curved in the faintest of smirks before he turned back to Rowan, issuing quiet orders.
Something about that look made her heart stutter.
---
Back in the forest, Damon's pursuit continued.
He crouched low, brushing his fingers over the dirt where paw prints marred the soil. His eyes narrowed. Rogues. And among them—her scent.
His chest ached as he breathed her in, the bond pulling tight.
"She's alive," he muttered, relief crashing through him.
Of course she is, Ares said fiercely. She's stronger than they know. But she won't be if we don't reach her.
Damon rose, resolve hardening. He didn't care if Magnus ordered him to stay away. He didn't care if chasing her meant betraying his pack.
He would not lose her.
Not again.
The scent trail grew stronger, pulling him deeper into the forest.
And then he froze.
The air shifted. Heavy. Unforgiving. A territory claimed by another's dominance.
Kael's.
Damon's lips curled back, a low growl escaping. "So that's where she is."
Good, Ares snarled, claws scraping for release. Now we take her back.
Damon's golden eyes blazed as he stepped into Kael's land, every nerve alive with fury and need.