Lyra jolted awake, her heart hammering against her ribs as if it wanted to break free. Her skin glistened with a thin sheen of sweat, the air in her room heavy and suffocating. For a moment, she lay there staring at the wooden ceiling beams, trying to steady her breathing. Then she heard it again—soft, steady, powerful.
“You are not alone anymore.”
Her breath caught in her throat.
The voice was inside her. Not like Lucian’s Alpha-link, which had startled her days ago, but different—intimate, steady, resonating deep in her soul. She pressed her hand against her chest as if that would quiet the storm inside.
“Who… who are you?” she whispered aloud, her voice trembling.
The reply came smoothly, like a velvet flame. “I am Aelira… your wolf, your other half. Finally, you can hear me.”
Lyr
