Chapter 15 — Into the Wolf’s Mouth
The forest closes around Lyra like a living thing.
Branches knit overhead, blotting out the sky. The scent of damp earth and pine fills her lungs as the escort wolves fan out silently, every step measured, alert.
She keeps walking.
She does not look back.
If she does, she knows she’ll run straight into Kael’s arms—and this fragile plan will shatter before it has a chance to work.
The baby sleeps against her chest, warm and steady, unaware of how thin the line between safety and slaughter truly is.
“We’ll make camp by nightfall,” says Rhen, Kael’s second-in-command. His eyes never stop moving. “After that, we change routes.”
Lyra nods. “Selene expects me to hide.”
“Yes,” Rhen agrees. “Which is why we won’t.”
They move deeper into the old territor
