Lyra POV
The forest air felt suffocating, each breath a struggle as I ran, the sound of snarls and blows behind me slicing through the silence like blades. My heart hammered in my chest, fear pulsing through my veins, but the certainty that Jaxon was fighting—fighting *for me*—kept me from crumbling. Trees blurred past, branches scratching my arms, the uneven ground threatening to trip me. I couldn’t stop. I couldn’t abandon him.
“Lyra!” Jaxon’s voice, hoarse and urgent, echoed through the forest. I halted, panting, spinning around. A sharp yelp cut the air, followed by a silence louder than any fight. My stomach twisted. *What if he’s hurt? Dead?*
Without thinking, I ran back, ignoring the panic screaming at me to flee. The clearing where the confrontation began was ravaged—broken bran
