Chapter Nine
Night settled over the council stronghold like a held breath.
Lyra stood on the outer balcony, the cold stone railing pressed beneath her palms as she looked out over the valley below. Fires burned in distant territories, scattered points of light marking pack borders that had remained unchanged for generations. Tonight, they felt closer. Watching.
The blade rested at her side, concealed beneath her cloak, but she could feel it anyway—steady, aware, tethered to her through the bond like a second heartbeat. It no longer pulled at her. It waited.
Behind her, the doors opened softly.
“You shouldn’t be alone right now,” Cain said.
She didn’t turn. “I’m not.”
He stepped beside her, resting his forearms against the railing, gaze sweeping the dark horizon. Without his usual ag
