Chapter Seventeen
The night was thick with smoke and the distant hum of armies marching. Lyra rode through the outer grounds of the stronghold, the mud sucking at her boots, the bond thrumming sharply in her chest. Every step carried tension, every heartbeat a reminder that the valley itself had shifted under her choices. Greyfen’s fall had been only the beginning; the larger war loomed, and the Alphas’ attention on her had never been more… palpable.
Cain rode beside her, silent and storm-dark, the muscle and power of him coiled like a spring. His eyes, even in the dim lantern light, burned with a mix of fury and something else—something that made her pulse jump in ways the bond alone couldn’t explain. Elias followed a pace behind, measured, almost predatory, but with a softer heat that
