Rayna POV
Lira didn’t waste a breath. The second her eyes settled on me, she straightened her shoulders and snapped, “You’re coming with me. Now.”
Her voice cracked like a whip, brisk and full of authority, but I caught the tremor beneath it. Fear. Not for herself - Lira never feared for herself - but for me, or maybe for whatever the hell I had just become.
Before I could answer, Damon moved. He rose to his feet with a speed that had the leaves whispering in his wake, his body slotting instinctively between me and Lira. His voice was a low, rumbling growl. “She’s not your experiment.”
I blinked, still feeling the thrumming burn of the bond beneath my skin. Damon’s wolf was dangerously close to the surface, his stance wide, protective, like he expected Lira to lunge at me.
“I said com
