LYRA
The journey takes longer than I expected.
Not because we are slow.
Because something keeps pulling at me.
The closer we get to the Crystal Moon Pack, the stronger it becomes. It is not pain. It is not fear. It is something deeper. Something that sits just beneath my ribs and tightens every time we move forward.
Kael notices.
Of course he does.
“You’ve been quiet,” says as we move along the ridge overlooking unfamiliar territory.
“I’m thinking,” I reply.
“That’s new.”
I glance at him. “Keep talking and I’ll push you off this ridge.”
He almost smiles.
Almost.
Then his expression shifts again, turning serious as his gaze moves ahead.
“We’re close.”
I follow his line of sight.
And for the first time—
I see it.
The Crystal Moon Pack.
It is nothing like home.
Where our
