The Alpha's Bite

Lyra's POV The tavern smelled like stale beer and broken dreams. I wiped down the counter for the third time that hour, keeping my head low and my movements quiet. That was the trick to surviving as a half-blood omega in a border town. Be invisible. Be forgettable. Be nothing. A group of warriors from the Western Pack sat in the corner, their voices getting louder with each round of drinks. They were talking about the Blackthorn Pack again. Everyone always talked about Blackthorn. About their Alpha, Kael Draven, who supposedly ripped his own father's throat out to take control. About the fortress of black stone where prisoners went in but never came out. I refilled their glasses and collected my coins. None of them looked at me. Good. My shift ended at midnight. I hung up my apron and slipped out the back door into the cold night air. The alley behind the tavern was dark and narrow, exactly the kind of place someone like me should avoid. But I had been meeting people in dark alleys for three months now, ever since Finn disappeared. Tonight's contact was a wiry man named Jace who claimed he had information. He leaned against the brick wall, smoking something that smelled like burnt sage. When he saw me, he flicked the cigarette away. "You're the one looking for the Hale boy?" he asked. My heart jumped. "You know where he is?" "Maybe. Depends on what you're willing to pay." I pulled out the small pouch of coins I had been saving. It was everything I had. Jace weighed it in his palm, then tucked it into his jacket. "Your brother was asking questions about the Moonborne," he said. "Real interested in what happened fifteen years ago. The massacre." I already knew that much. Finn had been obsessed with our family history, convinced our mother had been running from something when she fled to the human world. He thought we were connected to the Moonborne somehow, though I never understood why it mattered. They were dead. All of them. "Where is he?" I pressed. "Blackthorn territory. I saw him being dragged into the fortress myself about two months back. Had a bag over his head, but I recognized the coat. Same one he wore when he was asking around these parts." My blood turned to ice. Blackthorn. The one place I could never go. The one Alpha I could never face. "You're sure?" "Positive. Whatever he found out got him caught. If he's still alive, he's in those dungeons." Jace studied my face. "You're not thinking of going after him, are you? That's suicide for someone like you." Someone like me. Half-blood. Omega. Worthless. But Finn was my brother. The only family I had left in this world. "Thank you for the information," I said quietly. Jace shook his head. "Don't do it, girl. That Alpha doesn't show mercy. Especially not to trespassers." I walked back to my tiny apartment above a bakery, my mind racing. The logical part of me knew Jace was right. Crossing into Blackthorn territory was a death sentence. But the part of me that remembered Finn teaching me to read, Finn protecting me from bullies, Finn promising we would always have each other... that part wouldn't let me walk away. I spent the rest of the night planning. Finn's last message to me, sent three months ago, had included coordinates. At the time, I thought he was being paranoid. Now I understand. He had been leaving me a trail to follow if something happened to him. I pulled out the crumpled paper and studied the numbers. They pointed to a location deep in Blackthorn territory, near the old Moonborne ruins. Whatever Finn had discovered, it was there. By dawn, I had made my decision. I packed light: a knife, some dried food, a water flask, and the coordinates. I left a note for my landlord saying I was visiting family. It wasn't entirely a lie. The border was a day's walk from town. I kept to the forests, avoiding the main roads where patrols might spot me. My wolf senses were weak compared to full-bloods, but they were strong enough to help me navigate and stay hidden. As the sun set on the second day, I crossed into Blackthorn territory. The air felt different here. Heavier. Darker. The trees grew so thick that barely any light penetrated. Every shadow seemed to hide teeth and claws. I made it three miles before I heard the howls. They came from every direction, surrounding me before I could even think to run. Six massive wolves emerged from the darkness, their eyes glowing in the moonlight. These were warriors, trained killers who patrolled the borders and dealt with intruders. I raised my hands slowly. "I'm not here to cause trouble." The largest wolf shifted into human form. He was covered in scars and looked at me like I was already dead. "You're on Alpha Draven's land," he growled. "That's all the trouble you need." They bound my hands and dragged me deeper into the territory. The fortress appeared like a nightmare made of stone, all sharp edges and dark windows. They threw me into a cell to wait for dawn. That was when I learned that Alpha Kael Draven held trials at sunrise. And that no one ever survived them.