Chapter 3: The Danger
770 Words
The corridor was silent.
Lyra pressed herself against the cold stone wall, listening for footsteps.
The fortress slept beneath the pale glow of the moon, but she knew better than to trust the silence.
Freedom is close.
She moved quickly, her bare feet making almost no sound across the polished floor.
A staircase.
A hallway.
Then another.
She memorized every turn, searching for an exit.
Just as she reached a side door
"Looking for something?"
The deep voice stopped her cold.
She turned slowly.
Alpha Torin leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, his golden eyes fixed on her.
"I thought you'd last longer before trying to escape," he said.
Lyra forced a smile.
"I was beginning to think your guards were too easy."
"They are."
"Then why are you here?"
"Because I knew exactly what you'd do."
Her smile vanished.
Without warning, she threw a dagger hidden in her sleeve.
Torin caught it effortlessly.
The blade stopped inches from his face.
He raised an eyebrow.
"You'll have to be faster than that."
Lyra charged.
Their swords clashed in the narrow hallway.
She attacked again and again, refusing to give him a moment to breathe.
Torin blocked every strike.
He wasn't fighting to hurt her.
He was holding back.
That angered her even more.
"Fight me!"
"I am."
"No, you're treating me like I'm weak!"
His expression hardened.
"If I fought you with everything I have, you'd be dead."
The words hit harder than any blade.
Before she could answer, loud voices echoed from downstairs.
"My Alpha!"
Beta Darius rushed into the hallway.
"The council has arrived."
Torin's face darkened.
"They're early."
"They've heard the rumors."
~~~
Minutes later...
The great hall was filled with Shadowfang elders, warriors, and pack leaders.
Every eye turned toward Lyra as soldiers escorted her inside.
Whispers spread like wildfire.
"That's her."
" Moonclaw Alpha's daughter."
"The Alpha's mate."
One elder slammed his staff against the floor.
"This prisoner must die!"
Another nodded.
"She has murdered our warriors."
"She burned our supplies."
"She is our enemy."
Lyra lifted her chin proudly.
"I'd do it again."
The hall erupted in angry growls.
Torin stepped onto the raised platform.
His face was unreadable.
"Silence."
The room obeyed instantly.
An elder pointed at Lyra.
"If she is truly your mate, she is too dangerous to live."
Another added, "If you spare her, the pack will think you've grown weak."
Torin remained silent.
The elders waited.
Finally, he spoke.
"The law is clear."
Lyra stared at him.
"Traitors are punished."
Her heart sank.
So this is how it ends.
Torin descended the steps until he stood before her.
He took the ceremonial whip from a guard.
Every warrior watched.
"So," Lyra whispered bitterly.
"You've chosen your pack."
His eyes met hers for only a second.
There was something hidden in them.
Trust me.
Before she could understand, the whip cracked through the air.
It struck the ground inches from her feet.
Again.
Another crack.
To the watching crowd, it looked brutal.
But not once did the whip touch her.
Torin's movements were so precise that only Lyra realized the truth.
He wasn't punishing her.
He was protecting her.
After the tenth strike, he turned toward the council.
"The sentence has been carried out."
The elders exchanged satisfied looks.
"Good."
"She has learned her place."
Torin handed the whip back.
"Return her to my quarters."
The council reluctantly agreed.
~~~
That night...
Rain poured over the fortress.
Lightning flashed across the mountains.
Lyra sat by the window, replaying everything in her mind.
He never hit me...
Why?
Why would the man she hated protect her?
A loud clap of thunder shook the room.
Then she noticed it.
One of the balcony guards had left his post to escape the rain.
Her chance.
She tied bedsheets together into a rope.
Hooked them over the railing.
And climbed down the castle wall.
The storm covered every sound.
The cold wind whipped through her hair as her feet touched the forest floor.
Freedom.
She ran.
Branches whipped against her face.
Mud splashed beneath her boots.
She didn't stop.
Didn't look back.
She had almost reached the river when a familiar voice drifted through the darkness.
"You always were stubborn."
Lyra froze.
Standing beneath the silver moon, untouched by the rain, was Alpha Torin.
His black cloak swayed in the wind.
His golden eyes glowed in the darkness.
He hadn't chased her.
He had simply known where she would go.
A slow smile touched his lips.
"Are you finished running..."
His gaze locked onto hers.
"...or do I have to carry you back?"
- Writer
