LYRA’S POV
The lecture hall of Garrison Heights was steeped in the scent of aged leather, polished oak, and an underlying, oppressive chill that never quite left my skin.
On the massive digital projector at the front of the auditorium, a high-resolution slide displayed an intricate historical diagram: family crests branching into territorial lines, overlapping ancient maps of North America, and bold, stylized gothic script reading: The Mythos of the Sovereign Pack: Regional Territorial Development (1840–1910).
Professor Sterling, a tall man with sharp, predatory features and a voice like grinding stones, paced the front platform with his hands folded neatly behind his back.
"While standard human sociologists view these historical records as pure allegorical folklore—a coping mechanism
