Ethan’s POV
I walked beside her in silence, the crunch of our boots on the forest floor the only sound between us. My eyes flicked toward her, just to confirm she was really there.
Lyra…
After the fight I had with Ethan, I made him bring me back to the camp. There, I was met with frightened faces—and then my father rushed over to me.
“Thank the Moon Goddess, you’re safe,” he murmured, inspecting my face and body. He found no scratch, though I still felt weak to the core.
“What happened to you? The teachers said you were gone throughout the night. And also—the beast attacked. How… what… how were you able to survive?”
I looked at Ethan, and he looked at me too, fear gripping his body. No matter what, I couldn’t expose him. They would surely kill him.
“Beast?” I asked, feigning confusi
