After a few long, breathless seconds the two identical wolves shifted back into men — Alek and Ryan — their features mirroring each other so closely the world felt like it had folded in half. They looked at me, then at the girl on the ground, and I took a cautious step toward her as she began to stir.
Ryan spotted her first. He was on her in an instant, pinning her down, every motion precise and controlled. Lyra clamped down on my hand with a careful bite — not painful, just enough to anchor me — and the command in her metallic chest made itself clear.
“You stay put!” she said, vibration-soft. “We were told to stay in the room. If I get in trouble for this, we both go down. Stay away from that girl.”
Her warning settled in my ribs and I froze, muscles locked with dread that whoever pinn
