Lyra was too weak. The moment she was led out of the Hollowing Ground, she finally gave in to the unconsciousness that had been pulling at her since the beginning. Her eyes rolled back, her knees buckled, and she slumped forward, falling as if the earth itself had given way beneath her.
But Rowan was too quick. He moved with a warrior's speed, catching the girl before she hit the cold stone floor and pulling her into his arms. The movement made Alpha Kade, who had been walking a few paces behind the guards, halt abruptly.
He stared at Lyra, his green eyes widening as if he were seeing her for the very first time, stripped of all the hatred and contempt he had for her.
"What is wrong with her?" Kade asked at last, his voice low and edged with something dark.
"She is burning up, Alpha," Rowan replied, his face filled with a worried look as he cradled the girl in his arms.
Kade's wolf, Acheron, bristled at the concern showing on Rowan's face. The primal part of him, the part that had just been forced to accept his mate, wanted to snarl at Rowan for daring to look at her with such sympathy. Kade had to physically restrict himself from baring his teeth at his trusted Delta.
"Very well. Take her to your quarters and summon the healer at once," Kade ordered dismissively. His tone was clipped, as if the matter held no weight to him. He swept past them with the cold grace of an Alpha who wished to appear untouched by weakness.
Rowan bowed his head in respect as the Alpha moved on, then quickened his steps, cradling Lyra close. He carried her through the echoing stone corridors to one of the upper servant chambers, where the torches cast thin, quivering shadows across the walls.
"Send for Maggie," he instructed Jace in a low tone. "She must tend to the girl before the healer arrives. Her fever is climbing too fast."
Jace nodded curtly. As he backed out of the bedchamber, a thought crossed his mind: why was Rowan so worried about the girl? It was not their place to concern themselves with the Alpha's property. He pushed the thought away as quickly as it had come.
Inside the chamber, Rowan wrapped Lyra in the thickest fur he could find, tucking it carefully around her fragile body before stepping out to return to his Alpha.
Meanwhile, in the castle's kitchens, Maggie was overseeing the omegas as they prepared the midday meal. Her sharp eyes scanned every hand and movement when she noticed Jace from the corner of her eyes, striding toward her with urgency. Her heart sank. For one brief, terrifying moment, she feared the worst. In her mind, she was scared that Lyra had not survived the Hollowing. She did not have any particular fondness for Lyra, but she was in charge of the servant quarters, and the death of one of her charges, especially one who had suffered so much, was a weight on her shoulders.
"Madam Maggie," Jace said, bowing slightly when he reached her.
Maggie straightened, her stern face betraying only a flicker of worry. "Do we need to begin her funeral rites?" she asked stiffly.
"On the contrary, Madam. She lives. But if you do not hurry, she may not be for long."
A sharp gasp escaped Maggie's lips. The omegas nearby froze for a heartbeat before resuming their tasks in silence. Relief softened her voice as she asked, "She lives?"
"Yes, but she burns with fever," Jace replied firmly.
Without hesitation, Maggie untied her apron and followed him into the cold, torchlit halls. The stone floor numbed her feet even through her shoes, and she had to run to match his long strides.
"Lyra is strong," Maggie said breathlessly as they hurried. "I always knew she would endure more than anyone expected."
Jace did not answer. He led her straight to the chamber where Lyra lay.
___
Elsewhere in the fortress, Seraphina stormed into her own chamber like a tempest. She tore the cloak from her shoulders and flung it across the room with such force that the omegas trailing behind her scrambled to catch it before it touched the ground. They knew better than to make mistakes when she wore this expression.
Her chest rose and fell sharply. Fury twisted her elegant face, and her wolf clawed beneath her skin, begging for release.
"My lady—" one omega dared to speak.
Seraphina's glare silenced her. "Leave me," she said, her voice low and dangerous.
They fled at once, relieved to escape her presence.
Alone, Seraphina stalked her chamber like a caged predator. Her claws threatened to push through, her control fraying. Instead of shifting, she strode to her vanity and, with a cry of rage, swept every jewel, brush, and vial from its surface. Glass shattered, perfumes spilled, and the air filled with the acrid sting of crushed oils.
"First, that wretched girl was tied to the triplets. Not to one, but to all three," she hissed to herself.
She had celebrated when her uncle, Elder Federick, told her Lyra would face the Hollowing. She had believed it would destroy her. Seraphina had even ensured Lyra's weakness by commanding the dungeon gammas to starve her, claiming her order was sanctioned from above. None dared to question her.
And yet Lyra lived. All her careful scheming had been for nothing.
She sank onto the edge of her bed, her curls spilling wild across her shoulders. "I will not allow her to take what belongs to me," she whispered bitterly. She had sacrificed too much to become Luna of this pack. Too much blood, too many secrets. No sister of a traitor would take her throne. She would sooner burn the entire pack to ash than let Lyra take her place.
She needed a new plan.
___
Back in the servant's chamber, Maggie's gasp filled the air the moment her hands brushed Lyra's skin.
"By the Goddess, she burns like fire," Maggie whispered. She pulled the furs aside and froze. Lyra lay naked beneath, her body marked with angry welts, one shoulder streaked with dried blood.
For a moment, Maggie could not breathe. She had never witnessed a Hollowing, had never wanted to, but now she saw enough in the girl's wounds to imagine the horror.
'Sala,' Maggie called through the mind-link, her voice urgent. 'Bring me a basin of cold water and a cloth, quickly.'
___
"Alpha," Rowan said, bowing as he entered Kade's chamber.
Kade lifted his gaze from the scroll spread across his desk. Rowan's expression had returned to its usual calm, but Kade's sharp eyes read the weight behind it.
"Madam Maggie tends to the girl now. The healer has been summoned," Rowan reported.
Kade folded the scroll neatly, his face a mask of ice. "Did I ask for an update, Rowan?"
"No, Alpha."
Kade's green eyes cut into him like blades. "Then hold your tongue unless commanded. Speak out of turn again, and it will be punished."
Rowan bowed stiffly. "It will not happen again, Alpha."
Kade dismissed him with a flick of his hand. Rowan turned to leave, but Kade's voice stopped him at the door.
"Send one of the ladies to me."
Rowan nodded and left.
Alone again, Kade exhaled slowly and leaned back in his chair. He was well aware that Lyra Thorne was lying somewhere below him, burning with fever. But he told himself not to care. He had managed to subdue Acheron, his wolf, after that humiliating outburst today in the Hollowing Ground.
The part of him that was present now was the one that hated Lyra Thorne.