The forest was a graveyard of smoke and embers by the time I reached the edge of the clearing. The flames had died down, leaving behind charred earth and the metallic sting of blood in the air. My pack's scent was everywhere—fear, pain, desperation—but faint. Fading.
I swallowed hard.
Rylan's footsteps were silent behind me, but I felt him anyway. The bond made sure of that. His presence pressed against my senses like a second heartbeat, steady and infuriating.
"Stay close," he murmured.
"I told you not to follow me."
"And I told you I would."
I didn't look at him. If I did, I'd see those golden eyes again—too intense, too knowing, too… connected. I couldn't afford that distraction. Not when my pack might be dying.
I stepped into the clearing.
Bodies lay scattered across the ground. Some were ours. Some were Bloodfang. But the scent that dominated the air wasn't from either pack.
Rogue.
My stomach twisted.
Rylan moved to my side, scanning the scene with a sharpness that made my skin prickle. "They hit us both," he said quietly. "Simultaneously."
I crouched beside a fallen wolf from my pack—Elias, one of our scouts. His fur was matted with blood, but his chest rose and fell in shallow breaths.
"He's alive," I whispered.
Rylan knelt beside me. "Let me—"
"Don't touch him." I snapped the words like a whip.
His jaw tightened, but he didn't argue. "He needs to be moved. If the rogues come back—"
"I know."
I shifted Elias carefully, lifting his head into my lap. His eyes fluttered open, unfocused.
"Lyra…?" His voice was barely a rasp.
"I'm here," I said softly. "You're safe."
His gaze drifted past me—and landed on Rylan.
His body tensed. "Alpha… Bloodfang…"
"It's fine," I said quickly. "He's not here to fight."
Elias tried to shift, but pain wracked his body. "You shouldn't… trust him…"
"I don't," I whispered. "But right now, we don't have a choice."
Rylan stood a few paces away, arms crossed, expression unreadable. He wasn't trying to intimidate. He wasn't even looking at Elias. He was watching the treeline, muscles coiled, senses sharp.
Guarding us.
The realization unsettled me more than the rogues.
Elias coughed weakly. "They… they weren't normal rogues. Their eyes… black. Like something was controlling them."
Rylan's head snapped toward us. "Black?"
Elias nodded, trembling. "Like shadows."
Rylan cursed under his breath. "This is worse than I thought."
I glared at him. "What do you know?"
He hesitated.
And that hesitation told me everything.
"You're hiding something," I said.
His gaze met mine, and the bond pulsed—hot, insistent, demanding truth.
"I'll explain," he said, voice low. "But not here. Not while you're exposed."
"I'm not going anywhere with you."
"You don't have to." He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "But if you want your pack to survive what's coming, you need to hear me out."
I hated that he was right.
I hated that I knew he was right.
I hated that the bond made it impossible to ignore the sincerity in his voice.
Elias groaned, and I tightened my hold on him. "We need to get him home."
Rylan nodded. "Your pack retreated north. I can track them."
"I don't need your help."
"You do," he said softly. "And you know it."
I clenched my jaw. "If you lead me into a trap—"
"I won't." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I couldn't."
The bond pulsed again, stronger this time, like the moon itself was listening.
I looked down at Elias, then at the dark forest ahead.
I didn't trust Rylan.
But I trusted the bond even less.
"Fine," I said. "Lead the way."
Rylan exhaled slowly, relief flickering across his face before he masked it.
He turned toward the trees.
And I followed the Alpha I was raised to hate.
With my injured packmate in my arms…
…and my enemy at my back.