dge of the meadow where Lyra stood, a ghost of her former self. For a beat of quiet, the tableau was frozen. Thorne, Elara, and the other pack

narchy

voice thick with surprise and a shiver of amazement. He pulled away from the gr

he made it back!" Relief, raw and genuine, flooded across several of their features. They had grieved h

na! Gods, you're a disaster! We thought... we thought you were gone!" He stretched out, his h

Someone fetc

crutable, his muscular form a sharp silhouette against the packhouse lights. And yet, his hand lingered on Elara's arm. Elar

, was clipped, devoid of the frantic relief Lyra had ached for, e

nded, splintered more.

their demeanour harsh but efficient. "Easy, Luna," one

al, full of agony and rebellion. Her wolf disliked being treated like a casualty, particular

d," Kael encouraged, his voice soo

aged body protesting every inch. The motion caused her vision to grey,

et exchange that made Lyra's blood run cold. She watched Elara nod, then di

e hospital wing, she heard the

she's alive! Thorne

ere ferocious. Lyra a

you think the bond i

d Lyra like a physical blow. It was the unsaid dread, t

ated the air. A younger healer, Wren, gasped when she realized the extent of Lyra's inj

er touch surprisingly delicate, and started applying poultices composed of strong herbs. Lyra felt the warmth

" Wren muttered, apparently attempting

at the ceiling, visualizing Thorne

urged, a glimmer of that old expectation, that desperate hope

ny room. He didn't hurry to her side. He halted at the foot of her be

nquired, his voice low but flat. N

iet. "Several deep claw marks, severe blood los

is eyes dark, inscrutable. There was no comfort the

ringing with an authority that offered

d for, He'll explain, now seemed like a sentence. He was

rself, leaving them alone. The stillness extended, f

ess, exposed. She met his look, her own eyes burning with a

, her throat constri

gh to touch but close enough for her to see the

ice devoid of emotion, "was Ela

st. Her mate link, already weak, wilted to a brittle thread, threatening to

d, the word a hars

ries," he emphasized, his voice painfully plain. "They severed our ma

chery that drowned out the searing agony of her wounds. She looke

her vision, not from her injuries but from

romise of consolation, of healing, of love broke into a million irreparable shard

Alpha. My

d replaced her. And in his eyes,

g. The final tie to the guy she knew was disintegrating. She gazed, st

rds a low, last blow. "Elara is already w

al, the aroma of antiseptics replaced by the stink of new sufferi

pull was gone. The th

ry, silent tear made a trail throu

h p

thing she heard, T