POV: Lyra
I woke up stiff and cold.
The couch was too short, and my neck ached from sleeping at an awkward angle. The fire had long died, leaving the cabin freezing.
I pulled the thin blanket tighter around my shoulders.
It did nothing.
From the bedroom came laughter.
Ravenna's laugh.
High. Sweet.
Then Colt's deep chuckle answered her.
My stomach twisted.
I stared at the closed bedroom door.
For five years, that laugh had meant home to me.
Now it sounded like a warning.
I forced myself to stand.
My legs were numb as I walked into the kitchen and started making coffee. The movements were mechanical. I didn't think.
I just moved.
The bedroom door opened.
Colt walked out wearing only his sleep pants. His hair was messy, and there was a relaxed smile on his face.
"Morning."
He walked past me and poured himself a cup of coffee.
He didn't ask how I slept.
He didn't notice the dark circles beneath my eyes.
He didn't even glance at the couch.
Ravenna appeared in the doorway.
She was wearing one of Colt's shirts.
My husband's shirt.
"Good morning, Lyra!" she said brightly. "Did you sleep well?"
I stared at her.
She followed my gaze and laughed.
"Oh, I hope you don't mind. I got cold during the night, and Colt lent me this."
She looked at Colt fondly.
"He's such a gentleman."
Colt shrugged.
"It's just a shirt."
"Just a shirt," I repeated.
My voice sounded hollow.
Colt frowned.
"Are you going to be like this all day?"
I looked at him.
He sounded annoyed.
Not guilty.
Annoyed.
He sighed.
"Come on, Lyra. Ravenna came all this way to help you feel better. The least you can do is be nice."
I almost laughed.
Help me feel better?
Was that what he called this?
I set my coffee down.
My hands were shaking.
"I'm going outside."
"Lyra—"
I walked out before he could finish.
---
The forest was quiet.
I walked until the cabin disappeared behind the trees.
The deeper I went, the easier it became to breathe.
The trees stretched toward the sky, their branches twisting together above me. Birds called from somewhere in the distance. The ground was soft beneath my feet.
I leaned against a tree and closed my eyes.
My wolf stirred.
There it was again.
That heat.
That strange power burning beneath my ribs.
I pressed a hand against my chest.
It felt as though something was trapped inside me, something powerful and impatient.
I didn't understand it.
I was an Omega.
Omegas weren't supposed to have power like this.
But lately, my wolf felt different.
Stronger.
Angrier.
Almost awake.
Let me out.
I swallowed.
"Not yet."
I pushed the feeling down.
I couldn't afford to lose control.
Not now.
"Lyra?"
My eyes opened.
Becca stood several feet away.
Her arms were wrapped around herself, and there was uncertainty in her eyes.
"Are you okay?" she asked softly.
I almost laughed.
Was I okay?
I was sleeping on a couch while my husband shared a bedroom with another woman.
My private photos had been mocked by people I had trusted.
My marriage was falling apart in front of everyone.
And I was secretly planning an escape from the only home I had ever known.
"No," I said.
"I'm not okay."
Becca stepped closer.
"I know."
Her voice was barely a whisper.
"I see it. What Ravenna does. How everyone treats you."
I looked at her.
She immediately flinched.
She always did.
Rake had taught her to expect pain whenever someone raised their voice.
My chest tightened.
"Rake hits you."
It wasn't a question.
Becca's face went pale.
She lowered her eyes.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize."
My voice was firm.
She looked up.
"You have nothing to be sorry for. He does. Not you."
A tear slipped down her cheek.
"I don't know how to leave," she whispered. "I don't have anywhere to go."
I reached for her hand.
Her fingers were cold and trembling.
"Then come with me."
She stared at me.
"What?"
"When I leave, you can come too."
Her eyes widened.
"I'm going to build something of my own. My own territory. My own life."
I squeezed her hand.
"You can be free."
Her lips trembled.
"You would do that for me?"
"I would do it for anyone brave enough to walk away."
She suddenly hugged me.
Her body shook with quiet sobs.
I wrapped my arms around her.
For the first time in days, I didn't feel completely alone.
"We'll get out," I whispered.
Becca nodded against my shoulder.
"Together."
We returned to the cabin together.
The others were outside.
Rake had started a fire in the pit. Liliana was roasting meat. Jaden sat apart, staring at something on his phone.
Colt and Ravenna were sitting side by side on a log.
Ravenna saw me first.
Her smile immediately sharpened.
"There you are! We were about to send a search party."
Colt looked at me.
His gaze moved to Becca before returning to me.
"Where did you go?"
"For a walk."
Rake snorted.
"A walk. How romantic."
Ravenna patted the empty space beside her.
"Come sit with us, Lyra. We were just sharing old memories."
I sat on the opposite log.
As far from her as possible.
As far from him as possible.
Colt frowned.
Ravenna continued talking.
She told stories about their childhood.
The pranks they played.
The competitions they had.
The time Colt shifted for the first time and supposedly got stuck in a tree.
Everyone laughed.
I didn't.
I watched Colt laugh with her.
There was a time when that laugh had been mine.
Now I couldn't even remember the last time he had looked at me like that.
Rake suddenly stood, waving his beer.
"This is boring. Who wants to go for a run?"
Liliana immediately jumped up.
"Yes! It's been ages since I shifted."
Colt looked at me.
"Lyra?"
"No."
He hesitated.
Then Ravenna tugged his arm.
"Come on, Alpha. Let's run."
She smiled.
"Like old times."
He let her pull him away.
Moments later, their clothes lay on the ground as two wolves disappeared into the forest.
Colt's massive dark wolf.
Ravenna's sleek silver wolf.
Together.
As always.
Becca sat beside me.
"I don't think I can survive this," I whispered.
She squeezed my hand.
"You can."
I looked at her.
"I believe in you."
I smiled faintly.
Then my wolf suddenly growled.
Not at Ravenna.
Not at Colt.
At something deeper.
Something inside me.
The heat returned to my chest.
Stronger this time.
I gasped and gripped the edge of the log.
Becca noticed.
"Lyra?"
"I'm fine."
But I wasn't.
Silver light flickered beneath my skin.
I quickly covered my hands.
No one seemed to notice.
Except Becca.
Her eyes widened.
"What was that?"
I stared at my hands.
"I don't know."
Deep inside me, my wolf whispered a single word.
Awaken.
My heart began pounding.
And for the first time, I wondered if losing Colt wasn't the greatest thing I had to fear.
Maybe the greatest danger...
was discovering who I really was.
End of Chapter 4