The chains fell off but the danger only tightened.
Lyra barely had time to react before Cassian yanked her to her feet.
"Move," he ordered.
Footsteps thundered down the corridor.
Guards.
Too many.
Too close.
Panic surged through her veins. "You said you could get me out."
"I can," Cassian cut in, his grip tightening around her wrist. "But only if you stop hesitating."
The torches flickered violently as he dragged her toward the far end of the cell block.
Cold air rushed in from somewhere ahead.
An exit.
Maybe.
Lyra's heart pounded so hard it hurt.
This was insane.
She didn't know him.
Didn't trust him.
But staying meant death.
And she wasn't just running for herself anymore.
Her hand instinctively moved to her stomach.
The thought of the child inside her fragile, innocent sent a sharp wave of fear through her chest.
"I'm coming," she said, her voice steadier than she felt.
Cassian glanced at her briefly.
Something unreadable flickered in his eyes.
"Good choice."
A shout echoed behind them.
"STOP!"
Too late.
Cassian didn't even look back.
Instead, he pushed open a rusted iron door.
And pulled her into darkness.
The tunnel was narrow.
Damp.
Barely lit by the faint glow of moss along the stone walls.
Lyra stumbled as they ran, her bare feet scraping against the cold ground.
"How do you know this place?" she asked between breaths.
"I don't waste time explaining things that won't keep you alive," Cassian replied.
Helpful.
Very helpful.
Another shout echoed from behind them.
Closer now.
"They're following us!"
"Of course they are."
Cassian suddenly stopped.
Lyra crashed into his back with a soft gasp.
"What."
"Quiet."
His voice dropped low.
Deadly.
She froze.
Listened.
Footsteps.
Right behind them.
Too close.
Cassian turned slowly, placing himself in front of her.
Shielding her.
The air shifted.
Changed.
Lyra felt it before she understood it.
Power.
Raw.
Uncontrolled.
It rolled off him like a storm about to break.
Her wolf stirred weakly, uneasy.
Afraid.
"Stay behind me," he said.
The guards burst into view seconds later.
Five of them.
Armed.
Ready.
"There they are!"
Steel flashed.
Lyra's breath hitched.
This was it.
This was where she died.
Cassian moved.
Fast.
Faster than anything she had ever seen.
One second he was standing still.
The next.
A guard was on the ground.
Unmoving.
Blood spreading beneath him.
Lyra gasped.
The others attacked.
But Cassian didn't retreat.
Didn't hesitate.
He stepped into them.
Like he was born for this.
Every movement was precise.
Effortless.
Deadly.
A blade swung toward him.
He caught it.
Twisted.
The guard screamed.
Another lunged.
Cassian drove his elbow into his throat.
A sickening crack echoed.
Lyra pressed a hand over her mouth, her body trembling.
This wasn't a fight.
It was slaughter.
Within seconds.
It was over.
Silence fell.
Broken only by her ragged breathing.
Cassian stood in the center of it all.
Untouched.
Unbothered.
Like nothing had happened.
He turned to her slowly.
"Can you still walk?"
Lyra stared at him.
At the bodies.
At the blood.
"You…" Her voice shook. "You killed them."
"They were going to kill you."
"That doesn't."
"It changes everything," he said sharply. "Or did you think survival was clean?"
Her chest tightened.
No.
She didn't think that.
But seeing it.
Feeling it.
Was different.
Cassian stepped closer.
Too close.
"Listen carefully, Lyra," he said, his voice low and intense. "You don't have the luxury of fear anymore."
Her pulse stuttered.
"You're no longer the girl who was rejected in that hall."
His gaze dropped briefly to her stomach.
"And you're not alone anymore."
Her breath caught.
Something in his tone shifted.
Softer.
Just for a second.
Then it was gone.
"We move now," he said, turning away.
Lyra hesitated.
Just for a moment.
Then she followed.
The tunnel opened into the forest.
Cold wind hit her face.
Fresh air filled her lungs.
Freedom.
Or something like it.
Lyra stumbled forward, her legs weak, her body exhausted.
"We… made it," she whispered.
Cassian didn't respond.
His gaze was fixed ahead.
Sharp.
Alert.
Dangerous.
"What is it?" she asked, her stomach tightening.
He didn't answer.
Not with words.
The growl came first.
Low.
Threatening.
Not human.
Lyra froze.
Her blood ran cold.
From the shadows of the trees.
Figures emerged.
Wolves.
Dozens of them.
Their eyes glowed in the darkness.
Hungry.
Commanding.
Her wolf whimpered inside her.
No.
No, no, no.
"They found us," she breathed.
Cassian exhaled slowly.
Almost… amused.
"Of course they did."
The wolves shifted.
Bones cracked.
Flesh twisted.
One by one, they took human form.
Warriors.
Elite.
Deadly.
And at the center of them.
A familiar figure stepped forward.
Lyra's heart stopped.
Alpha Kael Draven.
He stood there in the moonlight.
Powerful.
Untouchable.
Exactly as he had been hours ago.
When he destroyed her.
But now…
His gaze wasn't cold.
It was furious.
Burning.
Locked entirely on her.
"Lyra."
Her name left his lips like a warning.
Or a claim.
Her chest tightened painfully.
Cassian stepped in front of her instantly.
Blocking Kael's line of sight.
Possessive.
Protective.
"Careful, Alpha," Cassian said lightly. "She's not yours anymore."
The air snapped.
Tension exploded between them.
Kael's eyes darkened.
Dangerous.
"You," he said coldly. "Step aside."
Cassian smiled.
Slow.
Provoking.
"I don't take orders."
Lyra's heart pounded wildly.
This was bad.
Worse than bad.
This was.
"Lyra," Kael said again, his voice softer now but no less intense. "Come here."
Her breath hitched.
That voice.
That pull.
Even broken, the bond still lingered.
Twisted.
Painful.
Calling to her.
"No," Cassian said before she could respond. "She's not going anywhere with you."
Kael's gaze snapped to him.
"You think you can take her from me?"
"I already have."
Silence.
Heavy.
Explosive.
Lyra's pulse roared in her ears.
She couldn't move.
Couldn't think.
All she knew was.
Everything was about to fall apart again.
Kael took a step forward.
The ground seemed to shift beneath the weight of his power.
"You don't understand what you're interfering with," he said.
Cassian didn't back down.
"If it concerns her," he replied calmly, "then I understand perfectly."
Lyra's breath trembled.
Something was wrong.
Something deeper than this moment.
Kael's eyes flickered back to her.
And for the first time.
She saw it.
Not anger.
Not rejection.
Something else.
Something raw.
Something almost.
Desperate.
"Lyra," he said quietly.
Her heart cracked.
Again.
But before she could respond.
Kael's gaze dropped.
To her stomach.
Everything changed.
The air froze.
His entire body went still.
His eyes darkened.
Sharp.
Focused.
Terrifying.
"…What," he said slowly, "is that scent?"
Lyra's blood turned to ice.
No.
He couldn't.
Her hand instinctively covered her stomach.
Too late.
Kael's eyes snapped back to hers.
Wide.
Furious.
Possessive.
Realization hit him like a storm.
"You're carrying…" His voice dropped to something dangerous. "My heir."
Silence exploded.
Cassian didn't deny it.
Lyra couldn't speak.
And Kael.
Kael stepped forward, his aura turning lethal.
"Give. Her. Back."
Cassian's smile vanished.
"Try and take her."
The wolves shifted behind Kael.
Ready.
Waiting.
War was seconds away.
Lyra's heart slammed violently against her ribs.
Trapped.
Between the man who rejected her…
And the one who might destroy everything.
And then.
Kael said something that made her blood run cold.
"If I have to burn this entire forest to the ground," he said, his voice deadly calm, "I will."
His eyes locked onto hers.
"You're not leaving with him."
Lyra's breath caught.
Because this time.
It didn't sound like rejection.
It sounded like a threat.
A promise.
A claim.
And she had no idea which one was more dangerous.