Lyra felt weightless.
Or maybe she was simply gone. Her body felt detached, suspended somewhere between waking and death. She remembered teeth, eyes glowing gold, the weight of wolves crashing into her. She remembered the stranger's face going pale, his eyes clouding in death.
Then nothing.
When sensation returned to her, it was muted, dreamlike. She felt herself carried, jostled in strong arms, her limbs hanging limp. The night forest bled into firelight. Voices low, amused, speaking a language she didn't know but somehow understood buzzed around her. The scent of smoke, musk, and blood pressed in on her senses before darkness swallowed her again.
She awoke not to freedom, but to stone. Cold. Hard.
Her eyelids fluttered. A ceiling of rough-hewn rock stretched above her, illuminated by flickering torchlight. She shifted weakly and winced at the ache in her ribs. Beneath her, furs were piled on a slab-like bed. The air was thick with herbs, iron, and the faint copper tang of blood.
A woman's shadow passed by the edge of her vision, muttering as she ground leaves into a paste. Lyra realized then she was not alone. A healer, maybe. But her lips were too dry, her voice too weak to speak. Darkness reclaimed her once more.
In another chamber, not far from where she lay, five men gathered.
They were tall, broad-shouldered, radiating the kind of power that made the air itself heavy. Each of them bore the lingering wildness of the beasts Lyra had faced: eyes faintly glowing, muscles taut, movements predatory and sleek.
The brothers. The Alphas.
A long oak table stretched before them, half-covered with maps, spilled wine, and scraps of meat. They lounged like predators at rest, but the air crackled with suppressed aggression.
It was Dorian who laughed first, his grin sharp as he tipped his goblet back. "Did you see her face? The little thing actually thought she could fend us off with a stick."
Caius leaned back in his chair, ever the cold one, his arms folded across his chest. "Futile. But… spirited." His voice was a low rumble, controlled, detached.
Fenrir snorted, his scarred hands flexing as if he still craved blood. "Spirited? She was pathetic. Couldn't even shift. I thought we were promised a wolf, not some fragile human girl flailing clumsily in the dark, what a joke."
At that, Theron frowned. He sat more stiffly than the rest, unease flickering in his pale blue eyes. "She should have shifted. The chase would have been sweeter if she had. Watching her run…" He broke off, clenching his jaw. "It was disappointing."
Dorian barked another laugh, his teeth flashing white. "You only say that because you wanted her fur wet with dew and her belly swelling after. Admit it, brother, you dreamed of a proper hunt and mating that would produce a strong heir."
Theron's lips thinned, but he said nothing. His silence was answer enough.
The last of them, Lucius their leader remained quiet, swirling wine in his cup. His golden eyes reflected the firelight as he finally spoke, his voice smooth but edged with steel. "She didn't shift. That much is certain. And yet she fought. For the boy."
Amusement rippled again among the brothers, though it was a darker sort now. Caius smirked faintly. "Yes. The boy. She struck at us not for herself, but for him. Laughable. And yet… interesting."
"She was desperate," Fenrir growled. "Desperation makes females useful in the breeding pens. They cling harder when they have something to lose."
Lucius set down his goblet with a clink, silencing the chatter. His gaze swept across his brothers, cold and commanding. "Enough. The issue isn't her spirit. It's her blood. She was tested. She is supposed to be a wolf. And yet she didn't change. Why?"
The question hung in the smoky air.
Dorian leaned forward, a glint of menace in his eyes. "Because someone must have lied."
The door creaked open. The "Chemist" was ushered inside, a gaunt woman draped in stained robes, her hair pulled back in a tight braid. Her hands were ink-stained, her nails bitten to the quick. She clutched a satchel heavy with vials and parchment, her eyes darting nervously from one Alpha to the next.
She bowed low, though her hands trembled. "My lords."
Fenrir bared his teeth in a grin that was anything but kind. "Explain yourself, witch."
The woman flinched, clutching her satchel tighter. "I… I tested her blood, as ordered. When the girl was brought to us, I ran the analysis twice. The results were clear. She is of werewolf blood."
Theron's voice was sharp, desperate. "Then why didn't she shift? Why did she bleed like a lamb while we hunted her?"
The Chemist swallowed hard, her eyes darting. "I don't know."
The growl that rose in the chamber was collective, animal, and furious. Caius's hand slammed against the table, rattling the goblets. "Not good enough."
Fenrir rose, his shadow swallowing the woman whole as he loomed over her. His grin widened, cruel and eager. "Maybe she lied. Maybe she sold us a lamb and dressed it as a wolf. Should we see how her bones snap when I take her apart?"
The Chemist's breath hitched. She shook her head violently, words spilling from her lips. "No no, I swear, I swear by the Goddess, she is wolf. There's no mistake in the blood."
Lucius's eyes narrowed, his voice silk over a blade. "Then explain to us why this alleged werewolf did not shift."
The woman's knees trembled, and she nearly dropped her satchel. "I… I can't. Not yet. There may be… factors. Suppressors. A dormant curse. I need time. I need more blood, more tests."
Fenrir's hand shot out, snatching her by the throat. She gagged, her face flushing red as he lifted her effortlessly off the ground. His claws pressed lightly against her skin, promising to tear. "You have had time, enough time. You give us nothing but excuses."
"Fenrir." Lucius's voice cut through the growl like iron. The scarred Alpha stilled, though his hand didn't release the trembling Chemist. "Put her down."
For a tense heartbeat, it seemed he might refuse. Then, with a snarl, he flung her to the ground. She coughed violently, clutching her bruised throat, her eyes wet with terror.
"Listen well." Lucius's gaze bored into her as she gasped. "You will find out why she has not shifted. You will find out why her blood sings wolf but her body refuses the change. If you fail, Fenrir will have his sport, and Caius will test how many bones a Dryad's body contains."
The Chemist scrambled to her knees, bowing so low her forehead nearly touched the floor. "Y-yes, my lord. I will find out. I swear it. Please… please give me time."
Caius's lip curled, but he sat back again, his fury contained for now. Theron's gaze lingered on the trembling woman with disgust, as though her weakness offended him. Dorian only grinned, enjoying the spectacle.
Fenrir spat on the ground near her, his voice a growl. "You have until the next full moonrise."
Lucius waved a hand dismissively. "Get out."
The Chemist stumbled to her feet, clutching her satchel to her chest as though it could shield her. She bowed once more and fled, her footsteps echoing down the stone corridor.
When she was gone, silence lingered between the brothers.
Dorian broke it first, his grin wicked. "She's wolf. The blood says so. Sooner or later, the body will catch up. When it does, I'll be the first to taste her howl."
Theron growled, his eyes flashing. "You are going to tear her apart before she can give us a pup, We have run out of options, we can't afford for you to tear apart what might be our last chance."
"She'll give us one, then i can play with her." Dorian sneered, his tongue wetting his teeth.
"Enough." Lucius's voice silenced them once more. His eyes gleamed with calculation. "The girl is not human. That much is fact. The reason she has not shifted will be uncovered. Until then, she is ours. And she will remain under my command."
Caius finally spoke again, his tone colder than the stone around them. "If she is wolf, she will serve her purpose. If she is not… then she is prey. Nothing more."
The others murmured their agreement, low and savage.
And in the chamber beyond, Lyra lay on the fur-lined slab, her lashes trembling against her pale cheeks as though some part of her heard the judgment passed in the next room.