The forest felt different.
As Lyra stepped deeper into the shadows, the air grew heavier, thick with tension, and something else—something primal. She could still hear the echo of Ronan's words in her head.
"The pack decides what happens next."
Her stomach twisted.
She had spoken boldly and had claimed her right to choose, but now the weight of that decision pressed against her.
Kaidën walked beside her, his jaw clenched, his body tense with barely restrained fury. He hadn't spoken a word since they left the clearing.
Finally, she broke the silence.
"You're angry."
Kaidën's golden eyes flicked to her. "Angry doesn't begin to cover it."
Lyra swallowed. "I couldn't just stand there and let them decide my fate."
He exhaled sharply, running a hand through his dark hair. "You don't understand what you've done."
She frowned. "Then explain it to me."
Kaidën stopped walking. The suddenness of it made her stumble. When she turned, she found his gaze burning into her, intense and unreadable.
"You challenged them," he said. "In their eyes, that makes you either reckless or worthy."
A chill ran down her spine. "Worthy of what?"
"Testing."
She frowned. "Testing for what?"
Kaidën's jaw tightened. "To see if you're strong enough to survive."
Lyra's breath caught.
She had expected pushback, maybe a fight—but not this. Not a trial.
Before she could respond, a howl echoed through the trees.
Not a warning.
A summons.
Kaidën swore under his breath. "They're calling us."
Lyra's pulse quickened. "For what?"
Kaidën hesitated. Then, reluctantly, he said, "The Hunt."
The clearing was lit by torches, their flames flickering in the wind.
The pack had gathered in a loose circle, their eyes gleaming in the dim light.
Ronan stood at the center, arms crossed, a smug smirk on his face.
Kaidën stood close to Lyra, his presence a steady force beside her. But his tension was palpable.
Ronan's gaze swept over her before he spoke.
"You want to prove yourself?" His smirk widened. "Then you'll have to earn it."
Lyra lifted her chin. "And how exactly do I do that?"
Ronan chuckled. "Simple. The Hunt."
Murmurs rippled through the pack.
Lyra glanced at Kaidën, but his expression was unreadable.
"What's The Hunt?" she asked cautiously.
Ronan's grin was all teeth. "A test of instincts. Survival. Strength."
He gestured to the forest. "We release a target. You run. You track it. And you take it down."
Lyra's stomach twisted. "A target?"
Ronan's smile didn't falter. "A rogue. A traitor. Someone who broke our laws."
Her breath caught. "A person?"
Ronan tilted his head. "You're a wolf now, little one. Time to act like it."
Silence stretched between them.
Lyra's heartbeat thundered.
This wasn't just a test. It was a lesson.
They wanted to see if she would obey. If she would submit to the pack's way of life.
Kaidën's voice was low, sharp. "This is insane, Ronan."
Ronan shrugged. "You know the rules. New shifters prove themselves or they don't belong."
Kaidën's hands clenched into fists. "She doesn't need to do this."
Ronan's smirk widened. "Then she can walk away."
Lyra stiffened.
She knew what he meant.
If she refused, she would never be accepted. Never be considered one of them.
And she would always be hunted.
Her mind raced.
She wasn't a killer.
But she couldn't afford to be prey.
Ronan stepped closer. "Well?"
The pack watched, waiting.
Kaidën exhaled sharply. "Lyra—"
She looked at him.
His golden eyes were filled with something she didn't quite recognize.
Fear.
Not for himself.
For her.
Lyra's hands clenched into fists.
She couldn't back down.
But she also couldn't become one of them.
So she did the only thing she could.
She met Ronan's gaze and said, "Fine. I'll do it."
A slow, pleased grin spread across Ronan's face.
"Good."
The pack howled, the sound vibrating through the air.
And deep inside, the wild part of her—the part she barely understood—howled back.
They ran.
The night was alive with movement, shadows shifting between the trees.
Lyra's heartbeat pounded in her ears as she sprinted through the forest, Kaidën running beside her.
He hadn't tried to stop her.
But she could feel his frustration.
"You shouldn't be doing this," he said.
She kept running. "I don't have a choice."
"There's always a choice."
Lyra exhaled sharply. "Not if I want to survive."
Kaidën growled under his breath but didn't argue.
Ahead, the scent of the rogue drifted toward them—faint but distinct.
Lyra slowed, her senses sharpening.
Kaidën watched her. "You can feel it, can't you?"
She hesitated. Then nodded.
Her instincts were shifting, aligning with something deeper.
Something primal.
The rogue was near.
Kaidën's voice was low. "What are you going to do when you find him?"
Lyra's throat tightened.
She didn't have an answer.
She didn't want to have an answer.
Then—
A rustle in the underbrush.
Lyra snapped her head to the side.
There.
A flash of movement.
The rogue was running.
Lyra lunged forward, her body moving before she could think.
The thrill of the chase sent a shiver down her spine.
She was hunting.
But as she gained on the rogue, something unexpected happened.
He turned.
And he spoke.
"Wait."
Lyra skidded to a stop.
The rogue wasn't what she had expected.
He wasn't some bloodthirsty criminal.
He was young. Barely older than her.
His clothes were torn, his face bruised. His eyes—wide and terrified—locked onto hers.
"I didn't do anything," he gasped. "Please. You have to believe me."
Lyra's breath hitched.
This wasn't a test of her strength.
It was a test of her obedience.
And suddenly, she knew—
She wasn't just being watched by the pack.
She was being hunted too.
A sharp crack echoed through the trees.
She turned just in time to see the others closing in.
Ronan stood at the edge of the clearing, his smirk widening.
"Go on, Lyra," he said. "Finish it."
Her pulse pounded.
The rogue stared at her, pleading.
Lyra's hands trembled.
She had a choice.
Obey—or defy.
Kill—or protect.
Kaidën's voice was a whisper at her side.
"Choose, Lyra."
And as the pack waited, as the rogue held his breath—
She made her decision.