The wolf's teeth snapped inches from Lyra's face. She rolled away just in time, her heart beating like a drum in her chest. The wild wolf growled, its yellow eyes fixed on her as it prepared to attack again.
"Not today," Lyra whispered, taking the stick beside her and jumping to her feet.
The wolf rushed. Lyra swung the stick hard, hitting the wolf on its snout. It yelped and backed away, confused by her sudden bravery.
"Go! Get out of here!" She yelled, waving the stick.
The wolf gave one last angry growl before running back into the dark forest. Lyra dropped the stick and fell to her knees, breathing hard. This was not how she wanted to start her birthday.
Her 18th birthday. Alone. Again.
The morning sun was just starting to peek through the trees. Lyra had been living in this forest for almost ten years now, ever since she ran away from her pack. From her father. From the thoughts.
Her small shelter made of twigs and leaves had kept her dry during the night's rain, but now she needed to find food. Her stomach growled as she gathered her few things into her worn backpack.
"Happy birthday to me," she mumbled, tying back her long, dark brown hair.
As she walked through the bush looking for berries, the memories came flooding back like they always did on this day. Memories of her sister Elara. Of the river. Of the screams.
"Stop it," Lyra told herself firmly. "That was a long time ago."
But the memories didn't listen. They never did.
She was only eight years old when it happened. She had taken her nine-year-old sister to the banned river to swim on a hot summer day. Their father, the Alpha of their pack, had always told them to stay away from that river. The currents were too strong, he'd warned.
But Lyra hadn't listened.
"Come on, Elara!" she'd called. "The water feels amazing!"
Elara had been nervous but followed her sister anyway. She always did. The two sisters splashed and played, until suddenly, the current got stronger. Much stronger.
"Lyra! Help me!" Elara had screamed as the river pulled her away.
Lyra had tried to grab her sister's hand, but she wasn't strong enough. She watched in fear as Elara was swept away, her blonde hair disappearing under the dark water.
Lyra shook her head, trying to push the images away. She picked some berries from a bush and ate them quickly. Ten years had passed since that day, but her father's cold words still rang in her ears.
"You killed your sister. You are no daughter of mine."
That night, she had packed a small bag and run away. A child alone in the wild. Somehow, she had lived. Learned to catch small animals. Found safe places to sleep. Avoided other wolf packs.
But it had been a lonely life.
Lyra walked to a small stream to wash her face. Looking at her image in the water, she barely recognized herself. Her green eyes, once bright and full of life, now looked tired and sad. Her face was smaller, harder. No longer the face of the Alpha's beloved daughter, but the face of a survivor.
"You did this to yourself," she told herself. It was easier to be alone than to face her father's hate every day.
As she bent to drink from the stream, a sharp pain shot through her right wrist. Lyra gasped and fell backward, gripping her arm.
"What the—?" she cried out as the pain grew worse.
It felt like someone was pushing a hot iron against her skin. She rolled up her sleeve and watched in shock as dark lines began to appear on her wrist, swirling and joining like a strange tattoo.
A mate mark.
Every wolf shifter got their mate mark on their 18th birthday. It was supposed to be a happy event, a sign that somewhere out there was someone meant just for you. Your right match. Your mate.
Lyra had almost forgotten this would happen today. Living alone for so long, she hadn't thought much about mates or love or any of that.
The pain grew stronger as the mark formed. Lyra bit her lip to keep from yelling. Sweat rolled down her face as she watched the mark take shape—a crescent moon with three stars and what looked like a crown above it.
Her eyes opened in shock. She knew that sign.
It was the mark of the Silver Moon Pack—the most powerful wolf pack in the area. And the crown... the crown meant her mate was no ordinary wolf.
Her mate was an Alpha.
"This can't be happening," Lyra whispered, staring at the mark in amazement. "I'm a nobody. A rogue. How could my mate be an Alpha?"
The pain finally stopped, leaving the mark dark and clear on her face. Lyra traced it with her finger, still not believing what she was seeing.
An Alpha mate. This changed everything.
Alphas could sense when their mates got their marks. He would be looking for her now. Hunting her. And when he found out who she was—the girl who killed her sister, the daughter who ran away—he would reject her for sure.
No Alpha would want a mate with her past.
"I have to run," she decided, jumping to her feet. "I have to get far away from here before he finds me."
Lyra quickly grabbed her things and started running deeper into the forest. She knew these trees better than anyone. She could hide. She had to hide.
But as she ran, a new pain hit her chest. The mate bond was forming. She could feel a pull, like an unseen string tugging her in the opposite direction. Toward him. Her mate.
"No!" she cried, fighting against the pull. "I won't go back!"
She ran faster, ignoring the ache in her chest that asked her to turn around. Branches scratched her face and arms as she pushed through the thick bush. She didn't care. She had to get away.
Suddenly, a howl cut through the air. A powerful, demanding howl that made her freeze in her tracks.
He was calling for her.
The sound was faraway but clear. Her mate was calling, and every cell in her body wanted to answer. The pull grew stronger, making it hard to breathe.
Another howl joined the first. Then another. And another. A whole pack was joining the hunt.
For her.
Panic rose in Lyra's throat. They were coming. How did they find her so quickly? She started running again, her legs burning with effort.
The forest grew darker as storm clouds gathered overhead. Perfect. Rain would hide her smell. She just needed to reach the cave she knew was a few miles ahead. She could hide there until they gave up.
Thunder boomed above as the rain started to fall. Lyra pushed herself harder, ignoring the tiredness creeping into her muscles. The cave was close now. Just a little further.
The screams grew louder. They were gaining on her.
Lyra's foot caught on a root, and she crashed to the ground, pain shooting through her ankle. She tried to stand but fell back with a cry of pain. Sprained or broken, she couldn't tell. But she couldn't run anymore.
"No, no, no," she whispered, dragging herself behind a big tree. She pressed her back against the rough bark, trying to make herself as small as possible.
The rain poured down, soaking her clothes and hair. The mark on her wrist seemed to burn hotter, as if angry at her for running away.
The howls stopped.
Lyra held her breath, listening hard over the sound of rain hitting leaves. Had they lost her trail?
A twig snapped nearby.
Then a deep voice spoke from the darkness.
"Found you."
Lyra's head jerked up to see a pair of glowing blue eyes staring at her from the darkness. Not animal eyes. Human eyes with a wolf's power shining through them.
Alpha eyes.
Her mate had found her.