I turned, claws sliding free, just as a vampire lunged from the side. I caught his face with a swipe, tearing skin, but he was faster—stronger. His fangs sank deep into my shoulder.
The pain was incandescent. Poison burned through my veins like molten fire. I screamed, slamming my claws into him again and again until he released me, hissing before vanishing into the fray.
My knees hit the floor.
The club was a warzone—wolves clashing with vampires, blood slicking the floor beneath strobing lights. Through the haze, I saw Kael—his wolf tearing through three attackers to shield Elowen, his body between her and every strike.
Of course.
My vision blurred. My wolf surged, eyes glowing—something pulsing strange and wild beneath my skin. Then darkness swallowed me whole.
---
I woke to sterile light. The faint hum of machinery. Antiseptic in the air.
My shoulder throbbed. Bandaged. Mended. Alive.
Alive?
Vampire venom was a curse—it paralyzed, corrupted, dragged wolves into the same endless sleep that had claimed Alpha Thoren Dravenwood. So why wasn’t I fading? Why was I awake?
Before I could move, I heard them.
Through the glass wall, their silhouettes were unmistakable. Elowen—crying softly in his arms. Kael holding her like something fragile and sacred. His hand smoothed her hair, his voice gentle, soothing—the voice I’d never once heard directed at me.
“I shouldn’t have gone,” she whispered. “It’s my fault Lyra got hurt.”
“No,” he murmured. “You didn’t know. I should’ve protected you both.”
Her tearful eyes lifted to him. “Why… why did you protect me? Why not her?”
His voice broke. “Because… I lo—”
The crash was deafening. The vase by my bed shattered against the floor, glass skittering everywhere.
Kael’s head snapped toward me. Elowen gasped and rushed in.
“Lyra!” she cried, voice trembling, tears trembling on her lashes. “You’re awake! Oh, thank the Goddess, I—”
“Save it.” My voice came out a blade. “With you here, cluttering my air, how could I possibly heal?”
Her lip quivered. She ran from the room sobbing. Kael stayed.
“I didn’t have time—” he started.
“You had time for her,” I bit out. “You always do.”
He said nothing. The silence was worse than words.
---
Two days later, I walked into the study. Shoulder bandaged. Anger sharp enough to cut through bone.
He stood at attention.
“Kneel.”
Kael hesitated, then obeyed. Slowly.