ter

ne's

r voice shaking as she stood only inches a

. Lie to my face if you must. But look m

I kept my face inscrutable. My heart beat beneath the

, like a flame blazing in my spirit that no amount of reject

," I said, my vo

te, I feared she may smack me. Instead, she clenched her fists, her n

," she spat, her

ething you don't even ha

so terrified

r words crushing down on me. What

a game she didn't even realize she was pl

Not with Zane's ever-calculating

s a plain lie. "I'm just not willing to sacrifice e

ance tinged with anguish. "Never meant t

rne. Fate doesn't

eyes any longer. "Fate doesn't know

ting my passage. Her perfume, warm and sweet, wrapped aroun

tell me. If you care f

e prophecy, the power that raced through

protecting myself-it was about protecting her from the en

s, the relationships he'd built with force

my voice low and tinged with cautio

her eyes narrowing. "B

liated in front of the entire pack

cting me, but all you're

her into my arms and convince her everything would be well. But I couldn

're hiding something, Thorne. And I vow, I'll fin

very phrase. But before I could react, a dee

f us f

y, I went in front of Lyra, my senses heightening. "Stay

ough I could feel the

o matter how hard I attempted to se

out of the darkness walked

had been exiled years before for actions so vile they were scarcely spoken

se rasp. "The future Luna and her ever-so-du

and terror. "What do you want, Varek?" I ordered, my v

moonlight. "Oh, nothing much. Just come to c

ble than you realize. And there are s

ody braced for a battle. "You

ffected. "You can't protect

lready sealed her fate by reject

eight of his words soakin

knew something I didn't. Somet

laws aimed at my throat. I met him midway,

he sounds of snarls and cracking

't move. Instead, she stood still, her eyes wid

g it at Varek with all her power. It took him off surp

, my voice leaving n

t before eventually turning

ved. Varek recovered swiftly, his gaz

ce filled with sadistic delight. "She's m

cked with everything I had, my

d by something stronger-fear for Lyra. I could

he ground. He hissed, bleeding but alive, and retreate

second, my mind racing. Lyra was

freezing me to the bone. She's marre

ell. I had to locate her before it was too late. But

o hold at away was creeping in, and

her back to me. Relief rushed over me-until I observed the figure standing

led, my voice boomi

e. "Oh, Thorne. You've made this conside

quiver, and a shadowy form emerged from the darkn

ere no longer battling one enemy-we