The night was still, yet Alpha Kian Blackwood couldn't sleep.
He tossed beneath the silk sheets, sweat dampening his skin despite the cold. The moonlight streamed through his window, silver and relentless, as if the heavens themselves refused to let him rest.
Then came the sound again.
A howl.
Low, haunting… familiar.
Kian shot upright, his heart hammering. The sound echoed through his mind, not from the pack's grounds — but from somewhere beyond.
No wolf dared cross those borders since that night.
Since her banishment.
He rubbed his temples, trying to push away the ache that had plagued him for days. He was an Alpha. He didn't get haunted by dreams or phantom sounds. Yet, every night since the storm, he heard the same howl — the same voice that made his wolf stir uneasily.
The same voice he'd tried to forget.
"Lyra…"
The name escaped his lips before he could stop it.
He shouldn't have said it. The bond was supposed to be broken. She was supposed to be dead. He'd ordered his men to confirm it. Marcus had yet to report back — and the silence gnawed at him like a curse.
The door creaked open, breaking his thoughts.
"Alpha?" Evelyn stepped inside, wrapped in a crimson robe. Her scent of roses and wine filled the air — but instead of comfort, it made his stomach twist.
"You're awake again," she said softly, sitting at the edge of the bed. "You've been restless for days."
Kian said nothing. He poured himself a drink instead, his jaw tight. The liquid burned down his throat, but it couldn't burn away the guilt.
Evelyn tilted her head. "You're thinking about her, aren't you?"
His eyes snapped to hers, glowing faintly silver. "Watch your tongue."
She smiled faintly. "Oh, Alpha. I only mean… it's foolish to dwell on a girl who couldn't even shift. You made the right choice."
But her words grated against something raw inside him.
He slammed the glass down, shattering it. "Enough!"
Evelyn flinched but said nothing.
Kian turned toward the window, gripping the frame so tightly it cracked under his strength. "You don't understand," he said quietly. "The bond… it doesn't feel gone."
Silence. Then — a whisper in his mind.
"Kian…"
He froze. His wolf growled, pacing restlessly inside him.
That voice.
He could hear her.
Kian's breathing quickened as the moonlight flickered — and for a split second, he saw her reflection in the glass.
Lyra.
Her eyes glowing silver. Her lips curved in a faint, knowing smile.
And then — blood.
The image of her face shifted, replaced by crimson streaks pouring from her eyes, her mouth. Her voice filled the room — a whisper that turned into a scream.
"You will feel what I felt."
The glass shattered violently, shards slicing across Kian's hand. He staggered back, gasping. Evelyn screamed, but the sound felt distant, muted, drowned out by the phantom echo of Lyra's laughter — cold, beautiful, and cruel.
Kian's chest heaved. The room reeked of blood and moonlight.
He stared at his hand — already healing — and whispered hoarsely, "She's alive."
Evelyn's eyes widened. "What?"
He turned toward her, his voice low, deadly. "Find Marcus. Now."
Because if Lyra truly lived…
Then the curse he'd feared had just begun.