Page 109 of The Onyx Covenant

As I carry her away from the shadows and back toward the light, I think about how I feel nothing for my father’s death. How I know I made the right decision.

With Lyra in my arms and the future stretching before us, the world we are going to build together will be worth every sacrifice, every scar, and every drop of blood it took to reach this moment.

And nothing—no force, no threat, no ancient hatred—will ever tear us apart again.

ChapterTwenty

LYRA

Morning light slices through the tall windows of the Onyx Covenant building, casting silver-blue streaks across the polished obsidian floor. I nudge a stray book out of my path with my foot, still not used to the eerie way it sounds when something scrapes against the stone here—hollow, like disturbing a tomb.

It’s been a week since the Harvest Ritual, a week since Theron drove a blade into his father to save my life, and a week since we marched into this huge monument to power as the new Onyx Covenant council. A week since everything changed.

From the outside, this place is intimidating as hell—a fortress of black stone. But inside? That’s where the real surprise hit me. The outer walls contain some crystalline substance that turns nearly transparent from the inside, giving us views that stretch for miles while keeping prying eyes out. It’s like living inside a one-way mirror—we see everything, but no one sees us.

I pause at the window overlooking the eastern forests, watching a hawk circle lazily above the trees. Somewhere down there, wolves from both our packs are hunting. My wolf stirs on the inside to join them, but my path has shifted for now. Theron and I have changes to implement across our two packs, but until then, we can’t be seen joining normal hunting routines. Though, I had no idea how much I’d miss it…

I continue my exploration of the Onyx Covenant building, climbing the spiral staircase to the third level. The steps hover without visible support, carved from some material that resembles black glass but feels warm beneath my bare feet. Ancient runes flicker to life with each step I take, acknowledging my right to be here.

Still freaks me out a little.

The main hall on the first floor spans nearly the entire building, with ceilings so high it feels like standing in a cathedral. The council chamber sits at the center, a circular room with seats arranged around a table formed from a single piece of polished moonstone. The surface ripples when touched—actually fucking ripples like water—responding to the emotions of whoever touches it.

The second floor houses the library. The shelves stretch forever, some books so old they’d crumble to dust if not for the preservation spells holding them together.

Then there’s the third floor—our private sanctuary. Spacious rooms are connected by arching hallways, with balconies overlooking the sacred groves. It’s more luxury than I’ve ever known, and sometimes, I still expect someone to appear and throw me out for trespassing.

I pause at the top of the stairs, listening. Theron disappeared after our morning meal, muttering something about exploring the east wing. Living together has been easier than I expected, his presence somehow both thrilling and comforting.

Following the sound of shuffling papers, I make my way down the eastern corridor, past rooms we haven’t fully explored yet. For the next decade, this entire structure is ours alone. The previous Covenant members, Tarek and Melian, relocated to the Umbra pack after the ceremony, while the guards and trainees who serve the Covenant live in the barracks outside. No one enters without our explicit permission—a boundary that’s given us precious privacy during this transition.

I find Theron in what appears to be an old study, methodically pulling books from shelves and examining the walls behind them. He’s got on fitted black pants and a simple shirt that stretches across his broad shoulders, defining every muscle as he moves. His dark hair falls across his forehead as he concentrates, jaw set in that determined way that still makes my stomach flip. Gods, I still find him so handsome, maybe more so with each passing day.

For a moment, I simply watch him, remembering how impossible this once seemed—an Elios priestess and an Umbra Alpha heir together as equals.

“You planning to stand there all day, or are you going to help?” he asks without lifting his gaze to me.

“Depends,” I reply, leaning against the doorframe. “The view from here is pretty damn appealing.”

Now, he does glance at me, eyes glinting with that predatory light that never fails to send a thrill down my spine. “Is that right?”

“Don’t let it go to your head.” I push off from the door and move into the room. “Why are you destroying the library, anyway?”

He runs a hand through his hair, leaving it even more appealingly disheveled. “I’m looking for something.”

“Obviously. Care to be more specific?”

He straightens, setting aside the thick leather book he’d been examining. “It’s about time I start to find the things my mother mentioned in her journals…” He pauses, jaw tightening.

The sudden darkness in his voice draws me closer.

“According to what she wrote, there’s a secret area in this building that previous Onyx Covenant members may not have known about… or perhaps just chose to ignore. Ignorance is bliss, they say.” He moves to another shelf, fingers tracing the spines of ancient texts. “She heard from her grandmother that when the Elios ruled, they hid historical information here out of fear that when Umbra took over, certain documents might be destroyed.”

“By your family,” I say, not bothering to soften the truth.

His shoulders tense, then relax. “Yes. They would have happily erased anything that didn’t support their version of history.” He shakes his head, his expression grim. “I assumed most Covenant members were too weak to stand against him, but seeing Tarek and Melian at the ceremony…”

“When they finally grew spines?” I interject.

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