Page 14 of The Onyx Covenant

Probably his betrothed, the beautiful woman in red alongside him, attending the wedding.

I thought I was over him. Thought I’d excised him from my heart like poison from a wound. But the mere possibility of seeing him again has my pulse racing and my stomach aching.

“Pathetic,” I whisper to the empty room. “Still not over him after a year.”

Eventually, I rise, moving to where my ceremonial robes lie spread across a wooden chest.

Perfect for the role I need to play—Lyra Mooncrest, daughter of the Alpha, priestess in training, unclaimed Omega, perfect Elios princess. Not Lyra, who crosses rivers for forbidden kisses. Not Lyra, who trains in secret to fight her own battles. Not Lyra, who still dreams of silver eyes and broken promises.

I will see Theron Shadowmane again soon. And when I do, I’ll show him exactly what he lost, what he threw away for his father’s approval and an Umbra bride.

I’ll show him a wolf who doesn’t need him. A wolf who has forgotten him. A wolf who could destroy him without a second thought.

Even if every word of it is a lie.

ChapterThree

LYRA

Ihate portals. The ancient magic pulls at my insides, stretching and compressing me until I’m not sure where my body ends and the void begins. For three nauseating seconds, I exist everywhere and nowhere, my consciousness scattered across dimensions.

Then reality slams back into place, and I stumble forward onto gleaming marble floors, my stomach lurching violently. Father and Mother step through behind me with irritating grace, as though traveling through portals is no more disorienting than a casual stroll. The two guards carrying our bags follow, looking only slightly green around the face.

“Welcome to Solmane,” a crisp male voice announces.

I straighten, blinking away the disorientation as my eyes adjust to the light flooding through stained-glass windows. We’ve arrived in the Portal Pavilion, a grand circular chamber with arched doorways leading to different parts of the sprawling capital city.

Solmane. The capital jewel of the kingdoms and host to today’s United Houses Luncheon.

The last time I was here, I was sixteen. We never even made it to the actual event. Some diplomatic crisis had Father rushing home, leaving Mother and me to spend precisely four hours shopping in the merchant district before being whisked back through the portal.

In those four hours, I’d seen enough to know that Solmane represented everything I didn’t want—artifice, political games, and marriages arranged for power rather than love.

Not that love had worked out any better for me. My chest tightened at the thought.

“Alpha Mooncrest,” the voice continues, belonging to a tall, slender man in elaborate gray robes. “Lady Elara. Lady Lyra. The Covenant welcomes you to Solmane for the United Houses Luncheon and the Royal Wedding.”

Father inclines his head, every inch the dignified pack leader. “Thank you, Master Calloway. It’s been too long.”

“Indeed it has.” Calloway’s gaze flicks briefly to me, assessing in a way that makes my skin crawl. “If you’ll follow me, your accommodations have been prepared in the Rise Tower.”

We step out of the pavilion into blinding sunlight, and Solmane unfolds before us in all its ostentatious glory.

Holy fuck.

The city is more beautiful than I remember—and more alien to a wolf raised in the forests of Eclipsia. Glass spires twist toward the sky like frozen waterfalls, catching the sun and reflecting it in prisms that paint the streets in rainbow hues. Bridges of pale wood and shimmering metal connect buildings at various levels, creating a three-dimensional maze of architecture that defies gravity.

Unlike our stone dwellings that grow organically from the forest floor, everything here seems designed to impress, to announce its own importance. Vines with purple and blue blossoms cascade down the sides of buildings, perfectly cultivated to appear wild while actually being meticulously maintained.

The streets below teem with life—not just wolves, but beings from across the planet. Humans with their quick, nervous movements. Fae with their iridescent wings.

Banners in deep crimson and gold hang everywhere, displaying the crest of the Hunter’s Moon.

“The city has changed since your last visit,” Calloway observes, noting my wide-eyed stare. “The Crystal Quarter has been expanded, and the new Lunar Gardens were completed just last month.”

“It’s very… shiny,” I manage, earning a warning glance from Mother.

Calloway’s lips twitch. “Some find it overwhelming at first, but I assure you, Rise Tower offers a more… rustic aesthetic that may be more to your liking.”

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