Page 4 of The Onyx Covenant

His jaws open wide, revealing teeth designed to rend flesh from bone. At that moment, I know I’m going to die. Here, in enemy territory, with no one knowing where I am or why I came. They’ll find my body in the river, if they find it at all, and never know that I died for love. Then a war between the packs will ensue.

A blur of black crashes into my attacker, tearing him away from me with force. The guard yelps in surprise as he’s thrown against a tree, his body crumpling to the ground.

Theron stands between us, his wolf form even more impressive than I remember. He’s all sleek muscle and deadly grace, his midnight fur shimmering with subtle silver highlights in the moonlight.

In seconds, he transforms, standing tall, nude, and he’s frowning, fury burning in his eyes.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Varus?” he snarls at the guard still in wolf form.

Varus struggles to his feet, blood trickling from a cut above his eye.

“I’ll handle this enemy.” Theron moves closer, teeth bared in a snarl that raises the hair on the back of my neck. “You’ll say it was nothing but a deer, or I’ll finish you. Understood?”

Enemy. The word cuts deeper than any physical wound. That’s all I am to him now. Perhaps all I ever was.

Varus glances between us, then gives a nod.

“Go back to the village. That’s an order.”

For a moment, I think Varus will refuse. His muscles bunch as if preparing to attack. Then, with a final glare in my direction, he turns and limps away, disappearing into the darkness of the forest.

The moment he’s gone, Theron turns to me, his expression shifting from rage to something more complex. “Lyra, what the hell were you thinking? You could have been killed.”

I scramble onto all four paws, ignoring the pain that lances through my shoulder. Blood drips from the wounds, but they’re not deep enough to be life-threatening. Physical pain is the least of my concerns right now.

Without responding, I dash toward the river, where my clothes still lie hidden beneath the hollow log. I need to shift back, needing to get home, and fast, and not leave my clothes behind as evidence. I grit my teeth against the agony as bones reshape and fur recedes. My hands shake as I drag my clothes and robe on, pulling them on with desperate, jerky movements.

Behind me, the sounds of Theron’s footsteps approach. I don’t turn around. I can’t bear to see him, to look into the face that’s haunted my dreams for months.

“Lyra,” he says softly. “Look at me. Please.”

“Why?” I ask, the word scraping my throat raw. “So you can lie to my face?”

I turn slowly, the movement sending fresh pain through my injured shoulder. Blood seeps through the fabric of my robe. Theron stands a few feet away, shadows concealing most of him, except his face… and those hypnotic, pale gray eyes, almost silver.

“Why did you cross the river?” he asks, sounding strained. “Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?”

A bitter laugh escapes me. “We were supposed to meet here. Did you forget?” My voice cracks on the last word. “But you never came.”

“I couldn’t?—”

“I saw you,” I cut him off, the words like acid on my tongue. “With her. With your father. Some kind of betrothal celebration, wasn’t it?”

His face pales, the scar on his collarbone standing out stark against his skin. “You shouldn’t have seen that.”

“You think?” I spit, tears burning behind my eyes. “Because I’m your enemy, right? You just said it yourself.”

He reaches out for me, but I step back.

“Lyra, it’s not what you think. I’m not?—”

“Fuck you.” The tears spill over now, hot tracks down my cold cheeks. I hate that he sees them, hate that I can’t stop them. “What am I to you, Theron? Just some fun on the side? A novelty? The forbidden Elios bitch you could play with until it was time to settle down with a proper Umbra wolf?”

He flinches as if struck. “It was never like that. You know it wasn’t.”

“I don’t know anything anymore.” My response breaks, betraying the depth of my pain. “Except that I was stupid enough to believe you when you said you loved me.”

“I do love you.” Theron steps forward, one hand reaching for mine again. “Everything I said was true.”

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