Page 53 of The Onyx Covenant

“We said we wouldn’t arm you with weapons,” Melian corrects coldly. “Now stop wasting time and get going.”

I snatch up a pack, feeling its weight. Light. Too light for comfort, but better than nothing. “Which way to the Darkbone Peaks?”

“The path will guide you,” Tarek says cryptically. “Stay on it, and you will reach your destination.”

Kieran mutters under his breath, “Nothing in these woods is that simple.”

“The Darkbone Peaks are just visible on the horizon,” Orion says, squinting into the dark distance. “The valley between them is our goal.”

“Not exactly,” Tarek mutters, his gaze narrowing as he points toward them. “That’s no ordinary valley. It’s higher up, wedged between the mountains like a scar carved into the stone. The path is steep. Getting there won’t be easy. Surviving it… even harder.”

“May the moons guide your journey,” Melian states, stepping aside to clear our path. “Their light shines brightest on those worthy of their gifts.”

“Let’s move,” I snap, stepping onto the path first, my wolf already alert to the dangers lurking beyond the torchlight.

The others fall into step behind me, the crunch of boots on dirt and the occasional rustle of clothing the only sounds. The forest looms ahead, ancient trees reaching skyward like clawed hands grasping for the moons.

“Any particular plan besides walking until something tries to kill us?” Kieran asks, coming up alongside me.

“Stay together, move fast, reach the valley before the others,” I reply. “Simple.”

The path narrows as we enter the true forest. I take point, keeping a steady pace that the others can maintain. The canopy closes overhead, blocking out most of the moonlight and plunging us into almost complete darkness. For normal humans, it would be impenetrable black, but our wolf eyes adjust quickly.

Lyra’s footsteps are nearly silent behind me, where I want her. An hour passes. The forest whispers around us, alive with sounds—rustling leaves, snapping twigs, the distant calls of animals and birds.

“This is taking too fucking long,” Kieran finally says, his voice low. “At this rate, we’ll still be walking when the next ritual comes around.”

“We need to move faster,” Rachel agrees.

I come to a stop, the others halting behind me. “We switch to four legs.”

“What about our supplies?” Orion asks, already shrugging off his pack.

Lyra steps forward, her movements confident as she sets her pack down. “We wear them before we shift. Our wolf forms will adapt around them.”

“Best way to travel,” Aria adds.

“Great plan. Let’s do it.” I start unbuttoning my jacket, watching as the others do the same. There’s no awkwardness—we’re shifters, and nudity is part of our lives—but I still find myself drawn to Lyra as she slips off her blue uniform.

She catches me looking and doesn’t glance away. Instead, there’s a challenge in her eyes, a heat that mirrors my own. The serum might be making things worse, but this attraction has always been there, buried under politics and pack rivalries.

I turn and strip off my shirt, revealing the ancient runes tattooed down my spine. When I glance back, Lyra’s eyes are tracing the marks.

“Like what you see?” I ask, my voice low enough that only she can hear.

“I’ve seen better,” she replies, but the flush on her cheeks tells a different story.

“Highly doubt it.” I grin, taking my time with my belt, making sure she gets a good look. Her eyes narrow, but she doesn’t look away as I strip completely.

Around us, the others are doing the same. Kieran and Rachel are already naked, stuffing their clothes into their packs. Orion keeps his back turned as he undresses. Aria is quick and businesslike, her movements economical.

Lyra is the first to finish, her clothes neatly packed away, the dark and the shadows concealing everything I want to see. She slips the straps of her backpack over her shoulders, securing it firmly.

“Ready?” she asks me, her blonde hair spilling down her bare back.

“Always,” I reply, shouldering my own pack.

She closes her eyes, and the change takes her. It’s fucking beautiful to watch—blonde hair becoming fur as her body flows seamlessly from woman to wolf. When it’s complete, she stands before me as a sleek silver wolf with subtle blue undertones, her pack still on her back as she predicted.

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