Lyra didn't sleep that night. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Alina's face staring through her like she was nothing. Like she was nobody.
Dawn couldn't come fast enough.
She burst through the training ground doors before anyone else arrived, anger burning in her chest like wildfire. If Kade wanted to play games with dead sisters and forgotten promises, fine. But she wouldn't be weak. Not anymore.
The hitting bag became her enemy. Each hit released years of pain, guilt, and rage. THUD. For every night she'd cried herself to sleep. THUD. For every time her father looked at her with hate. THUD. For Kade's cold apathy.
"Easy there, Luna," came a deep voice behind her. "You'll break our equipment."
Lyra spun around to find Garrett, the pack's head teacher, watchinbg her with raised eyebrows. Behind him stood a group of early morning warriors, all looking at the destroyed punching bag.
"Sorry," she panted, pulling her hands back. Her hands were bloody, but she barely felt the pain.
"Don't apologize." Garrett stepped closer, his experienced eyes studying her stance. "Show me that again."
"What?"
"That punch. Do it again."
Lyra paused, then threw another punch at the backup bag. The hit echoed through the training hall like thunder.
Garrett whistled low. "How long were you alone in the wilderness?"
"Ten years."
"And you survived how exactly?"
Heat crept up Lyra's neck. She'd never talked about those years with anyone. "I learned to fight. Or die."
"Show us," said Helena, the blonde warrior who'd been giving Lyra problems. Her voice held challenge and curiosity. "If you're going to be our Luna, we need to know what you can do."
Other pack members began gathering, drawn by the noise. Word spread quickly through the pack house. Within minutes, half the pack had crowded into the training hall.
"I don't think that's necessary," Lyra started, but Garrett cut her off.
"Actually, it is." His wrinkled face was serious. "A Luna needs to win respect through strength, not just title. Helena, you're up."
Helena grinned, cracking her hands. She'd been pack winner for three years running. This would be over quickly.
They faced each other in the center ring.
Helena was bigger, more muscled, with official training. But Lyra had something else despair.
"Begin!"
Helena charged forward with practiced skill. Lyra sidestepped at the last second, using Helena's speed against her. The blonde warrior stumbled, shocked.
"Lucky," Helena growled, circling back.
This time she came slowly, more careful. They traded blows, Helena's training obvious in every move. But Lyra moved like liquid shadow, uncertain and wild.
The crowd got louder, more excited. This wasn't going as planned.
Helena struck a solid hit to Lyra's ribs, making her gasp. Pain flared, but Lyra used it, let it fuel her. She grabbed Helena's extended arm and turned, sending the bigger woman crashing to the mat.
Stunned silence filled the hall.
Helena looked up from the floor, admiration replacing mockery in her eyes. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"
"From wolves who wanted to kill me," Lyra said simply, helping Helena to her feet.
The crowd broke in cheers and amazed chatter. Even Garrett looked impressed.
"Next," Lyra called out, energy still coursing through her veins.
What followed was unlike anything the pack had ever seen. Lyra faced opponent after opponent, each fight showing more of her hidden strength. She moved with deadly grace, striking like lightning, dodging strikes that should have struck.
Ten years of survival had forged her into something special.
"Enough," came a commanding voice from the door.
Everyone turned. Kade stood in the doorway, his dark eyes fixed on Lyra. Beside him was Seraphina, looking lovely in a simple blue dress.
Lyra's stomach clenched, but she kept her face neutral.
"Impressive display," Kade said, walking into the ring. "But technique matters more than raw power."
"Then show me," Lyra challenged before she could stop herself.
The hall went dead quiet. Pack members traded nervous glances. No one challenged the Alpha directly.
Kade's eyes flashed dangerously. "You want to spar with me?"
"Unless you're afraid," Lyra shot back, knowing she was playing with fire.
A slow smile spread across Kade's face. Not warm, but aggressive. "Clear the ring."
They circled each other like wild animals, the crowd pressed against the walls. Seraphina watched from the bleachers, her blue eyes unreadable.
Kade moved first, faster than lightning. His fist whistled past Lyra's ear as she ducked. She responded with an uppercut that he easily blocked.
They were both holding back, trying each other.
Then Kade's control slipped for just a moment. His next attack came with real force, real desire to hurt. Lyra barely dodged it, rolling across the mat. Something dark flickered in his eyes.
Something that looked almost like... recognition?
"Fight me properly," Lyra ordered, bouncing back to her feet. "Stop treating me like I'm made of glass."
"You don't know what you're asking for."
"I know exactly what I'm asking for."
Kade's restraint broke. He came at her with everything he had, Alpha strength and years of training. But Lyra met him blow for blow, her ten years of desperate survival meeting his lifetime of privilege.
They moved in a dangerous dance, neither giving ground. The crowd watched in stunned silence as their Luna held her own against their Alpha.
Then something strange happened.
As they fought, Lyra began seeing flashes memories that weren't hers. A young boy falling from a tree. Blood on leaves. Small hands pulling him to safety.
Kade stumbled mid-strike, his eyes going wide. "Impossible," he whispered.
"What?" Lyra ordered, but before he could answer, Seraphina stepped forward.
"That's enough," she said softly, her voice having unusual authority. "Both of you, stop."
The moment Seraphina spoke, the strange flashes disappeared. Kade blinked, confusion replacing recognition.
"You fought well," he said stiffly to Lyra, but his eyes were faraway again. Cold. Whatever he'd remembered was gone.
The crowd began dispersing, buzzing with joy about their Luna's unexpected skills. But Lyra stayed frozen in place, looking at Seraphina.
Because in that short moment when the memories flashed, she'd seen something impossible.
She'd seen herself as a child, saving a boy from a dangerous fall. And that boy had looked exactly like young Kade.
"Sister," Seraphina said quietly, approaching her.
"You fight beautifully."
The word 'sister' hit Lyra like a physical blow. Seraphina had said it so easily, so casually. But her blue eyes held no recognition, no memory of their shared past.
"Do we know each other?" Lyra asked carefully.
Seraphina tilted her head, studying Lyra's face with curious focus.
"I feel like we do. But I can't remember from where." She smiled that glowing smile. "Maybe we were friends in another life."
Another life.
As Seraphina walked away with Kade, her arm joined through his, Lyra stood alone in the empty training hall. Her body ached from the fight, but her mind raced with impossible questions.
Why did she see memories of saving Kade as a child?
Why did Seraphina call her sister without knowing why?
And most frightening of all what if Alina's death had never been what it seemed?
The afternoon sun cast long shadows through the windows, and in those shadows, Lyra could swear she saw a person watching her.
A figure that disappeared the moment she turned to look.