Chapter 36

The Second Time They Sold Her

The betrayal began with a letter.

Naturally.

Lyra was starting to suspect every terrible thing in her life arrived folded neatly inside parchment.

They reached the eastern border outpost three days after the rogue wolf attack.

The mountain roads finally widened there, opening into a fortified trade settlement built along frozen cliffs where northern caravans exchanged goods before continuing deeper into eastern territory.

For once, the camp actually felt safe.

Which should have been the warning sign.

“You’re smiling again,” Mirelle observed while they unpacked inside the upper inn chambers overlooking the market square.

Lyra frowned.

“I am not.”

“You are. Slightly.”

Mirelle paused while arranging blankets near the fire.

“It’s unsettling honestly.”

The truth was—

Lyra hadn’t realized how exhausting fear became until the last few days softened slightly.

The bond with Kael still terrified both of them, but the emotional distance had finally cracked open after the river kiss. He still watched her constantly, only now he no longer pretended otherwise.

And somehow that made everything easier.

More dangerous too.

But easier.

The bond remained unpredictable.

Occasionally she caught flashes of him through it unexpectedly while walking through crowded streets or sitting beside evening fires.

His irritation during strategy meetings.

The constant protective instinct simmering beneath everything else.

And sometimes—

worse things.

The quiet aching tenderness he tried very hard not to let her notice.

Unfortunately for Kael—

the bond no longer respected privacy.

That evening, Blackfang soldiers crowded the lower tavern halls while eastern merchants traded loudly beneath lantern-lit balconies and snow-covered rooftops.

Lyra stood near the upper terrace railing wrapped in Kael’s heavy cloak watching distant market fires flicker against the frozen cliffs below.

For the first time in weeks, the world almost felt normal.

“You disappear into your head when you’re happy.”

Seraphine stepped beside her holding two glasses of wine.

Lyra accepted one automatically.

“That sounds emotionally invasive.”

“It’s sisterhood.”

“Same thing.”

Seraphine leaned against the stone railing beside her.

The wind tangled pale hair softly around her face while music drifted upward from the tavern below.

For a while, neither spoke.

Then quietly:

“You trust him now.”

Not a question.

Lyra looked down into the wine glass.

The answer should have been complicated.

Instead—

“Yes.”

Simple.

Terrifyingly simple.

Seraphine smiled faintly.

“Poor man.”

Lyra snorted softly despite herself.

And then—

the bond pulsed violently.

Fear crashed suddenly through Lyra’s chest.

Not hers.

Kael’s.

She straightened instantly.

Across the market square below, Kael had just entered the eastern council hall beside Fenrir and several northern commanders.

And through the bond—

Lyra felt the exact moment his instincts realized something was wrong.

The emotional force hit hard enough that Lyra physically grabbed the railing.

Seraphine noticed immediately.

“What happened?”

Before Lyra could answer—

a familiar voice echoed behind them.

“Lady Lyra.”

She turned sharply.

And felt her blood go cold.

Three Vale territory guards stood near the upper terrace entrance wearing southern pack insignias beneath heavy travel cloaks.

Her old pack.

The tallest stepped forward slowly.

“Alpha Rowan requests immediate audience.”

Lyra stared at them in disbelief.

“What are you doing here?”

The guard avoided her eyes.

Which terrified her instantly.

Through the bond—

Kael’s panic sharpened into violence.

Fast.

Approaching.

Seraphine moved subtly closer beside Lyra.

Protective.

Tense.

“Rowan sends apologies,” the guard continued stiffly. “But southern councils have reached agreements regarding your… condition.”

Condition.

Interesting word choice for bloodline inheritance.

Lyra’s stomach dropped.

“No.”

The guard swallowed hard.

“You need to come with us willingly.”

Behind him, more soldiers emerged from the terrace stairwell shadows.

Too many.

Prepared.

And suddenly Lyra understood.

The Vale pack had done it again.

They sold her.

Again.

The grief hit before anger did.

That was the worst part.

“You knew,” Lyra whispered softly.

Not to the guards.

To Seraphine.

Silence answered first.

Then—

her sister looked away.

The bond exploded with Kael’s rage instantly.

So overwhelming Lyra nearly staggered beneath it.

He knew now.

Somewhere below, Kael was already moving.

Seraphine’s face tightened painfully.

“I was trying to protect you.”

The sentence shattered something deep inside Lyra immediately.

“You told them where we were.”

Tears burned suddenly behind Seraphine’s eyes.

“They said they’d negotiate safely if the southern councils got involved before the northern kingdoms—”

“You betrayed me.”

The words came quieter than shouting.

Much worse.

Seraphine looked genuinely devastated now.

“I thought if the Vale pack controlled the negotiations, they’d keep you alive—”

“They sold me once already!”

The pain in Lyra’s voice broke hard across the terrace.

And through the bond—

Kael felt every second of it.

The guards moved suddenly then.

Fast.

Professional.

One grabbed Lyra’s wrist hard enough to wrench her backward while another drove silver-lined shackles around her glowing wrists before she could summon power properly.

The metal burned instantly.

Moon silver.

Prepared specifically for her.

Lyra gasped sharply as pain shot through both arms.

The bond reacted violently.

Kael’s fury slammed through her hard enough to make breathing difficult.

“Move!” one guard barked.

Seraphine stepped forward instinctively.

“Wait—”

Another soldier blocked her immediately.

“This is done.”

Lyra struggled hard enough that silver light flickered dangerously beneath the restraints.

But the shackles held.

Ancient symbols carved into the metal pulsed cold against her skin.

Below the terrace—

wolves started howling.

Not ordinary howls.

War howls.

Every northern wolf in the settlement had felt Kael’s rage through instinct alone.

Chaos erupted instantly across the market square beneath them.

Soldiers shouting.

Weapons drawn.

Glass breaking somewhere below.

And then Lyra felt him.

Close now.

Too close.

The emotional force of Kael tearing through the settlement toward her hit like wildfire beneath her ribs.

Terrifying.

Protective.

Completely out of control.

The guards dragged Lyra toward the eastern stairwell desperately now.

Panic replacing discipline.

Because they heard the wolves too.

Everyone did.

Seraphine stood frozen near the terrace railing watching Lyra disappear toward the lower stairs, horror spreading slowly across her face as realization finally caught up with intention.

She hadn’t protected her sister.

She’d handed her back to the people who feared her most.

And somewhere below—

the Black Wolf King was coming.