POV: Lyra

I walked until my legs burned.

The forest swallowed me whole. Trees stretched toward the sky, their branches weaving together like a cage. I did not care where I was going. I just needed to move. To breathe. To escape.

The cabin felt like a prison. Every room held a memory of humiliation. Every corner held Ravenna's laughter.

I stopped at a small creek. The water rushed over smooth stones, clear and cold. I sat on a mossy rock and buried my face in my hands.

My wolf stirred.

She was restless, angry, hungry for release. I felt her claws scrape against the inside of my chest. She...