C5 The Eclipse Pack

Lyra didn't trust them.

Not for a second.

Ten heavily armed warriors knelt before her in the middle of a forest.

Normal people did not experience things like this.

Normal people also didn't glow silver and send rogues flying through the air.

So perhaps normal had left her life behind.

The hooded warrior remained on one knee.

Waiting.

Patient.

As though he had all the time in the world.

Lyra tightened her grip on her bag.

"How do you know who I am?"

The warrior lifted his head slightly.

"We were told to find a young woman bearing a crescent mark."

Fear stirred inside her.

"Who told you?"

"Our Alpha."

That wasn't an answer.

She knew it.

He knew it.

Yet neither of them mentioned it.

The forest became quiet again.

Finally, Lyra took a careful step backward.

"I'm not going anywhere."

The warrior's expression didn't change.

"Respectfully, you don't have many options."

Not a threat.

A fact.

That somehow made it worse.

Lyra hated that he was right.

Someone had placed a bounty on her.

Rogues had already tried to kill her.

And she still had no idea why.

The warrior slowly rose to his feet.

"My name is Cassian."

She didn't offer hers.

Cassian didn't seem bothered.

"Our Alpha believes you are in danger."

"I already know that."

His lips twitched.

Almost a smile.

"Then perhaps you should hear what he has to say."

Lyra looked around.

The other warriors remained alert.

Watching the forest.

Protecting her.

Or making sure she didn't run.

She wasn't entirely sure which.

"They're telling the truth."

Nyx's voice surprised her.

"You know them?"

"No."

That wasn't helpful.

"But they're not here to kill us."

Us.

The word still felt strange.

Having a wolf after twenty-two years of silence would take some getting used to.

Lyra hesitated.

Then sighed.

"Fine."

Relief flashed briefly across Cassian's face.

"We should leave immediately."

"Why?"

His expression darkened.

"Because whoever hired those rogues will eventually realize they failed."

That was a good point.

A very good point.

Within minutes they were moving.

The warriors formed a protective circle around her.

Cassian remained at the front.

Nobody spoke much.

The pace was relentless.

Hours passed.

The deeper they traveled into the northern wilderness, the stranger things became.

The terrain changed.

The trees grew larger.

Older.

Thicker.

Ancient energy seemed to hang in the air.

Even the moonlight looked different.

More silver than white.

Eventually Lyra noticed something else.

There were no scent markers.

No patrol routes.

No territorial warnings.

Nothing.

It was as though this place didn't belong to any pack.

"Where are we going?"

Cassian glanced back.

"Home."

That answer created even more questions.

By sunrise, they reached a mountain range.

Lyra's legs ached.

Her eyes burned.

Exhaustion settled deep in her bones.

She expected to see a pack hidden somewhere among the cliffs.

Instead she saw nothing.

Just stone.

Just mountains.

Just empty wilderness.

Cassian stopped walking.

"We're here."

Lyra stared at him.

"Where?"

The warrior smiled.

His first genuine smile.

"Watch."

He stepped forward.

Placed his hand against a massive stone wall.

Silver light flashed.

The ground trembled.

Lyra jumped.

A loud rumble echoed through the mountains.

Then something impossible happened.

The stone wall split apart.

An enormous passageway appeared.

Her jaw nearly hit the floor.

Beyond the opening stood an entire city.

Not a village.

Not a settlement.

A city.

Massive stone buildings stretched across a hidden valley.

Training grounds occupied one side.

Large homes filled another.

Warriors moved through the streets.

Merchants sold goods.

Children played.

Smoke rose from chimneys.

Life.

An entire hidden civilization.

Lyra simply stared.

"What..."

Cassian chuckled.

Most people reacted that way.

"Welcome to Eclipse Pack."

The city was breathtaking.

Not because it was beautiful.

Because it shouldn't exist.

No map mentioned it.

No Alpha talked about it.

Nobody knew it was here.

Yet thousands of wolves clearly lived inside the hidden valley.

The gates opened wider.

Cassian motioned for her to follow.

She did.

Mostly because curiosity had temporarily defeated caution.

The moment she entered, heads turned.

People stopped walking.

Conversations died.

Dozens of wolves stared.

By the time they reached the center of the city, hundreds were watching.

The attention made Lyra uncomfortable.

Very uncomfortable.

"Why are they looking at me like that?"

Cassian remained silent.

Not suspiciously silent.

More like he genuinely didn't know how to answer.

That worried her.

A lot.

Eventually they stopped outside an enormous stone building.

Unlike the others, this one felt ancient.

Older.

Important.

Power radiated from it.

The large doors opened before they could knock.

An elderly man stepped outside.

His silver hair fell past his shoulders.

Sharp gray eyes immediately found Lyra.

Everything else disappeared.

The moment their gazes met, something changed.

Shock flashed across his face.

Then relief.

Then disbelief.

Then something dangerously close to emotion.

The old man took a shaky breath.

For a second, Lyra thought he might collapse.

Instead, he whispered:

"After all these years..."

She frowned.

"What?"

The old man's eyes never left her.

"It's really you."

The statement made no sense.

"We've never met."

His expression softened.

"No."

A sad smile appeared.

"But I've been waiting for you."

Alarm bells immediately began ringing inside her head.

She glanced toward Cassian.

The warrior looked unsurprised.

Which meant this was normal.

Somehow that made it worse.

The old man stepped forward.

"My name is Orion."

Something about the name felt familiar.

Not because she'd heard it before.

Because Nyx reacted instantly.

"Interesting."

Lyra felt the wolf's sudden attention.

"You know him?"

"No."

A pause.

"But I know that scent."

Before Lyra could ask what that meant, Orion stopped directly in front of her.

His eyes drifted toward her collarbone.

Toward the hidden crescent mark.

His expression changed.

Fear.

Not fear of her.

Fear for her.

That distinction mattered.

A lot.

Orion looked away quickly.

Too quickly.

As if he didn't want her noticing.

Unfortunately, she did.

"What's wrong?"

The old man hesitated.

Then smiled.

Nothing about it looked convincing.

"Nothing."

Definitely a lie.

Lyra crossed her arms.

"I've had enough lies for one lifetime."

Something flickered across his face.

Regret.

The emotion vanished almost immediately.

Orion gestured toward the building.

"You must be exhausted."

"I want answers."

"And you'll get them."

Another lie.

Or at least half a lie.

She could tell.

Orion studied her carefully.

Then sighed.

"You truly are your mother's daughter."

The words hit her like a physical blow.

Her mother.

Nobody talked about her parents anymore.

Not even family.

Lyra's chest tightened.

"You knew my mother?"

The old man froze.

Just for a second.

But she saw it.

The mistake.

The realization.

He hadn't meant to reveal that.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

Orion recovered quickly.

Too quickly.

"We should talk inside."

Not an answer.

Again.

Frustration rose.

Yet exhaustion won.

She followed him into the building.

Hours later, after food and rest, Lyra sat across from Orion in a private study.

Books covered every wall.

Ancient books.

Rare books.

The kind only powerful people collected.

Orion poured tea.

Neither drank it.

The tension was too thick.

Finally, Lyra spoke.

"You said you've been waiting for me."

"Yes."

"Why?"

The old man stared into his cup.

Choosing his words carefully.

Too carefully.

"Because some people are worth waiting for."

That answer was infuriating.

She opened her mouth.

Closed it.

Then tried again.

"Why was someone trying to kill me?"

Orion's expression darkened immediately.

"There it is."

"There what is?"

"The question I feared."

Fear?

Now she definitely wanted answers.

Orion slowly placed his cup down.

For several moments he simply stared at her.

As if weighing something.

Evaluating.

Deciding.

Finally, he spoke.

"The attack wasn't random."

She already suspected that.

"But why?"

Orion's eyes became distant.

Haunted.

"Because there are people who fear what you might become."

The room went silent.

Lyra felt a chill.

"What exactly am I supposed to become?"

The old man looked directly at her.

For the first time since they met, every trace of hesitation vanished.

"You don't know who you are."

It wasn't a question.

It was a statement.

One that immediately irritated her.

"I know exactly who I am."

"No."

Orion's voice remained calm.

"You know who you've been told you are."

The distinction unsettled her.

Before she could respond, a knock sounded at the door.

Cassian entered.

His expression looked troubled.

Very troubled.

The warrior approached Orion quickly.

Then whispered something into his ear.

The old man's face lost all color.

Fear flashed through his eyes.

Real fear.

Not concern.

Not caution.

Fear.

Lyra immediately sat up straighter.

"What happened?"

Nobody answered.

Cassian and Orion exchanged a look.

A silent conversation.

The kind people have when discussing something dangerous.

"What happened?" she repeated.

Orion slowly rose from his chair.

His expression had become grim.

He walked toward one of the bookshelves.

Pulled a hidden lever.

A section of the wall slid open.

Revealing a small chamber.

Inside sat a single object.

An ancient scroll.

Orion retrieved it carefully.

Almost reverently.

Then handed it to her.

Confused, Lyra unrolled it.

The moment she saw the image, her breath caught.

A crescent-shaped mark.

Her mark.

The exact same symbol hidden beneath her collarbone.

Beneath the drawing was a title written in faded silver ink.

A title that made the room suddenly feel much colder.

The First Luna.

And for the first time since arriving at Eclipse Pack, Lyra realized everyone around her might know far more about her than she knew about herself.