The tension didn’t fade after they left. It settled, heavy and unavoidable.
Lyra didn’t wait. The moment they returned, she headed straight for the training ground. This wasn’t practice anymore. It was preparation.
Kael followed, quiet but present, watching her every move. “You’re pushing too fast,” he said.
Lyra didn’t stop. “I don’t have a choice.”
“You do.”
She turned sharply. “No, I don’t.” Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried certainty. “They’re coming back, and next time they won’t just watch.”
Silence followed, because they both knew it was true.
Kael studied her, then nodded once. “Then we don’t waste time.”
That was all she needed.
Lyra shifted without hesitation. Her wolf emerged smoothly, controlled, but the power was still there—stronger than before.
“Again,” Kael sa
