Chapter 5 Fire in the Streets

The night smelled like ash and fear. Every shadow felt alive, twisting and reaching toward us. My lungs burned from running, my muscles ached with every step, but I couldn't stop. Not when my pack was scattered and vulnerable, and that hybrid alpha was hunting us like he already knew the ending.

Kaelen crouched beside me with his knives ready, muttering curses I didn't even recognize. Mara clung to my arm, trembling the way she always does when things get bad.

And Damian was there too. Always there. Silent, sharp, impossible to ignore. I hated how much I wanted him closer. I hated how much I depended on him without meaning to.

They're coming, Damian said quietly. His voice cut right through the fear.

I know. Keep your voice down or they'll hear us and rip us apart before dawn.

He didn't move or soften. He just stayed ready, and the worst part was how aware I was of him. Every breath, every shift of his weight.

Then a scream tore through the fog. A hybrid burst through the weak barricade on the north street, teeth flashing. Kaelen jumped toward him but he was too fast. I swung a metal pipe as hard as I could. It staggered him, but he didn't fall.

Lyra, Mara yelled. I spun and caught her before she slid straight into a trap we set earlier.

I whispered to myself, asking for strength, because I couldn't afford to fall apart. Not now.

And then he appeared. The hybrid alpha stepped out of the mist like the night belonged to him. His smile was sharp and wrong.

Finally, he said. We meet properly.

I tightened my hold on my pipe. You want me? You'll have to kill me first.

He laughed. The sound made my skin crawl. Oh, I plan to enjoy it.

Then Damian was there, pulling me behind him without hesitation. He slammed into the alpha hard enough to break part of the barricade.

Stay with me, he barked.

I didn't argue. My pack fell in behind me, fighting, screaming, doing everything they could to survive. Even in the chaos, I could feel Damian around me like armor. Dangerous, irritating, but effective.

The fight became a blur. My arms screamed from swinging, my throat hurt from shouting orders, but I kept going. Mara stuck close. Kaelen moved like a storm. Damian killed hybrids with terrifying ease.

And I hated how thrilled that made me. I hated how I kept looking at him. I hated every second of what it meant.

I don't know how much time passed, but the alpha came back. He had been watching, waiting.

You think you can lead a pack? he said. You think you're strong enough to survive me?

I held his gaze. I don't think. I know.

He lunged.

Damian intercepted him again, fury in every movement. And something inside me twisted. Because it hit me all at once. I didn't just want to survive this. I didn't just want victory.

I wanted him.

The alpha threw Damian aside and I screamed his name as I charged. I hit the alpha in the shoulder, hard. Kaelen appeared beside me, knives flashing. Mara even managed to help, shaking but determined.

Oh wow, I whispered, a tiny smile breaking through when I saw her stand her ground.

The alpha laughed again. Is that all you've got?

A whistle cut through the fog. Different from before. Darker. Damian's jaw tightened. Reinforcements, he said.

I froze. Reinforcements meant the night wasn't ending anytime soon. It meant we weren't done bleeding.

The alpha stepped back. His smile stretched slow and confident.

You belong to me, Lyra. And soon, you'll understand why.

My chest tightened. Mara whispered something I couldn't hear. Damian met my eyes, cold and fierce.

Not tonight, he said.

And I knew he was right. This wasn't over. Not even close.

Tonight was only the beginning.