Chapter 4 REYNA – He Knew His Name Before I Said It

I woke to the sound of crackling fire and the sharp scent of pine resin. My head throbbed like I'd been hit, but there was no pain, just pressure. Like something inside me had stretched too far and snapped back without warning.

My fingers brushed dirt. Cold, damp.

I opened my eyes slowly.

The sky above was black. No stars. Just branches like veins cutting across the void. I was lying on a blanket of pine needles in a circle of stones. A small fire flickered to one side, casting long shadows.

I sat up too fast. The dizziness hit like a wave.

And then I saw him.

Lazric.

He crouched at the edge of the fire, tending it with the kind of focus that didn't feel casual. His scar caught the flame light, making his face look half-burned. His eyes tracked me before I moved.

"Easy," he said. "You dropped hard."

"No shit," I muttered. My voice sounded cracked.

He tossed a small leather pouch toward me. It landed beside my knee.

"Smell it."

I didn't move.

"It'll help the nausea," he added, quieter.

I picked it up and opened it cautiously. Dried herbs. Bitter, earthy. I didn't recognize the scent, but it calmed something in my chest. I breathed in and exhaled slowly.

"What happened?" I asked.

"You had a bleed."

"A what?"

He poked at the fire. "Your wolf side pushed too close to the surface too fast. Your body couldn't hold it."

"You say that like it's normal."

"It is. For your kind."

"My kind?" I snapped. "I'm not-"

"You are," he said, cutting me off. "Stop fighting it. Your blood knows."

I swallowed. My mouth felt dry. "That voice I heard... it wasn't mine."

He didn't answer.

"I said something. Before I passed out. I-I think I said-" I hesitated, searching his face. "You were there. When they burned him."

He met my eyes. No flinch. No denial.

"I was there," he said. "But I didn't light the fire."

My stomach turned. "What does that mean?"

"It means I was ordered to kill Calen. And I didn't."

I stared at him. My breath caught somewhere between shock and fury. "You were supposed to kill him?"

"He was marked for treason. He disobeyed Thorne's command. You were his mate. Human, unknown blood. That made you a threat."

I stood. My legs shook, but I stayed upright. "You knew him. You let them-"

"I didn't let them," he growled. "I disobeyed the order. That's why I'm out here. That's why I'm not dead."

I took a step back, heart racing. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Because I didn't know if you were going to survive the change. Or if you were just bait."

"Bait?"

"For the rest of your bloodline," he said. "If you were a carrier, they'd wait for you to awaken. Then track you back to whoever's left. Wipe out the whole line."

I felt like I couldn't breathe. "There's no one left."

"Not that you remember."

The fire cracked. I turned my back to him, arms wrapped tight around my ribs like I could hold myself together.

"Why do you care?" I asked. "You don't even know me."

"I knew Calen. He wanted out. He didn't want to follow his father's path. That mattered."

"That didn't stop you from standing there when he died."

"No. But it made me stand against my own pack after."

His voice was low. Flat. I couldn't tell if he was lying. I didn't want to believe him, but the words rang too real to ignore.

I faced him again. "What do I do now?"

He stood. Taller than I remembered. Broader. A shadow shaped like something human, but not quite.

"You have two choices," he said. "Forget this. Go back. Pretend he was just a man who died too soon."

"And if I don't?"

"Then you learn what you are. And what the Draven Pack is. And you survive."

I stared at him. "That's not an answer."

"It's the only one that keeps you alive."

I shook my head. "You talk like I'm already dead."

"You are," he said. "To them, you died the second he marked you."

My fingers curled around the pouch. I didn't even realize I'd clenched it.

Lazric stepped forward, just one step, but it felt like crossing a line.

"They'll come soon," he said. "Not for you. For what's waking inside you."

"I'm not ready."

"You will be."

The fire snapped. Sparks floated up like falling stars.

He turned away.

I watched him for a moment. The way his shoulders moved, the weight in his steps. Not casual. Not careless. Like someone always expecting an ambush.

"Wait," I said.

He paused.

"I never told you his name," I said. "Back in the woods. You said it first."

He didn't turn around.

"I didn't have to," he replied.

Then he walked into the trees and vanished