Chapter 6 BLOOD AT THE BORDER

The words hung in the air like smoke.

"Return her... or burn."

The scout stood frozen, his chest rising and falling too fast. Kael's gaze locked on him, unblinking, golden flecks swirling in his irises as the Alpha fought to keep his wolf from taking control.

"Who found them?" Kael asked, his voice like cold steel.

"Two hunters on the morning run," the scout answered, swallowing hard. "They... they're outside the stronghold now. Waiting."

Elder Thorne leaned back in his chair, his fingers drumming the armrest. "You should have expected this, Alpha. Keep a cursed Moon-Blessed in your care, and you paint a target on every back in this pack."

Lyra's stomach knotted. Every set of eyes in the War Hall was now on her.

She lifted her chin. "So it's my fault someone slaughtered your people?"

Thorne's pale lips twitched. "When the knife is made for one purpose, you don't blame the wielder for using it."

"Enough." Kael's voice snapped through the room. "Gear up. I want every warrior on alert. Thorne, you're with me at the border."

Thorne's eyes narrowed, but he rose. "As you wish, Alpha."

Kael turned to Lyra. "You're staying here."

Her arms crossed instantly. "Like hell I am."

"This isn't a debate."

She took a step toward him, heat in her voice. "If it's the Other me out there, I'm the one she wants. You think she'll stop just because you tell me to hide?"

Kael's jaw flexed. For a heartbeat, she thought he might actually shout. Instead, he stepped close enough for her to feel the heat radiating off him.

"You stay behind me. You follow my lead. One wrong move, Lyra, and I'll carry you back here over my shoulder."

Her lips curved in a smirk she didn't feel. "That almost sounded like a threat."

********

At The Border:

The stench hit her before they reached the treeline. Blood. Not just spilled, pooled, soaked into the earth.

Three bodies lay sprawled in the dirt, their chests torn open. The wounds weren't clean; they looked ripped, clawed apart with a precision that was almost... gleeful.

Lyra's stomach twisted, but it wasn't the gore that froze her. It was the message.

Carved into each chest, deep enough to expose bone, were the same words: RETURN HER OR BURN.

Kael crouched beside one of the fallen, his hands curling into fists. His wolf was close to the surface, Lyra could feel the pressure of it in the air.

"She's taunting us," Lyra said quietly.

Thorne glanced at her without warmth. "Or warning you."

Kael stood abruptly. "Get them buried. No pyres, we don't need smoke drawing attention. Double patrols until further notice."

A warrior stepped forward. "Alpha, if they're after her...."

"If they're after her," Kael said, voice low, "they'll have to go through me first."

Lyra looked at him, something unsteady shifting in her chest. He'd said it like a promise.

*****

Back in the Village.

Word traveled fast. By the time they returned, whispers followed them through every street. Mothers pulled their children inside. Warriors eyed Lyra like she was already wearing their blood on her hands.

A man spat at the ground as she passed. "She'll bring fire to us all."

Lyra stopped. "Say that again."

Kael's hand closed around her arm, steering her forward. "Not now."

She yanked free. "When is it 'now,' Kael? When they're stringing me up in the square?"

He stopped, eyes locking on hers. "If that day comes, I'll be the one standing between you and the noose."

Her throat went dry, but before she could answer, a horn sounded from the watchtower.

Kael's head snapped up. "Attack."

******

They reached the outer wall just as shadows broke from the treeline, fast, silent, and wrong. These weren't wolves. They were bigger, their shapes twisted, like something had stretched the limbs too far and left the bones in the wrong places.

The first one hit the wall, claws raking the wood. Warriors swarmed to meet them.

Kael shifted mid-run, fur exploding over muscle, his wolf form launching into the fray with a snarl.

Lyra grabbed a fallen spear, her heartbeat pounding in her ears. She drove it into the chest of one creature as it lunged, feeling the vibration up her arms when it hit bone.

Another came from behind, too fast. She turned, hand outstretched more in instinct than thought. Heat ripped through her veins, bright and blinding. The creature froze mid-leap, its body shuddering before collapsing into ash at her feet.

The noise of battle seemed to dull for a second. Warriors turned to stare.

Kael's wolf landed beside her, his golden eyes burning into hers. "Control it" he growled through the bond.

She swallowed hard and nodded, gripping the spear tighter.

The fight raged for what felt like hours, until the last of the creatures fled into the night.

Kael shifted back, blood streaking his skin. "They were sent to test the wall."

Lyra wiped her blade on her torn sleeve. "By her?"

"Yes." His eyes flicked toward the forest. "She's not waiting for us to come to her. She's trying to draw you out."

"Then it's working," Lyra said.

His gaze hardened. "We leave at first light for the mountains. The Seer is our only chance."

*********

THE OTHER LYRA'S CAVE:

The Other Lyra sat on a throne of bones, idly turning a dagger in her hands. Shadows coiled around her feet like smoke.

"She fights well," the inhuman voice purred from the darkness.

The Other Lyra smiled. "She fights like prey trying to convince herself she's a predator."

"She will come to you."

"Oh, I know," she said, standing. "I've made sure of it."

Back at Kael's cabin, Lyra tried to sleep but the air felt heavy, charged. A faint sound pulled her from the bed.

She stepped outside into the moonlight and froze.

Her reflection stood in the clearing, not in water this time, but in the flesh. Black eyes. The same mocking smile.

"Hello again," the Other Lyra whispered.

Before Lyra could move, the doppelgänger lunged and they both vanished into the darkness.