Surprise
Lyra sat hunched over a table in the academy’s library, the dim glow of flickering candles casting long shadows across the ancient tomes scattered before her. The faint, musty scent of parchment usually brought her comfort, but tonight it did nothing to calm her spiraling thoughts. The events of the tournament replayed in her mind like a haunting melody, each memory sharper than the last.
Eryon’s injury loomed largest. The faint glow of his blood—subtle but unmistakable—terrified her. It had been a miracle no one else noticed, but she knew how close they’d come to disaster. It wasn’t just Eryon’s exposure she feared, though. Adrian’s relentless pursuit of the truth had her constantly on edge, and the feelings she had begun to harbor for him only twisted the knife deeper.
The sound of footsteps broke her thoughts like a snap of tensioned string. Her head jerked up, and her heart sank when she saw Adrian standing at the edge of the library, his crimson eyes fixed on her with an intensity that made her wolf stir uneasily.
“Lyra,” he said softly, his voice low but carrying easily through the stillness.
She stiffened, her fingers tightening around the edge of the table. “What are you doing here?”
Adrian stepped closer, his movements deliberate but without aggression. “Looking for you.”
Her heart thudded in her chest as he sat down across from her, his unyielding gaze locked onto hers. His presence was magnetic and suffocating all at once.
“You’ve been avoiding me,” he said, his tone calm but tinged with frustration.
“I’ve been busy,” Lyra replied, fighting to keep her voice even.
Adrian leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table, closing the distance between them. “Busy hiding something, maybe?”
Her pulse spiked, and her wolf stirred, sensing danger. She forced herself to meet his gaze, willing her voice to remain steady. “What do you want from me, Adrian?”
“The truth,” he said simply, the two words landing like stones in the quiet.
Lyra’s breath hitched, and for a fleeting moment, she considered it—telling him everything. The weight of the secrets she carried was crushing, and Adrian’s eyes, intense but not unkind, made her want to believe he might understand. But she couldn’t. The danger was too great. If Adrian knew what she and Eryon truly were, it would unravel everything, leaving them vulnerable in ways she couldn’t afford.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said finally, her voice quiet but firm.
Adrian’s eyes softened at her words, but the frustration in his expression only deepened. “You’re lying,” he murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.
Before she could respond, he reached across the table, his hand brushing hers. The touch sent a jolt through her, as though his presence magnified every nerve in her body. Her wolf clawed at her control, the instinct to either run or fight roaring in her mind.
“Lyra,” Adrian said, his voice raw with something she couldn’t quite name. “I can’t stop thinking about you. But I can’t ignore what’s right in front of me.”
She pulled her hand back as though burned, her chest tightening. “Adrian, don’t—”
He stood abruptly, his frustration giving way to something more pained, his expression torn between anger and longing. “You can’t keep running from this,” he said, his voice steady but laced with emotion. “From me.”
Leaning down, Adrian’s lips brushed against her cheek, a fleeting touch that left her frozen in place. His next words, barely audible, sent a shiver through her. “You can’t run from me forever.”
Without another glance, he turned and walked away, his footsteps fading into the silence of the library.
Lyra sat motionless, her heart hammering against her ribs as her wolf howled within her. The weight of what just happened settled over her like a suffocating blanket. Adrian’s relentless pursuit of the truth was dangerous enough, but his closeness—his touch—threatened to unravel everything she had worked so hard to protect. And yet, deep down, it wasn’t only fear she felt. It was something far more dangerous.
