Chapter 37 Who's That Girl

Chapter 37 Who's That Girl
Lyra

The woods draw a canopy above us, branches clawing at the fading strip of sky. I crouch low, every muscle taut, listening for any sign through the mind-link, but Serena’s voice is gone. 

“She’s been silent too long,” I whisper, turning toward Bram. 

He nods. “We can’t stay here. Patrols will sweep the outer woods soon. If they find us–”

“I know.” The words rip from me sharper than I intend. He’s right, of course. Sitting here is as good as offering ourselves up. “If we get caught,” I mutter, teeth bared, “I’ll put wolfsbane in Kaelen’s mouth myself.”

He tosses me a sideways glance. “If we get caught, I'll put wolfsbane in my own mouth. I’d hate to see what they’d do to me. Probably burn me alive like the men I left in the woods…” Bram scans the trees. “We’ll shift, stay low, keep moving, and stay alert. Just far enough back that they won’t smell us, but close enough that if Serena calls you’ll hear her. 

My throat tightens. “What if something happened?”

“We can’t help her if we get caught,” he says firmly. 

I nod and close my eyes. “Serena? Can you hear me?” I reach through the mind-link, pushing as hard as I dare. “Say something, anything. Please.”

Nothing. Just silence, like a door slammed shut.

We strip and put our clothes in our packs. I exhale, then let the shift take me. Bones crack, fur ripples, and the world sharpens into scent and sound. Bram’s wolf falls in beside me, larger and darker.

Together, we move, the forest unfurling before us in shadows, each step a careful calculation. I keep my ears pricked, straining for the thud of boots or the scent of Running River warriors in wolf form, but for now, the only sounds are our own paws whispering across the grass.

By the time we slow, the castle is only faintly visible through the trees. The forest breathes around us, every sound sharper in wolf form. We trot at a medium speed until Bram stops abruptly beside me, ears twitching.

A second later, I hear it too: the crunch of paws, quick and light, moving fast. My hackles rise as a shape streaks between the trees, a flash of silver against the dark. 

The wolf is lean and fluid, her coat flashing silver in the sunlight. Her coat looks so much like mine that, for a heartbeat, I think it’s Serena. But this wolf is younger, nearer my age, with a fuller mane and more well defined muscles. She isn’t anyone we know, and she’s far too near to the castle for chance, moving with a purpose that rules out being lost.

I freeze, torn between instinct and reason. “Do you know her?” I push the thought through the mind-link to Bram.

“No.” His answer is low, edged with unease. “I’ve never seen her before.”

She doesn’t slow down or acknowledge us. She tears through the undergrowth and vanishes deeper into the woods. 

Bram doesn’t need to say anything. We take off after her, our paws pounding in unison as we follow the silver streak weaving through the trees. She’s even faster than I expected. My lungs burn, but I push harder, unwilling to lose her.

Branches whip past. The scent of her drifts on the wind. The she-wolf runs northeast, toward the ridges where Blue Raven patrols keep their lines.

A spike of unease jolts through me. “Bram. If she crosses their border—”

“I know,” he cuts in. “We can’t risk being seen.”

Still, neither of us slows. We rush through the underbrush until the ground slopes steeper. She’s aware of us now, alert to our pursuit, and she bursts forward with a speed that makes the world blur. I push harder, paws sliding over roots and loose stones, lungs burning with effort. I hear the roar of rushing water and see  a narrow canyon ahead. She veers sharply, leaping toward a waterfall that cascades into a foaming pool below. Spray scatters into the air as she disappears into the mist, her scent swallowed by the water. I skid to a halt, frustration and awe twisting through me, realizing we’ve lost her. “She disappeared,” I send to Bram, frustrated.

He lifts his head, his nostrils flaring, but the wind carries nothing now. “It’s strange… that silver wolf looked like she belonged to Song Pack, but she was heading straight for Blue Raven territory. Something about that doesn’t sit right. But we better get back. We’re getting too far from the castle and are way too close to Blue Raven lines. If we keep going, you’ll lose Serena completely.”

That stops me short. I reach out through the link, desperate. “Serena? Can you hear me?”

My chest tightens, dread flooding in. Then, quiet but clear enough to understand, I hear Serena’s voice.

“Lyra? We’re moving. Mitch and I are leaving through the servants’ gate now. Meet us where we parted in the woods.”

I shoot Bram a message, “Serena finally answered. Let’s meet up with them.” 

We turn in unison, racing back. Every step we take is even more careful now as we weave wide arcs to avoid patrol paths. 

As we round a bend, relief surges when I spot Serena and Mitch ahead. They’ve stepped behind a thick screen of trees and brush, out of sight. I watch as they emerge in wolf form, their clothes safely tucked into their packs. Bram falls in beside me, and together, we join them, moving quickly through the forest.

“Lyra!” Serena’s voice threads through the mind-link. “We have so much to tell you.”

“What happened? Did anything go wrong? Is that why you went silent?”

“No, it was nothing dangerous. I just got completely caught up in what I was hearing in the Luna’s bath chamber and wanted to absorb every word. And then… it got even more intense when I met someone that looked so familiar I was certain I was hallucinating.”

My ears twitch. “Who did you meet? Who did they look like?” 

“She looked like you.”