Lyra's POV
I woke up to the sound of something exploding.
Not like fireworks. Like actual buildings-being-destroyed explosions that shook the bed and made dust rain from the ceiling.
My eyes flew open. For one confused second, I forgot where I was. Then it all came rushing back—Marcus's betrayal, the portal, the wolf, Kael, the bond mark glowing on my wrist.
Another explosion. Closer this time.
I scrambled out of bed, my heart pounding. The room was empty. Kael wasn't on the floor where he'd said he'd sleep. Dawn light filtered through the window, painting everything orange and red.
Too red.
I ran to the window and my stomach dropped.
The village was on fire.
Not the whole thing, but three buildings on the far side were burning with flames that looked wrong—too bright, too blue, dancing like they were alive. People were running and shouting. Children were crying. And in the center of the chaos stood a man who definitely wasn't from the wolf pack.
He was tall and powerful, with dark bronze skin and black hair that seemed to glow with embers. When he opened his mouth and roared, actual fire came out.
A dragon. That was a real dragon in human form breathing fire at Kael's village.
"Where is she?" the dragon-man bellowed, his voice carrying over the chaos. "Where is the Beastcaller? I can smell her here!"
Oh no. Oh no no no. This was my fault. He was here because of me.
I pressed myself against the wall beside the window, trying to stay out of sight. My whole body was shaking. More explosions rocked the village—other dragons were circling overhead in their full beast forms, massive and terrifying, breathing fire at anyone who got too close.
The door burst open and I screamed.
Kael stood there, breathing hard, covered in soot and small burns. His ice-blue eyes locked onto mine with relief and anger mixed together.
"You're still here. Good." He crossed the room in two strides and grabbed my arm. Not rough, but firm. Urgent. "We need to move. Now."
"The dragons—they're here because of me," I stammered. "Kael, I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"
"Save it." He pulled me toward the door. "Apologies don't stop a dragon's fire. We need to get you to the safe caves before—"
Another explosion, this one so close the cabin wall cracked. Kael threw himself over me as debris rained down, his body a shield. I could feel his heart hammering against my back, fast and strong.
When the dust settled, half the cabin was gone. Just... gone. Blown apart.
If Kael hadn't covered me, I'd be dead.
"Move!" He hauled me to my feet and we ran.
Outside was chaos. Wolf pack members were fighting dragons in the sky and on the ground. I saw Zara in wolf form leaping at a dragon's throat, fearless and furious. I saw Elder Moira herding children toward the forest. I saw blood and fire and violence that made my stomach turn.
This was because of me. All of this destruction, all this pain—because I existed.
"Don't," Kael said sharply, like he could read my mind. "Don't you dare blame yourself. They would've come eventually. Beastcallers are too valuable. You're just the excuse they needed."
We were almost to the tree line when a shadow fell over us.
I looked up.
A dragon—massive and red, scales gleaming like rubies—dove straight at us with claws extended.
Kael shoved me behind him and shifted mid-movement, his wolf form erupting in a blur of silver fur and fangs. He leaped to meet the dragon in mid-air, jaws snapping at its throat.
They collided with a sound like thunder.
I hit the ground hard, rolling, my head spinning. When I looked up, Kael and the dragon were tearing each other apart twenty feet away. The dragon's claws raked across Kael's side, drawing blood. Kael's teeth found the dragon's wing, ripping through membrane.
The dragon screamed and crashed to the ground.
Before Kael could finish it, another dragon landed between us. This one shifted into the bronze-skinned man from before. Up close, I could see his eyes were crimson red, ancient and dangerous.
"Enough," he said, his voice like rolling thunder. He wasn't even looking at Kael. He was looking at me. "You. Beastcaller. Come with me peacefully and I'll call off the attack. Your wolf pack lives. You stay here, and I burn everything until there's nothing left but ash and bones."
"Don't listen to him," Kael snarled, shifting back to human form. Blood ran down his side from the claw marks. "He'll kill you the second you're away from pack protection."
The dragon-man smiled, slow and dangerous. "I'm Riven Ashenclaw, exiled prince of the Dragon Peaks. I don't kill valuable assets, wolf. I protect them. Unlike you, who keeps her in a village made of wood while enemies circle." He extended his hand toward me. "Come, Beastcaller. I offer you safety, wealth, and a bond that will make you untouchable. What does the dog offer? A burning cabin and a pack that hates you?"
"His name is Kael," I said, surprising myself with how steady my voice sounded. "And he saved my life."
"How noble." Riven's smile didn't reach his eyes. "He saved you so he could keep you for himself. I'm offering you a choice."
"Some choice," I shot back. "Come with you or watch everyone die? That's not a choice. That's a threat."
Riven's eyes flashed with something—surprise? Respect? "Smart girl. Yes, it's a threat. Because I need you, and I'll burn this entire territory to get what I need. I've lived for three hundred and forty years, little Beastcaller. I've learned that mercy is a luxury I can't afford."
Kael moved in front of me again, his stance protective despite his injuries. "She's bonded to me. You can't take her without breaking sacred law."
"Sacred law?" Riven laughed. "I was exiled from my homeland for refusing to execute my sister over politics. I don't care about your laws, wolf. I care about survival. And a Beastcaller bond is my ticket back home."
More explosions. More screams. A child's cry cut through the chaos, high and terrified.
I couldn't let this continue. Couldn't let people die because of me.
"Stop," I said, stepping out from behind Kael. "Stop the attack. I'll... I'll talk to you. Just stop hurting them."
"Lyra, no—" Kael grabbed my arm.
I looked at him, really looked at him. This man who hated humans had protected me anyway. Who'd stood against his own pack for me. Who was bleeding because of me.
"I'm not leaving," I told him quietly. "I'm just talking. That's all."
Kael's jaw clenched. The bond mark on both our wrists flared brighter, like it was trying to pull us together. I felt it—this weird tugging sensation in my chest that wanted me closer to him.
"You have five minutes," Kael told Riven coldly. "Then she comes back inside pack protection."
Riven nodded, raising his hand. The dragons in the sky stopped their attack, circling but not striking. The fires kept burning but no new ones started.
"Walk with me," Riven said to me.
I followed him twenty feet away, hyper-aware of Kael watching my every move. Riven stopped and turned to face me, his crimson eyes studying me like I was a puzzle.
"You're different from what I expected," he said. "Most Beastcallers I've read about were power-hungry. You seem... scared."
"I am scared," I admitted. "Someone I loved betrayed me and threw me into this world yesterday. I don't understand what's happening or why everyone wants me. I just want to survive."
Something flickered across Riven's face. "Survival is all that matters. I understand that better than most."
"Then help me survive without destroying everything," I said. "Please. There has to be another way."
Riven opened his mouth to answer—
And an arrow made of pure ice slammed into the ground between us.
We both spun around.
Standing at the edge of the forest was another group of beastmen. These ones were massive, bigger even than Kael's wolves, with white and brown fur visible beneath their clothes. Bear shifters.
At their head was a man who looked like he could break trees with his bare hands. Scars covered his arms and face. His eyes were dark brown and completely emotionless.
"The bears have arrived," he announced in a voice like grinding stone. "And we're not here to talk. We're here to claim what's ours."
He pointed directly at me.
"The Beastcaller belongs to the strongest. So let's find out who that is."