A Fortress Awakened

Lyra

We leave the paved road for gravel without a word. The mountain folds around us, and pine trees reach the sky. The air is thinning, sharper, colder. The smell of pine mixes with Declan’s, affirming he is the chosen Alpha of Alphas.

Declan’s hand covers mine on my thigh, thumb brushing the same slow line it’s been tracing for miles. I watch his reflection in the window: the hard angle of his j