Chapter 1 THREE DAYS UNTIL FOREVER

Lyra's POV

Three more sunrises. That was all. Three more times I would wake up alone before Damon Blackthorne became mine forever. The thought sent phoenix fire racing through my veins like liquid gold, and I watched the flames dance across my fingertips without burning the silk sheets. They were showing off this morning. Even my magic knew something wonderful was coming.

"Lyra! Are you awake?" Selene burst through my door without knocking, because that was what sisters did. "Mother wants us downstairs to finalize the flower arrangements and oh my goddess, your magic is glowing again!"

I quickly tucked my hands under the blanket, but it was too late. The whole room sparkled with golden light. "Sorry. I just... I can't help it. Every time I think about the ceremony..."

"You light up like a firefly." Selene finished my sentence, but her smile looked tired. Forced, maybe? No. I was imagining things. Wedding stress did that to people.

"Come on, glow stick. The seamstresses are here with your dress options."

I threw a pillow at her head. She dodged it with the grace that made everyone say she should have been the one born with magic. But magic chose differently. It chose me. And in three days, Damon would too.

Moonhaven's great hall smelled like vanilla and jasmine. White moonflowers climbed every pillar, their petals opening even though it was barely past dawn. Mother said they bloomed for love. The staff rushed around with armfuls of silver ribbons and crystal vases while my father directed them with the seriousness of a general planning a war.

"Traditional midnight blue or modern silver?" The seamstress held up two gowns that probably cost more than most people's houses.

"Blue," I said.

"Silver," Selene said at the same time.

We looked at each other and burst out laughing. Real laughter this time. The kind we used to share before... before what? There was no before. We were fine. Everything was fine.

"Try them both," Mother suggested, appearing with her clipboard. "We have time."

But we didn't. Not really. Time was racing toward my mating ceremony like a river toward a waterfall, and I wanted to slow it down and speed it up all at once.

"I think the silver," Selene said, holding the dress against me. "It matches your hair. And Damon loves you in silver."

How did she know what Damon loved? I pushed the weird thought away. They were going to be family. Of course they talked.

"My lady Lyra!" A servant ran in, breathless. "Alpha Damon has arrived. He's in the garden and insists on seeing you."

My heart jumped. "But he's not supposed to be here! It's tradition to stay apart before..."

"Since when has Damon ever followed tradition?" Selene's laugh sounded like breaking glass. Pretty but sharp.

I ran. Forget dignity. Forget the dresses. Damon was here.

The garden exploded with color when I saw him. Or maybe that was just my magic responding to his presence. He stood by the fountain, all dark hair and dangerous smile, wearing jeans and a black shirt like he hadn't just broken a hundred years of protocol.

"You're not supposed to be here," I breathed.

"My wolf doesn't care about supposed to." He caught me as I flew into his arms, lifting me off my feet. "I had to see you. Three days felt like three years."

His kiss made my magic sing. Really sing. The garden lit up like noon at midnight, phoenix fire spreading from where our lips met until every flower glowed gold.

"I missed you too," I whispered against his mouth.

"I brought you something." He set me down but kept one arm around my waist, like he couldn't bear to stop touching me. His other hand pulled out a velvet box. "It's been in my family for generations. My mother wore it at her mating ceremony."

Inside lay a pendant that took my breath away. A moonstone the size of my thumb, wrapped in silver so delicate it looked like spider silk. The stone pulsed with its own light. Alive, almost.

"Damon, it's beautiful."

"May I?"

I lifted my hair and let him clasp it around my neck. The metal was cold. Too cold. My phoenix fire flickered and dimmed where the chain touched my skin.

"Perfect," he breathed, but he was looking at my face, not the pendant. "You're perfect."

Movement caught my eye. Selene stood at the window, watching us. Her expression shifted too fast to read. Longing? Anger? But then she smiled and waved, and I waved back.

"I should go," Damon said. "Your mother will have my head if she finds out I'm here. The seamstresses are probably waiting."

"Let them wait." But I was already pulling away, duty winning over desire like always.

He kissed me once more, quick but intense. "Three days, little phoenix. Then nothing will keep us apart."

I watched him leave, my hand touching the pendant. It pulsed against my chest, and for one second, pain shot through me like lightning. My magic recoiled, showing me something impossible. A vision of myself, screaming. Dying. The pendant glowing as it drained my power drop by drop.

"Lyra? Are you alright?"

Damon's voice shattered the vision. I blinked and found myself on my knees in the grass, his arms around me.

"I... I don't know. I saw..." What did I see? Already the vision was fading like a bad dream. "The pendant, it..."

"Wedding nerves," he said, helping me stand. His silver eyes held mine, steady and sure. "It's normal to feel overwhelmed. But I promise, everything will be perfect."

I nodded, letting him convince me. Because what else could it be but nerves? In three days, I would be mated to the most powerful Alpha in the territory. In three days, my life would truly begin.

So why did the moonstone feel like ice against my skin?