Chapter 42: Fault Lines
(Robert's POV)
The moon hung low and heavy in the sky, casting long shadows across the training grounds. I stood alone, my breath misting in the cool night air as I tried to make sense of the turmoil in my mind. The events of the past few weeks played on repeat in my head - Lyra's kindness, her unwavering compassion, the way she'd stood up to Father without flinching.
And me. The way I'd changed. The way I'd stood beside her, defying Father for the first time in my life.
"What the hell is wrong with me?" I muttered, running a hand through my hair in frustration.
But even as I asked the question, I knew the answer. It was Lyra. She'd awakened something in me, something I'd thought long dead. Emotions I'd been taught to suppress, to see as weakness, were bubbling to the surface, impossible to ignore.
The realization hit me like a physical blow. I, Robert, heir to the Rogue pack and Father's perfect weapon, was falling in love.