LYRA’S POV
The car rolled to a stop outside the Moonveil Pack house.
I stared at the familiar gates, the ancient oaks lining the driveway, the grand mansion where I’d grown up.
My heart pounded against my ribs.
I turned to Kael, who sat beside me in the back seat.
“Before we go in there,” I said carefully, “there are a few things I’d like us to agree on.”
“Rules?” he repeated flatly.
“You have rules for me?”
I swallowed hard.
“Okay.
Let me rephrase.
There are a few things we both need to do if we want this visit to stay peaceful.”
He raised a brow.
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
“Kael…
I mean, Alpha…”
“Just Kael,” he corrected.
“Call me Kael.”
I nodded.
“Okay.
Kael.
My brother is in there, probably holding my ex-husband hostage.”
I noticed him doing it again—twirling his ring over his knuckle.
I was starting to recognize the habit.
I continued.
“And I’d like whatever happens in there to go smoothly.
No bloodshed.”
“I have no issue with your brother or the Moonveil Pack.”
I nodded.
“That’s good to hear.
What about Cassian?
Can you promise to remain calm in there, no matter what?”
“Lyra,” he sighed, “you’ve known me for what, two or three days?” His eyes met mine.
“When have I ever been anything but calm?”
I studied him carefully: the calm mask, the steady gaze, the controlled stillness of his body.
I could only hope he stayed that way through the entire visit.
“Okay then.
Let’s go in.”
He reached into his jacket, pulling out a small bottle of pills.
He grabbed a bottle of water from the side compartment and swallowed one down.
“If you don’t mind me asking,” I said carefully, “what are those pills for?”
He capped the bottle and slid it back into his pocket.
“Are we going in or not?” he asked.
What a way to change the subject.
Kael stepped out first.
Nikola got out next and opened my door.
I stepped out and stood at the gate, taking a deep breath.
The familiar scent of Moonveil territory washed over me, carrying the faint trace of wildflowers I’d always loved.
Before I could take another step, a few guards rushed out.
They froze mid-step.
“Luna?” one of them breathed.
Then more people gathered—guards, pack members, even pups—all watching the heiress who’d left without looking back.
I felt their eyes on me, the weight of their stares pressing against my skin.
My hands trembled at my sides, and my legs shook despite how firmly I planted my feet.
Suddenly, I felt breath fanning against my ear.
“Is there a staring competition going on in Moonveil?” Kael’s voice was low, amused.
I almost laughed but held it in.
Then the crowd finally noticed the man behind me.
Their eyes widened, and several mouths fell open.
Then, one by one, they dropped to their knees.
“Alpha Kael!”
Someone in the crowd gasped.
“Alpha of the Bloodmoon Pack?
In Moonveil?”
“Please rise,” Kael said smoothly.
“I’m not here to cause trouble.
I’m just visiting my wife’s family.”
A ripple of gasps went through the crowd as they exchanged glances.
My wife’s family.
The words sent a strange thrill through me.
Kael took my hand and led me through the gates as the pack members hurried back to their feet behind us.
Walking into the pack house where I’d grown up—the same house I’d left when I married Cassian—brought a flood of emotions I could barely contain.
Memories washed over me.
My mother’s laughter in the kitchen.
My father’s voice echoing through the halls.
Rowan chasing me through the corridors when we were pups.
I had left all of this for him.
We reached the entrance and I stopped mid-step.
Kael turned to me, probably expecting me to go in first.
I slowly lifted my hand and rang the doorbell.
The door opened almost immediately.
Carlos, my father’s beta, stood in the doorway.
“Lyra?” He blinked.
“What…
how…”
Then his gaze shifted beside me.
The moment his eyes landed on Kael, they went wide.
They nearly popped out of their sockets.
He turned back and yelled into the house.
“Rowan!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We were all seated in my father’s living room.
The tension was thicker than the fog that sometimes rolled in from the mountains.
Kael sat beside me, his presence a steady anchor.
Across from us sat Rowan, Carlos, and my father, Alpha Elias Ravenwood.
Their gazes kept drifting back to Kael, as if they were still trying to figure out whether he was real.
“I’m sorry,” Rowan said, his voice tight.
“But can you repeat what you just said?”
I cleared my throat.
“I divorced Cassian a few days ago.
And now…” I gestured beside me.
“I’m married to Alpha Kael Hart.”
Carlos almost fell off his chair.
My father straightened, his eyes fixed on Kael.
“Alpha Kael.
I apologize for the poor welcome.
But as you can see, my daughter is finally home after years of…”
“Dad!” I cut in.
“Please.”
He continued anyway.
“You’re welcome in Moonveil, of course.
But clearly, my daughter has lost her mind.
The two of you ending up together…” He gestured between us.
“Let’s just say it’s unexpected.
So if you don’t mind me asking, what brought you here?”
Kael sat up and reached into his jacket.
He pulled out a folded piece of paper and placed it on the table.
“Proof,” he said simply.
Carlos took the paper and passed it to my father.
He opened it, scanned the contents…
and his eyes went wide.
“A marriage certificate?” He looked between us.
Rowan snatched it from him, his face darkening as he read it once, then again.
When he looked up, his gaze was piercing.
“What is this?” he demanded.
“A joke?
A trick?”
Kael spoke calmly.
“I owe you an explanation.
Circumstances forced us to act quickly, so Lyra and I registered our marriage privately.
The decision was mine, and I take full responsibility.”
He paused, letting the words sink in.
“But that doesn’t mean we intended any disrespect toward your family or this pack.
We’ve come today to ask for your blessing and formally invite you to our marriage ceremony.”
My head snapped toward him.
What was he talking about?