LYRA’S POV
I stood in the doorway, my heart pounding, my hands trembling at my side.
The flower the pup had given me was still clutched in my fingers, its petals soft against my skin.
I took a step inside.
Then another.
Axel turned to me, his expression shifting.
I extended my hand toward him.
“I’m Lyra Raven…”
“Lyra Hart.” Kael’s voice cut through the room.
“That’s her name.”
I glanced at him, then back at Axel.
A small smile tugged at my lips.
“I’ll get used to it.”
Axel shook my hand, his grip firm and respectful.
“I’m Axel.
Kael’s Beta and Assistant.” He smiled warmly.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Luna.”
“Lyra,” I corrected gently.
“Just Lyra.”
He nodded, then glanced at Kael.
“I’ll be outside if you need me.”
He walked out, closing the door softly behind him.
The silence that followed was deafening.
I turned around and sat across from Kael.
His eyes were fixed on me, unreadable.
My hands twisted in my lap as I tried to find the right words.
“When were you going to tell me?” I asked, my voice quiet but steady.
“Lyra, listen…”
“Kael, I asked you a question.” I took a deep breath, steadying myself.
“I asked you about the cure.
About the pills you were taking.
And you lied to me.
You made me believe that…”
“Would it change anything?”
I blinked.
“What?”
He leaned forward, his eyes boring into mine.
“If I had told you the truth.
Would it have changed anything?”
I opened my mouth, but the words wouldn’t come.
“I’m sure you heard everything.” He sat back, his expression flat.
“My mate is the cure.
And you’re not that person.
So you can’t really blame me if I chose not to tell you.”
I stood abruptly, my chair scraping against the floor.
“Kael, we signed a contract.
You made me believe that I had your protection.
That I was safe.
And now what?
You don’t even have much time left?”
He stood as well, his voice calm.
“You don’t have to worry about that.
Dead or alive, I’ll keep my promise to you.”
“What about me?” My voice cracked.
“What happens to me afterwards?
Have you thought about that?”
He was quiet for a moment.
Then he stepped closer, his voice softening.
“You’re young, Lyra.
You’d definitely find someone who deserves you out there.”
The words hit me like a physical blow.
He doesn’t know.
He doesn’t know that I’m already his.
That maybe… I’ve always been his.
Kiara stirred inside me, desperate and pleading.
‘Tell him.
Please, Lyra.
Tell him the truth.’
But I couldn’t.
How could I tell him that I was his mate?
That I’d felt the bond the moment he touched me at Moonveil?
That I was the one he’d been waiting for all along?
I blinked back the tears threatening to fall.
My throat burned.
My chest ached.
I nodded slowly.
Then I turned and walked out of the room.
The door closed behind me, and I leaned against the wall, squeezing my eyes shut.
‘You’re a coward,’ Kiara whispered.
I know, Kiara.
I know.
But I wasn’t ready.
Not yet.
Not when he’d already made peace with dying.
I pushed off the wall and walked away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Later that night, I stepped out of the shower, steam curling around me like a warm embrace.
I slid into my nightwear, a simple silk set, modest and comfortable, and twisted my damp hair into a messy bun on top of my head.
I grabbed a pillow from the bed.
Then another.
I tucked my phone into the pocket of my robe and walked toward the door.
I can’t stay in that room tonight.
Not after everything.
Not after what he said.
Not when I can still feel his touch on my skin.
I stepped into the hallway, the cool air brushing against my bare arms.
And then I saw him.
Kael approached from the other side, his movements fluid and deliberate.
He stopped in front of me, his eyes dropping to the pillow clutched against my chest.
“Where are you going with that?” he asked.
I tried to walk past him without answering.
But his hand shot out, wrapping around my arm.
I yanked my arm back, the touch sending a jolt through me that I couldn’t control.
“Move out of the way,” I said, my voice flat.
“I asked you a question, Lyra.” His tone was calm, but there was steel beneath it.
“Where do you think you’re going with those pillows?”
I held his gaze, refusing to look away.
“I’m spending the night in the living room.”
He blinked.
“What?”
I walked past him, my heart pounding.
I didn’t make it far.
Before I could take three steps, I was lifted off the ground.
Kael had thrown me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing.
“Put me down!” I yelled, hitting his back with my fists.
“Kael!
Put me down right now!”
He didn’t respond.
He just kept walking, carrying me back toward the bedroom.
“Kael, I swear to the Moon Goddess…”
“You can swear all you want.” His voice was infuriatingly calm.
“You’re not sleeping in the living room.”
“Watch me!”
He pushed open the bedroom door and walked inside.
Then he dropped me onto the bed.
The mattress bounced beneath me, and I scrambled backward, pressing myself against the headboard.
“What is wrong with you?” I demanded.
He stood at the foot of the bed, his arms crossed, his eyes fixed on me.
“I’m the one who should be asking that question,” he said.
“Why are you running away?”
“I’m not running away.
I just…”
“You’ve been quiet ,” he cut in.
“You’ve been avoiding me since you found out about the cure.”
“Lyra.” His voice softened.
“Whatever you’re feeling right now, whatever’s going through your head, you can talk to me.
That’s what this marriage is supposed to be about.”
I looked away.
“I don’t want to talk.”
“Then what do you want?”
The question hung in the air between us.
I didn’t have an answer.
I don’t even know what I wanted.
All I knew was that being near him was torture….
but being away from him was worse.
“I want to sleep,” I finally said.
“Alone.
In the living room.”
His jaw tightened.
“No.”
“Kael…”
“You’re sleeping in this bed tonight.” He turned toward the door and locked it.
I stared at his back.
“What?”
I scoffed, crossing my arms over my chest.
“If you think I’m spending this night with you, in this room…” I met his gaze, my voice dripping with defiance.
“Then you’ve got something else coming your way, Alpha.”
The words had barely left my mouth when he moved.
One moment he was across the room.
The next, his hand was around my neck, pressing me against the wall.
Not hard enough to hurt.
….
but firm enough to make a point.
To remind me exactly who I was dealing with.
I gasped, my eyes widening.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
His face was inches from mine, his breath fanning across my skin.
His eyes were dark, intense, burning with something I couldn’t name.
“I warned you, Lyra.” His voice was low, dangerously low.
“Do not speak to me with that tone.”
Something was definitely wrong with me.
Because at this moment, pinned against the wall, his hand around my neck, his body so close I could feel the heat radiating from him… I was supposed to feel fear.
Pain.
Anger.
But all I felt was pleasure.
His touch sent electricity through my veins.
Every nerve ending in my body came alive, singing with a need I didn’t understand.
My skin burned where he touched me.
My breath came in shallow gasps.
“Kael…” I tried to push his hand away, but he held firm.
“You’re spending the night here.” His voice was steel wrapped in silk.
“Right beside me.
Do you understand?”
I glared at him, my jaw tight.
“Yes.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said yes.” The words came out sharp, defiant.
His eyes narrowed.
“Yes, what?”
I clenched my thighs together, swallowing hard against the sudden dryness in my throat.
The heat pooling in my stomach was unbearable.
“Yes, Alpha.”
The words hung in the air between us.
His grip on my neck loosened slightly.
Something flickered in his eyes….
surprise, maybe.
Or satisfaction.
It was gone before I could name it.
He released me and stepped back.
“Good girl.” His voice was quiet.
“Now get in bed.”
I stood there for a moment, my heart racing.
Then I walked to the bed and climbed in, pulling the sheets up to my chin.
Kael climbed in on the other side, his back to me.
I stared at the ceiling, my pulse still pounding.
What is wrong with me?
Why does his touch feel like that?
Why do I want more?
Kiara stirred inside me, warm and satisfied.
‘Because he’s ours.
He’s always been ours.’
He doesn’t know that.
And I’m not ready to tell him.
But as I lay there in the darkness, listening to the soft rhythm of his breathing, a terrifying thought crossed my mind.
“Am I falling for him?”