Chapter 4
1218 Words
Servants hurried through the halls carrying fabrics and decorations while pack wolves gathered near the courtyard discussing the upcoming Winter Moon Ceremony.
My ceremony.
My eighteenth birthday.
Usually by now, I would have been excited too.
The mating ceremony was one of the biggest events in Blackthorne territory. Every unmated wolf looked forward to their eighteenth because it was the moment the Moon Goddess revealed your fated mate.
For years, everyone had assumed mine would be one of the Blackthorne brothers.
Or maybe all four.
But lately…
I did not know what to believe anymore.
“You’re staring into space again.”
I blinked as Damon dropped into the chair beside me at breakfast.
“Am not.”
“You definitely are.”
For a second, relief warmed my chest.
Damon still felt normal.
Still felt like Damon.
Then Selene entered the dining hall.
Immediately, Rowan stood from his seat.
“Careful,” he said as she descended the staircase.
“I’m okay,” Selene laughed softly.
Kael smirked. “That’s not what you said five minutes ago.”
“That was before I nearly fell down the stairs.”
Damon laughed while Elias pulled out the chair beside him for her.
Again.
My seat.
Selene smiled gratefully before sitting down between Rowan and Elias like she had belonged there forever.
Nobody seemed to notice me stiffen.
Except Rowan.
Our eyes met briefly across the table.
For one second, I thought maybe he would say something.
Instead, he looked away first.
“Selene,” Damon grinned. “Tell Kael what you told me earlier.”
Selene immediately shook her head. “No.”
“You have to now.”
She laughed quietly while Kael narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“What did she say?”
“That she thinks you’re secretly the nicest brother.”
Kael looked horrified.
“I take back every nice thing I’ve ever done for you.”
“You’ve never done anything nice for anyone,” Elias muttered.
Selene giggled again.
The sound filled the room easily.
Natural.
Comfortable.
And once again, I felt like I was standing outside of something I used to belong to.
“Lyra.”
I looked up quickly.
Alpha Magnus stood near the doorway.
“I need to speak with you regarding your ceremony preparations.”
“Of course.”
I stood immediately, grateful for the excuse to leave the suffocating atmosphere behind.
The Alpha led me toward his office while servants rushed around carrying boxes of candles and silver decorations through the hallways.
“The elders are expecting a large turnout this year,” Magnus explained once we stepped inside.
I nodded quietly.
“Your birthday has been anticipated for a long time.”
Because of the brothers.
Because of the rumours.
Because everyone expected the future Luna bond to finally reveal itself.
Magnus studied me carefully.
“You seem distracted lately.”
“I’m fine.”
“You know you can speak to me honestly.”
For one dangerous second, I nearly did.
But then guilt twisted sharply in my stomach.
Selene had nowhere else to go.
She was frightened and vulnerable.
What kind of person would I be if I made problems for her?
“I’m just nervous about the ceremony,” I lied softly.
Magnus’s expression eased slightly.
“That’s understandable.”
I forced a small smile.
By the time I left his office, snow had started falling again outside the estate windows.
I walked through the lower gardens hoping the cold air would clear my head.
Instead, I froze when I spotted Selene standing beneath the stone archway alone.
The moment she noticed me, she smiled.
“Lyra.”
I hesitated before approaching slowly.
“You should wear a thicker cloak outside.”
Her smile widened slightly.
“You really are kind.”
The compliment unsettled me more than it should have.
“I try to be.”
Selene looked out across the snowy gardens quietly.
“They love you very much.”
My chest tightened faintly.
“The brothers.”
I swallowed carefully. “They’re family.”
“Hmm.”
Something about the sound made me look at her properly.
Selene’s expression remained soft.
But her eyes did not.
“You’re lucky,” she said quietly. “Most orphan girls would never be accepted into a family like theirs.”
The words hit harder than they should have.
Accepted.
Not belonged.
Accepted.
I forced myself to remain calm. “The Blackthornes have always treated me kindly.”
“Yes,” Selene agreed softly. “But kindness and love are not always the same thing.”
A strange chill ran down my spine.
Before I could answer, footsteps approached behind us.
Rowan.
His gaze immediately landed on Selene.
“There you are.”
Something ugly twisted inside my chest hearing the relief in his voice.
“I wanted some air,” Selene explained quietly.
“You shouldn’t be outside alone after everything that happened.”
“I’m perfectly safe here.”
His expression softened slightly.
“Yes. You are.”
Again.
That softness.
That protectiveness.
Selene looked between us before lowering her gaze suddenly.
“I should probably go back inside.”
She stepped around Rowan quickly.
But as she passed me, her shoulder brushed mine lightly.
Then she whispered quietly enough that only I could hear:
“You should stop looking at him like he already belongs to you.”
I froze.
Selene continued walking like nothing had happened.
My heart slammed violently against my ribs.
Rowan frowned slightly at my expression.
“What happened?”
I stared after Selene in disbelief.
“She—”
The words died in my throat instantly.
Because how insane would I sound?
Because even I barely believed it.
“Nothing,” I whispered.
Rowan studied me carefully.
Then sighed quietly.
“She’s trying, Lyra.”
I looked at him sharply.
“What?”
“Selene.” His jaw tightened slightly. “She’s nervous around you.”
Shock flooded through me.
“Nervous around me?”
“She thinks you dislike her.”
I actually laughed softly.
Not because anything was funny.
Because suddenly I understood exactly what Selene was doing.
“She told you that?”
“She didn’t have to.”
The disappointment in his voice hurt more than anger would have.
“I’ve noticed the tension myself.”
Tension.
Like this was somehow mutual.
“Rowan—”
“She’s been through enough already.” His voice remained calm, but firm. “You don’t have to like her, Lyra. But you do need to stop making her feel unwelcome.”
My chest tightened painfully.
“Did you even ask what happened before deciding I was the problem?”
Silence.
That silence answered everything.
For the first time in years…
Rowan Blackthorne was looking at me like he no longer trusted me completely.
And I hated how much that broke me.
That evening, I stood alone outside my bedroom while laughter echoed faintly from downstairs.
Selene’s laughter.
Damon’s.
Kael’s.
Even Rowan’s low voice drifted upward occasionally.
I stared down at the silver moon pendant hanging around my neck.
A gift from Rowan years ago.
He had once promised me:
“You’ll never face anything alone.”
But now?
I was beginning to realise I already was.
- Writer
