Chapter Ten
The Alpha’s Bargain
Kael dreamed of fire.
Not the kind that destroyed — but the kind that purified. It licked the edges of his thoughts, curling through the darkness like a serpent made of heat and memory. He saw Lyra standing in the Hollow again, her eyes glowing, her voice echoing in a language the gods had forgotten.
And then he heard it — the whisper.
His name.
Spoken not with affection.
But claim.
“Kael…”
He jolted awake, chest heaving, sweat slicking his skin despite the chill air.
The cave around him was dim, lit only by the embers of the central fire. Lyra lay curled beneath layers of fur a few feet away, her body still for the first time in days. Her silver hair fanned out over the makeshift bedding, her face finally soft.
Kael sat up slowly.
That whisper h
