Chosen In Daylight
904 Words
I didn’t sleep.
Not really.
Every time I closed my eyes, I felt his mouth on mine again.
And that’s the problem.
It wasn’t just heat.
It felt like being seen.
And somehow… that’s worse.
Morning comes too fast.
The pack house is already awake when I step inside. Conversations don’t fade gradually.
They stop.
Instantly.
They know.
Of course they know.
Wolves smell everything.
Whispers rise before I reach the stairs.
“She was with him.” “The King Beast.” “After being rejected?” “How shameless.”
My chest tightens.
Shameless.
Funny how quickly a rejected woman becomes a disgrace instead of a victim.
I keep walking.
I will not cry here.
But when I push my bedroom door open, my hands are shaking.
What am I doing?
Kael was supposed to be my future. Even if he rejected me, at least that pain was familiar. Predictable.
This?
This feels like stepping into fire on purpose.
A knock hits my door.
I freeze.
“Lyra.” Mira.
I open it.
She walks in without waiting, shuts the door, inhales once—
“You smell like him.”
Heat floods my face. “Lower your voice.”
“So it’s true?”
Silence.
That’s answer enough.
Mira exhales sharply. “Lyra… he’s not a rogue. He’s the Beast King.”
“I know.”
“Do you?” she snaps. “Getting involved with him isn’t rebellion. It’s politics.”
Everything here is politics.
“I didn’t plan this,” I whisper.
That’s the truth.
I didn’t wake up wanting him.
I woke up wanting the hurting to stop.
And somehow… he made it quiet.
Mira studies me.
“Do you like him?”
The question cuts deeper than judgment.
Do I?
I think about the way he asked me to say no.
The way he didn’t grab.
The way he stood beside me — not in front, not above.
My throat tightens.
“Yes.”
The word feels fragile.
Mira closes her eyes. “Kael is furious.”
Something twists inside me.
“Why?”
She stares. “You really don’t see it?”
“He rejected me.”
“Yes. But you were supposed to stay broken.”
That hits.
A rejected omega is meant to shrink. To grieve. To stay small.
Not to kiss the most powerful male in the region two nights later.
My pulse spikes.
Before Mira can say more, the pack bond ripples.
Heavy.
Powerful.
Not Kael.
Him.
My wolf lifts her head.
Not fear.
Not submission.
Awareness.
He’s near.
My heart slams against my ribs.
Mira stiffens. “He’s here? In daylight?”
“He said he wouldn’t leave unless I asked.”
The words slip out.
Mira looks horrified. “Lyra… this is how wars start.”
But I’m already moving.
The courtyard is thick with tension when I step outside.
Pack members gather in a wide circle.
Watching.
And there he is.
Standing in the center like he doesn’t require permission to exist.
Dark clothing. Calm posture. Amber eyes scanning—
Until they find me.
Everything else fades.
Kael steps forward from the opposite side.
Of course he does.
“This is private territory,” Kael says coldly.
The King Beast doesn’t look at him.
He looks at me.
“I came to see if you were well.”
Not dominance.
Not challenge.
Concern.
My throat tightens.
“I’m fine.”
Lie.
Kael’s jaw hardens. “You will not parade into my pack because of a moment of weakness.”
Weakness.
The Beast King’s gaze sharpens slightly. “If she wishes me gone, I will leave.”
Again—
Choice.
Every eye turns to me.
This is the moment.
I should step back.
I should say it meant nothing.
That I was emotional.
That it was a mistake.
That would calm the pack.
That would soothe Kael’s pride.
My mouth opens.
I try.
But when I look at him, I see no pressure. No command.
Only patience.
He would leave.
If I asked.
And for some reason… that makes me not want him to.
“I don’t want him to leave.”
Silence crashes down.
Kael’s disbelief is almost visible.
“You’re choosing him?”
“I’m choosing what doesn’t make me feel small.”
Gasps ripple outward.
My hands tremble, but I don’t step back.
The Beast King moves closer. Not touching.
Just near enough that I feel his warmth.
“You do not have to defend this alone,” he murmurs.
That nearly breaks me.
Kael’s voice drops dangerously. “You will regret this.”
Maybe.
But regret feels better than invisibility.
“I already regretted staying.”
Something fractures in Kael’s expression.
He turns and walks away.
This time, it doesn’t feel like he’s leaving me.
It feels like I left him.
The courtyard slowly empties.
And it’s just us.
“You’ve made this harder for yourself,” the Beast King says quietly.
“I know.”
“Do you still wish me here?”
I look at him.
A male who could conquer territory… but asks for my permission instead.
“Yes.”
His hand brushes mine.
Not claiming.
Just touching.
And somehow that feels more binding than any ceremony.
I don’t know what this is yet.
Rebound. Rebellion. Fate.
All I know is—
When he’s near, I don’t feel rejected.
And right now…
That’s enough.
- Writer
