Rejected by My Alpha, Claimed by Three

CHAPTER 4: ASH

Darian had said it three times, and each time it sounded more like an order before Lyra picked up her bag and walked toward the door.

"Lyra." He caught her there, one hand braced against the frame, blocking her path. "It isn't safe."

"Neither was staying in that courtyard five years ago, and I survived that too." She hadn't meant to say it so sharply. She said it anyway. "I need my own bed, my own coffee, and one hour of my own life before anyone else decides what I'm allowed to do with it."

He let her go. Not because he wanted to. She could see the argument sitting behind his teeth, the Alpha in him fully capable of ordering her to stay and being obeyed. But something in his face changed, as though he had finally understood that spending the last of her trust on a locked door wasn't a price worth paying.

So he stepped aside. Lyra walked out.

Her apartment building looked exactly as she'd left it the morning before. Gray brick. Tired elevator. The smell of someone's turmeric cooking drifting from the second floor. Ordinary. Safe. She wanted to stand in the lobby and let that ordinariness soak into her until it rinsed the last twelve hours out of her skin.

"Morning, Miss Quinn."

She knew the voice before she turned. She'd heard it almost every weekday morning for the last two years, coming from the small coffee cart wedged into the corner of the lobby.

"Ash."

He was already holding out her order. The same cup. The same lid. The same small paper sleeve. Exactly the way he made it every morning.

Lyra took it out of habit before her mind caught up to what her body already knew. The pull hit her so hard she nearly dropped the cup. Not the low ache Adrian had stirred. Not the tight, familiar warmth of Darian. This was different. A full-body recognition, sudden and total, like a lock turning after five years of being rusted shut.

Her wolf didn't lift its head this time. It went completely still.

Ash's expression changed the moment he saw her face. He didn't smile. He simply watched her, patient and almost sad, as though he'd been waiting a very long time for this moment.

"You're shaking," he said.

"You made me coffee." Her voice sounded strange, distant. "You've made me coffee for two years."

"Seven hundred and thirty-one mornings, actually." There was no pride in his voice. Only a quiet confession. "I counted."

Lyra slowly set the cup on the counter. Her hand wouldn't stop trembling. "You knew who I was."

Ash said nothing.

"All this time." She looked at him. "Every morning. Every joke about my landlord." Her chest tightened. "You watched me build a life two floors above you and never said a word."

"I watched you survive."

The words came quietly. "That's not the same thing."

Something in his face tightened. "I knew you needed a life that belonged to you. I wasn't going to take that away before you were ready."

"Ready for what?"

His eyes held hers. "For this."

He glanced between them. The pull in Lyra's chest tightened again. She swallowed. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't know if you would believe me."

"You could have tried."

"I thought I'd have more time." Something raw slipped into his voice. He looked away for a moment. "I didn't think it would happen like this."

"Like what?"

Ash looked back at her. "With everyone suddenly coming for you."

Lyra's stomach tightened. "What do you know?"

He hesitated. That hesitation told her more than she wanted it to. "Tell me."

Ash lowered his voice. "You didn't run from Silvercrest five years ago."

Lyra stared at him.

"You were sent away."

Her heart stumbled. "What?"

"Someone arranged it before Darian ever stood in that courtyard."

"Who?"

Ash glanced toward the lobby entrance. "Not here."

"You can't say it?"

"Not safely."

She stared at him. "You knew?"

"I knew enough."

"And you watched me live here for two years without telling me?"

His jaw tightened. "I watched you become yourself again."

The anger in her chest faltered. Ash reached across the cart and gently closed his hand around hers. Warm. Careful. The moment their skin touched, the pull surged through her. Ash's breath caught. His eyes dropped to their hands. For the first time, she saw something unguarded in his expression. Not surprise. Something closer to relief.

He slowly lifted his gaze. "I wanted to tell you."

"Then tell me now."

"I will." His thumb brushed over the back of her hand before he stopped himself. "Give me one hour. I'll tell you what I can."

Lyra searched his face. She wanted to find a lie. She couldn't. "One hour."

He nodded. Then his eyes shifted past her. Everything about him changed. The warmth disappeared. His shoulders straightened. His body went still, alert in a way she had never seen before.

Lyra followed his gaze. The glass doors at the front of the lobby had opened. A man walked inside. He wasn't rushing. He wasn't looking around. He entered as though he belonged there. He was dressed too well for the neighborhood, his dark coat perfectly fitted, his expression relaxed. Almost friendly.

His eyes found Lyra. He smiled. "There she is."

Ash moved before Lyra could react. He stepped between them. The easygoing man behind the coffee cart was gone. The man standing in front of her looked nothing like the easygoing stranger who had been serving her coffee.

The newcomer stopped several feet away. His smile widened. "We've been looking for you for five years, Lyra Quinn."

Her pulse jumped. Ash said nothing.

The man looked at him. Then he laughed softly. "And here you've been." His gaze returned to Lyra. "Hiding in plain sight."

Ash's hand tightened at his side.

The stranger tilted his head. "Ash." The name sounded almost affectionate. "It's been a long time."

Lyra looked at Ash. He didn't answer.

The man took another step forward. "Nothing to say?" Still nothing. His smile faded slightly. "Or should I introduce myself to Lyra before you do?" He glanced at the coffee cart. "After all, you've had two years to keep her all to yourself."

Lyra's stomach dropped. She looked from the stranger to Ash. "Who is he?"

Ash's voice came low. "Callum."

The stranger smiled again. "Nice to finally meet you, Lyra." He paused. "Though I suppose you've already heard my name."

Lyra frowned. "No."

Callum's eyes flicked toward Ash. "That's interesting."

Ash stepped closer to Lyra. "Don't."

Callum's smile disappeared. "You still think you can protect her?"

Lyra's pulse quickened. Protect her? From what?

Callum looked directly at her. "Darian never told you, did he?"

"Told me what?"

Callum's gaze shifted briefly toward Ash. "That sending you away wasn't his idea."

The words hit harder than they should have. Lyra stared at Ash. He didn't deny it.

And suddenly, the ordinary life Lyra had built over the last five years didn't feel ordinary anymore.