Chapter Fourteen
1042 Words
The hall still echoed faintly with music and laughter, but outside the Alpha chambers, the world felt silent… too silent. Lyra stood alone where Kael had left her after Selene requested a private audience. She had nodded and stepped out like he ordered — because that was what a mate was supposed to do.
But the moment the door closed between them, something inside her had cracked.
He chose to speak to her alone… again.
He left me outside like I’m nothing.
Why does it hurt so much?
She wrapped her arms around herself. The evening air was cool, brushing across her bare arms, but her chest felt tight, suffocating. Everything from the feast replayed — Selene’s smug smile, the way Kael’s cold eyes softened only when looking at her… the way he didn’t look at Lyra even once.
Her heart squeezed painfully.
She needed air.
She needed space.
She needed… to stop feeling this way.
Slowly, she began to walk away from the chamber door, down the moonlit path behind the palace that led toward the gardens. She knew she wasn’t supposed to wander alone, but she couldn’t breathe in there anymore.
Why do I care? Why?
I shouldn’t care.
He doesn’t want me. He never did.
She swallowed hard, vision blurring slightly.
A low rustling sound cut through her thoughts.
Lyra froze.
Silence.
Then — a quiet growl.
The hairs along her neck stood upright. Her heart hammered. Before she could turn—
A shadow launched toward her.
Claws slashed across her shoulder, burning pain ripping through flesh. Lyra screamed, stumbling backward, hitting the ground hard. A large wolf loomed over her, silver fur shimmering, eyes blazing with hatred. Saliva dripped from its teeth.
Selene.
Lyra’s breath caught. Terror crashed through her — she couldn’t fight a wolf. She was human. She was supposed to be helpless.
The wolf snarled and raised its paw again—
Something inside Lyra snapped.
Not fear.
Not instinct to run.
Something older.
Something buried deep.
Something that did not cower.
For a heartbeat, the world held still. Lyra's vision shimmered — gold flickered in her eyes like fire passing through amber.
A pulse of power burst from her chest — invisible yet forceful — knocking the wolf back a step.
Selene froze, shock rippling through her wild form.
Lyra blinked, gasping, the glow vanishing as quickly as it came. Her head spun, pain radiating through her shoulder as blood soaked her gown.
“What… what was that…?” she whispered, shaking.
The wolf hesitated — fear mixing with rage. Selene’s eyes widened, confusion and fury flashing in them.
Human girls do not have power.
Human mates do not resist wolves.
Selene’s lips curled back in animal frustration — she prepared to pounce again—
Kael’s roar split the night.
“LYRA!”
The wolf whipped its head toward the palace. Heavy footsteps pounded closer — fast, furious, primal. Selene backed away immediately, ears flattening, then turned and sprinted into the shadows of the trees just as Kael burst into view.
His eyes were glowing molten gold, fangs bared, rage rolling off him like a storm. He skidded to his knees beside Lyra, grabbing her shoulders—
Then he saw the blood.
His entire body went still.
The world stopped.
Lyra tried to speak but her voice came out faint. “Alpha… I—”
“Quiet,” he snapped, not harsh — desperate. He touched the wound, fingers trembling just once before he forced them still.
His wolf snarled violently inside him, voice feral:
Ours. Hurt. Hunt. Kill.
Kael’s jaw locked, muscles trembling with barely controlled fury. His eyes swept the darkness, searching for the attacker. For a moment it seemed like he’d shift right there and tear the forest apart.
But Lyra’s breathing hitched — soft, pained.
His head snapped down, eyes burning into her. He cursed under his breath — sharp, angry, savage.
He wanted to chase.
He wanted blood.
But instinct chained him to her side — brutal, irresistible.
He scooped her into his arms — not gently. More like possession. More like instinct dragging him.
“You shouldn’t have left the chamber,” he growled, voice low, dangerous.
Lyra blinked weakly, dizzy. “I… needed air…”
“That is not your decision to make.”
He held her tighter — enough to make her wince. His nostrils flared as he inhaled the scent of her blood, fury rippling through him.
“Why didn’t you come back inside after Selene left?” he demanded, voice sharp, but beneath it — strain. “Why did you walk out here alone?”
Lyra swallowed, vision blurring. “I… thought you didn’t… want me there.”
A flicker — something raw — crossed his face. He shoved it down instantly.
“This isn’t about what I want. You obey because you are mine.”
His voice was ice again, but his hold didn’t loosen.
She winced in pain. “You didn’t look like you cared when I left…”
For a moment, silence stretched between them.
Kael’s jaw tightened so hard a muscle ticked. His eyes weren’t cold now — they were furious, unsettled.
He looked away abruptly, as if ashamed of something he’d never admit.
“Care or not, you do not leave without my command.” His voice cracked like iron. “Understand?”
Lyra didn’t answer. Her eyes fluttered shut from pain.
Kael’s heart lurched. Instinct screamed again:
Protect her. Heal her. Keep her.
He exhaled sharply through his teeth — like the instinct itself offended him. Then he strode back toward the palace with her in his arms, each step rigid, controlled anger burning through him.
Behind them, hidden in the shadows, Selene watched.
She shifted back into human form, clutching her arm where the strange pulse had hit her. Her eyes were wide, shaken.
“That light… her eyes…” she whispered. “Impossible.”
Humans didn’t do that.
Humans didn’t push back wolves.
Humans didn’t bleed like wolves either — and Lyra’s blood still sparkled faintly under the moonlight where drops touched leaves.
Selene’s lips curled into a thin razor-smile.
“She isn’t human,” she breathed.
“And I will find out what she is.”
- Writer
