THE MOON GODDESS’S FORBIDDEN KING

WHY ME

Lyra’s POV

“Run.”

The woman’s voice cut out, and with it went every bit of warmth left in my body.

I just stood there, frozen in the narrow passageway, staring at Kael’s gold eyes. He was close—too close. I couldn’t really see him in the dark, not clearly, but I felt him. The air between us suddenly felt cramped and tense, like danger could spring out at any second.

Kael c****d his head. “What did you hear?”

I blinked, trying to look innocent. “What?”

His eyes narrowed. “You heard something.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Lyra.” He said my name in a way that made my stomach knot, but not in a gentle way. There was a warning in it now.

I crossed my arms tight. “I heard you being annoying.”

He didn’t even react. “That isn’t what I meant.”

“Then you should’ve asked a better question.”

At that, the silence stretched between us. Then he stepped forward. I stepped back. He advanced again. My back hit the wall. Fantastic. Of course.

He stopped in front of me, blocking out what little light there was. He was taller than I’d realized back in the carriage. Big enough to make me feel even smaller. I tried not to let it show that he unsettled me. I failed.

“Why were you running?” he asked.

“I wasn’t.”

“You opened a hidden passage.”

“I was exploring.”

“In the middle of the night?”

“Yes.”

“In a palace you’ve been forbidden to leave.”

I lifted my chin, refusing to shrink away. “I was stretching.”

His mouth twitched. “You’re lying.”

“You’re very observant.”

“Lyra.”

“What?”

“Answer me.”

There was something new in his voice. My heart thudded hard in my chest. I wasn’t sure what scared me more: that this man might be dangerous, or that, somewhere deep down, I doubted he’d ever actually hurt me. That was even more terrifying.

I shoved that thought away.

“You locked me in my room.”

He didn’t blink. “Correct.”

“So I tried to leave.”

“Also correct.”

“Then there you go.”

His gaze pierced through me. “You heard something.”

I stilled, hating how fast he always caught on. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He studied me for several tense seconds, and his eyes traced over my face. My throat grew tight. There’s something deeply unsettling about getting looked at by a man who claims he’s waited for you for twenty years, especially since I had no idea what that even meant.

I’d been trying to make sense of it ever since I stepped into his carriage. Twenty years. I was twenty. That realization slammed into me so fast I nearly gasped.

Kael’s gaze sharpened. “What?”

“You said you’ve waited for me for twenty years,” I said.

His face went blank. “I did.”

“I’m twenty.”

“I know.”

My mouth went dry. “How long have you known me?”

He didn’t answer.

I clenched my fists, old anger rising up. “Of course.” I pushed off the wall, tried to get past him, but his hand shot out and caught my wrist.

I stopped and stared at his hand, then up at him. “Let go.”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because we’re not finished.”

“You’re right.” His grip loosened and I yanked free. “We’re not.”

Kael’s eyebrow flicked upward. I stepped closer, and for once, he didn’t move.

“Why me?” I blurted, before I lost my courage.

He didn’t even blink. “What?”

“Why did you choose me?”

“I’ve told you—”

“No, you haven’t.”

“Yes, I have.”

“You told me you were waiting for me. That’s not an answer.”

His jaw tightened.

I kept going. “Why did you buy me from my father?”

“I didn’t buy you.”

I stopped. “You didn’t?”

“No.”

I frowned, now honestly confused. “Then what happened?”

He clammed up again.

I threw my hands up. “Gods, do you enjoy this?”

He frowned. “Enjoy what?”

“Talking like some ancient prophecy.”

A laugh escaped his chest, low and real. Shock flickered through me, seeing the actual Wolf King laugh—not loud or long, but enough to change his whole face. Just for a moment, I forgot to be angry. Then I remembered.

“Don’t do that.”

His smile faded. “Do what?”

“Look almost human.”

His eyebrows rose. Immediate regret hit me—not because I was scared, not really. I just wasn’t sure insulting the Wolf King in a secret passage was entirely wise.

He took a step closer. I held my ground.

“Almost human?” he repeated.

“That’s what I heard.”

“Who told you that?”

“Everyone.”

His eyes went darker. “People are always afraid of things they don’t understand.”

“And am I supposed to not be afraid of you?”

That landed between us, sharp and unexpected. I hadn’t meant to say it, but it was out there. Kael looked at me. Really looked. Then he took a step back.

“No.”

That threw me off. “No?”

“No. You shouldn’t.”

“Why?”

“Because I would never hurt you.”

I let out a hard, disbelieving laugh. “You kidnapped me.”

“Your father gave you to me.”

“You keep saying that like it makes a difference.”

“It’s accurate.”

“It doesn’t make me less of a prisoner.”

Something changed in his eyes. The humor was gone. “I didn’t bring you here to imprison you.”

I crossed my arms, skeptical. “The locked door begs to differ.”

“I locked it because there are things in this palace that can kill you.”

I paused, suddenly uneasy. “Things?”

“Yes.”

“What things?”

“Things you don’t need to know about.”

I shot him a flat look. “That’s becoming your favorite answer.”

“Maybe because you ask too many questions.”

“Or maybe because everyone around me is hiding something.”

His eyes turned stormy. I wished I could take the words back—not because they were wrong, but because of the way he suddenly looked at me, almost like I’d hurt him.

I broke eye contact first.

“Who was the woman in my head?”

Silence. I froze. I’d said it.

His gaze sharpened. “What woman?”

I swallowed. Too late to walk it back. “The woman.”

“What did she say?”

I hesitated. Kael noticed.

“What did she say, Lyra?”

I hugged myself tighter. “She told me to run.”

He stilled—everything about him froze. My own heart was thudding in my ears.

Then he brushed past me. “Where are you going?” I called.

“Back to your room.”

“What?”

“We’re leaving.”

“That’s it?”

He glanced at me, voice sharp. “Do you want to stay here?”

I looked down the dark passage. Something shifted far ahead, a soft breath in the dark.

“No.”

“Then move.”

So I followed him. Not because I trusted him—definitely not. I kept telling myself that. I followed him because whatever was breathing inside these walls was way scarier than the Wolf King.

We walked in silence. The passage twisted beneath the palace, but Kael strode like he knew the place by heart. Me? I only knew I was getting more lost by the second.

“How did you know I’d come this way?” I asked.

He said nothing.

I rolled my eyes. “Seriously?”

“I know my palace.”

“You knew I’d find the passage.”

“I suspected.”

“You were waiting for me.”

“Yes.”

I stopped where I stood. Kael took two more steps before noticing. He glanced back.

“You set me up?” I demanded.

He kept his cool. “I wanted to see what you’d do.”

My mouth dropped. “You locked me up just to test me?”

“I wanted to know if you still had your instincts.”

“My instincts?”

“Your curiosity.”

I gawked at him, then at the walls, then back. “You’re insane.”

He shrugged. “I’ve been called worse.”

“I hate you.”

“No, you don’t.”

I blinked. “What?”

He started walking again. I hurried after him. “Excuse me?”

“You don’t hate me.”

“I’ve only known you one day!”

“Exactly.”

“What’s that even supposed to mean?”

He glanced back, faint smile on his lips. “Hatred takes time.”

I halted. He didn’t. But my pride could only take so much, so I followed him again.

Eventually, the passage opened up behind a wall not far from my bedroom. Kael pushed a hidden panel, and warm firelight spilled out. I stepped into the corridor, and immediately, two guards straightened up, looking actually relieved. Why?

Kael followed me out. One of the guards bowed. “Your Majesty.”

“Increase the guard,” Kael said.

The guard hesitated. “Outside her rooms?”

Kael’s eyes went cold. “Did I stutter?”

“No, Your Majesty.” The man scurried off.

I gave Kael a glare. “You realize more guards don’t exactly help me believe I’m not a prisoner.”

He gave no answer.

I slipped into my room, the door still wide open. I turned around. “Are you coming in?”

“Yes.”

I stared. He stared right back.

“Why?”

“We need to talk.”

“We’ve been talking.”

“Properly.”

That sent a chill through me. Kael entered and shut the door, but didn’t lock it. I caught that immediately. So did he.

“Happy?” he asked.

“Moderately.”

He moved toward the fireplace; I stayed near the bed. The playful side was gone. Now he looked dead serious. That was somehow more frightening.

“What?” I said warily.

He turned. “Tell me about your dreams.”

My heart skipped. I looked away. “What dreams?”

He cut me off. “Don’t.”

I glared at him. “Don’t what?”

“Lie to me.”

I drew myself up. “My father told me not to tell you.” The words slipped out before I could stop them.

Kael’s face changed. I suddenly wished I could stuff those words back in my mouth.

“Your father told you that?” he said quietly.

I didn’t answer.

He took a step closer. “What, exactly, did he say?”

I backed away. “No.”

“Lyra.”

“I don’t trust you.”

His jaw clicked tight. “You should.”

“Why?”

“Because your father clearly doesn’t.”

Those words hit hard. I hated him for them—because he was right.

“Don’t talk about him.”

“Why? Still defending him?”

“He’s my father.”

“He sold you.”

“Stop saying that!”

My shout echoed. I wished I could take it back, not because Kael looked angry—he didn’t. If anything, there was pity. I hated that more.

I turned away, ashamed. I couldn’t look at him. My father had sold me. I knew it already. But hearing it from Kael made it feel real in a way I wasn’t ready for. My throat burned.

“I don’t know why he did it.”

Kael stayed quiet.

“I don’t know what he owes you. I don’t know what he’s afraid of. I don’t know why you’ve waited for me for twenty years—”

My voice broke. I swallowed, forcing myself to go on.

“I don’t know why everyone looks at me like I’m something else.”

He listened, silent.

I turned, almost pleading. “Because I am nobody.”

His expression changed—pain, just a flicker. “Lyra—”

“No.” I shook my head. “I’m not a princess. I’m not a witch. I have no magic. No title. I don’t belong here. And I definitely don’t belong to you.”

“You don’t belong to me.”

That stopped me. “What?”

“You don’t belong to anyone.”

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then I met his eyes. “Then let me go.”

His jaw worked. There it was. He might say I wasn’t his, but he wasn’t letting me leave.

“Why can’t I leave?”

“It’s not safe.”

“You already said that.”

“And you still don’t get it.”

“Then explain!”

The flames in the fireplace suddenly shot up. I froze. Kael’s stare met mine as the fire grew higher and higher. I edged back.

“Did you do that?”

He glanced at the fire. “No.”

The flames vanished. The room went black.

I screamed.

A hand found mine. Kael’s. Warm, strong, real.

“Don’t move.”

“What happened?”

“Nothing.”

“That’s a terrible answer.”

“Be quiet.”

Something shifted in the darkness. Ice flooded my veins. That wasn’t Kael. Footsteps—a slow, soft tread, bare feet on stone.

I squeezed Kael’s hand hard. He held on.

“Kael,” I whispered.

“Stay behind me.”

“What’s here?”

His body moved in front of mine.

Then, the woman’s voice again—closer this time.

Lyra.

I stopped breathing. Kael heard it too; I knew because his hand crushed mine.

He raised his voice. “Who are you?”

Nothing. Then a soft, ancient laugh.

All the candles in the room burst into silver flame at once. I shrieked and stumbled back. Kael pulled me behind him.

I saw her—a woman standing by the window, but not quite solid, her body shimmering like moonlight on water. Long white hair. A silver dress. Her face—

My knees almost buckled. She looked like me.

No. I looked like her. Older, stronger, heartbreakingly beautiful—but the mouth, the eyes, the nose... They were my own.

Kael stepped forward, voice shaking in a way I’d never heard. “Impossible.”

The woman smiled, but not at me. Her cold eyes locked on Kael. Pure hatred burned in them. The room’s temperature dropped. Frost crept along the windowpanes.

Kael moved closer, almost shielding me, or maybe protecting himself from her—I couldn’t tell.

After a long minute, the woman looked at me. Her smile vanished.

You shouldn’t be here.

I threw my hands to my head, pain splitting through my skull.

“Get out,” I yelled.

Kael turned, jolted. “Lyra?”

“Get out of my head!”

The woman moved, suddenly right in front of me. Kael dove toward her, but his hand passed through nothing. She smiled, pressed a glowing finger to my forehead.

The world snapped away.

Darkness swallowed me. Images tore through my mind. A palace in flames. Wolves dying in a blizzard. A silver-dressed woman shrieking. A man with gold eyes kneeling before her—Kael. No, not Kael—someone who looked like him, older.

The woman raised a sword. Her hands dripped with blood. A black moon spread across the sky. Her scream: “I loved you!”

The man reached for her. She shrank away. “Never again.”

Blinding silver light. My own scream ripped out.

And I woke on the floor.

Kael knelt beside me, holding my shoulders. “Lyra?”

I couldn’t breathe. Flashes of fire, wolves, that woman, that man.

“I saw you,” I managed, shaking.

Kael went dead still. “What?”

“You were there.”

Fear made his face different—deep, aching fear. I grabbed his shirt. “Who is she?”

He tried to pull back. I held tighter.

“Tell me!”

“Let go.”

“Who is she?”

“Lyra—”

“She looks like me!”

He said nothing.

My breath came in short, sharp bursts. I met his eyes. “Why does she look like me?”

Kael said nothing. I shook him, almost desperate. “Why?”

He wrapped his hand around mine, prying me gently from his shirt. And then, for the first time, the Wolf King looked completely, utterly defeated.

“Because,” he whispered, “she was you.”

I went cold, the room fading away. Just his words ringing in my ears.

She was you.

“No.” The word barely left my lips.

Kael’s face hardened. “You need to listen to me.”

“No.”

“Lyra—”

“I said no.”

I tried to stand. My legs gave out. Kael caught me.

I shoved him away. “No.”

“You’re not thinking clearly.”

“You just told me that woman was me!”

“I told you what you needed to know.”

“I’m not her!”

“I know.”

“Do you?” My voice cracked with anger, raw and broken.

I staggered away. Kael didn’t follow. For once, he just let me go.

“Why me?” I whispered.

He said nothing.

I laughed, bitter now. “Of course.”

I looked to the window. Frost covered the glass, white and thick. “Why me?”

Kael stood, unreadable again. But I’d seen the fear. Knew it was still there.

“Because you were never supposed to be born,” he finally said.

It was like being sliced down the middle. I froze. Slow, I turned back toward him.

“What?”

Kael’s golden gaze met mine.

And suddenly, everything slid into place—the secrets, all of it. My father knew. Kael knew. The woman in the silver dress knew.

Everyone knew except me.

“Tell me everything,” I said.

Kael looked toward the door. For the first time since I’d met him, he actually hesitated. Then he faced me again.

“You aren’t ready.”

And just like that, my anger vanished. Deep down, though, under all the shock and confusion, another voice whispered.

He’s lying.

I stilled. The voice again.

Kael noticed immediately. “What is it?”

I met his eyes. “She’s still here.”

He went pale.

Inside my mind, the woman laughed, soft and terrible, and whispered one last thing:

Ask him why his blood is on my hands.