6.
889 Words
Lyra’s POV
The fire was low when Lyra opened her eyes.
She lay in a soft bed, covered in thick furs that smelled of pine, smoke, and something warm -something male.
Her body ached, but it was a dull hum now, not the white-hot fire of before. The bandages on her arms were clean. Her hair had been brushed. The air no longer tasted of mildew and rot.
She blinked slowly.
A figure sat nearby, back turned to her. Tall. Broad shoulders. Dark clothes. Power rolling off him in waves.
She knew who he was. The Lycan prince.
And somehow, impossibly, her mate.
Her throat was dry. “Why…?”
Kane turned at once.
His eyes met hers - fierce, gold, storming with barely restrained fury. But it wasn’t directed at her. Never at her.
He crossed the room in two strides, kneeling beside the bed.
“You’re awake,” he said quietly, voice rough. “You made it through.”
His presence was… steadying. She didn’t flinch. Didn’t shrink away.
He looked at her as if she mattered.
“Why are you here?” she whispered.
Kane hesitated. Then: “Because the moon sent me. And because they hurt what’s mine.”
Her breath caught.
She should have pushed those words away. She should’ve doubted him. But her wolf stirred in recognition, brushing against her heart like a breath of wind.
„He’s telling the truth.” Thalia whispered.
Lyra’s voice shook. “You don’t even know me.”
“I know enough,” Kane said. “I know they tried to erase you. That you survived. That your scent called to me like nothing ever has.”
She looked away, tears pricking her eyes. “They’ll kill you if you stay.”
“They’ll try,” he said, voice hardening.
A knock came at the door. Kane stood, jaw tight. “Stay. Rest.”
He opened the door, and voices drifted in.
Lyra turned her face away, pretending to sleep - but she listened.
“Alpha Caden is demanding answers,” Thorne said. “They’re gathering near the council chamber. Aiden is agitated.”
Kane’s voice dropped low. “Let him come. Let them all come.”
“She’s not strong enough yet-”
“They won’t touch her again.”
Lyra’s heart pounded.
She didn’t understand it all yet. But she understood him. He was different. Not like Aiden, who turned cold the moment he saw her.
This man hadn’t looked away once.
***
The court was full of murmurs.
Pack members filled the hall - elders, warriors, servants - called to bear witness as Kane stood at the center of the chamber, radiating command.
Lyra stood behind a tall column, watching from the shadows. She wore a simple dress Evelyn had brought her, loose enough not to press on her healing wounds. Her hair was down. Her wolf hovered just beneath her skin, more awake than she’d felt in years.
Then she saw Aiden. Standing near his father. His face pale. Rigid. Jaw clenched.
He hadn’t looked at her since the rejection. Not really. But now, his gaze found hers. And this time, he froze.
Shock. Recognition. Panic.
His wolf felt it. The bond he’d rejected… surging again, impossibly. And this time, it pulled away from him - toward Kane.
His lips parted like he meant to speak, but the words didn’t come.
Kane stepped forward and spoke loud enough for every corner of the room to hear.
“I am Prince Kane, heir of the Lycan Throne. And I’ve found my mate among your pack. Beaten. Tortured. Starved.”
A sharp intake of breath rippled through the crowd.
“She is mine,” he continued. “And any hand raised against her from this moment forward will answer to the Lycan Court.”
Gasps. Whispers. Aiden’s face turned to stone.
“She is not an Omega,” Kane said. “She is not a servant. She is under my protection. And my claim is absolute.”
No one challenged him. Even Caden and Regina stood silent, faces like cracked porcelain.
Aiden stepped forward, voice hoarse. “You can’t-”
Kane’s gaze snapped to him. “You rejected her. You forfeited every right the moment you turned your back.”
Aiden’s mouth opened, then shut again.
Lyra stood straighter. She wasn’t his shame anymore. She was someone else now - someone rising. Kane, with this public claim, gave her more than she could hope. This was a turning point.
***
Back in her chambers, Lyra sat by the fire with a warm blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Kane stood nearby, arms crossed, watching the flames.
“You don’t owe me anything,” she said softly. “You don’t have to fix me.”
Kane’s voice was low. “I’m not here to fix you.”
She looked up.
“I’m here to protect what’s mine,” he said. “Until you remember you were never broken.”
Lyra stared at him. Her heart beat once. Then again.
Stronger.
"I need to go out for a bit, but I will come back as soon as I can. And we will talk more if you want to. Allright?"
She just nodded.
"You are safe now Lyra." He said when he was by the doors and walked out.
- Writer
