Chapter 13
1013 Words
Chapter 13– Lyra’s POV
The morning sun barely warmed my skin as I stepped outside. The world looked the same—dew-kissed grass, soft mist clinging to the treetops—but inside me, everything had changed.
I could still feel Gavin’s touch echoing through me. The bond wasn’t sealed, not yet, but it pulsed like a second heartbeat beneath my skin.
And I had ended things with Brian. Hadn’t I?
I didn’t expect to find him waiting.
He stood near the training ring, arms folded, jaw clenched so tight I was surprised it hadn’t cracked. His dark eyes zeroed in on me the moment I approached, and something in them looked unhinged—hurt, rage, disbelief.
“Lyra,” he said, his voice a dangerous calm. “We need to talk.”
A few pack members milled around in the distance, pretending not to listen. But we both knew this wasn’t going to stay private.
“Let’s take this inside,” I said quietly.
“No,” he snapped. “We do this here.”
I lifted my chin. “Fine.”
He stalked closer, close enough that I could smell the fury radiating off him. “You spent the night with him.”
It wasn’t a question. It was a blade.
I didn’t deny it. “I did.”
His nostrils flared. “You’re my fiancée.”
“Were.”
“You ended things after five years, and the next breath you let him—” His voice cracked, fury barely contained. “Did you ever really care about me, or was I just the placeholder until your precious fated mate came along?”
“That’s not fair,” I said.
“Isn’t it?” Brian hissed. “He shows up with that smug Nightwind name, parading around like some golden prince, and suddenly you forget everything we built?”
“You mean the alliance our parents built?” I shot back. “The duty I was shackled to because it served the pack better than letting me choose who I loved?”
He looked like I’d slapped him.
“I did care about you, Brian,” I said, voice softer. “But what we had—what I forced myself to believe was enough—it was built on expectation, not fire. Not fate.”
He stepped forward, eyes gleaming with something darker now. “So that’s it? You’re going to abandon the pack for him?”
My own temper flared. “Don’t twist this. I would never abandon my pack.”
“No?” he growled. “Because from where I’m standing, you’re bending over backwards to please the enemy.”
That hit the nerve he wanted it to.
“I didn’t betray anyone,” I bit out. “But you? You’ve been whispering to council members behind my back. Aligning yourself with Alpha Joran’s loyalists.”
His eyes widened. Just enough to confirm what I’d suspected.
“You’ve been preparing for this,” I whispered. “You knew the mate bond might break our engagement. So you went looking for leverage.”
He didn’t deny it. “Because I know Gavin isn’t good for you, Lyra. Or this pack. He’s going to pull you into a war we can’t afford.”
“I don’t need you to protect me,” I snapped.
His voice dropped low, cold. “You’re too blinded to see it. Fated doesn’t mean safe. He’ll tear you apart.”
“You don’t know him.”
“And you do, after what—two weeks? One night in his bed?”
I stepped forward until we were nose-to-nose. “Don’t you dare reduce me to that.”
He blinked, and something in his expression finally cracked. I saw it—under all that possessive rage—pain. Real pain.
“I loved you,” he said quietly.
“I believe that,” I replied. “But not the way I needed.”
The silence that followed was heavy, broken only by the sharp cry of a raven overhead.
“I’ll step down,” Brian said after a long beat, voice hollow. “From the union. From the council seat they were grooming us for.”
I swallowed hard. “Thank you.”
“But I won’t forget this,” he added. “And I won’t forget him.”
His eyes flicked over my shoulder—and that’s when I felt it. The heat. The weight.
Gavin was behind me.
He didn’t say a word at first, just stepped beside me, close enough that his hand brushed mine. A silent claim. Not possessive, not dramatic. Just there.
Brian’s jaw ticked. “How convenient.”
“Back off,” Gavin said, voice low and lethal. “You had your chance.”
Brian’s smile was sharp, joyless. “And you think you’ve earned yours? One night and a few heated glances, and suddenly you’re Alpha material?”
“I’m not here to be your Alpha,” Gavin said. “But I’ll protect what’s mine.”
“Is that what she is now?” Brian snapped. “Property?”
“Don’t twist my words,” Gavin warned. “You’re not the only one who can get dangerous.”
“Stop,” I cut in, stepping between them. “This ends here.”
Both men glared at each other, muscles taut, breathing shallow.
“I won’t let the pack fracture over this,” I said. “We’re already dancing on a knife’s edge.”
Brian turned to me. “Then you’d better watch your step, Alpha.”
He stalked off, tension in every stride, leaving the air behind him crackling with storm energy.
I exhaled shakily, and Gavin reached for me.
“You okay?” he asked.
“No,” I admitted.
He nodded once. “But you’re strong.”
I turned into his arms, resting my cheek against his chest. “That wasn’t just jealousy. He’s part of something bigger.”
“I know,” Gavin murmured. “We’ll face it together.”
And this time, I believed him.
- Writer
