Chapter 5
1308 Words
Chapter 5
Lyra
I didn’t sleep.
The sheets were too cold. My skin too hot. My thoughts too full of Gavin Nightwind.
Every time I closed my eyes, I felt his mouth on mine. The hunger in his kiss, the quiet restraint in his touch, like he was holding back a wildfire behind his teeth.
And I was the dry forest aching to burn.
I threw the covers off, pacing across the floor of my room. Moonlight spilled through the open window, cool and silver, casting shadows along the walls. Outside, my pack slept, unaware their Alpha was unraveling piece by piece over a man she was supposed to hate.
A mate I never wanted. A bond I couldn't deny.
The door creaked open before I could lose myself further.
Mira slipped in without knocking. My Beta. My closest friend. The only one bold enough to walk into my quarters like she owned the place.
Her dark eyes scanned me once, and she sighed. “You didn’t sleep.”
“Didn’t want to.”
She shut the door and leaned against it. “You kissed him.”
I stopped cold. “Who told you?”
“I know you, Lyra. You don’t look like this after a normal conversation.” She nodded toward me—barefoot, pacing, still wearing yesterday’s tank top and shorts. “You kissed him and now you’re spiraling.”
I sat down heavily on the edge of the bed, burying my face in my hands. “It wasn’t supposed to happen.”
“Why not?” Mira asked gently. “He’s your fated mate.”
“That doesn’t mean it’s right,” I hissed. “We’re enemies. His father would tear me limb from limb if he had the chance.”
“And Gavin?”
I looked up. Her question hung heavy between us.
“What about him?” I said, quieter now.
Mira tilted her head. “Does he want to tear you apart too?”
I thought of the way he kissed me—desperate, reverent, like I was something holy and damned all at once. I thought of the tremor in his hands when they touched my waist. The way he looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered.
“No,” I whispered.
“Then maybe he’s not the enemy.”
I scowled. “This isn’t about feelings. It’s about survival. If I let this bond take control, if I give in to it, what message does that send? That I can be controlled? Bought with desire?”
“No,” Mira said again, firm this time. “It says you’re strong enough to handle the fire that fate threw at you. That you’re brave enough to choose you, even if it’s messy.”
I stood, pacing again. “It’s more than messy. It’s catastrophic.”
Mira crossed her arms. “And yet, you didn’t pull away.”
I didn’t have a response for that.
Because she was right.
I hadn’t pulled away. I had kissed him back like I was starving. I had wanted more.
And the worst part?
I still did.
“I need a distraction,” I muttered, grabbing my jacket. “Something that doesn’t involve destiny or Gavin Nightwind.”
“Training?” Mira offered.
I nodded. Physical exhaustion was the only thing that could drown out this ache.
We went to the clearing behind the estate, where we usually sparred. The moon was still high, bathing the field in soft silver light. I stripped off my jacket, standing in the cool night air in just a sports bra and leggings.
“Shifts or weapons?” Mira asked.
“Both.”
We trained hard, sweat slicking my skin as we sparred hand to hand, then shifted into our wolves and tore through the woods. The air cleared my head, and for a little while, I could forget the pull in my chest, the phantom feel of Gavin’s hands on my hips.
But when I shifted back, panting and flushed with exertion, the scent hit me like a punch.
Cedar. Spice. Male.
He was here.
I turned, scanning the trees.
“Don’t,” Mira warned softly. “Let him come to you.”
And he did.
Gavin stepped into the clearing like a shadow from the dark—shirt damp with sweat, eyes locked on mine like I was gravity itself.
I bristled. “Following me now?”
“No,” he said, voice low. “I was invited.”
Mira looked a little too smug for my liking.
“Training,” she said innocently. “Figured your mate might want to see how strong you are.”
“I don’t need his approval,” I snapped.
“You don’t,” Gavin agreed, stepping closer. “But I want to see you anyway.”
My jaw clenched. “Well, now you have. You can go.”
But he didn’t leave.
Instead, he took another step, gaze raking down my body—sweat-soaked, bruised from sparring, skin glistening under the moon.
“You look…” He trailed off, swallowing hard. “Powerful.”
My heart pounded in my chest.
“And you look like a distraction I don’t need,” I said sharply.
He smirked. “Too bad. Because I’m not going anywhere.”
I should have left. Should have turned my back and walked into the estate without looking back.
But I didn’t.
Instead, I stood there, chest rising and falling, letting the heat build between us like a flame on dry tinder.
“You think a few kisses will make me submit?” I asked.
“No,” he said, stepping closer. “I want your fire, not your submission.”
His words hit something deep inside me. Something raw and aching and wild.
Mira cleared her throat. “I’ll… leave you two to it.”
She vanished into the trees, and suddenly it was just us—me and Gavin and the thick tension crackling like lightning in the air.
I turned, half-expecting him to pounce.
But he didn’t move.
“I know you don’t trust me,” he said softly. “I don’t expect you to. But I’m not here to play politics.”
“Then why are you here?”
He stepped close enough that his chest brushed mine. “Because when I’m not near you, everything feels… wrong. My skin doesn’t fit. My wolf paces all night. You think this bond is a burden. But to me, it’s air.”
I stared up at him, breath caught in my throat.
Then, stupidly, recklessly, I whispered, “Then breathe me in.”
His lips crashed against mine.
It was worse this time. Better. More.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, pulled him closer until I could feel every hard plane of his body against mine. He growled low in his throat, biting gently at my lower lip before soothing it with his tongue.
He tasted like smoke and want. Like temptation I couldn’t resist.
His hands gripped my hips, fingers digging in, like he was afraid I’d disappear. I melted against him, all fury and pride stripped away by the intensity of his touch.
We kissed until the world narrowed to this—his mouth on mine, his breath tangled with mine, our wolves howling in perfect sync.
When we broke apart, gasping, I rested my forehead against his.
“This doesn’t mean anything,” I lied.
“It means everything,” he replied.
I should have pushed him away again.
But instead, I whispered, “One more night. That’s all.”
His smile was slow. Dangerous. “One night, Lyra. And then another. And another. Until you stop lying to yourself.”
I didn’t answer.
Because I was already falling.
And I wasn’t sure I wanted to stop.
- Writer
