Chapter Five – A Conversation Under Moonlight
551 Words
Lyanna sat on the balcony outside her chamber, knees pulled to her chest, eyes fixed on the glowing moon. The palace was too quiet, too still, like it held its breath around her.
She had never known peace could feel so much like a prison.
The breeze was cool against her skin, and for a moment, she let herself pretend she was home—before the rejection, before the shame, before the whispers that she was cursed.
She reached out for Luna, her wolf, but the connection was quiet. Not absent—just…watching.
Why me? Lyanna thought. Why now?
Behind her, the door creaked.
She didn’t turn. “If you came to throw me out, at least let me enjoy the view first.”
Silence. Then a deep voice: “If I came to throw you out, I wouldn’t knock.”
She turned sharply, startled to see the Lycan King himself leaning against the doorframe. He looked different in the moonlight—less terrifying, more human. But no less dangerous.
His silver eyes studied her. “You shouldn’t be alone out here. The wind bites.”
“I’ve had worse,” she muttered, then cursed herself for sounding so defensive.
He stepped closer. “You defied Celestia.”
“She pushed first.”
He didn’t smile, but something softened in his face. “She’s not used to being challenged.”
Lyanna folded her arms. “And you’re not used to someone saying no to you.”
His brow rose. “Are you saying no to me, little wolf?”
She stood, chin high. “I’m saying I don’t understand any of this. Why I’m here. Why I feel... pulled toward someone who clearly wants nothing to do with me.”
Kieran’s jaw clenched. For a long moment, he said nothing. Then—
“I never asked for a mate.”
“Neither did I,” she said quietly.
He stepped closer, and the air shifted. Heat pulsed between them like a living thing. His hand hovered near hers, not touching—but close enough to make her heart stutter.
“I’ve waited a hundred years,” he said, voice low. “And yet, I find you... here. Now. A werewolf. And it feels like the gods are mocking me.”
Lyanna’s throat tightened. “You think I’m a mistake.”
“No.” He looked at her then—really looked. “I think you’re fate. And fate terrifies me more than war.”
For a moment, neither spoke. The bond tugged at them both, subtle but unrelenting.
She took a step back, needing space. “So what happens now? You ignore me while your she-wolf minion tries to shred me?”
His eyes darkened. “Celestia won’t touch you again. I’ll make sure of it.”
“And the rest of your court?”
“They’ll fall in line. Or fall.”
The way he said it—it wasn’t bravado. It was law.
Lyanna hesitated, then asked the question that had haunted her since the forest. “Why didn’t you reject me?”
He didn’t blink. “Because I can’t.”
The wind shifted. The moment thickened.
And then, quietly, Kieran turned and walked away—leaving her alone once more.
But this time, her heart wasn’t as quiet.
- Writer
