Chapter 16: The First Loss of Control
861 Words
The warning signs came too late.
Lyra Vale felt it the moment she stepped outside the training hall.
The air outside the Alpha compound was colder than usual, but it wasn’t the temperature that made her skin prickle.
It was the eyes.
Dozens of them.
Watching.
Whispering.
She hadn’t even reached the courtyard when she heard it.
“That’s her…”
“The rejected Luna…”
“Is it true she’s unstable?”
Lyra slowed her steps.
Kael Draven walked beside her, tense but silent. The second Alpha followed a few steps behind, as if distance itself was part of his strategy.
Lyra hated that she was always in the middle of them.
Always.
“Ignore them,” Kael said quietly.
Lyra let out a sharp breath. “Easy for you to say.”
She kept walking—but the whispers followed.
They always followed.
And then—
She felt it.
A shift inside her chest.
Faint at first.
Then sharper.
Like something responding to the attention.
Lyra frowned. “Not now…”
Kael immediately noticed. “What is it?”
“I don’t know,” she muttered.
But it was already too late.
The pressure inside her chest surged.
Harder than before.
Her steps faltered.
The crowd outside the training grounds went quiet.
Too quiet.
Even Kael stopped walking.
“Lyra,” he said sharply. “Step back.”
“I am fine,” she snapped—but her voice cracked slightly.
That was when it happened.
A pulse of energy erupted from her body.
Invisible—but undeniable.
The ground beneath her cracked.
A nearby lantern shattered instantly.
Gasps erupted from the crowd.
Lyra froze.
Her own hands trembled.
“I didn’t—” she whispered.
Another pulse hit.
Stronger.
The wind around her shifted violently.
People stepped back in fear.
“She’s attacking!”
“No—she’s losing control!”
Lyra shook her head quickly. “No, no, I’m not doing this—”
Kael stepped forward instantly, raising a barrier between her and the crowd.
“Everyone back!” he ordered sharply.
But the second Alpha moved too.
Calm.
Controlled.
Too calm.
“It’s not aggression,” he said quietly. “It’s resonance overflow.”
Kael shot him a look. “Help me stabilize her.”
“I am observing,” the second Alpha replied.
Kael’s expression darkened. “Now is not the time.”
Lyra clutched her chest.
The pressure inside her was rising again—fast.
“I can’t stop it,” she said through her teeth.
Kael’s voice softened slightly. “Look at me.”
She tried.
But another wave hit her before she could focus.
This time—
The energy spread further.
The ground cracked in a wider circle.
People screamed and backed away.
Lyra’s breath became uneven.
“I didn’t want this,” she whispered.
The second Alpha finally stepped closer.
“This is what happens when suppression is removed,” he said.
Kael snapped, “You caused this.”
“I revealed it,” he corrected.
Lyra’s knees weakened.
And suddenly—
Memories flashed.
Not images.
Emotions.
Fear.
Abandonment.
A sealed chamber.
A voice she couldn’t remember—but felt.
“Do not allow her to awaken fully.”
Lyra gasped.
“What… was that?” she whispered.
Kael noticed immediately. “What did you see?”
“I don’t know,” she said shakily. “Something… inside me.”
The second Alpha’s gaze sharpened.
“It’s breaking,” he said quietly.
Kael turned sharply. “We need containment—now.”
But it was already too late.
The bond inside Lyra surged violently.
And this time—
It didn’t stay inside her.
A shockwave exploded outward.
The courtyard shattered.
Stone cracked.
Wind tore through the area.
People were thrown backward.
Kael raised a full barrier—but it barely held.
The second Alpha did the same.
Both shields vibrating under pressure.
Lyra stood at the center of it all.
Eyes wide.
Breathing broken.
“I can’t control it!” she shouted.
Kael looked at her, something shifting in his expression.
Not fear.
Concern.
Real concern.
“Lyra,” he said firmly, “you need to focus on my voice.”
But before she could respond—
A new voice cut through the chaos.
“Enough.”
Everything stopped.
The energy faltered.
Even the wind stilled for a second.
All three of them turned.
An elder stood at the edge of the shattered courtyard.
His expression was cold.
Unforgiving.
“This cannot continue,” the elder said.
His gaze locked onto Lyra.
“She is a danger to the pack.”
Lyra’s breath caught.
Kael stepped forward immediately. “She is not a danger.”
But the elder raised his hand.
“Issue a containment order,” he said.
Guards began to move.
Lyra’s chest tightened again—but this time, not from power.
From fear.
The second Alpha narrowed his eyes slightly.
Kael’s stance shifted.
Protective.
Defensive.
Lyra stood frozen in the center of it all.
And for the first time—
She realized something terrifying.
It wasn’t just her power they feared.
It was what she was becoming.
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