Chapter 4
1197 Words
LYRA
My head spun as the guards dragged me through the woods, deeper and deeper until I didn’t even know which direction I had come from. I barely noticed the towering stone walls ahead or the countless eyes watching me as I passed. I could hear the gossips but none of it fully registered. Everything felt fake. And my heart pounded too loudly to allow me think straight.
From the way they stared, I already knew most of them despised me. That wasn’t new. I had been branded dangerous, cursed. To make it worse , a murderer. And now, the words I had been branded with my entire life has followed me into this strange place too. And I knew, damn, I knew. I just f*****g knew that if I had suffered in the place I once called home, then I would suffer even worse here.
But who was that Alpha king? He dripped of so much power. And now… my mate?
That was obviously impossible. I had grown up hearing stories about the Alpha King of Bloodmoon. The strongest wolf of them all. The ruthless protector. The merciless ruler. But never for once had I imagined I would stand before him. Let alone be his mate.
How the hell could that even be true?
We stopped before massive doors carved with the Bloodmoon sigil. The guards pushed them open, and I stumbled forward, stepping inside.
The room was enormous. Far bigger than anything I’d ever seen. A fire burned low in the stone fireplace, heavy velvet curtains hung beside tall windows, and in the center stood a bed so large it could easily hold ten people. Everything was too much. Too grand. Too foreign for someone like me.
“Stay here,” one of the guards said, his voice softer now. “You’ll be safe.”
Safe.
The word almost made me laugh.
Safe had never existed for me. Not in my home. Not anywhere. And certainly not here, where where almost everyone already looked at me like I was a monster.
When they left me alone, I just stood there, frozen. My legs trembled until they finally gave out, and I sank onto the edge of the bed, burying my face in my hands.
“What is happening?” I whispered into the quiet. “What is happening to me?”
After some time, servants entered quietly to carry about their duties with focusing on me. They brought warm water, clean clothes, and a basin for washing.
“His Majesty asked that you be cared for,” one murmured before quickly disappearing.
I washed the dirt and dried blood from my skin, but it didn’t stop the hollow fear clawing at my chest. Everything felt too calm. Too surreal. Like this was the last day of my life, and I was expected to enjoy it while it lasted.
They brought food too. They carried a tray that contained roasted meat, warm bread, and sweet fruit. I stared at it for a long time, unsure if I should even touch it. But then my stomach growled, reminding me how long it had been since I’d eaten. Before I could stop myself, I was devouring it, shoving pieces into my mouth as if they’d disappear if I hesitated.
But even as I ate, my mind wouldn’t stop spinning.
Why was he doing this?
Why had he claimed me?
Why would someone like him care about someone like me?
I was nothing but a banished daughter, a girl accused of killing her own mother. I was a creature who couldn’t even control the cursed power inside her. And what the hell did he mean by mine? Surely he didn’t mean…
The door creaked open, cutting through my thoughts and freezing me mid-bite. I didn’t need to look up to know who it was. I could feel him. But I did anyway, and my breath caught as my eyes locked on his.
Kael.
He stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. He wasn’t wearing the heavy armor from before. Just simple dark clothes. Yet his aura oozed of authority.
My heartbeat skipped as he came closer.
“Why am I here?” I asked, forcing the words out. They sounded smaller than I intended, but I didn’t care. I needed to understand. I needed something to make sense. “I was running. I was terrified. And now I’m here. And you’re saying I’m yours?”
He studied me quietly for a long moment before answering. “Because you need to be.”
“That’s not an answer.” My voice trembled, but I held his gaze. “None of this makes sense. You don’t even know me.”
“I don’t have to know you,” he said, calm and steady. “The bond doesn’t care about introductions.”
“The bond?” I repeated, my throat dry.
“You felt it too,” he said. “The moment our eyes met.”
My lips parted to say something . But then I closed it. Because he was right. I had felt something. Something deep and unexplainable. I’d tried to ignore it, too scared to give it a name. But it had been there, pulsing beneath my skin like a second heartbeat.
“It doesn’t make sense,” I whispered. “I’m nobody. I was banished. I was running for my life. Why would the bond choose me?”
His gaze softened, just slightly. “The bond doesn’t choose based on worth. It just is.”
“This is insane,” I muttered.
“Probably,” he said with a faint, crooked smile. “But it’s real.”
I turned away, hugging myself. “I don’t belong here.”
“You do,” he said firmly. “And you’re not going back.”
It wasn’t a suggestion. It was a decree.
“You don’t understand,” I said, facing him again. “They think I killed her. They’ll come for me. And if they find me here—”
“Then they’ll deal with me,” Kael interrupted, his tone calm but razor-sharp. “And I promise you, Lyra, they won’t win.”
I stared at him, speechless. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because you’re not what they say you are,” he said, stepping closer. “Because I saw something in you the moment I found you. Something more than an omega. Something more than a fugitive.”
“I’m nothing more,” I whispered.
“No,” he said, his voice like iron. “You’re more. And I will prove it to you.”
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. He was serious. I could see it in his eyes. It held a strange certainty.
“I…” I began, then stopped. What could I possibly say? That I didn’t want this? That would be a lie. That I did? That was even more terrifying.
My silence was enough for him. He nodded once, then stood.
“Rest tonight,” he said, turning toward the door. “We’ll talk more in the morning.”
And then, just like that, he was gone.
- Writer
