Chapter five
1122 Words
Kaiden POV
Bringing Lyra here was a mistake.
Not because she was unsafe with me, quite the opposite.
No one would dare touch her here, that alone made bringing her here the obvious decision.
But the problem was not the pack, it was me.
I leaned back in my chair while the council continued talking about patrols and territory issues that should have mattered more than they currently did.
“...the southern border still needs more warriors stationed near the ridge.”
“Handle it.”
The ender immediately stopped talking, silence settled around the room.
I rubbed tiredly at my jaw before looking towards the window. Rain hammered against the glass while darkness covered the forest outside.
Usually storms calm me, but tonight it made me more irritated.
Because every few minutes the mate bond rigged at my chest again, reminding me exactly where she was upstairs.
Waiting.
My wolf reacted instantly to the thought. I ignored it.
“She's affecting your focus.”
Ronan's amused voice cut through the silence.
My gaze snapped towards him.
“She's not.”
“Right.” He leaned lazily back in his chair. A few elders awkwardly avoided eye contact.
Cowards.
I exhaled slowly before standing from my chair.
“Meeting dismissed.”
Nobody argued. After seconds, the room emptied until only Ronan remained behind with that irritating smirk still on his face.
“You look miserable,” he observed.
“I'm fine,” I replied too quickly. “You've been in a mood throughout the meeting.”
I grabbed my jacket from the desk, he watched me carefully for a second beforehand speaking again, quieter this time.
“You know it's not her fault, right?”
My jaw tightened immediately.
“I know.”
And I did. That was the irritating part.
Lyra hadn't done anything wrong ,she didn't ask to be my mate, she didn't ask to smell like temptation and softness every time she walked near me.
But none of that changed reality.
She was weak, painfully weak.
Wolfless. No strength. No status.
A girl like her standing beside me would be torn apart by the world eventually. And yet the mate bond refused to care, every instinct inside me reacted to her anyway.
Protect her, touch her, keep her close. It was exhausting.
Ronan studied my face carefully.
“You're trying very hard not to want her.”
“No, I am not.”
He barked out a laugh.
“You threatened a warrior earlier because he stared at her too long." He said, still smiling.
“He was disrespectful.”
Ronan grinned knowingly.
“Sure.”
I left before strangling him became tempting, the hallway upstairs was quiet.
But the closer I got to my room, the stronger her scent was.
I stopped outside the door for a second before knocking once and stepping inside.
Then I immediately regretted it.
Lyra sat near the window wearing one of my shirts, just my shirt.
Dark fabric slipped off one shoulder while her damp hair fell loosely around her back. Her long legs were curled beneath her on a chair as she looked towards the storm outside.
For a second she didn't notice me.
And I hated the way my body reacted to the sight of her. The attraction hit instantly.
Hard.
Her scent wrapped around the room softly, warm enough to make my wolf very restless.
Then she looked at me and somehow that made it worse.
“You're back.” She said as she stared at me.
Something about her voice sounded softer this night. Less nervous.
“You should be asleep,” I said as I closed the door quietly behind me.
A tiny frown appeared between her brows.
“You've been ignoring me.” Her lips twitched slightly.
I walked deeper into the room while loosening the sleeves of my black shirt slightly. The silence between us felt different tonight.
Not awkward. Heavy.
Her eyes dropped briefly towards my hands before quickly lifting again. I noticed
“You stare too much.” I murmured.
Heat immediately rose into her face.
“I wasn't staring.”
“Liar.”
She looked away. Cute. The thou6xame so suddenly that it irr6me instantly.
I stepped closer before I could stop myself. One step, then another.
Lyra stayed seated, but her breathing changed slightly the nearer I got.
The mate bond reacted immediately, my jaw tightened, this was exactly the problem.
Everything with her felt heightened, the way she smelled, the way she looked at me and the way my body reacted when she got too close.
“You're still nervous around me,” I said quietly.
“A little.” She looked up at me slowly then.
Big eyes.
Soft mouth.
I suddenly understood why weaker men would lose control around her.
My gaze drifted lower before I caught myself.
A tiny breath escaped her lips.
“You keep doing that.” she said.
“What.”
“Looking at me like that.”
I raised an eyebrow slightly.
“And how exactly am I looking at you?”
Her cheeks darkened instantly. She stayed quiet. Interesting.
I stepped closer until I stood directly in front of her now. Close enough to smell her properly
Wild honey and soaked jasmine wrapped around the air, soft at first, then dangerously addictive. Beneath it lingered something deeper—salted ocean breeze and warm vanilla.
My control slipped another inch.
No, she was close enough for me to feel the heat of her body through the thin fabric separating us.
Neither of us spoke, the tension between us had become almost unbearable now. She looked at me slowly.
Then her eyes dropped briefly to my mouth.
My wolf stirred instantly.
I tilted my head slightly.
“You were saying?”
She swallowed.
“I forgot.”
That nearly made me smirk.
My hand lifted before I could even stop myself, and I brushed my fingers lightly against her jaw.
Soft skin,warm.
Lyra inhaled sharply at my touch.
I should have stopped but instead my hand slid into her hair slowly.
The mate bond tightened violently.
Her fingers grabbed lightly onto the front of my shirt. Not pushing me away, holding me.
“You feel it too,” I murmured.
It wasn't a question this time.
Her eyes held mine. “Yes.”
My gaze dropped to her lips.
Fuck.
Lyra noticed my hesitation. Then quietly:” You can kiss me ,you know.”
The soft words snapped, whatever
control I had left.
I pulled her against me instantly before crashing my mouth against hers.
And the second she kissed me back_
The last thing I felt was control slipping dangerously through my fingers.
- Writer
