Chapter 6
1225 Words
The afternoon air was cooler when Lyra and Mira returned to the packhouse. The laughter of children slowly faded behind them as they stepped inside the stone corridors. The warmth Lyra had felt while playing with the younger wolves still lingered faintly in her chest.
For a brief moment, she had almost felt… normal.
Nyx stirred inside her mind.
Careful, the silver wolf murmured quietly. Peace never lasts long in this place.
Lyra sighed softly but didn’t respond. She had learned quickly that Silverfang was full of shifting tensions—alliances, suspicions, and silent power struggles.
Just as she was about to head toward her room, a deep voice echoed from the hallway.
“Lyra.”
She stopped.
Kael Draven stood near the staircase, arms crossed over his broad chest, his expression unreadable. The moment her eyes met his, her heart skipped painfully. Fenrir’s presence brushed against Nyx like a sudden electric spark.
Nyx stiffened.
Mate.
Kael’s eyes darkened briefly before his face hardened again.
“I need you in my office,” he said flatly.
Lyra frowned slightly. “For what?”
“For something important.”
His tone left no room for argument.
Mira glanced between them, sensing the tension immediately. She leaned closer to Lyra and whispered quietly.
“Good luck.”
Then she slipped away down the corridor before Lyra could say anything else.
Lyra followed Kael silently.
⸻
Kael’s office was large and dimly lit, filled with dark wooden shelves stacked with documents, maps, and scrolls. A large desk stood in the center, papers neatly arranged across its surface.
Kael walked behind the desk and slid a document toward her.
“Sign it.”
Lyra looked down.
Her chest tightened as she read the first few lines.
Contract of Temporary Union
Her fingers curled slowly.
“This states that I am here only until my father pays back the debt,” she said quietly.
“Yes.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“Then the agreement stands until the debt is settled.”
Lyra’s stomach twisted. Of course.
To Kael… she was still just payment.
Nyx growled softly.
We are not property.
Lyra straightened and pushed the paper back across the desk.
“I’m not signing it.”
Kael’s gaze snapped up immediately.
“That wasn’t a request.”
“Well, it’s still my answer.”
Silence filled the room.
“You don’t get to decide that,” Kael said coldly. “Your father sold you to this pack. This contract formalizes the arrangement.”
Lyra’s temper flared.
“I’m not an arrangement.”
“You’re collateral.”
The word hit her like a slap.
Nyx snarled inside her mind.
He dares.
Lyra leaned forward slightly, her voice sharp.
“You’re forgetting something, Alpha.”
Kael’s jaw tightened.
“And what would that be?”
“We’re mates.”
The word hung between them like a dangerous spark.
Fenrir stirred violently inside Kael.
Lyra continued firmly.
“So either you accept the bond… or you reject it.”
Kael’s expression darkened instantly.
“That’s not up to you.”
Her eyes flashed.
“It absolutely is.”
“No,” he snapped. “You don’t get to walk into my pack and start making demands about mate bonds.”
“I’m not making demands!” Lyra shot back. “I’m stating facts!”
Her voice rose, frustration boiling over.
“You knew the moment we met.”
Kael slammed his palm against the desk.
“Enough.”
But Lyra wasn’t finished.
Something inside her finally broke.
“All of this—” she gestured around the room angrily “—these contracts, these debts, this nonsense! You’re hiding behind it because you’re too much of a coward to face the truth.”
Kael’s eyes burned dangerously.
“And what truth is that?”
Lyra laughed bitterly.
“That you’re already sleeping with someone else.”
His body went rigid.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh I do,” she said sharply. “The whole pack knows about Selene.”
Her voice cut like a blade.
“You’re supposed to be an Alpha, but you can’t even wait for your mate before jumping into another woman’s bed.”
Kael’s control snapped.
“So what does that make you?” Lyra finished coldly.
“A manwhore?”
The word echoed in the office.
For a split second, time seemed to freeze.
Then Kael moved.
In one swift motion he crossed the desk and grabbed Lyra by the throat, slamming her back against the wall.
Her breath caught sharply.
His eyes flashed gold.
Fenrir surged forward.
“Say that again,” Kael growled, his voice deep and dangerous.
Lyra’s fingers clawed weakly at his wrist as her lungs struggled for air.
His wolf eyes burned into hers.
“You think you understand anything?” he snarled.
Nyx roared inside her mind, fighting to surface.
But Kael leaned closer, his voice dropping to a cruel whisper.
“You’re the one talking about mates and pride?”
His grip tightened slightly.
“Tell me something, Lyra.”
His words struck harder than his hands.
“If you’re so confident… if you’re so brave…”
His eyes hardened mercilessly.
“Why were you sold by your own father?”
The room fell silent.
Lyra froze.
The words sliced straight through her chest.
Kael continued, his voice cold and cutting.
“No one wanted you.”
Her heart shattered.
“Not your pack.”
Her vision blurred.
“Not your father.”
Her strength drained from her body.
“And now you’re standing here pretending you have the right to judge me?”
Her hands trembled violently.
Her confidence… her anger… everything collapsed in an instant.
Nyx whimpered softly.
Lyra…
Tears burned behind her eyes, but she forced them back desperately.
She wouldn’t cry.
Not in front of him.
Not again.
With the last of her strength, Lyra shoved Kael hard.
He staggered slightly, releasing her throat.
She didn’t wait.
Lyra turned and ran.
The office door slammed loudly behind her as she fled down the hallway.
⸻
Kael stood frozen for several seconds.
The echo of the door still rang in his ears.
Then reality crashed down on him.
“Shit.”
Fenrir exploded inside his mind.
You fool.
Kael dragged a hand through his hair, pacing the room like a caged animal.
“I didn’t mean—”
You hurt her.
“I know!”
He slammed his fist against the desk.
Papers scattered across the floor.
“Damn it!”
Fenrir snarled.
She is our mate.
“I know she is!”
Kael grabbed a stack of documents and threw them violently across the room. A glass shattered against the wall.
“Why does she keep pushing me?!”
His chest heaved with frustration.
Fenrir’s voice was colder now.
Because you keep hurting her.
Kael stopped pacing.
The image of Lyra’s face flashed in his mind.
The moment her confidence shattered.
The way she tried to hide her tears.
Guilt twisted painfully in his chest.
“Damn it…”
He leaned against the desk, gripping the edge tightly.
“I went too far.”
Fenrir growled softly.
You broke her.
Kael closed his eyes.
And for the first time since Lyra arrived…
He truly felt like the villain.
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