The Alpha’s Purchased Luna

Chapter 9

Lyra POV

The packhouse had grown quiet after dinner.

Most of the pack members had retreated to their rooms or the evening patrols, and the once-lively hallways were now lit only by the dim glow of torches fixed along the stone walls. The silence should have been peaceful, but Lyra’s mind was anything but calm.

Dinner had been exhausting.

The stares.

The whispers.

The heavy tension that filled the hall when she walked in.

And Kael’s eyes—shocked, guilty, and unreadable—all at once.

Lyra closed the door of her room behind her and leaned against it for a moment, letting out a slow breath.

Nyx stirred gently within her.

You were strong tonight.

Lyra walked slowly toward the bathroom area of her chamber.

“I had to be,” she murmured quietly.

She refused to let the pack see weakness.

Not after everything.

Not after him.

⸻

The warm water helped more than she expected.

As Lyra stepped into the bath, the heat eased the tightness in her shoulders and the soreness around her neck. She carefully washed her hair, letting the quiet sound of water drown out the storm of thoughts in her mind.

Kael’s face kept appearing in her memories.

The moment he grabbed her throat.

The way his eyes flashed with his wolf.

And the look on his face when he saw the mark during dinner.

Lyra pushed the thought away.

“It doesn’t matter,” she whispered.

Nyx remained silent.

Even the wolf knew things were more complicated than Lyra wanted to admit.

After a while, Lyra stepped out of the bath and wrapped a soft towel around herself. Her damp hair clung lightly to her shoulders as she walked back into the bedroom.

Still thinking about the events of the day, she reached for the door of her room to grab the dress she had left hanging outside earlier.

But the moment she opened the door—

She froze.

Kael Draven was standing there.

Waiting.

Her breath caught instantly.

For a split second neither of them moved.

Then the mate bond reacted.

The air between them seemed to thicken with sudden tension as Fenrir and Nyx recognized each other again.

Kael’s eyes darkened slightly.

And Lyra felt the unmistakable pull in her chest.

Kael’s gaze slowly moved over her.

Her damp hair.

The towel wrapped tightly around her body.

The bare skin of her shoulders.

Heat rushed to Lyra’s face immediately.

“Don’t look,” she snapped, gripping the towel tighter. “Get out.”

But Kael didn’t move.

Instead, he stepped forward.

Lyra instinctively stepped back.

The room suddenly felt smaller.

Step by step, he closed the distance while she retreated until her back finally hit the wall.

Kael stopped directly in front of her.

Too close.

The warmth of his body made her pulse race.

“You shouldn’t have shown the mark like that tonight,” Kael said quietly.

Lyra scoffed.

“Oh? Were you embarrassed, Alpha?”

Kael’s jaw tightened.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Lyra laughed bitterly.

“But you did.”

Silence filled the room for a moment.

Then Kael spoke again, his voice deeper now.

“You’re mine.”

Lyra’s eyes flashed with anger.

He stepped closer, one hand bracing against the wall beside her.

“Your body,” he continued quietly.

“Your heart.”

His gaze locked with hers.

“Everything.”

Lyra’s disbelief turned into a sharp laugh.

“I’m not yours.”

Kael’s eyes darkened.

“You are.”

“No,” she snapped.

“You rejected the bond.”

Her voice cut through the air.

“You made that clear the moment I arrived.”

Kael opened his mouth to argue, but Lyra continued before he could speak.

“You don’t get to claim me now when it suits you.”

The tension between them thickened.

Then Kael suddenly reached out.

Lyra stiffened as his hand wrapped gently around her waist.

Her breath hitched.

The contact sent a strange warmth through her body.

Nyx stirred restlessly.

Kael’s other hand lifted a small jar.

“Ointment,” he said quietly.

Lyra frowned.

Before she could react, his fingers dipped into the jar and gently touched the bruised skin of her neck.

The moment his fingers brushed the mark—

Lyra’s breath faltered.

A soft gasp escaped her lips.

The mate bond surged sharply between them.

Kael inhaled slowly.

Her scent filled his senses.

Warm.

Sweet.

Completely intoxicating.

Fenrir stirred inside him.

Lyra’s breathing grew uneven as his fingers moved lightly across her skin, spreading the cooling ointment over the bruised area.

His touch was careful.

Gentle.

So different from the anger earlier that day.

The closeness made Lyra’s heart pound wildly.

Nyx’s voice was soft now.

Mate…

Kael’s eyes lingered on her for one long moment.

Then suddenly—

He stepped away.

At a speed so fast it startled her.

Without another word, Kael turned and left the room.

The door closed behind him.

Lyra stood frozen.

Her heart was still racing.

Her neck still tingled where his fingers had touched her.

“What… just happened?”

Nyx hummed softly.

But Lyra didn’t wait for an answer.

She quickly changed into a comfortable dress and moved to the window, sitting on the wide ledge that overlooked the pack gardens.

The cool night air helped steady her breathing.

She stared out at the moonlit garden below.

And then—

She saw him.

Kael walked into the garden.

But he wasn’t alone.

Selene approached him.

Lyra’s stomach tightened immediately.

From the window, she could see Selene reach out and touch Kael’s arm.

They spoke briefly.

Then suddenly—

Selene leaned forward and kissed him.

Lyra’s heart stopped.

For a second, Kael didn’t react.

Then he kissed her back.

Pain exploded through Lyra’s chest.

It was sharp.

Burning.

The mate bond reacting violently to betrayal.

Lyra gasped softly, clutching her chest.

Nyx snarled in fury.

Mate betrayal.

Below in the garden, something changed.

Kael suddenly pulled back.

His expression darkened.

Fenrir surged forward violently.

The wolf clearly did not like Selene’s touch.

Kael’s eyes flashed briefly as his wolf snapped at her.

Selene stumbled back in shock.

But Lyra barely noticed.

The burning pain in her chest slowly faded.

Leaving behind only emptiness.

She stared out at the garden with hollow eyes.

“I knew it,” she whispered softly.

Nyx remained silent.

Lyra wrapped her arms around herself and leaned her head against the window frame.

“This bond…”

Her voice was quiet.

“…will never work.”