The rival Alpha’s fingers lingered on the chain at Lyra’s throat, the weight of his touch far heavier than the iron itself. His eyes glowed a molten amber, burning with something older than desire, older than claim.
Lyra’s breath stuttered in her chest. Everything in her screamed to recoil, to spit in his face, to resist. And yet—beneath the silver’s suppression—something deep within her pulsed, low and traitorous.
He leaned closer, his voice a dark purr. “You’ve felt it, haven’t you? That tether that pulls no matter how far you run? That storm inside you doesn’t belong to them. It belongs to me.”
The words were poison, sliding through her veins, and her heart rebelled. Kael’s growl thundered across the chamber, rattling the chains that bound him.
“You lie!” he snarled, his eyes flashi
