Chapter 2: The Man Who Called Me Queen
700 Words
Chaos swallowed Mooncrest Pack.
The shattered remains of the protective barrier rained across the sacred grounds like falling stars. Warriors rushed to form a defensive line while terrified children were hurried toward the safety of the pack house.
"Protect the Alpha!"
"Defend the elders!"
"Find the intruder!"
The once joyful ceremony had become a battlefield in seconds.
Yet no one could take their eyes off Lyra.
She still hovered above the Moon Altar, wrapped in streams of silver moonlight. Her glowing eyes stared into the distance as if she were trapped between two worlds.
The mysterious man smiled.
"I've searched for you for eighteen years."
His calm voice echoed through the clearing.
"And tonight... I've finally found you."
Alpha Kael stepped forward, his aura exploding with dominance.
"Who are you?"
The stranger's golden eyes shifted lazily toward him.
"So..."
"The Alpha who rejected her."
There was no fear in his expression.
Only amusement.
"I expected more."
Kael's jaw tightened.
"I asked you a question."
The stranger chuckled.
"You no longer have the right to question me."
His gaze returned to Lyra.
"You threw away the greatest gift the Moon Goddess ever created."
The words struck Kael harder than any punch.
Before he could reply—
The Head Elder suddenly shouted.
"No!"
His voice trembled with panic.
"Don't let him touch her!"
The stranger sighed.
"Too late."
He raised one hand.
The silver chains of moonlight surrounding Lyra dissolved into countless glowing butterflies.
Slowly...
She descended from the sky.
Instead of collapsing, she landed gracefully on her feet.
Her silver eyes slowly faded back to their natural hazel.
She blinked.
Confused.
The last thing she remembered was Kael rejecting her.
She looked around at the terrified faces.
"What... happened?"
No one answered.
Then she saw him.
The stranger.
His handsome face carried the confidence of someone who feared nothing.
Long black hair rested against his shoulders.
Golden eyes shimmered beneath the Blood Moon.
He bowed.
Not to Alpha Kael.
Not to the elders.
To Lyra.
"My Queen."
The clearing fell silent again.
Lyra instinctively stepped back.
"I think you've mistaken me for someone else."
The stranger smiled.
"No."
"I've finally found the woman I've sworn my life to protect."
"I don't even know you."
"You will."
Before anyone could move—
A spear shot through the air.
Straight toward the stranger's back.
Kael had thrown it.
The stranger disappeared.
The spear crashed into a tree, splitting the trunk in half.
Gasps spread through the crowd.
"He vanished!"
"No..."
An elder whispered.
"He moved."
A heartbeat later, the stranger stood behind Kael.
Impossible.
Not even Kael had sensed him.
The stranger leaned close enough for only Kael to hear.
"If you ever attack me again..."
"...I'll show your pack why monsters fear my name."
A chill ran down Kael's spine.
The stranger stepped away as though nothing had happened.
"I didn't come here to fight."
"I came to reclaim what belongs to my kingdom."
Kael's eyes darkened.
"Lyra belongs to Mooncrest."
A low laugh escaped the stranger.
"Does she?"
"You rejected her before every witness here."
He looked around at the gathered wolves.
"Tell me..."
"If an Alpha abandons his mate..."
"What claim does he still have?"
No one answered.
Because everyone knew the ancient law.
A rejected mate was free.
Free to leave.
Free to choose another pack.
Free to accept another Alpha.
Kael clenched his fists.
For the first time in years...
Regret crept into his heart.
The stranger extended his hand toward Lyra.
"Come with me."
"I'll tell you who you truly are."
Lyra stared at his outstretched hand.
She didn't trust him.
But she no longer trusted the man who had shattered her heart either.
Her gaze drifted to Kael.
Their eyes met.
For the first time...
She saw desperation in his face.
"Lyra..."
It was the first time he had spoken her name that night.
"Don't go."
Before she could answer—
A bloodcurdling scream echoed from the edge of the forest.
A wounded guard stumbled into the clearing, covered in blood.
His body collapsed at Kael's feet.
With his final breath, he whispered five words that froze every wolf in place.
"They're already inside the pack..."
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