Chapter Three
1015 Words
Chapter Three
"Ghosts in the Hall"
---
Kael
He hadn’t slept.
Not because she nearly stabbed him a second time.
Not because the Council was on edge or that whispers were growing about her presence inside their sacred walls.
He hadn’t slept because every time he closed his eyes, he saw hers.
Amber like fire, haunted like a grave.
Lyra.
Mate. Assassin. Survivor.
And the very woman fate had handed to him soaked in blood and vengeance.
He didn’t know what the hell the Moon Goddess was thinking—but he knew one thing: if she ran now, if she escaped these walls, the Alphas would hunt her down.
So he'd rather keep her here.
Caged. Close.
Safe.
Even if she hated him for it.
---
Lyra
They gave her a room.
Clean. Luxurious. Ridiculously soft sheets.
It made her skin crawl.
A gilded cage was still a cage.
She hadn't spoken since Kael caught her with the letter. He’d left it with her, strangely. Said nothing. Did nothing.
Just stood there like a man who didn’t know which war to fight—her or the one inside his head.
But she didn’t trust that softness.
He was still an Alpha.
Still a threat.
Still the son of the man who burned her life down.
She stood at the wide window now, arms crossed, staring at the stars. In the distance, the forest whispered.
A wolf howled.
Home. She hadn’t called anywhere that word in years.
---
Council Hall – The Next Day
She wore black.
Not because it was formal.
Because it was war.
When she stepped into the chamber, she walked like a queen—chin high, back straight, hands loose at her sides.
Every Alpha stared.
Some with disdain.
Some with lust.
Some with awe.
Kael stood at the head, his Beta beside him—a scarred man named Dax with eyes like cold steel and a growl that echoed.
They were a pair, no doubt.
But Lyra didn’t look at Dax.
She looked at Kael.
He was watching her already.
“Lyra of Silverpine,” the Council Head announced, “you stand accused of attempted murder against an Alpha. You carry no rank. You claim no pack. You are a rogue by law.”
Murmurs rippled through the chamber.
“Why,” the Councilor asked, “should we not sentence you to death?”
Kael didn’t speak.
He watched her carefully—waiting to see what she would say.
Lyra stepped forward.
“Because I’ve died already,” she said coldly. “The night your kind set fire to my family. The night you left a fifteen-year-old girl to watch her world burn and told the world we were traitors.”
The chamber went still.
“I am not asking for forgiveness. I didn’t come to play your political games or grovel for mercy. I came for answers.”
“Answers?” a woman to her left scoffed. “You came with a blade.”
“Because that’s the only language this place understands.”
She turned slowly, meeting every Alpha’s gaze one by one. “But I’ll play your game. I’ll stay. I’ll listen. But I won’t be silenced. And I won’t bow.”
---
Kael
Every part of him screamed to speak.
But he couldn’t.
She had to stand on her own. Earn their respect. He knew the Alphas. They would rip her apart if she showed weakness.
So he stayed silent.
Until a voice from the far side broke through.
"She’s lying," someone called.
Heads turned.
A young man stepped forward.
Lean. Tall. His face pale.
Lyra went still.
Kael watched her stiffen.
The boy said, “She’s not the last of Silverpine. Because I’m here too.”
---
Lyra
Her heart stopped.
“No,” she whispered. “You’re dead.”
The boy smiled, and the chamber buzzed.
Kael narrowed his eyes. “Who are you?”
“Name’s Ash. Ash Tarrow,” he said. “You may not remember me, Lyra. I was just a pup. But I remember you.”
She blinked. “Ash...?”
“I was hidden,” he said softly. “Pulled from the wreckage by a hunter. I thought everyone died. I didn’t know you lived. I swear it.”
Kael watched her now like she might collapse. She didn’t.
She stepped forward, touched Ash’s cheek.
He flinched.
“You’re real.”
He nodded.
“I’m not the last,” she breathed.
Tears burned behind her eyes—but she shoved them down.
“Then there’s still hope,” she said.
Ash looked past her to the Council. “We both deserve to know why our pack died.”
---
Dax
Kael’s Beta pulled his Alpha aside during the recess.
“She’s not safe here.”
Kael’s jaw tightened. “She’s my mate.”
“She doesn’t trust you. Neither does the Council. If you’re not careful, someone will kill her while you sleep.”
Kael’s eyes darkened. “Then let them try.”
---
Later That Night – Lyra’s Room
A knock at her door.
Ash.
He looked nervous, older than she remembered.
“I need to tell you something,” he said. “About Kael’s father.”
Her breath caught.
He stepped in. Closed the door. Voice low.
“I overheard the Alpha who raised me—he was one of Kael’s father’s soldiers. They said Silverpine wasn’t just burned. It was a setup.”
Lyra’s heart pounded.
“A setup?”
Ash nodded. “Your father found out something. Something about the Council. He was going to expose it. That’s why they silenced him.”
Lyra stared. “You’re sure?”
Ash looked at her with haunted eyes.
“Why else do you think they’re so desperate to keep you quiet?”
---
Meanwhile – Council Chambers
Kael read the letter again. Over and over.
The Silverpine seal. The plea for help.
Dated before the m******e.
And his father had hidden it.
Kael’s knuckles tightened.
Something deeper was unfolding.
And Lyra was at the center of it.
---
- Writer
