The Silent Omega

Whispered Of Jealousy

THE SILENT OMEGA

Chapter 12 — Whispers of Jealousy

The journey back from the sanctuary felt different.

Everything felt different now.

Lyra walked beside Kael through the quiet underground tunnels while Seraphine remained ahead of them, unusually silent.

The Headmistress looked troubled.

Worried.

And Lyra understood why.

Her powers were growing stronger faster than anyone expected.

Worse—

her voice was returning.

Even now, her throat still tingled strangely after speaking.

“I was scared.”

The words echoed repeatedly inside her mind.

Kael hadn’t said much afterward.

But she noticed the way his silver eyes kept drifting toward her now.

Watching.

Thinking.

Feeling.

The mate bond between them had changed again inside the sanctuary.

Stronger.

More dangerous.

When they finally emerged into the academy corridors, the atmosphere immediately shifted.

Students stopped talking when they saw them.

Whispers spread instantly.

Especially when they noticed:

- Lyra walking beside Kael

- His protective posture

- And the ripped shirt exposing the freshly healed skin across his chest

Rumors exploded within seconds.

Lyra lowered her eyes uncomfortably.

Kael noticed.

“They’re vultures,” he muttered quietly. “Ignore them.”

Easy for him to say.

The whispers followed them anyway.

“That’s Professor Draven.”

“Why is he always with her?”

“She healed him.”

“I heard she used forbidden magic.”

“She’s manipulating him.”

The last comment made Kael stop walking.

Slowly.

Dangerously.

Every student nearby immediately fell silent.

Kael’s silver gaze swept across the corridor.

“If anyone has questions,” he said calmly, “you may direct them to me.”

No one spoke.

No one even breathed too loudly.

Kael turned away again.

But the damage had already been done.

Lyra could feel it now.

Fear.

Jealousy.

Suspicion.

And hatred.

Especially from the Alpha students.

—

Later that afternoon, Lyra sat quietly inside the north wing library while reading old records about Moon Healers.

Or trying to.

Her thoughts kept returning to Kael.

The way he looked at her after she spoke.

The way his hands felt against her skin.

The terrifying warmth of the mate bond.

A quiet knock interrupted her thoughts.

Lyra looked up.

Selena Voss stood at the doorway.

The Alpha girl looked perfectly composed as always.

Beautiful.

Confident.

Cold.

Lyra immediately tensed.

Selena stepped inside slowly.

“So it’s true,” she said softly. “You’re staying in the north wing now.”

Lyra closed the book carefully but remained silent.

Selena crossed her arms.

“Do you know how long I’ve known Professor Draven?”

Lyra frowned slightly.

The Alpha girl smiled bitterly.

“Five years.”

“I trained under him since I was thirteen.”

Something unpleasant flickered through Selena’s eyes.

“I was the strongest student in Blackthorn.”

“The future Alpha everyone respected.”

Her gaze hardened.

“Then you arrived.”

Lyra looked away.

She didn’t want enemies.

Unfortunately, Blackthorn Academy seemed determined to give them to her anyway.

Selena stepped closer.

“You think he cares about you because you’re special?”

Lyra stiffened slightly.

Selena laughed softly.

“He’s fascinated by power. That’s all.”

The words shouldn’t have hurt.

But somehow—

they did.

Because part of Lyra feared Selena might be right.

Kael had only started noticing her after her powers awakened.

Before that…

she was invisible.

Selena studied her expression carefully and smiled slightly.

“Looks like I hit the right nerve.”

Before Lyra could react—

the library doors opened again.

Kael entered.

The temperature in the room dropped instantly.

His silver eyes landed on Selena first.

“What are you doing here?”

Selena straightened immediately.

“I came to speak with her.”

“Alone?”

The single word carried warning beneath it.

Selena’s jaw tightened slightly.

“You’re becoming overprotective.”

Kael’s expression remained unreadable.

“And you’re crossing boundaries.”

Tension filled the library immediately.

Lyra watched silently.

Selena looked between them slowly before finally speaking.

“Do you even realize what everyone’s saying about you?”

Kael didn’t care.

That much was obvious.

But Selena continued anyway.

“They think you’re obsessed with her.”

The silence afterward felt dangerous.

Kael stepped forward slowly.

“And if I am?”

Selena froze.

Lyra’s heart nearly stopped.

Even Kael seemed surprised by his own answer.

The mate bond pulsed violently between them.

Selena stared at him in disbelief.

“You can’t be serious.”

Kael’s silver eyes darkened.

“I suggest you leave, Miss Voss.”

The Alpha girl looked hurt for the first time.

Real hurt.

But beneath it—

anger burned hotter.

Her gaze shifted toward Lyra.

“This academy destroys weak people,” she said quietly. “Remember that.”

Then she left.

The library doors slammed shut behind her.

Silence followed.

Lyra looked down immediately, avoiding Kael’s gaze.

Obsessed.

The word echoed painfully inside her chest.

Kael exhaled slowly.

“She won’t bother you again.”

Lyra finally looked at him.

Why did you say that?

Kael’s expression tightened slightly.

“Because it’s becoming difficult to deny.”

Her breath caught softly.

Kael moved closer.

Too close.

The tension between them immediately returned.

Dangerous.

Heavy.

Intimate.

“You’re inside my head constantly now,” he admitted quietly. “Every time someone looks at you wrong, my wolf reacts.”

Lyra’s pulse raced uncontrollably.

Kael laughed softly without humor.

“Honestly, it’s exhausting.”

But despite the words—

his eyes never left hers.

Lyra swallowed nervously.

Then softly—

“Kael.”

His entire body went still.

Hearing his name in her voice affected him far too much.

He stepped even closer before seeming to realize what he was doing.

The mate bond surged warmly between them.

Lyra felt it too.

The pull.

The need.

The terrifying sense that she belonged near him.

Kael reached toward her slowly