Three Alphas for the Luna He Discarded

UNEXPECTEDCLAIMS

Chapter Two: Unexpected Claims

Lyra's POV

Kade’s voice from that night crashed into my head without warning. “I, Kade Voss, reject you, Lyra Blackthorn, as my Luna and mate.” Cold. Final. Like I meant nothing.

I shook it off fast and focused on the courtyard. The three alphas moved forward from the gate, their steps sure. They had followed me here, right on my heels the whole way from the border.

The smiling one spoke first, voice carrying clear. “We came with Lyra. She’s under our protection now.”

A pack guard blocked their path, sword raised. “Protection? This is Ashgrave land. Strangers don’t just walk in and say that.”

The steady one answered, calm as ever. “We’re not strangers to her. We found her in the Wastes. We know what she carries.”

Another guard stepped up beside the first. “Alpha, these three showed up right after she did. They say they have claims on her. What do we do?”

Kade turned toward them, his face still tight. “Who are you exactly? And what makes you think you can claim anything here?”

The smiling one laughed lightly. “Name’s Cassian. We don’t think. We know. Lyra belongs with us now.”

The quiet one, Orion I remembered him saying earlier, added softly, “The bond pulled us to her. It’s not something you decide.”

Ronan, the steady one, nodded. “We felt her power wake. We stayed to keep her safe from whatever followed her out of the Wastes.”

I looked at Kade. “They’re telling the truth. They found me when I needed it most.”

A guard muttered loud enough for everyone to hear. “Three alphas showing up together? That can’t be normal. Alpha Voss, we should send them away.”

Cassian smiled wider. “Try it. You’ll see how well that works.”

Tension rippled through the remaining pack wolves. One older guard raised his voice. “You three think you can challenge Ashgrave? We have numbers here.”

Ronan stood taller. “We’re not challenging your pack. We’re standing by Lyra. There’s a difference.”

Kade exhaled sharply. “Lyra, tell me what this really is. You show up with fire and now three alphas at your back. Talk to me.”

I met his eyes. “You rejected me, Kade. Publicly. In front of everyone. Now the Wastes changed me and these three found me. I don’t owe you explanations first.”

A younger pack wolf called out from the side. “But Alpha, she’s still tied to you somehow, right? The old bond?”

Kade’s jaw clenched. “It’s still there. Faint, but there.”

Orion spoke quietly, looking straight at Kade. “That bond is breaking more every day. Ours is forming. You feel it too, don’t you?”

Cassian laughed again, easy but sharp. “Jealous already, Voss? We haven’t even started.”

The guards shifted uneasily. One of them stepped closer to the three. “You need to leave. Now. Before this turns bad.”

Ronan moved forward a step. “We’re not leaving her. Not with whatever is stirring in the Wastes coming this way.”

I turned to the guards. “They’re right. Something dark is following. I felt it the whole journey back. You want to fight them or prepare for what’s coming?”

Kade looked between all of us. “Everyone stay calm. Lyra, the council will want answers. But these three… they can’t just claim you.”

Cassian tilted his head. “We already did. She felt the pull too. Ask her.”

I nodded slowly. “It’s true. When they found me, something clicked. Different from what we had, Kade. Stronger.”

A guard growled. “This is madness. Three outsiders waltz in and declare her theirs? Alpha, give the order.”

Kade raised his hand. “Hold. No one fights yet.” He looked at me again. “Lyra, come inside. We can talk without all this noise.”

Before I could answer, Cassian moved smoothly between me and Kade. He stood there solid, smiling but with steel underneath. “She stays with us for now. You had your chance three years ago. You threw it away.”

Kade’s eyes flashed. “Step aside. This is between me and my former mate.”

Ronan spoke up from behind. “Former? That bond says otherwise, but it’s fading fast because of you.”

Orion murmured, “Cassian’s right. She decides now. Not you.”

The guards muttered among themselves. “Alpha, this is getting out of hand.”

I watched Kade’s face. Regret mixed with anger there. “Lyra, please. Don’t do this.”

Cassian stayed right between us, not budging. “She’s already done it. We’re here now. Deal with it.”

The air felt thick with all the unsaid words and the new pulls I felt toward each of the three. Kade stared at Cassian, then at me, his hand twitching like he wanted to reach out but knew better.

I inhaled deeply. “This isn’t over, Kade. But they’re staying. The Wastes won’t wait for us to sort this.”

Cassian glanced back at me with that easy smile. “See? She gets it.”

Kade’s voice came low and rough. “Lyra…”

But Cassian didn’t move. The first real line had been drawn, right there in the middle of Ashgrave’s courtyard, and everything felt ready to snap.