Ch. 3

The pack knew.

They always did.

By the time Carolina reached the edge of the clearing near the main pack house, whispers were already spreading like wildfire.

“She shifted last night.”

“Did you feel that energy?”

“Xander shifted too—at the same time—”

Carolina froze.

At the same time.

Her stomach twisted.

Xander stood at the center of it all.

Of course he did.

Future Alpha. He didn’t blend into a crowd—he commanded it.

Even now, freshly shifted, his presence was different. Stronger. Sharper. Like something inside him had fully awakened.

And everyone felt it.

Everyone was watching him.

And then—

They started watching her.

Carolina’s pulse spiked as heads turned, conversations cutting off mid-sentence. The weight of their attention pressed down on her, heavy and judging.

She almost turned around.

Almost ran.

But then—

The bond pulsed.

Warm. Steady.

Grounding.

Her eyes lifted—and found Xander’s instantly.

Like nothing else existed.

The crowd parted slightly as he stepped toward her.

Not rushed.

Not hesitant.

Certain.

Every step said the same thing:

Mine.

“Carolina,” he said, his voice carrying just enough for those closest to hear.

That was all it took.

The whispers exploded.

“No way…”

“Is that—?”

“It can’t be—”

And then a new voice cut through the noise.

Sharp.

Cold.

Unamused.

“It can’t be.”

The crowd shifted again—but this time, not out of respect.

Out of anticipation.

She stepped forward like she already owned the space.

Tall. Flawless. Controlled.

Blonde hair falling perfectly over her shoulders, eyes locked on Carolina with a mixture of disbelief and something far uglier.

Possession.

“Say it isn’t true, Xander.”

Carolina felt the bond tighten—not in comfort this time, but in warning.

She didn’t know who this girl was.

But her wolf did.

And it didn’t like her.

Xander’s posture changed instantly.

Subtle.

But unmistakable.

His shoulders squared, his expression hardened.

“Lyra,” he said evenly.

Lyra.

The name rippled through the crowd.

“You didn’t answer me,” Lyra continued, stepping closer. “Tell me this is some kind of mistake.”

Her gaze flicked to Carolina—brief, dismissive, cutting.

Then back to him.

“It’s not a mistake,” Xander said.

Simple.

Final.

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Lyra let out a quiet laugh—but there was no humor in it.

“No,” she said, shaking her head slowly. “No, that’s not how this works.”

Carolina’s chest tightened as she watched the exchange, confusion mixing with something sharper.

Something defensive.

Lyra turned fully toward her now, eyes narrowing.

“You,” she said.

Not a greeting.

An accusation.

Carolina stiffened. “Me.”

A slow, deliberate look swept over her—head to toe.

Judging.

Measuring.

Dismissing.

“This is who you chose?” Lyra asked Xander, her voice dropping. “This is your mate?”

The words hit harder than Carolina expected.

Not because of what they meant—

But because of how they were said.

Xander stepped forward, placing himself slightly between them.

Not shielding.

But making a point.

“I didn’t choose,” he said, his voice low. “The bond did.”

Lyra’s expression cracked for just a second.

There it was.

Hurt.

But it didn’t stay.

It hardened into something sharper.

“I’ve trained my entire life to stand beside you,” she said, her voice rising just enough for others to hear. “To be Luna. To lead this pack with you.”

Murmurs rippled through the crowd again.

Carolina’s stomach dropped.

Luna.

Oh.

“And now,” Lyra continued, gesturing toward Carolina, “you’re telling me she just… walks in and takes that place?”

“I’m not taking anything,” Carolina snapped before she could stop herself.

Every eye shifted to her.

Lyra smiled.

Not kindly.

“Then what exactly are you doing here?”

Carolina’s jaw tightened.

“I didn’t ask for this.”

“Neither did I,” Lyra shot back.

The tension snapped tight between them.

Xander’s voice cut through it.

“Enough.”

The single word carried Alpha authority—even if he wasn’t officially Alpha yet.

The crowd went silent instantly.

Even Lyra stilled.

Xander’s gaze locked onto hers.

“You don’t get to question this,” he said. “Not the bond. Not her.”

That one word—her—sent a visible ripple through Lyra.

“You’re defending her?” Lyra asked quietly.

Dangerously.

“I’m stating facts,” he replied.

The bond pulsed again—stronger this time, like it was reacting to the conflict.

Carolina felt it anchor her, steadying the storm building in her chest.

Lyra looked between them.

At the way they stood.

At the invisible thread pulling them together.

And she understood.

That’s when the jealousy turned into something else.

Something colder.

More dangerous.

“This isn’t over,” she said softly.

Not dramatic.

Not loud.

Just certain.

Then she leaned slightly closer to Xander, her voice dropping just enough that only those closest could hear.

“You may have found your mate,” she said,

“but that doesn’t mean she can survive being Luna.”

Carolina felt that one.

Her wolf stirred, not in fear—

But in challenge.

Lyra straightened, her expression smoothing back into something composed and controlled.

“Congratulations,” she said flatly, though her eyes said the opposite.

Then she turned—and walked away.

The crowd didn’t move right away.

No one spoke.

Because everyone felt it.

This wasn’t just a love story.

This was a divide.

Carolina exhaled slowly, her body still tense.

“Who… was that?” she asked quietly.

Xander didn’t look away from where Lyra disappeared.

His jaw was tight.

His voice, quieter now.

“Someone who thought she already had my future planned.”

Carolina swallowed.

“And now?”

Xander finally looked at her again.

The bond flared instantly.

Strong.

Unshakable.

“Now,” he said,

“everything just got a lot harder.”

And for the first time—

Carolina believed him.