Chapter 5:The Scent Of A Queen

Lyra barely slept.

Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Rowan standing before the entire pack.

You are too weak to stand beside me as Luna.

The words replayed endlessly in her mind like a curse.

She tossed restlessly beneath silk sheets that felt far too expensive for someone like her while moonlight spilled through the massive windows of her new room.

Nothing about this place felt real.

The royal castle. The guards outside her door. Kael.

Especially Kael.

Lyra stared at the ceiling, frustrated.

Why couldn’t she stop thinking about him?

Maybe because everything about the Alpha King contradicted the terrifying stories she had heard growing up.

She expected cruelty. Coldness. Violence.

And yes, Kael was cold.

Dangerously so.

But beneath that ruthless exterior, she kept catching glimpses of something else.

Something careful.

Protective.

The memory of his hand wrapped around her wrist returned suddenly.

Warm. Steady. Safe.

Her stomach tightened strangely.

Annoyed with herself, Lyra threw the blanket aside and sat up.

She needed air.

Quietly, she slipped out of bed and opened the balcony doors.

Cold night wind brushed against her skin instantly.

The mountains surrounding Draven Castle stretched endlessly beneath the silver moon while distant waterfalls echoed softly through the darkness.

It was beautiful.

And lonely.

Lyra wrapped her arms around herself as sadness crept back into her chest.

Everything happened so fast.

Yesterday she belonged to Moonridge Pack.

Now she belonged nowhere.

A sharp ache pulsed through the broken mate bond again.

Lyra winced softly.

The pain wasn’t physical anymore.

Not entirely.

It was emptiness.

Like part of her soul had been ripped away and replaced with silence.

“You’re awake.”

Lyra jumped violently.

Kael stood near the far end of the balcony, partially hidden in the shadows.

Her pulse stumbled instantly.

“How long have you been there?”

“Long enough.”

Moonlight illuminated his sharp features as he stepped closer slowly, dressed in black pants and a dark shirt rolled slightly at the sleeves.

Without his royal coat and armor, he somehow looked even more dangerous.

Less like a King.

More like a predator.

Lyra frowned slightly. “Do you normally sneak around watching people?”

“I wasn’t sneaking.”

“That’s somehow worse.”

A pause.

Then, unexpectedly—

Kael almost smiled again.

Almost.

The sight caught her completely off guard.

It changed his entire face for half a second, making him look younger. Less terrifying.

Until the expression vanished.

“You should rest,” he said.

Lyra leaned lightly against the balcony railing. “I tried.”

Kael’s gaze lingered on her face carefully.

“You’re still in pain.”

It wasn’t a question.

She looked away immediately. “I’ll survive.”

The wind shifted suddenly.

Kael went completely still.

Lyra noticed instantly.

His expression sharpened dangerously.

“What’s wrong?”

He didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he stepped closer.

Once. Twice.

Then stopped directly in front of her.

Too close.

Lyra’s heartbeat quickened automatically.

Kael’s eyes darkened as he inhaled slowly.

And suddenly…

His wolf surfaced.

Not physically.

But she felt it.

The overwhelming Alpha pressure crashing against the air around them made her knees weaken instantly.

Every instinct inside her screamed predator.

Kael noticed her reaction immediately and forced the pressure back down.

But tension remained visible throughout his entire body.

“Kael?”

His jaw tightened sharply.

“You smell different.”

Lyra blinked in confusion. “What?”

The King’s eyes locked onto hers intensely.

“The rejection bond should still overpower your scent.”

Her stomach twisted nervously.

“Okay…”

“But it isn’t.”

The air between them suddenly felt too heavy.

Too charged.

Kael stepped even closer.

Close enough now that Lyra could feel the heat radiating from his body.

His gray eyes turned darker with every second.

Almost silver-black beneath the moonlight.

“What do I smell like?” she asked quietly.

The question seemed to affect him instantly.

Something dangerous flickered across his face.

Then he lowered his head slightly toward her neck.

Lyra stopped breathing.

His voice dropped into something rougher. Less controlled.

“Mine.”

Her heart nearly exploded.

Before she could react, Kael abruptly stepped backward like he regretted saying it.

The tension in his body looked almost violent now.

Lyra stared at him in shock.

“What does that mean?”

Kael said nothing.

Which terrified her more.

The wind shifted again.

And this time, Lyra smelled it too.

Blood.

Fresh blood.

Kael’s head snapped toward the castle doors instantly.

A second later—

A horrifying scream echoed through the hallway outside her room.

Lyra’s blood ran cold.

The balcony doors burst open violently as one of Kael’s royal guards stumbled inside covered in blood.

“Your Majesty—”

The guard dropped to one knee, breathing heavily.

“We caught an intruder near the eastern tower.”

Kael’s expression turned deadly calm immediately.

“Who?”

The guard hesitated.

Then slowly lifted something silver into the moonlight.

A necklace.

Lyra’s stomach dropped violently.

Because she recognized it instantly.

Moonridge Pack insignia.

Rowan’s insignia.

The guard swallowed hard.

“The intruder said he came for the girl.”