Her Four Mates

Lyra’s POVIf I thought my brothers were protective before, it was nothing compared to how they acted after our kitchen confession three days ago.And I mean nothing.“Absolutely not,” Darius said firmly, blocking my path to the training grounds.“It’s just combat practice,” I protested. “The same combat practice I’ve been doing for two years.”“With males from other packs,” Marcus pointed out, appearing at Darius’s shoulder like a backup dancer in a very possessive boy band.“Males who might get ideas,” Zane added, joining the wall of overprotective testosterone.“About touching you,” Kael finished, completing their ridiculous formation.I stared at them. “You realize I could take any of those guys, right? I learned from the best.” I gestured at them. “You four made sure of that.”“That’s not the point,” Darius said.“Then what is the point?”“The point,” Zane stepped closer, his voice dropping to that tone that made my knees weak, “is that now that we’ve admitted how we feel, the th

Lyra’s POVI’d never seen anything more beautiful than the ceremony grounds at sunset.Many white candles flickered in the dimming light, creating a soft glow among the old oak trees. Flower petals, including jasmine and rose, along with an unfamiliar scent that reminded me of moonlight, covered the paths to the sacred circle. Representatives from twelve different packs filled the wooden benches arranged in circles around the ceremonial platform, their eyes shining with excitement.And at the center of it all, the Moon Stone. A massive piece of silver-veined marble that had been used for mating ceremonies for over three centuries, now glowing with an inner light that seemed to pulse in rhythm with my heartbeat.“You look incredible,” Darius whispered in my ear as he escorted me down the petal-strewn aisle.I smoothed the skirt of my dress, Kael’s “special blue” that did indeed match the color of moonlight on water. The fabric seemed to shimmer with each step, like it was woven from st

Lyra’s POVI had to admit, Jadis was trying really hard to fit in.Over the past week, she’d thrown herself into pack life with genuine enthusiasm. She helped in the kitchens, tended the herb gardens, and even volunteered for the less pleasant tasks like mending hunting gear and organizing the supply storage. Everyone loved her, she was sweet, hardworking, and had this infectious laugh that could brighten anyone’s day.So why did I still feel like something was… off?“Lyra, could you pass the rosemary?” Jadis asked from across the kitchen counter where we were preparing healing salves for the pack’s medicine stores.“Sure,” I said, sliding the jar over to her. “You’re really good at this. Where did you learn?”“My grandmother,” she said with a soft smile, carefully measuring the herbs. “She was the pack healer before… well, before everything went wrong.” Her smile faltered slightly. “I used to think I’d follow in her footsteps, maybe find a mate who’d appreciate having a healer for a p

Lyra’s POVLife had gotten infinitely better since our midnight kitchen confession three days ago.Not that we were being obvious about our changed dynamic, Alpha Magnus didn’t need to deal with that particular conversation just yet, but the tension that had been building between us for months had finally released. We could touch without second-guessing ourselves, steal kisses when no one was looking, and just… be honest about what we meant to each other.It was liberating in a way I hadn’t expected.“You’re glowing again,” Kael murmured against my ear as we sat in the pack’s small library. I was supposedly helping him research traditional pack histories for some project Marcus had assigned, but we’d gotten distracted about twenty minutes ago.“I am not,” I protested, though I didn’t move away from where he was nuzzling my neck.“You are. You’re like a little sun.” His lips brushed against my pulse point, and I shivered. “My little sun.”“Kael,” I said, though it came out more breathl