THE HEALER ARRIVES

The rain was brutal.

The main hall of *Blackthorn Pack* reeked of cold and death. The grand chandeliers were dark. Only torches burned, throwing long shadows on the stone walls.

In the center, on a marble bed, lay *Alpha Kael Veyron*.

24 years old. Alpha of Blackthorn.

The name that made rogues tremble.

Today, he couldn’t even get out of bed.

His body was burning with fever. Black veins spread across his neck like poison crawling under his skin.

"There’s no use," the Pack Doctor said, head lowered. "It’s been three days. Nothing is working. This… this is a curse, Alpha."

Beta *Torin* clenched his fists. "Shut your mouth. Kael will be fine."

Kael cracked his eyes open. His grey eyes were hazy. "Shut… up… all of you."

That’s when the door creaked open.

_Creeeak._

Every head turned.

A woman stood there.

Long black coat. Hood up, hiding half her face. A small leather bag in her hand.

Rainwater dripped from her boots onto the floor.

"Who are you?" Torin barked.

The woman didn’t lower her hood. Her voice was ice.

"I’m Miss Wynter. I was called. I was told an Alpha here is dying."

Silence fell over the entire hall.

Kael dragged in a sharp breath. That scent…

The moment she stepped in, a strange fragrance filled the room.

Cold. Clean. Like rain.

And old.

So old.

Kael’s heart stopped. Then slammed hard.

`This scent…`

He slammed a hand on the bed. "Come… closer."

The woman took one step forward. Then stopped.

"I’ll heal you," she said. "But I have one condition."

Torin stepped forward. "How dare you make demands? This is Alpha Veyron!"

"Then let him die," the woman shrugged. Only the tip of her chin was visible under the hood. Fair. Slim. "I don’t care. My condition: I treat him. No questions. I finish and I leave."

Kael laughed. It hurt. "Bold. Fine. Accepted."

She started pulling out vials and herbs from her bag. Her hands were pale. Slender. But they didn’t shake.

She came closer to the bed.

The second her hands touched Kael’s chest—

Kael’s entire soul jolted.

Heat.

Her heat sank straight into his chest. And with it… memories.

Five years ago.

That same night.

That same scent.

That same touch.

"No," Kael groaned, eyes snapping shut. "It can’t be you. You… you’re dead."

Her hand paused for one second. Then she pressed the medicine to his wound.

"Who I am doesn’t matter, Alpha," she said quietly. Only Kael could hear. "What matters is that you breathe. Or Blackthorn falls."

Kael opened his eyes and stared at her. In the shadow of her hood he couldn’t see her eyes. But her lips…

Those lips.

Exactly like the ones he saw that night.

The night he rejected her.

`FLASHBACK - 5 YEARS AGO`

A moonlit night. The pack’s mating ceremony.

A 20-year-old girl stood in a white gown. Her feet trembled.

"Kael," she whispered. "I… I’m your mate."

19-year-old Kael. New Alpha. Full of rage and pride.

He looked her up and down. Weak. Quiet. Eyes down.

The whole pack was watching.

Kael said it loud. So everyone could hear: "I reject you. You’re not fit to be my Luna. You’re weak. My pack doesn’t need you."

The girl’s face went pale. No tears in her eyes. Just silence.

"Got it?" Kael grabbed her arm and shoved her. "Get out."

The girl just nodded. And ran. Into the rain.

After that… she never came back.

`FLASHBACK END`

"The fever’s dropping!" Torin yelled.

Kael snapped back. His fever really was going down. The black marks on his neck were fading.

The woman pulled her hands back.

"Done," she said. "Three more days. Morning and night."

"What… what did you do?" The Doctor was stunned.

"What you couldn’t," the woman snapped her bag shut.

Kael forced himself up. His throat still burned.

"Show me your face," he ordered. Alpha voice.

The woman stopped. Then said softly: "I told you. No questions."

And she turned to leave.

"STOP!" Kael roared.

The whole hall shook.

She stopped. But didn’t turn.

Kael got off the bed. His legs shook. But he walked to her.

He reached out to pull her hood back.

She turned and caught his wrist.

Hard.

For the first time, her eyes were visible.

Blue. Cold. And completely empty.

"Alpha Veyron," Lyra said. "If you touch me again… I’ll leave. And you’ll die."

It wasn’t a threat. It was fact.

Kael’s hand froze in the air.

Something inside him broke.

Those eyes.

That voice.

That hatred.

`Lyra.`

The name almost left his mouth.

She dropped his wrist and walked out the door. Into the rain.

Torin moved. "Should I follow her?"

"No," Kael said. His voice cracked. He collapsed back on the bed.

But her scent was still in his nose.

And on his chest… where she touched him…

A dull ache. Like a mark was forming.

Outside, in the rain, *Lyra Wynter* clenched her fists.

Her hands were shaking.

`Mission started.`

`First, I’ll heal him.`

`Then… I’ll destroy him.`

She looked up at the sky.

"Five years, Kael. Time to settle the score."

And she disappeared into the dark.

Inside, Kael clenched his fists.

Only one thought in his head.

`I’m not losing her again. Even if I have to burn the world to get her back.`