The Mate He Couldn't Accept

“Get her away from me.”

Kael's command echoed through the clearing.

Lyra stared at him, confused by the sudden hostility in his eyes. One moment, he had been studying her as though she were a mystery. The next, he looked at her as if she were something he wanted removed.

A warrior stepped forward.

“Come with us.”

“Where?”

“To the packhouse.”

“Am I a prisoner?”

The warrior hesitated. “You'll have to ask the Alpha.”

Lyra glanced at Kael, but he had already turned away.

Anger rose beneath her fear.

She had crossed into enemy territory because her own Alpha had thrown her out. Now another Alpha was treating her like a problem before she had even done anything wrong.

“I'm not going anywhere until someone tells me what's happening.”

Kael stopped.

Slowly, he turned back.

“You are standing on Nightfang land without permission. That alone gives me reason to question you.”

“I explained why I'm here.”

“You expect me to believe an Ashen Moon wolf simply wandered across our border?”

“I don't care what you believe. I told you the truth.”

The warriors exchanged uneasy looks.

Few people spoke to Kael Draven that way. Fewer still did it while standing injured in front of him.

His gaze dropped briefly to the blood on her sleeve.

“Take her to the packhouse. Have the healer examine her.”

“And after that?” Lyra asked.

“After that, we'll decide what to do with you.”

Before she could answer, he walked away.

Lyra clenched her hands. Her wolf stirred restlessly, reacting to his presence even as her pride demanded that she hate him.

She didn't understand it.

She only knew that being near Kael made her feel things she had never experienced before.

One of the warriors gestured for her to follow.

“This way.”

Lyra followed, keeping her distance from the men surrounding her. They led her through the forest until the trees opened onto a wide clearing.

A large stone house stood at its centre, surrounded by smaller buildings. Wolves moved between them, carrying supplies and speaking in low voices. Several stopped when they noticed Lyra.

Their expressions changed as they caught her scent.

“Ashen Moon?” someone whispered.

“Why is she here?”

Lyra lowered her eyes and continued walking.

She had barely escaped the judgment of one pack. She had no desire to face another.

Inside the packhouse, a woman with silver threaded through her dark hair approached them.

“What happened?”

“Found her near the eastern stream,” one warrior explained. “The Alpha ordered us to bring her in.”

The woman noticed Lyra's injured shoulder.

“Sit down, child. Let me see that.”

Lyra obeyed, though she kept glancing toward the doorway.

The woman cleaned the wound and wrapped it in fresh bandages.

“I'm Sera, the pack healer. What's your name?”

“Lyra Vale.”

Sera's hands paused.

“Vale? From Ashen Moon?”

Lyra nodded.

“Then I imagine you've had a difficult journey.”

It was the first kindness Lyra had received since crossing the border. She struggled to find an answer.

Before she could speak, the door opened.

Kael entered.

The room fell silent.

He looked at Sera. “Leave us.”

The healer studied him for a moment before gathering her supplies and stepping outside.

Lyra rose carefully from the chair.

“If you're going to accuse me of something, at least tell me what it is.”

Kael shut the door.

For several seconds, he said nothing. His expression was controlled, but tension tightened his shoulders.

“Do you know what a mate bond is?”

Lyra frowned.

“I know what it means when two wolves are fated to be together.”

“Then you understand why this is a problem.”

Her heart began to pound.

“No.”

Kael held her gaze.

“You're my mate, Lyra.”

The words seemed to drain the air from the room.

Lyra stared at him, unable to speak. She had heard stories about fated mates since childhood, but she had never imagined the Moon Goddess would choose someone for her—least of all the Alpha of Nightfang.

Her wolf stirred with a sudden, desperate longing.

For the first time since her shift, Lyra felt something close to hope.

Then Kael spoke again.

“I cannot accept you.”

The hope vanished.

Lyra swallowed hard. “Why?”

“Because I have responsibilities that cannot be ignored. My pack's future depends on an alliance I intend to honour.”

“An alliance?”

“I am expected to marry the daughter of a neighbouring Alpha.”

Lyra looked at him, waiting for him to say there was another way.

He didn't.

“So your solution is to reject me before I become inconvenient?”

His jaw tightened. “You don't understand what's at stake.”

“Then explain it to me instead of deciding what I deserve.”

For a moment, something shifted in his expression. But it disappeared almost immediately.

“I won't risk my pack's future for a bond I never asked for.”

Lyra felt the words land like a physical blow.

She had spent her life being told she wasn't enough. Now, even the mate chosen for her had decided she wasn't worth the risk.

She straightened her shoulders.

“Don't worry, Alpha Draven. I won't ask you to choose me.”

She walked past him toward the door.

“Where do you think you're going?” he demanded.

“Somewhere I can be unwanted in peace.”

She opened the door before he could respond.

Her wolf ached inside her, pulling toward the man she was already beginning to resent.

But Lyra refused to turn back.

She had survived being abandoned once.

She would survive this, too.