Chapter Five: Tension

The room was filled with tension, the type that made it hard to breathe.

I stood off to the side, feeling small and insignificant as Kyle, Damon, and Damian faced off in the middle of the room.

My heart pounded in my chest, the sound of it loud in my ears. Kyle’s voice was a low growl, his eyes burning with frustration.

"I’ve made it clear," Kyle said, his tone deadly calm, "Lyra is my mate, and I’m taking her with me."

The words sent a shiver down my spine, and I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to suppress the unease that twisted in my stomach.

The pull between Kyle and me was undeniable, but that didn’t make this any easier to understand.

My legs felt weak, like they might give way any second, but I stood my ground, my gaze flicking between the three of them.

Damon and Damian stood in front of me, like twin walls of stone. Their expressions were grim, muscles taut with barely contained anger.

"You’re not taking her," Damian said, his voice cold and sharp. He stepped forward, his broad shoulders tense, daring Kyle to argue.

Kyle’s eyes flashed dangerously. "And why not?" he demanded, taking a step toward them. "You’ve done nothing to claim her. What gives you the right to keep her from me?"

My breath hitched. The air in the room felt electric, like a storm about to break. Kyle’s words cut through me, and I could see the flicker of hesitation in the twins' eyes.

They hadn’t claimed me, hadn’t even acknowledged me as their mate. Why were they fighting for me now?

Damon clenched his fists, his jaw tight. "It’s not that simple."

Kyle laughed, but there was no humor in it.

"Isn’t it? Either she’s your mate, or she’s not. Make up your mind."

The tension between them was palpable, and I could feel the weight of it pressing down on me, suffocating.

My chest tightened, and I wished more than anything that I could just disappear.

I didn’t want to be the cause of this argument, didn’t want to be the center of attention when all I felt was confusion and fear.

"She is our mate and wether we claim her or not, that's none of your business." Damon said coldly.

"It is my business!" Kyle said, his voice low and threatening. "If you won’t claim her, then I will."

Before things could escalate further, Alpha Dominic’s voice cut through the room.

"Enough!"

The room fell silent, the weight of Dominic’s authority pulling everyone’s attention to him.

His eyes swept over the scene, taking in the tension between the Alphas, the barely restrained fury in Damon and Damian, and Kyle’s simmering anger.

"All of you, in my study. Now," Dominic ordered, his voice leaving no room for argument.

I hesitated, unsure if I should follow, but the twins both glanced at me, their expressions unreadable, and I knew I had no choice.

In the Alpha’s study, the atmosphere was no better. If anything, the tension was worse, like a coiled spring ready to snap.

I stood by the door, my back pressed against the wall, trying to make myself as small as possible.

The three men were seated around Dominic’s large desk, but they didn’t look at each other.

Their anger simmered just beneath the surface, and I could feel it in the air, thick and oppressive.

Kyle was the first to speak. "Lyra is my mate," he said, his voice steady but hard. "I’m taking her with me. This doesn’t need to be complicated."

Dominic raised an eyebrow, his fingers tapping lightly on the desk. "Is that so?" He turned to the twins, his eyes narrowing. "And what do you two have to say about that?"

Damon and Damian exchanged a glance, and for a moment, I saw the hesitation in their eyes. My stomach churned. What were they going to say? Were they going to deny it again? Pretend like the bond between us didn’t exist?

"We don’t want him to take her," Damian said finally, his voice low and controlled.

Dominic’s gaze sharpened. "That’s not what I asked."

Damon shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his eyes flicking toward me for a split second before returning to his father.

"It’s complicated," he said.

"Complicated?" Dominic echoed, his voice laced with suspicion. "How is it complicated? Either she’s yours, or she’s not."

Silence followed. I felt like my heart was in my throat, the tension in the room unbearable.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Damian spoke. "Yes. She’s our mate."

The words hung in the air, heavy and raw. My heart pounded in my chest, a strange mix of relief and confusion swirling inside me.

They had admitted it. Finally. But why now? After all the rejection, all the pain, why were they claiming me now?

Dominic’s eyes narrowed. "And you waited until now to say this? After everything? And when I asked you both, you said you didn't find your mates!"

"We didn’t think…" Damon began, but his voice trailed off, and I could see the frustration in his eyes.

Kyle stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. "So, it’s true. She’s your mate, and yet you rejected her." His voice was laced with anger, his wolf barely restrained.

The twins didn’t respond, and the tension in the room ratcheted up another notch.

"You’re not taking her," Damian said again, his voice hard, leaving no room for argument.

Kyle’s eyes darkened, his wolf rising to the surface. "We’ll see about that."

Dominic stood, his presence commanding as he glared at all three of them.

"That’s enough," he barked. "This is a pack, not a battlefield. I won’t have Alphas fighting over an Omega like this."

The words stung, cutting through me like a knife. I felt invisible, unwanted, even though this entire argument was about me.

My throat tightened, and I fought to keep the tears from spilling over. I didn’t belong here. I didn’t belong anywhere.

Kyle’s eyes flashed with anger as he turned toward the door.

"This isn’t over," he said, his voice low and dangerous.

He shot one last look at Damon and Damian before leaving the study, his footsteps echoing down the hall.

I stood there, frozen, as the door closed behind him. The tension in the room didn’t ease.

Instead, it grew, the weight of everything that had just happened pressing down on me.

Dominic turned to the twins, his eyes blazing with fury.

"You two have caused enough trouble already," he snapped. "If you had just told the truth from the start, none of this would have happened."

Damon and Damian remained silent, their expressions unreadable, but I could see the anger simmering beneath the surface.

They hated being scolded, especially by their father, but there was nothing they could say to defend themselves.

"You better hope this doesn’t escalate further," Dominic warned, his voice cold. "Or you’ll regret it."