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Ch. 41

Author: Cara Anderson
last update Last Updated: 2025-04-23 11:30:30
Lyra

Dinner progresses with excruciating formality. I struggle with the bewildering array of utensils, the unfamiliar dishes, the careful dance of court conversation where nothing is directly stated and everything carries double meaning. Kieran fares no better, his discomfort evident in his tense posture and minimal responses.

Alexander tries to include us in conversations, explaining context and introducing friendly nobles, but his attention is constantly divided. Royal matters continuously draw him away—urgent whispers from advisors, formal greetings required by protocol, political discussions that cannot wait despite the occasion.

Each time he's pulled away, our fragile bond stretches thinner, fluctuating uncomfortably. Across the table, I notice Elara watching with concern, clearly perceiving the strain through her growing abilities.

"The court will always demand his attention," Kieran murmurs during one such absence. "This is his life, Lyra. Endless politics, endless obligations.
Cara Anderson

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  • The Lycan King's Outcast Omega   Ch. 47

    Alexander "Your Highness, the eastern patrol has returned."I look up from the maps spread across my desk to see Captain Merrick standing at attention in the doorway. The grim set of his mouth tells me he's not bringing good news."Report," I command, straightening to my full height."We've confirmed the presence of at least eight individuals matching Northern territory descriptions moving through the eastern forests." He points to the area on my map where Lyra's healing community had relocated. "They're using search patterns consistent with tracking specific targets, not random patrols."My stomach knots. "How close to the healer settlement?""Too close," he admits. "Less than five miles from their last known location."A surge of power—part Alpha, part healing—runs through me at the news, making the maps glow faintly beneath my hands. I've been fighting these manifestations all day, each one stronger than the last as the bond between Lyra and me stretches with our separation."Shit,

  • The Lycan King's Outcast Omega   Ch. 46

    Lyra "What existed between us was real," I acknowledge quietly. "Friendship, respect, potential for more. I never denied that.""And now?" His question carries no accusation, only sincere desire to understand where my boundaries are now."Now complexity exists where once things seemed so simple between us, so easy." I reply, honesty demanded by years of trust between us. "The bond with Alexander doesn't erase what came before, but it changes the context irrevocably."He reaches out slowly, giving me time to withdraw if I choose, and gently brushes a strand of hair from my face. The casual intimacy of the gesture—one he's performed countless times before—suddenly carries a different weight, awareness crackling between us like the static before a storm."If fate hadn't intervened," he murmurs, "if you'd never met him...""We can't know that path because we're not walking it," I interrupt gently, though I don't pull away from his touch. "Speculating about what might have been only makes

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