All Chapters of Lyra, His Second Chance Mate: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Kane POVShe collapsed in his arms, shaking.Kane didn’t speak at first.He just held her - close, steady, arms around her trembling body as she sobbed into his chest. Her fingers clutched at his shirt like she was trying to anchor herself to this moment, to this reality, away from the hell she’d just relived.He hated it.Hated seeing her like this - cracked open by pain she should never have had to carry.You were just a child, he wanted to say. You shouldn’t have seen it once, let alone twice.Instead, he ran his hand gently down her back, whispering soft reassurances while Bastian stood silent across the room.Eventually, her breathing slowed. The shaking eased into exhaustion.Without letting go, Kane shifted and slid one arm beneath her knees. He lifted her easily, holding her against his chest as she closed her eyes.She didn’t protest. She just breathed.He carried her out of the chamber without a word.The east wing was dim, lit only by the flickering torches along the stone w

Lyra’s POVThe silver shimmer faded from her fingertips, but the feeling didn’t vanish.Lyra stood in the center of the meadow, sweat clinging to her spine, heartbeat pounding, her body sore in the best kind of way. The light she'd summoned still whispered under her skin - a pulse of something ancient and hers.Valeria stood a few paces away, arms crossed, daggers sheathed. “Not bad, Seer. You might actually survive this.”Bastian didn’t smile, but the approval in his gaze was clear. “You’re beginning to wake the bond between the stones and your blood. Tomorrow, we’ll push it further.”Lyra exhaled slowly. “Tomorrow. Right.”Valeria stepped up and clapped her on the shoulder. “Rest. Eat. You’ve got the look of someone who might faint and take me with her.”“I’m fine,” Lyra muttered.“You’re not,” Kane’s voice said from the treeline.She turned.He was already walking toward her, that careful look on his face - the one that meant he’d watched everything and wanted to both praise and sco

Kane POVKane stood outside her room, hand paused just short of knocking.The weight of the war room still clung to his shoulders - dried blood beneath his nails, the chill of southern winds still clinging to his cloak. But none of that was heavier than what he had to tell her.He didn’t want this conversation.He wanted to protect her.But that wasn’t the kind of man she needed - and it wasn’t the kind she loved.He knocked. The door creaked open almost instantly.She was already awake.Lyra stood barefoot, wrapped in a thick wool sweater and a blanket around her shoulders. Her hair was loose, cheeks flushed from firelight.She blinked once at the sight of him. “You’re back.”He nodded. “Can I come in?”She stepped aside.The room was warm, a low fire crackling. Her journal sat open on the desk beside the silver ring she never wore but never hid. A cup of half-finished tea steamed gently near the edge.Kane stepped inside and closed the door behind him.“I was going to find you,” she

Kane’s POVThe halls of Blackstone were quiet, their stone bones holding the breath of the night. Kane walked beside Lyra, their steps soft against the worn runner that led toward her room. The torches along the wall flickered in the draught, throwing ribbons of gold across her hair. She had her cloak wrapped tightly around her, but strands of brown hair escaped, brushing her cheek with each step.She glanced up at him once, the faintest curve of a smile on her lips, and Kane felt the pull again - that dangerous, magnetic thread between them. Not just the mate bond, but something deeper, something he couldn’t name without fearing it would change him forever.When they reached her door, Lyra paused with her hand on the latch. “You don’t have to walk me all the way,” she murmured.“I know,” he said, voice low. “But I wanted to.”Her smile deepened, though there was a shadow behind it. “You think I can’t find my way back?”He tilted his head slightly, studying her face. “I think the weigh

Kane POVThe first pale wash of dawn spilled over Blackstone’s battlements like a cold tide. Frost lay thick on the courtyard stones, crunching under boots and hooves as the warriors assembled in ordered lines. Their breath misted white in the air, merging with the smoke that curled from the stables and cookfires.Kane stood at the front of the column, his cloak drawn close, one gloved hand resting on the pommel of his sword. He had risen before the first bell, unable to sleep. His body demanded readiness, but his thoughts had been filled with Lyra - her eyes last night when she promised she would catch him if he fell.The bond hummed faintly now, steady as a second pulse.Thorne approached from the rear lines, helm tucked beneath one arm, his expression grim. “Forty-three. All accounted for. Scouts already ten minutes ahead.”Kane nodded once. “Good.”Behind Thorne, Valeria swung into her saddle, settling with the easy grace of someone born for war. Bastian climbed onto a sturdy geldi