All Chapters of The Man I Buried : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Kael POV Dawn came too quickly.I barely slept.Not because I couldn’t—but because I didn’t want to close my eyes and lose the last few hours of peace I had with Lyra. Even now, as the first light broke across the horizon, her scent still lingered on my skin, grounding me.Reminding me what I was fighting for.The village was already awake.Warriors filled the central clearing, moving with purpose. Armor was being secured, weapons checked, orders repeated in low, steady voices. The usual rhythm of the pack had shifted into something sharper. Focused.I stood near the front line, adjusting the straps of my gear, my mind running through everything I had been taught. Formation. Strategy. Discipline.Control.But beneath it all, there was something else.A pull.Not toward the battlefield.Toward her.I didn’t have to look to know Lyra was somewhere behind me. The bond made sure of that. A steady presence, warm and constant, even through the tension.I clenched my jaw slightly.Focus.Th

Rowan POV War always changed the rhythm of a pack.Not just on the battlefield—but here, in the spaces left behind.I saw it the moment I stepped into the village again.The noise was different.Quieter. Controlled.Where there should have been laughter, there were hushed conversations. Where warriors once filled the training grounds, there were smaller groups—young wolves, elders, and women moving with purpose.Holding everything together.I adjusted the strap of my cloak as I crossed the village center, taking it all in. My pack had sent me here as support when tensions first rose, but now that war had been declared…I wasn’t just an observer anymore.I was needed.“Rowan.”I turned.Elder Sarin approached, his steps slow but steady, eyes sharp as ever.“You’ve seen the situation,” he said.“I have.”“And?”“It’s stable,” I replied. “But only because they’re forcing it to be.”A faint nod.“Correct.”His gaze shifted across the village.“They need structure. Reinforcement. Quiet le

Lyra POV The morning felt wrong.There was no other way to describe it.Not quieter.Just… off.I stood by the window in the Alpha house, fingers resting lightly against the wooden frame as I looked out over the village. The sky was pale, almost colorless, and the usual early movement felt strained—forced into routine rather than flowing naturally.Something was coming.I felt it before I saw it.A tightening in my chest. A strange stillness in the air.The kind that presses in on your lungs without warning.The bond—It was there.But faint.Too faint.“Lyra?”Kira’s voice came from behind me, soft, uncertain.I didn’t turn.“Something’s wrong,” I said quietly.She stepped closer. “It’s just the tension—”“No.” My voice sharpened slightly. “This is different.”And then—I saw them.At the far edge of the village.A group approaching.Not a full unit.My breath caught.They weren’t walking like warriors coming home.They were slower.Heavier.Carrying something.No—Carrying people.

Rowan POV No one moved. Not for a long time.The clearing stayed frozen in that heavy, unbearable silence, every eye fixed on Lyra as if waiting for something to shift—something to break.But it didn’t. Not at first.She stood exactly where she had been when the words were spoken. Shoulders straight. Hands still. Eyes empty.Too empty.Elder Sarin hadn’t moved either. Neither had Kira. No one dared step forward, not with the way Lyra held herself—like one wrong touch would shatter her completely.Then—She blinked.It was small.Barely noticeable.But I saw it.And suddenly, everything changed.Her chest rose sharply, like she had just remembered how to breathe. Her fingers twitched at her sides. The rigid stillness cracked—just enough to let something through.A sound followed.It was soft and broken.“…No.”The word barely carried.But it cut through the clearing sharper than any scream.Kira stepped forward immediately. “Lyra—”But this time, Sarin didn’t stop her.Because Lyra w

Rowan POV The ground had been prepared before sunrise.I watched them from a distance as they worked—quiet, methodical, careful with every movement. No one spoke unless necessary. No one rushed. Even the sound of shovels breaking earth felt… restrained.Respectful.This wasn’t just another burial.This was for him.For Kael. The future Alpha. A warrior and a mate.The loss sat differently.It touched every part of the pack.By the time the sun rose fully, the clearing had been transformed.Not into something grand.Something simple.A single grave at the center, surrounded by stones placed in a wide circle. Fresh earth stacked neatly to one side. Bundles of wildflowers gathered in quiet clusters, their colors muted under the pale morning light.People began to gather slowly. There were no calls, no announcements, people just came from around.All drawn by the same pull. Grief. Respect. Duty.I took my place near the edge of the circle, arms folded loosely behind my back as I observ