Chapter 4 The Mate no one expected

For several seconds after Alpha Kael spoke, the hall remained completely silent.

No one moved.

No one spoke.

It was as if the entire room had forgotten how to breathe.

Lira still held the tray in her hands, her fingers trembling slightly as Kael's words echoed in her mind.

MATE!

Her heart pounded against her ribs.

That couldn't be right.

There had to be some mistake.

She was just an omega.

Across the hall, whispers began spreading like wildfire.

"Did he just say-"

"An omega?"

"That girl?"

"I thought Alphas always mated with strong wolves."

Clara stood frozen near the head table, her face slowly turning pale before anger quickly replaced the shock.

"This is ridiculous," she snapped.

The murmuring stopped as everyone turned toward her.

Clara stepped forward, her heels striking sharply against the wooden floor.

"Alpha Kael," she said loudly, forcing a polite smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "There must be some misunderstanding."

Kael didn't look at her.

His eyes remained fixed on Lira.

"There is no misunderstanding."

Clara's smile tightened.

"With respect," she continued, "that girl is a sla......an omega."she stuttered.

Lira felt the words like a slap, even though she had heard them countless times before.

But this time, something about the way Clara said it made her stomach twist.

Clara gestured toward her dismissively.

"She has never even shifted. She has no wolf."

The whispers grew louder again.

"She's right..."

"How could an Alpha mate with someone like that?"

Lira's chest tightened.

Part of her wished the floor would simply open and swallow her whole.

But Kael finally turned his head toward Clara.

And the moment he did, the entire room felt the shift in his aura.

Power rolled through the hall like a storm.

His silver eyes darkened.

"Be careful and choose your next words carefully," he said quietly.

The warning in his voice was unmistakable.

Clara faltered for a moment, clearly not used to being spoken to that way.

But her pride pushed her forward.

"I'm only pointing out what everyone else is thinking," she replied.

Kael stepped slightly closer to Lira.

Not aggressively.

But protectively.

The gesture alone sent another wave of whispers through the crowd.

"She's an omega," Clara repeated. "Surely the Moon Goddess wouldn't choose someone so... weak."

Something inside Lira twisted painfully.

She lowered her gaze again, gripping the tray tighter.

The words shouldn't hurt anymore.

But tonight, they did.

Kael's voice cut through the noise like steel.

"The Moon Goddess does not make mistakes or are you saying She does?"he added with a dangerous to

The room went quiet again.

Even Clara seemed momentarily stunned.

Kael looked back at Lira.

For the first time, she noticed something unexpected in his expression.

Not frustration.

Not disappointment.

Something softer.

Curiosity.

Almost wonder.

"You," he said gently.

Lira swallowed.

"Yes... Alpha?"

"Tell me your name."

Her voice came out barely above a whisper.

"Lira."

The moment he repeated it, something inside her chest fluttered strangely.

"Lira," Kael said.

The way he spoke her name made it sound important.

Like it mattered.

"Do you feel the bond?"

Her heart skipped.

"Yes," she admitted quietly.

She had been trying to ignore it, but the strange warmth spreading through her chest was impossible to deny.

It felt like invisible threads pulling her toward him.

Something ancient.

Something powerful.

Kael nodded once.

Then he turned back to the room.

"You have your answer."

Clara crossed her arms.

"This changes nothing."

Kael raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"This pack will never accept an omega as a Luna," she said coldly.

Several wolves shifted uncomfortably.

No one openly agreed with her.

But no one defended Lira either.

That silence felt just as loud.

Lira stared at the floor.

She wished this night would end.

Wished she could go back to cleaning floors where no one noticed her.

But Kael's voice spoke again.

And this time, it carried the unmistakable authority of an Alpha.

"My mate will be respected."

The command rolled through the hall like thunder.

Several wolves instinctively bowed their heads slightly.

Even Clara hesitated.

But she wasn't finished.

"You may believe she's your mate," she said carefully, "but Silver Crest is still my father's pack."

Her eyes flicked toward Lira again.

"And she belongs here."

The meaning behind those words was clear.

Lira wasn't free to leave.

She was pack property.

Just an omega servant.

Kael's eyes darkened.

"Does she?"

His voice had grown colder.

Silver Crest's Alpha finally stood from his seat at the head table.

The older man had remained silent throughout the confrontation, watching carefully.

Now his deep voice filled the hall.

"That depends."

Everyone turned toward him.

The Alpha studied Lira thoughtfully.

"If the bond is real," he continued slowly, "then she may choose to leave."

Clara's head snapped toward him.

"Father-"

"But," he added, raising a hand, "the decision must be hers."

The entire hall fell silent again.

Every pair of eyes shifted toward Lira.

She suddenly felt very small standing there.

Kael looked down at her.

"Lira."

Her heart pounded.

"Yes?"

"If you come with me," he said quietly, "you will be my Luna."

The words felt unreal.

His Luna.

No one had ever spoken about her like that before.

But Kael continued.

"You will be protected."

Something deep inside her chest warmed at that promise.

"But the choice is yours."

The room waited.

Lira's mind raced.

She looked around the hall.

At the faces she had known all her life.

Most of them avoided her gaze.

Some looked annoyed.

Some looked curious.

But none looked like they would miss her.

Slowly, she looked back at Kael.

The strange warmth inside her chest pulsed again.

Stronger now.

Like a heartbeat waking up.

Maybe...

Just maybe...

Her life didn't have to stay the same forever.

"I..." she began.

But before she could finish-

A sudden pulse of energy rushed through her body.

Lira gasped.

The tray slipped from her hands, glasses shattering against the floor.

For a split second, the lanterns hanging from the ceiling flickered violently.

The entire hall seemed to tremble.

Then everything went still again.

Lira stood frozen.

Her heart racing and she slumped

"What... was that?" someone whispered.

Kael stared at her, his expression suddenly intense.

Because the energy he had just felt...

Was not the power of an omega.

And somewhere deep inside Lira's soul...

The seal placed there years ago had just cracked for the first time