Chapter 2

LYRA'S POV:

The next day, I walk back into the manor at noon. The sun is high, and the house is quiet. Too quiet.

Kaelen finds me in the foyer. His face, usually a mask of calm authority, is tight with something he wants me to believe is worry.

"Lyra! Where have you been? I've been mind-linking you all night." His voice has that low, rumbling edge to it-the tone just shy of a full Alpha's Command. It's a force that weaker wolves cannot resist, a vibration that demands obedience. It used to make my heart flutter. Now, it just makes my skin crawl.

"I was with Master Elara," I say, my voice flat. "We were discussing ancient texts. My mind was too exhausted for the link."

My son, Caelus, appears at the top of the stairs. His face, a miniature version of Kaelen's, is twisted with disgust. "You shouldn't have come back," he spits. "We were fine without you."

Kaelen's expression flickers. "Caelus, that's enough. She's your mother."

"She's not!" he yells, before turning and stomping back to his room.

Kaelen turns back to me, his features softening into a look of deep, practiced affection. "He's just a cub, Lyra. He doesn't understand. He's been confused."

He leads me to our bedroom. My bedroom. The air is thick with the scent of rare herbs and magical oils. The room is filled with them-gifts for my "Return Day." He gestures to a table laden with shimmering elixirs and glowing stones.

"I never gave up," he says, his voice thick with emotion. "I journeyed to the Forbidden Forests, fought a Chimera to get the Sunpetal flower you see there. See this scar?" He shows me a long, white line on his forearm. "From its claws. All for you."

My eyes scan the table. My gaze lands on a small, velvet box nestled amongst the herbs. It's open, revealing a pair of moonstone earrings. They are beautiful. And they reek of Seraphina's cheap, sweet scent. He bought them for her.

"Throw it in the burn pit for me," I say, my voice devoid of any warmth.

He looks confused for a second before his eyes follow my gaze to the box. A flash of guilt crosses his face. "Lyra, that's-"

"I don't want it," I cut him off. "Get it out of my sight."

He quickly snatches the box and shoves it in his pocket, his jaw tight. To distract me, he pulls out a much larger, more ornate box.

"I had this made for you," he says, his voice regaining its gentle cadence. "A year ago. I always knew you would come back to me."

He opens it. Inside, a stunning sapphire necklace rests on black silk. It's called "The Moon's Vow," a traditional Alpha's gift to his Luna, symbolizing eternal fidelity. The sapphire glitters, but I'm not looking at the stone. I'm looking at the length of the chain. It's too short for my neck. It's made for someone more petite. Someone like Seraphina.

"Are you my one and only, Kaelen?" I ask, my voice quiet but clear.

He looks taken aback by the directness of the question. "Of course, you are. You are my fated mate. The other half of my soul."

"Alpha, she's asking for you. She says it's urgent." The voice of a pack warrior, panicked and intrusive, cuts through our Mind-Link.

Kaelen flinches. He thinks I can't hear it, that the link is private between him and his warrior. But the bond between fated mates, even one that is broken, leaves behind echoes. I hear everything. I know it's her.

"I have to go," he says, avoiding my eyes. "Pack business. An emergency at the border."

He leans in to kiss me, but I turn my head. His lips brush my cheek. It feels like nothing.

After he's gone, I pick up the beautiful, lying necklace. I walk through the silent house, out the back door, and to the edge of the woods where the pack's burn pit smolders.

Without a second thought, I throw "The Moon's Vow" into the glowing embers. I watch as the flames lick at the silver, the beautiful sapphire turning black with soot before disappearing into the ash.

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