She gave me sight, I lost her forever

The howls of wolves echoed in the distance, mercilessly reminding him of what was once his home. The moon, a silent witness to his reign, began to eclipse behind the shadows of dawn, as if it too renounced his existence.

Kael stumbled forward, guided only by the savage instinct that still kept him on his feet. He couldn't see. He could barely stand. His steps were clumsy, dragging, each one more painful than the last. He had been wandering for hours, exhausted and completely wounded all over his body.

But it was not a physical wound that had blinded him, but something far more brutal: betrayal. Luna, his destined mate, had rejected him when he needed her most. And with that abandonment, she imposed the most merciless punishment an alpha could receive: oblivion, solitude, humiliation, and blindness.

But Kael was no ordinary wolf. Even broken, his presence commanded. Even blind, his soul burned like a bonfire in the middle of the forest, inextinguishable, fueled by a single truth: he swore he would return to take revenge on everyone, especially his younger brother, who conspired against him to see him fall.

His pack, the one for whom he bled and roared, spat him out as if he had never belonged. They banished him, trampling his name, burying the Alpha's legacy under indifference and cowardice. But Kael's fury would know no rest. Not while his heart still beat in the shadows.

"Lyra, come here! I found a man, quick!"

"A man around here? How strange..." Lyra put away her hunting weapon and headed to the spot where Helga was calling her. But upon seeing him, her eyes lit up and her heart pounded.

"No... it can't be true. What is he doing here?" She knelt beside the body, trembling, and checked that Kael was still breathing.

"Helga, help me, please. Bring the car. He's badly hurt, we must take him with us."

"Do you know him?" Helga asked, confused.

"Yes... it's Kael," his name escaped Lyra's lips with nostalgia.

"Kael? The Alpha of the Dark Moon pack? What on earth happened to him? We can't take him home, Lyra, it's dangerous."

Lyra was already beginning to tie him up with determination, preparing to lift him. She shook her head; she wasn't going to leave him there, not him, not after everything that had happened, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself.

"I'm not going to leave him lying here like a dying animal. Help me!"

"But... we have to bring dinner. They're waiting for us, and if we arrive empty-handed, you know very well we could be the main course," Helga murmured, completely nervous.

But Lyra didn't care; she was always there for Kael.

"We'll stop by a butcher shop and get meat. I don't understand why they keep forcing us to hunt," Lyra scoffed, as she forcefully lifted Kael's body. With Helga's help, she settled him on her shoulders and they put him in the car.

Lyra was nothing more than an omega, a slave destined to cook and provide food for the pack. But despite her rank, she was strong, proud, untamable. Before returning, they bought enough meat to avoid questions and punishments. When they finally arrived, together they placed Kael on Lyra's bed.

"Thanks, Helga. I'll take care of him."

"Do you have any idea of the trouble we'll get into if they find out Kael is here?"

"I know," Lyra replied, firm. "But I take responsibility, I want to take care of him."

She took a basin of water, a clean towel, and began placing damp cloths on his forehead, trying to relieve his fever and gently clean his wounds.

"Damn it, Lyra... I don't want to be in your shoes," Helga muttered before leaving, closing the door of the small cabin behind her.

And so, for the rest of the night and a good part of the early morning, Lyra stayed by his side. She cleaned every wound, monitored his breathing, caressed his burning skin... and protected his sleep as if her life depended on it.

The next morning arrived, and the first rays of the sun filtered through the window of that humble cabin. Lyra, exhausted from her vigil, slept reclining on the edge of the bed, while Kael, with effort, opened his eyes.

What was that scent?

Confused, Kael immediately noticed that he wasn't in the forest... nor in his mansion. He was in an unfamiliar bed, but that stench... it infuriated him.

"Where am I?" he murmured hoarsely, his throat burning from dryness.

Lyra woke up startled and, seeing him conscious, couldn't help but smile.

"Alpha..."

"That voice, that scent. That damn scent!" he growled to himself. Suddenly, he tried to sit up.

"Lyra! What the hell am I doing in your house?" he roared, and in an instant, he hurled the cup of water to the other end of the room. With uncontrolled fury, he swept away everything within his reach. Some dishes shattered against the floor.

"Kael... Alpha... please," Lyra covered her head, terrified.

"Why did you bring me from the forest? Why didn't you let me die there?"

"I... I found you very ill. I couldn't leave you like that. Please, you're hurt. You need to rest, you need-"

"Don't ask me to calm down, Lyra!" he interrupted with a fierce shout. "Nobody wants your stupid compassion. I don't want to be in this damn hole... and especially not with you."

"Kael... I just wanted to help you. They kicked you out of the pack, they want you dead. I'm just trying to protect you... like no one else would."

Her voice broke, but her eyes remained fixed on him. There was no hatred in her gaze; he had never loved her or acknowledged her feelings, yet she remained firm in what she felt for him.

"I don't need a low-ranking omega like you to help me, and especially not out of compassion!" Kael snapped with contempt. "I'm leaving this damn smelly cabin!"

With effort, he tried to get up from the bed, but his body, weakened and broken, betrayed him. He barely managed to sit up before falling back onto the mattress with a grunt of frustration.

He was blind. He couldn't orient himself, he couldn't see anything; his eyes were useless. All he had now was his sense of smell, and the smell of Lyra's home disoriented him, preventing him from moving safely anywhere. It smelled of poverty, of resignation, of everything he had abhorred his entire life.

"Kael, please..." Lyra approached to help him, but he brusquely pushed her away.

"Don't touch me! I'd rather die than stay here with you. You're nothing but a servant!"

Lyra lowered her gaze. Kael's words struck her like blades; her chest ached. Since she was a child, she had loved him with a quiet, infinite strength, willing to do anything for him. But everyone laughed at her silent love; no one took seriously the desire of an insignificant omega, much less him, who had always looked at her with disdain... as if her existence were a complete mockery.

"I'm getting out of here," Kael growled, and tried to sit up once more. But his legs, fractured from the beatings he received before his exile, faltered. He lost his balance and fell towards the floor.

Lyra, who was nearby, reacted immediately. She embraced him from behind, catching him in her arms before he could crash to the floor.

Her touch was warm; she embraced him, wanting to protect him.

"I'm not going to let you get hurt more... even if you hate me. Even if you wish you had never woken up here. I'm not letting go of you, Kael, I'm here to take care of you always."

Immediately, Kael felt Lyra's touch burn him. An outburst of excessive fury ran through his body, and without thinking, he pushed her with such violence that she fell to the ground.

"I don't need you to take care of me," he roared, his voice full of contempt. "If you were the last woman on Earth, I wouldn't care. The fact that my mate rejected me doesn't mean I would now notice an omega as insignificant as you. I'd rather die first."

With no other option at that moment, Kael, resigned and wounded in body and soul, remained in Lyra's small cabin. He swore that as soon as his wounds healed, he would leave without looking back. Meanwhile, she, with her heart torn between pain and a silent joy at having him near, rose at dawn to fulfill her duties as a servant in the pack's castle.

That day, she was assigned to clean right next to the office of Mirkay, Kael's younger brother. The same traitor who had incited the pack against their Alpha, manipulating and corrupting to seize power. From inside the office, laughter echoed with arrogance. Mirkay was toasting with Jordan, his closest accomplice.

Lyra, broom in hand, pretended to sweep the floor, though in reality her ears were attentive.

"Poor fool!" Mirkay laughed, full of mockery. "It was so easy. He entrusted me with everything, like the sentimental idiot he always was."

The burst of laughter echoed in the hallway, laughter so full of contempt for the one who was once the Alpha. And Lyra, clenching her fists, felt something inside her begin to awaken.

"He never imagined you'd be capable of dethroning him. But be careful, my friend," Jordan warned, lowering his voice slightly. "Your brother is a strong Alpha. I'm convinced he'll return. The servants saw him escape into the forest... Kael is still alive."

Mirkay let out a thunderous laugh, rolling his eyes arrogantly.

"That doesn't worry me. He's gravely wounded; he won't get far. And I've already pulled my strings," he said, in a venomous tone. "This time, he won't escape. They'll rip his head off, and with him, any hope of someone coming to dispute this throne... a throne I earned with intelligence, a throne that will be mine forever."

He raised his glass with a malicious smile. Jordan clinked his with enthusiasm.

From the hallway, Lyra could barely contain the tremor in her legs. What she had just heard chilled her blood. She took a step back, ready to run, but as she did, the broom fell at her feet with a dull thud that broke the silence.

The sound alerted Mirkay, who immediately turned his head. And he found her.

"Well, what do we have here?" he murmured ironically upon seeing her. "Well, well... if it isn't the little Omega who always looked at my brother as if he were a god."

His eyes swept over her with contempt, but also with desire. Lyra, paralyzed, lowered her gaze, not knowing how to escape.

"How does it feel to know that the man you love is about to die?" he whispered cruelly.

Lyra paled, her voice caught in her throat. She felt her heart pounding violently, threatening to break.

"Sir... I... I don't know what you mean," she stammered, fearing her words would condemn her.

Mirkay approached with slow, predatory steps. He took her chin between his fingers, forcing her to lift her face. Seeing her large, wet eyes, her pure and seductive beauty, he felt a primitive impulse. His pupils dilated and his gaze became tinged with a frightening scarlet red.

"Lyra, Lyra! The little Omega... How beautiful you are," Mirkay said with a twisted smile that made the poor girl bristle. Jordan raised his hands in resignation, giving the Alpha a complicit look.

"I'm leaving, brother. Enjoy your... 'party'," he said before leaving the office.

Lyra shook her head, still trembling.

"I... I have to go, sir."

But Mirkay's eyes had already fixed on her like knives. If his dying brother hadn't known how to value her, he certainly would... in his own way. With a gaze ignited with twisted desire, he advanced like a predator.

"Come here, little one. If Kael didn't make you feel like a woman... I'll make sure I do."

"No! Wait... what are you doing?" Lyra backed away, but he was faster. He grabbed her arms and pulled her towards him violently, forcing her to feel his breath and his strength. His rough, heavy lips crashed against hers.

She struggled, kicked, fought desperately. Although she was strong, she could not match the brutality of that crazed wolf who sharpened his fangs with every attempt Lyra made to resist.

"You'll be mine, Lyra! You can't resist," he growled, his voice low and dangerous.

His hands pawed at her without mercy. Repulsion and helplessness mingled in Lyra's chest until, desperate, she managed to scratch his face with all the strength she had left.

"Damn it!" Mirkay roared, the scratch burning across his face.

Fury erupted. With one blow, he knocked her down. Mirkay's fist broke her mouth and Lyra fell to the floor, bleeding and in pain. But she didn't give in. With a kick, she made him stumble. It was her only advantage, but it only lasted seconds.

He lunged again, grabbed her by the hair and dragged her towards his body, trapping her. And then, he headbutted her, breaking the helpless woman's nose, and blood flowed even more violently. Lyra shuddered with fear.

"Ah!" she cried out, powerless to break free.

Mirkay didn't stop. He was possessed by cruelty, by the desire for destruction. He heard nothing but his own crazed breathing, ignoring Lyra's whimpers, who, though completely beaten and shattered, continued to fight.

And just as Mirkay was about to tear off her clothes, Lyra managed to grab hold of the broom handle. With the desperate strength of a cornered Omega, she dealt him a brutal blow to the head. The impact resonated dully, and the Alpha's body fell to the floor like a sack of inert meat.

Without losing a second, Lyra ran out of the castle. She knew that both her life and Kael's hung by a thread.

She pushed open the cabin door violently, and Kael, perceiving her altered scent and the unmistakable trace of blood, immediately sat up. He frowned, alarmed.

"What on earth happened to you, Lyra? Are you hurt?" he asked, with a somewhat concerned tone, surprising her. But there was no time for explanations.

"We have to go, Kael. Now."

"What?" he stammered, still dazed, guided by her scent.

Lyra went to the wardrobe, flung open the door, and shoved the first things she found into a suitcase: documents, some clothes, essential items. Then she opened a hidden chest and took out all her savings. She had worked for years hoping to pay for college, but now, all that mattered was survival.

"Come on, Alpha!" she said with determination, taking his arm.

Kael grunted in pain, sensing something dark in the air, but he let her guide him. She helped him into the car, closed the door, and started it forcefully. The engine roared as they left the cabin behind.

But they hadn't gone far when, through the rearview mirror, Lyra saw the lights of several cars approaching; it was the castle soldiers drawing near.

Lyra pressed the accelerator hard, and the road became insufficient for the speed at which they were fleeing. She looked again in the rearview mirror: the vehicles were still behind them.

One of the king's soldiers pulled out a weapon and began to shoot at them.

"They're going to kill us," Lyra said, pressing even harder on the gas.

Kael, clinging to the door handle, shrugged.

"Don't resist, Omega. It's the best thing that could happen to us. If you keep defying them, our final destiny will be even crueler."

"Damn it... there's only one option left," Lyra thought, spotting the intersection opening up in front of them. One road led to the world of wolves; the other, to the unknown: the human world. They had no choice. She knew that if they took that route, the soldiers wouldn't follow them; they feared what resided on the other side.

Without a second thought, she made a decision.

"Lyra, which road did you take?" Kael asked, frowning at the scent emanating from the asphalt.

"The human world, my Alpha. We have no other way out."

"What?" Kael leaned his head against the backrest and cursed silently. Deep down, he knew that for an Alpha marked by disability and an Omega like her, the unknown was the only alternative.

Lyra wasn't sure where they were headed. She had only heard legends about the brave ones who risked everything and lived to tell their stories in that other world.

When they arrived in the city, their eyes got lost among the imposing buildings, the blinding lights, and the incessant bustle of cars filling the streets. It was perfect. An ideal place to go unnoticed.

She took out her phone and searched for a nearby place for rent. Determined, she drove to an old house in the city suburbs, one of the few places that fit her tight budget. Small apartments were rented there, something strange for two beings accustomed to endless forests and open spaces, but for now, it was the only possibility.

"It's five hundred a month," a harsh-looking woman announced as she handed them a bunch of keys and watched them suspiciously. "I don't want any scandals in this place."

Lyra accepted the keys with a forced smile and took Kael's hand.

"You won't have any, I assure you."

Kael kept sniffing the air. Everything was repulsive to him: the smell of dampness, of confinement, and that indescribable mix of human scents filtering from the other apartments. With a gesture of distaste, he let go of Lyra's hand.

"Leave me."

She opened the door to the small apartment. She had spent a large part of half her savings on that first month's rent and on the bare essentials to survive, but she didn't care. There, at least, they would be safe.

"What is this putrid place, Lyra?" Kael protested, leaning heavily on her shoulder. He kept cursing under his breath.

"It's what we could get with what we had," she replied, trying to sound serene. "But I promise you we'll be safe here, at least for a while... until you recover. This will be our refuge."

Lyra looked around with hope, while Kael collapsed into an old, worn armchair.

"You call this a refuge?" he spat with contempt. "I'd rather be chained in my brother's damn dungeon than live in this dump. I'd rather be dead!"

Lyra offered a faint smile. Kael's harshness couldn't affect her.

"Well, you'll have to get used to it, Kael, because I'm not going to let you die."

As she spoke, she began to arrange some things in a makeshift closet in the corner of the room. Kael, from the back, scoffed with twisted annoyance.

"Damn my luck," he muttered.

"I don't care what you say, Alpha. I've spent all my money to bring you here, to heal you, to feed you. Now you belong to me. You owe me."

"I owe you nothing, Lyra. I didn't ask you for anything. You're just like the others," Kael snapped, with deep rage in his voice.

A tense silence fell. Kael found no more words to defend himself. Deep down, he knew she was right. Lyra was the only one who had done anything for him lately, though his pride prevented him from admitting it.

"I'm warning you, simple Omega... I could break your neck at any moment," Kael growled through clenched teeth, suddenly sitting upright, consumed by anger.

Lyra interrupted what she was doing and approached him. Instead of backing away or trembling, she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his chest. She sighed softly.

"We must survive, my dear Alpha. Even if it's hard for you to accept, we only have each other."

Kael roughly pushed her arms away and stepped back two paces.

"Don't touch me. You disgust me, Omega. I've told you many times: I'd rather be dead than live in this filthy place. I don't know why I allowed you to bring me here."

Lyra didn't respond. Instead, she smiled slightly and walked towards the bathroom, ignoring Kael's shouts and the contemptuous look he gave her.

"I'm going to take a shower before sleeping," she announced calmly, closing the door behind her.

In front of the mirror, she slowly let down her hair. Then, something strange began to happen to her. Her legs suddenly faltered and a sharp crack ran up her neck. Dizziness forced her to hold onto the sink. Heat rose through her skin like a sudden fever.

She scooped up a handful of water and threw it on her face.

"Damn... it must be tiredness," she repeated to herself, but something in her body told her it wasn't just that. The cold water wasn't enough to quell what was running through her, and the sensation that invaded her seemed to go far beyond travel exhaustion.

The heat began to rise from the center of her body, piercing her pelvis with unbearable burning. Her forehead beaded with sweat, and suddenly, the air seemed to thin.

"No... not now..."

Her hands, moved by an impulse she couldn't control, began to explore her pants, searching everything in that area where the fire was most intense. Her cheeks burned, and her breasts hardened like oak, causing her pain.

"No, not now! No!" she screamed internally, desperate.

She held onto the sink, panting. When she looked up, her pupils were dilated, shining with a coppery red. She knew immediately: Kael's proximity had hastened her heat. And with it, came an absolute urgency. If she didn't resolve it, she could die.

"Damn... I can control it."

She abruptly opened the faucet; the cold water shrieked as it came out and crashed against her skin, but it barely managed to appease the fire consuming her. She tried to breathe, to focus, but desire suffocated her.

Then, the door burst open.

Kael appeared with narrowed eyes, his face tense, breathing heavily as well-"What... what the hell is that smell?" he snapped, desperate.

The scent Lyra emitted enveloped him like a blaze. It was wild, sweet, like bonfire smoke mixed with wild honey. A perfume so ancient that it awakened the deepest part of his being. His wolf, dormant until that moment, roared within him.

Lyra turned, and facing each other, they knew.

The connection was undeniable. Instinctive. Painfully real.

She... she was his second fated mate.