Chapter 19

Kael & Lyra

Kael

“What? Lyra’s been attacked?”

The girl nodded vigorously. Mia, I think her name was. I recalled Cassidy saying it on a few occasions, always saying the name as if it were venom on her tongue. But that didn’t matter right now.

“Yes,” she replied. “We were in the eastern forest and—”

“What were you doing in the eastern forest? You know that’s off-limits.”

“Does it matter?” Mia was practically jumping on her toes now. “Lyra was attacked by a feral wolf. She told me to get help. Please, you have to help her!”

Of course I was going to fucking help her. Even if I was pissed that Lyra had gone into the one restricted area on campus in her first week of school, I wasn’t just going to let her get hurt. Again.

Mom would fucking kill me.

“Alright. Stay here,” I said, already heading in that direction. “And don’t say anything if anyone spots you. We could all get expelled.”

Mia bobbed her head vehemently, and without another word, I turned and fled toward the forest. My feet carried me quickly and with ease down the familiar worn pathway through the eastern woods. It was a path I had taken many times before in my first year, when I used to go to the ruins with the other freshmen to attend parties and bonfires.

If Lyra was anywhere, it was likely at those ruins. Knowing the way she’d been behaving lately, she had probably heard that the area was off-limits and decided to go there just to be rebellious.

But no matter how frustrated I was with her for doing something so reckless, my mind kept flashing back to that strange dream I’d had.

Lyra. Dead. Her white nightgown covered in blood that had spilled from her own mouth. Her body, frail and sickly, laying limp in my arms.

It was just a dream. I knew that. But I couldn’t seem to shake that horrific image or the devastating feeling of dread and anguish that came along with it.

Perhaps the dream was some kind of omen for what was happening now—my mind warning me of a potential threat.

If that was the case, then I needed to hurry.

I picked up my pace, reaching the ruins within minutes. The forest was quiet, which could be a good thing or a bad thing. Hopefully the former. Thankfully, as I approached, I could hear the sound of Lyra’s voice murmuring from amongst the ruins.

A breath of relief that I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding escaped me. She was alive.

My fear turned back into frustration as I rounded the corner to one of the old cottages and found her standing there, completely alone and unscathed.

“Who were you talking to?” I blurted out.

Lyra straightened. “No one.”

“Hm.” I looked around, confirming that she was indeed alone. Angry now, I turned back to her and ground out, “What the hell are you doing out here, Lyra? You know the eastern forest is restricted. And Mia just told me you were being attacked, so you’d better explain.”

“I was…” Lyra hesitated, something unreadable flashing through her blue eyes before she shrugged. “On a walk.”

“A walk.” I folded my arms.

“Yup.” Lyra brushed past me and began heading in the direction of the school. “There was a raccoon running around and it spooked us. Mia must have thought it was something else. Next thing I knew, she was gone.”

“A… raccoon.”

“Mhm.”

That sounded like the least likely story imaginable, but Lyra was already walking away. I rolled my eyes, half considering letting her walk back on her own since she was apparently as cool as a cucumber, but that was when I noticed it.

She was limping.

“Did you hurt your ankle?” I walked up to her, blocking her from getting any further. Up close, the joint was indeed starting to swell.

Lyra blinked as she looked down at her injured ankle. “Oh, I… I guess I did. I’m fine, though.”

“You can’t walk like that.” Without hesitating, I scooped her up, ignoring her squeak of protest. Goddess, Mom really was going to kill me. We’d only been here for a few days, and already Lyra seemed to have a death wish.

“I’m fine—”

“Shut up,” I growled, already carrying her away. “Just… let me help you.”

Lyra snapped her mouth shut, pursing her lips, and stopped arguing. The air between us fell silent as I carried her back down the path.

Just as we reached the edge of the forest, a light breeze picked up. And it was then that a subtle yet tantalizing fragrance washed over me—like autumn leaves and a delicate musk that I could only describe as one thing.

Lyra.

I frowned, snapping my head toward her.

In my dream, Lyra was my mate—which was impossible, of course, since she was wolfless.

But now… Now, I wasn’t so certain.

…

Lyra

“That scent.” Kael furrowed his brow and set me down. “What is it? Some kind of new perfume?”

A wave of dread washed over me as I realized what the scent was that he was referring to: my scent. My wolf’s scent.

As in, he was starting to pick up on the fact that I was his fated mate.

No. No, it was too soon for that. I couldn’t let Kael find out that I was his mate, especially not so soon after Ronan insisted that I keep my identity a secret. If Kael knew I was his mate, then he would know I wasn’t actually wolfless, and then people would start asking questions…

“Yeah. Perfume,” I said, wriggling free. My ankle hurt like hell to stand on now that my adrenaline was starting to wear off—I hadn’t even realized I’d twisted it earlier—but I pretended it was fine.

“Lyra—”

“We should get back to our dorms,” I said, testing my weight on my foot and resisting the urge to wince. “I’ll walk on my own. Thanks for helping me.”

Before I could take two steps, Kael growled low in his chest and moved in front of me. Sighing, he shrugged his jacket off and wrapped it around my shoulders, then scooped me up. His jacket smelled like his cologne; woodsy and more comforting than I wanted to admit.

“You’re clearly hurt. It’s easier if I just carry you.”

My protests fell on deaf ears as Kael began to carry me back toward Waning Tower. As we approached, he cursed under his breath. A flashlight beam shone over us from ahead, and a fourth-year student wearing a dark green Omega patrol uniform walked toward us.

“You!” the student barked. “What are you doing out here?”

I opened my mouth to respond, but Kael quickly cut in coldly, “We were just heading back.”

The student frowned and glanced at me, although Kael carefully shifted me in his arms so his jacket was obscuring my face. “Who is that?” the student asked. “We received a report that Lyra was in the restricted area, and you’re her foster brother, so if that’s her—”

“This is my new girlfriend.”

Kael’s words sent a lance through my heart so sharp that it felt real. Girlfriend. As if we could ever be lovers. It felt like a mockery.

The student blinked. “Girlfriend?”

“Listen,” Kael sighed, sounding exasperated now, “My girlfriend is tired. She’s sleeping. And I’d rather not wake her, because she gets awfully cranky when she’s woken up.”

The student hesitated, clearly torn between duty and obeying the request of an Alpha. I kept my eyes shut, practically holding my breath and praying that he wouldn’t prosecute me.

Finally, the student sighed and stepped aside. “Very well. You may go, Alpha. But if you see anything suspicious, let me know.”

“Will do.” Kael brushed past the student and entered Waning Tower. I hoped he didn’t notice the blush staining my cheeks.

A few minutes later, Kael set me down outside my dorm. “Thanks,” I muttered. “I should get to bed now—”

“Oh, no you don’t.” Kael grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. Onyx eyes flashed. “Stop avoiding me, Lyra.”