Lyra & Kaelan POV
The moon hung low over the estate, bathing the gardens in a haze of silver.
Mist coiled between the hedges, softening the edges of stone paths and whispering through the leaves.
The air was heavy the kind that hums before something dangerous happens.
Lila slipped out through the servants' gate, shawl drawn tight around her shoulders. Sleep had refused to come; her body trembled with an energy she couldn't explain.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw him that stranger with eyes too sharp, voice too deep.
She'd seen alphas before, but none had made her heart stutter like that. And none had ever made her wolf rise in both yearning and fear.
You shouldn't be here, her mind warned. But her feet didn't listen.
The moonlight brushed over the old rose garden, the one no one used anymore.
Something tugged her there a pull in her chest, soft yet relentless.
Across the courtyard, Kaelan walked in silence.
He told himself he was only checking the patrol lines.
But his wolf knew better. The moment her scent hit him again that same wild jasmine laced with sorrow every thought of duty burned away.
He moved toward it, silent, every sense sharpened. The night hid him, but the bond didn't. He could feel her. Her hesitation. Her heartbeat fluttering like a trapped bird.
And then movement. A shadow between the roses.
He froze. The world fell quiet.
The moonlight touched her hair first, turning it to strands of molten silver. Then her face lifted, uncertain, searching.
Even from this distance, he felt the pull raw, undeniable.
Mate. The word echoed through him, and for one suspended breath, she turned, eyes meeting his.
Lila gasped. Her heart stuttered violently.
He was there the same stranger, half hidden by darkness, but she'd know that presence anywhere.
Every instinct screamed to run. Every instinct also screamed to stay.
The two forces collided inside her, and she felt dizzy with the weight of it.
He didn't move closer. He just stood there, as though afraid one wrong step might shatter the fragile spell holding them apart.
The air crackled between them too thick, too charged.
Who are you? she wanted to whisper. But her lips wouldn't move.
Kaelan's fingers twitched at his side.
His wolf howled to reach for her, to claim what was his, to take her scent into his skin and never let go.
But she looked terrified, her body trembling in the half-light.
If he moved now, she'd flee. And gods help him, he didn't want her fear.
He wanted her trust.
So he did the one thing that hurt more than any battle wound.
He stepped back.
The connection stretched tight, like a thread drawn to its limit.
Her eyes widened, confusion flashing through them, and he almost broke again.
But he forced the word out.
"Go."
Barely a whisper. Rough. Commanding. Mercy and restraint tangled in one syllable.
Lila throat closed. She couldn't breathe.
Part of her wanted to obey. The other part the part that recognized him burned.
She turned, clutching her shawl, and ran before she could change her mind.
Kaelan stayed there long after she vanished into the mist, heart pounding with something dangerously close to regret.
The night wind carried her scent for a few seconds longer then even that was gone.
He exhaled, slow and ragged.
So this is what it means to find your mate, he thought. To burn, and not be able to touch.
Lyra POV – Morning After
Sleep was a lie.
Lyra sat on the edge of her narrow bed, her fingers tangled in the blanket she hadn't used all night.
The candle on her nightstand had burned down to a stub, its wax hardened into uneven pools. Outside, dawn crept shyly over the horizon, painting the window with pale gold but her heart was still caught in the shadows of the night before
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw him the Alpha with eyes like dark steel and a voice that felt like thunder trapped in her veins.
She pressed a hand to her chest, where the ache hadn't faded since the garden. It pulsed with her heartbeat, a rhythm that didn't belong to her anymore.
"I can't…" she whispered, shaking her head. "I can't feel this."
Her wolf didn't listen. Mine.
"No," Lyra snapped out loud this time, forcing herself to stand.
The whisper of her bare feet on the floorboards sounded too loud in the stillness. She walked to the basin, splashed her face with cold water, and looked at herself in the cracked mirror.
The reflection staring back at her was pale, her eyes rimmed red from a sleepless night. But worse than exhaustion was the glow buried deep in her gaze a shimmer of something wild and alive that hadn't been there before.
"Get out of my head.
But he didn't.
The image of him the way the moonlight touched his face, the power in his stillness haunted her.
Her wolf whined softly. He's not the enemy.
Lila jaw tightened. He was there that night. I saw him.
That thought steadied her cold, sharp, familiar. Vengeance was her anchor.
She wrapped her shawl around her shoulders again and left her room, the faint scent of roses from the garden still clinging to her skin.
Kaelan POV – Morning After
Kaelan hadn't slept either.
He sat behind his desk, the faint glow of early morning bleeding through the tall windows of his guest chamber. Reports, maps, and letters lay scattered before him, but he hadn't read a single line
Every time he tried, his focus slipped back to her the girl in the rose garden. The one whose scent had ruined his peace.
The moment their eyes met, his entire world shifted. The bond wasn't something he could reason with. It wasn't gentle, or patient. It claimed.
"Mate," he muttered under his breath, testing the word.
It tasted like temptation.
His wolf stirred restlessly. You shouldn't have let her go.
"I couldn't take her by force."
You should've tried harder.
"She was scared."
Silence fell. Even his wolf had no argument for that.
He leaned back in his chair, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Somewhere in the corridor, servants began to stir distant footsteps, murmurs, the faint clatter of trays. Morning was beginning, but he still felt trapped in that moonlit moment.
He could still see her standing among the roses fragile, furious, beautiful.
And then she'd run.
Kaelan clenched his fists. He'd spent years searching for his mate, dreaming of the moment he'd find her. But he never imagined it would feel like this a mixture of longing and guilt, of something precious wrapped in pain.
He rose abruptly and crossed to the window, staring down at the gardens below.
The roses glistened with dew. The same path she'd taken cut through the mist like a memory he couldn't erase.
His wolf growled softly. Find her.
Kaelan's jaw flexed. He wanted to. He needed to. But instinct and logic warred inside him.
If he went to her now, he might frighten her again.
If he didn't… he might lose her forever.
He exhaled slowly, forcing his thoughts into order.
One thing was certain: she was no ordinary omega. Her scent was layered with something ancient, something that whispered of power and danger.
"I'll find out who you are," he murmured, eyes narrowing. "And when I do, you won't run again."
Shared Scene – Morning Gathering
By mid-morning, the packhouse was alive with activity.
Servants hurried through the halls, preparing for the second day of the gathering a day meant for alliances, discussions, and silent power plays.
Lila kept her head down as she carried a tray of fresh bread and tea through the great hall. Her every movement was precise, cautious. The last thing she wanted was to draw attention.
But fate had other plans.
The scent hit her before she saw him sharp, clean, masculine, threaded with cedar and smoke.
Her hands trembled. She froze mid-step.
Then his voice came from behind her, calm and commanding.
"Careful."
The single word made her heart stutter. She turned slowly, because she already knew who she'd find.
Alpha Kaelan stood only a few feet away, dressed in black and silver, eyes fixed on her like he'd been waiting.
Lila pulse roared in her ears. The tray in her hands nearly slipped.
Kaelan caught it before it fell, fingers brushing hers.
The moment their skin touched, everything stopped.
A spark real, tangible arced between them. Her wolf rose inside her chest, howling in recognition. His eyes darkened, the bond surging like wildfire.
Neither of them spoke. They just stared, locked in a silence thick enough to drown in.
Lila finally found her voice, low and shaking.
"Alpha."
"Then tell me your name."
She hesitated.
"You don't need to know it."
Kaelan leaned closer, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper.
"Oh, I do."
The air between them pulsed. Her wolf trembled, torn between defiance and surrender.
Then she pulled back sharply, breaking the contact, and turned away.
Kaelan let her go but only with his eyes.