THE KING IS LOOKING FOR HER

Draven confronts Kael after learning that he severed Lyra's mate bond. His attention toward Lyra becomes increasingly unsettling, while the clan begins to realize that the rejected woman standing before them may be something far more dangerous—and valuable—than anyone believed. --- And every wolf in Moon Hall instinctively moved out of his way. Draven took another step. Kael didn't retreat. Perhaps that was why he had become Alpha. Perhaps it was simply pride. Either way, Lyra saw the exact moment his courage became a decision. His shoulders squared. His chin lifted. "I severed the bond," Kael said. Draven stopped. The distance between them was no more than several paces. "Why?" Kael glanced briefly toward Selene. That single movement told Lyra more than his answer could have. "Because the bond was no longer suitable for the future of my clan." Draven's expression didn't change. "Suitable." Kael's jaw tightened. "Yes." Draven looked at Lyra. Then back at Kael. "You discarded your mate because she was unsuitable." Kael's nostrils flared. "I chose someone stronger." Selene shifted behind him. Lyra closed her eyes for half a second. There it was again. That word. Stronger. She had spent her entire life being measured against it. Draven's gaze remained on Kael. "And this woman is stronger?" "Her bloodline is ancient." "That wasn't my question." Kael said nothing. Draven's eyes turned toward Selene. She straightened beneath his attention. "Lady Arclight." Selene bowed her head. "Your Majesty." "Come here." A murmur went through the hall. Selene hesitated. Then she walked toward him. Her steps were slower this time. Draven watched her approach without expression. When she stopped before him, he looked at the silver mark visible along her wrist. "Arclight blood." "Yes." "Third-generation Alpha line?" "Second." One of the elders corrected her. Selene glanced toward him. "Second-generation through my mother's side." Draven nodded once. Then his gaze shifted to Lyra. "Interesting." Lyra frowned. "What is?" Draven didn't answer. Instead, he looked at her Lunar Mark. The silver glow beneath her skin had begun to fade. But it hadn't disappeared. A thin crescent remained visible. Draven's eyes narrowed. "You said her mark was weak." Kael looked toward Lyra. "That's what the healers have always said." "Always?" "Since she was sixteen." Draven's expression changed. "Sixteen." He repeated the number quietly. Lyra felt something strange in her chest. "You know something." Draven looked at her. "Perhaps." She almost laughed. "That's not an answer." "No." "Then give me one." Kael stepped forward. "Lyra, enough." She turned toward him. "For once, I wasn't talking to you." A few wolves lowered their heads to hide their reactions. Kael's face darkened. Draven's mouth twitched. It was barely there. So brief Lyra wondered whether she'd imagined it. Was that amusement? From him? Impossible. Draven looked toward Elder Garrick. "Bring me the records." The elder stiffened. "Your Majesty?" "All records concerning the Vale family." Garrick hesitated. "Those records are private clan documents." Draven looked at him. The elder swallowed. "They're royal records now." No one argued. Garrick turned toward an attendant. "Fetch the archives." The young wolf hurried away. Lyra stared at Draven. "Why?" He looked at her. "Because something is wrong." "With me?" "With what you've been told about yourself." Her breath caught. "What does that mean?" Draven didn't answer immediately. His gaze lingered on her face. Not her body. Not her dress. Her face. As if he were trying to recognize someone hidden beneath years of lies. "You don't know what you are." Lyra's fingers curled. "I know exactly what I am." "Do you?" "I am Lyra Vale." Something almost resembling approval crossed his expression. "That's your name." "It's who I am." "No." The word was quiet. Certain. "You've mistaken the cage for the creature." Lyra stared at him. She didn't know what to say. Behind her, Elder Mira made a strangled sound. Draven's head turned. "She knows." Mira's face drained of color. Lyra looked between them. "Knows what?" Mira didn't answer. Lyra stepped toward her. "You know what he's talking about." "Lyra..." "What happened to my mother?" Mira's mouth trembled. "I can't." "Can't?" Lyra laughed softly. "You've all decided what I'm allowed to know tonight." She looked at Kael. "You." Then Selene. "Her." Then the elders. "All of you." Finally, she looked at Draven. "And now you." Draven's gaze didn't leave hers. "You're right." Lyra blinked. He took another step toward her. "I don't expect you to trust me." "Good." "But I expect you to listen." "Why?" "Because someone has spent twenty-three years making sure you never ask the right questions." Her heart stumbled. Twenty-three years. Her entire life. "Who?" Draven's jaw tightened. "I don't know yet." That answer frightened her more than if he'd claimed to know everything. At least certainty had edges. This didn't. A movement near the entrance caught Lyra's attention. The royal guards had begun to surround the hall. Not aggressively. But deliberately. Draven noticed her looking. "You are coming with me." Lyra stared at him. "No." Several guards exchanged glances. Kael stepped forward. "She remains under Arden protection." Draven turned his head. "No." Kael's eyes hardened. "She is a member of my clan." Draven looked at him for a long moment. "She was." Kael's face went rigid. Draven's gaze moved to Lyra. "Tonight, you severed your bond." Lyra swallowed. "Yes." "That makes you unclaimed." The word made her stomach twist. Draven seemed to notice. His expression darkened. "That's not what I meant." "Then choose your words carefully." Something flashed in his eyes. "Fair." He paused. Then he said, "You are no longer protected by a mate bond." Lyra looked at him. "And?" "And that makes you vulnerable." "I've been vulnerable my entire life." "Not like this." She folded her arms. "You seem very interested in my problems for a stranger." Draven's gaze dropped briefly to the silver mark at her collarbone. "I'm interested in what is standing in front of me." Lyra's pulse jumped. She hated that her body reacted to his voice. Hated that his presence made the air feel different. Hated that Nyx had gone completely silent inside her. Listening. Waiting. Draven turned toward the doors. "Prepare the royal carriage." Lyra frowned. "You're taking me somewhere?" "Yes." "Where?" "Blackthorn." The name sent a murmur through the room. Lyra had heard of the royal capital. She had heard stories about Blackthorn Castle. Some said its walls were built from volcanic stone. Others claimed the castle had been carved into the mountain itself. No one from her clan visited willingly. Lyra shook her head. "I'm not going." Draven looked over his shoulder. "Why?" "Because I don't know you." "You don't need to." "That's a terrible argument." His eyebrow lifted. "Why?" "Because you're asking me to leave my home with the most feared Lycan in the northern territories." A faint pause. "Fair." Lyra blinked. He had said it again. Fair. As if the man wasn't supposed to be terrifying. As if he were actually listening. Draven turned fully toward her. "I won't force you." Kael looked startled. So did the elders. Draven continued. "You can stay here." Lyra glanced around Moon Hall. At the faces staring at her. At Kael. At Selene. At the people who had watched her mate reject her. At the wolves who had knelt when her mark awakened. She looked back at Draven. "Here?" His eyes remained on hers. "Yes." "And what happens when they decide I'm dangerous?" Draven's expression became colder. "They won't." "How do you know?" "Because I'm telling them they won't." Lyra almost smiled. "That's not reassuring." "It wasn't meant to be." For the first time that night, something inside her loosened. Not trust. Not yet. But curiosity. She looked at him carefully. "Why me?" Draven didn't answer. The silence stretched. His gaze moved over her face once more. Something inside him seemed to recoil from the question. Or perhaps from the answer. Finally, he said: "I don't know." Lyra frowned. "Then why did you come here?" Draven's eyes darkened. "Because when your bond broke..." He paused. His jaw tightened. "...my wolf woke up." Lyra's breath stopped. Nyx stirred. A whisper brushed through her mind. Varg. She didn't know how she knew the name. She only knew it was his. Draven looked suddenly toward the doors. His expression changed. The royal guards outside had gone rigid. One of them hurried into the hall. He dropped to one knee. "Your Majesty." Draven turned. "What?" The guard lowered his head. "We found tracks at the eastern border." "Whose?" The guard hesitated. "Lycan." Draven's face became completely still. "How many?" "One." Silence. "Are you certain?" "Yes." Draven's eyes shifted toward Lyra. The silver mark beneath her collarbone pulsed. Once. Twice. Three times. The guard looked at it. His face went pale. "Your Majesty..." Draven raised a hand. The guard fell silent. Draven walked toward Lyra. Slowly. He stopped directly in front of her. For a moment, neither spoke. Then his gaze dropped to her glowing mark. When he looked back into her eyes, there was something new in his expression. Not fear. Not desire. Recognition. And beneath it— a warning. "You're coming with me." Lyra's chin lifted. "I said I wouldn't." Draven's voice dropped. "I know." "Then why are you still asking?" "I'm not." His eyes held hers. "I'm telling you because the thing that followed you here has already crossed my border." Lyra's blood turned cold. Behind Draven, every royal guard reached for a weapon. And somewhere beyond the mountain walls, something howled. This time, Nyx answered.