Kael Nightmoor couldn't breathe.
The war room was cold, but sweat rolled down his spine. His Beta and two warriors stood frozen near the table, unsure whether to speak. No one dared to approach him.
The glass in Kael's hand cracked.
Shattered.
Blood dripped from his palm as the pieces cut into his skin, but he didn't feel a thing. All he could feel was the echo of something that had no business still existing.
> The bond.
The mate bond.
It had pulsed in him again. Just once. Just enough to bring him to his knees.
> Impossible, he growled inwardly.
He had rejected her.
He had done it publicly. Cleanly. Without hesitation. The Council had demanded it. Told him she was unstable. That her birthmark meant she carried cursed blood. That she would destroy everything he had built.
So why…
Why was his wolf clawing inside him like a trapped beast?
Why did the rejection not hold?
"Alpha?" Beta Roran's voice broke through the storm in Kael's mind. "Should I call for the healer?"
Kael opened his hand. Blood pooled in his palm.
"No," he growled, letting the glass fall. "Leave it."
Roran hesitated. "About Lyra—"
"Don't say her name," Kael snapped.
The silence returned.
But it didn't matter. Her name lived in his mind. Her scent. Her voice. The flash of betrayal in her eyes.
Kael slammed his fist into the wall, cracking stone.
And still, his wolf howled for her.
---
Meanwhile, deep underground, Lyra stood inside a ring of glowing stones, breath heavy as magical heat sizzled around her. Sparks danced on her fingers, flickering silver and white.
"Again," Seris barked. "Focus. Pull from the core, not your rage."
"I am focusing," Lyra growled.
The older woman shook her head. "You're lashing out. If you want to master the Moonblood gifts, you have to control them—not be ruled by your pain."
Lyra let out a breath. The cave's energy was thick with expectation. Her wolf was restless, power thrumming beneath her skin. But Seris was right. Her abilities were raw—beautiful, but unstable. Like lightning in a bottle.
Cassian watched silently from the edge of the circle, arms folded. He hadn't spoken much since they arrived. He was always watching, always calculating. But Lyra could feel something in him—respect. Maybe even belief.
That terrified her more than anything.
"Again," Seris said.
Lyra stepped forward. She reached into herself, past the memory of the rejection, past the shame and confusion—and found it. The quiet hum in her chest. The Moon's call.
She raised her hand.
Silver mist flowed from her fingertips.
The runes around the circle glowed.
For a moment, everything went still.
Then the mist burst forward, slamming into the wall with a loud crack, leaving a deep, scorched mark behind.
The onlookers clapped. A few howled in support.
Seris arched a brow. "Better. But still too much force."
"I don't know how to be gentle," Lyra said softly.
Cassian finally spoke. "You'll learn."
Lyra turned to him. "Why are you really helping me?"
He met her gaze. "Because if you fall into the Council's hands, it's not just you who dies. It's the entire supernatural balance. And… because I believe in the kind of queen who survives being thrown away."
Lyra looked away, heart twisting.
She didn't feel like a queen.
She still felt like the girl who was cast aside like garbage.
But that girl was fading.
---
Later that night, Lyra sat alone near a quiet pool within the cave system. The water glowed faintly, reflecting her face.
Her mark pulsed slowly beneath her collarbone, soft but persistent. Like a heartbeat.
> He felt you, Nyra whispered.
> Let him, Lyra replied. Let him suffer.
But still, the pain was there. A hollow place inside her where the bond used to live.
She had accepted the rejection. She knew she had.
So why did it still ache?
A rustle behind her made her stiffen.
Cassian sat beside her without asking, stretching his long legs and resting his arms on his knees.
"You're stronger today," he said.
"I don't feel strong."
"You don't have to feel it to be it."
They sat in silence.
Then he asked quietly, "Do you still feel him?"
Lyra tensed. "No."
Cassian nodded once. "Liar."
She turned sharply. "What do you want from me?"
He didn't flinch. "Nothing. I just want you to know the truth. The bond didn't break. At least… not completely."
"That's not possible. I accepted it. The pain was real."
"I believe you. But there are ancient bonds that can defy even rejection. Especially when the Moon intervenes."
Lyra's heart beat faster. "You're saying Selene let this happen?"
"I'm saying Selene may have had no choice. The prophecy said the heir would awaken through betrayal. That she would rise alone."
Lyra stood. "I don't care about prophecies. I don't care about Kael."
But even as she said it, her chest burned.
Cassian rose too. "One day, you'll have to face him again."
She turned away. "I'll be ready."
He nodded, but said nothing else.
---
Back in Duskclaw territory, Kael stood under the shower, water scalding hot, but it couldn't wash her scent from his skin.
He had tried.
Everything.
He had even ordered her trail hunted.
But she was gone.
Or worse—someone had taken her.
He leaned forward, palms braced against the tile.
His wolf clawed at him again.
> You fool, the beast snarled. You threw her away.
Kael let out a guttural growl.
"I did it to protect her," he whispered. "They would've killed her if I didn't."
> Then why does your soul feel empty?
He shut off the water and stepped out, dripping, staring at his reflection. His eyes were bloodshot. Tired.
And full of guilt.
"Where are you, Lyra?" he whispered.
---
Meanwhile, far underground, Lyra stood in the ritual chamber again, breath steady this time.
Seris walked slowly around her, placing rune stones at her feet.
"You will not survive what's coming if you don't embrace what you are," Seris warned. "Power without purpose is a curse."
Lyra's eyes glowed faintly. "I have a purpose."
"Revenge isn't enough."
"No," Lyra agreed. "It's not just about revenge. It's about reclaiming what they tried to bury. My power. My name. My future."
Seris nodded slowly. "Then let the moon see your strength."
Cassian entered the chamber. "She's ready."
The room darkened.
The runes began to pulse.
And Lyra stepped into the center of it all—no longer the girl who had been rejected.
But the woman who would reclaim the throne of her bloodline.
And make the Alpha who broke her remember exactly what he lost.