The silence after the seer's words pressed heavier than stone.
Kael stood rigid, fists braced against the table, his wolf clawing beneath his skin. He could feel the bond already—the faint thrum of connection, the Omega's scent weaving through his lungs like wildfire. He despised it. Hated that something as sacred as choice could be stripped away by fate.
Across from him, Lyra's lips parted, her face pale but defiant. Her wolf stirred too, Kael could sense it—her resistance sharpened like a blade, even as the bond tugged between them like an invisible chain.
"This is madness," Kael growled. "The Moon Goddess errs if she thinks—"
"Enough." His father's voice boomed, silencing the chamber. The Shadowfang Alpha's eyes gleamed like ice. "If the Goddess decrees it, then it is law. The packs will honor the bond."
Kael's head snapped toward him. "Father—"
"You will obey."
The words struck harder than any blow. Kael clenched his jaw so tightly his teeth ached.
On the other side, Lyra's Alpha, Elder Myrren, spoke with grave finality. "Silverclaw accepts. The Goddess has chosen. If this union is the path to peace, then it will be done."
Lyra's nails dug into her palms. Her own Alpha, her own blood, had just given her away like a coin for barter. Anger scorched through her veins, but beneath it something more dangerous coiled—fear. Fear of what it meant to be bound to Kael Draven, the man who had already insulted her existence.
She forced her voice steady. "And if I refuse?"
The seer turned her clouded eyes toward her, gaze burning though sightless. "You cannot refuse. The bond is already written in your souls. To fight it is to bleed yourself dry."
A shiver raced down Lyra's spine.
Her brother rose beside her, face drawn with conflict. "Elder, she deserves a choice—"
"There is no choice," Myrren said firmly. "The packs demand peace. The Moon has gifted us the means. To spurn it is to invite ruin."
The weight of destiny pressed down on Lyra's shoulders until her bones ached. Around her, whispers rippled like a tide: Fated mates. Unity at last. The Goddess has spoken.
Kael shoved away from the table, his chair toppling. "If this is peace, then it is built on chains." His eyes met Lyra's—storm-dark, furious. "Do not mistake this for desire, Omega. I will never want you."
The words should have cut deep. Instead, they sparked her defiance. Lyra rose to her feet, standing tall despite the tremor in her chest. "Good. Because I will never belong to you."
The seer lifted her hands, voice echoing like wind through stone. "Deny, fight, curse the bond as you will—but the Moon has chosen. Your lives are entwined. Soon you will learn that fate is stronger than pride."
Her words lingered long after she departed, leaving the hall in stunned silence.
Kael turned on his heel and strode out, shoulders rigid, fury radiating like heat. His warriors scrambled after him.
Lyra remained, her pack watching her with a mixture of pity and awe. She forced herself to breathe evenly, though her wolf clawed restless beneath her skin, unsettled by the bond's pull.
Inside, one truth beat like a drum she refused to hear:
She was bound to him.
And no amount of fire in her heart could burn the thread away.