The first night under the same roof was war.
The Shadowfang fortress loomed against the mountainside, all stone and steel, a place built for warriors, not comfort. Lyra hated it instantly. Her new quarters—"hers" and Kael's—were vast, lined with tapestries of battle and hunting, a hearth that burned too hot. It smelled of him. Dominant, musky, threaded with pine and iron. Her wolf pressed against her ribs, restless, both agitated and drawn.
Kael entered behind her, tossing his cloak aside. "You'll stay here. Don't touch anything that doesn't belong to you."
Lyra spun on her heel, her gown swirling. "And what exactly belongs to me here, Alpha? A gilded cage? A place at your feet?"
His jaw tightened. "This isn't a game, Omega. My pack is watching. If you embarrass me—"
"Embarrass you?" She laughed, sharp as breaking glass. "You've insulted me at every turn, and you think I'm here to make you look good?"
Kael stepped closer, towering over her, his aura pressing heavy. "You may despise me, but you will respect me. That bond ties you to me, whether you like it or not."
The bond thrummed at his words, her wolf responding instinctively to his dominance. Lyra bit down on it, forcing her chin higher. "Respect is earned, not demanded."
Their stares locked, the air between them thick, charged.
Then Kael's hand brushed hers as he moved past, accidental—or perhaps not. The touch jolted through her like lightning, her wolf snarling with need she refused to acknowledge. Heat flared between them, terrifying in its intensity.
She pulled away sharply. "Stay out of my way."
Kael's lips curved in the faintest smirk. "That would be easier if you weren't constantly in mine."
That night, Lyra lay awake on one side of the vast bed, her body tense, listening to Kael's steady breathing on the other. The bond pulsed between them like a second heartbeat, tugging, demanding. She fought it with every ounce of will she had.
But when dawn light slipped through the window, she knew one truth would not change.
This was war.
And she refused to lose.