Lyra's POV
The world had grown too small.
Every corner of the packhouse seemed to hum with the same name, the same presence I couldn't escape.
Kaelan Draven.
It wasn't just the sound of his voice echoing through the corridors, or the way the warriors stiffened whenever he passed. It was the energy raw and magnetic that filled the air when he was near.
Even when I didn't see him, I felt him.
Like the bond was a living thing beneath my skin, breathing when he breathed, burning when he drew too close.
And lately, he was always too close
I poured another vial of crushed herbs into the boiling pot, forcing my trembling hands to steady. The bitter scent of yarrow and comfrey filled the healer's chamber, masking my own scent for now.
"Lyra?" Elder Mira's voice came from behind me, calm and patient as always. "You've been distracted all morning."
"I'm fine," I said quickly. Too quickly.
Mira gave me one of those looks that saw straight through lies. "The Alpha's presence unsettles you."
I swallowed hard. "He unsettles everyone."
"Not like this."
The old healer's tone softened, but it carried a weight that made my stomach twist. "I've seen that look before. You should be careful with the things the Moon Goddess ties to our hearts, child. Fate doesn't always ask permission."
Her words sliced deeper than she knew.
Fate hadn't asked permission when it destroyed my life either.
"I'll be careful," I said finally, my voice barely above a whisper.
The door opened before Mira could reply.
The air shifted sharp, charged, unmistakable.
My pulse leapt painfully as I looked up.
He was there.
Kaelan Draven. Alpha of Ironclaw. The man I had sworn to hate, to destroy… and the man the Goddess had bound me to.
His gaze swept the room, landing on me like a strike.
"Elder," he said politely, though his eyes never left mine. "I was told one of your assistants would deliver the new tonic samples for the council."
Mira smiled faintly. "Lyra prepared them herself."
Of course she did.
I wanted to curse fate aloud.
Kaelan stepped closer, his boots whispering against the floorboards.
He moved like a predator calm, precise, aware of every heartbeat in the room.
"May I?" he asked, gesturing to the table where the vials sat.
Mira nodded. "Of course, Alpha. Lyra, show him."
My hands felt numb. "Yes, Elder."
I stepped forward, holding out the tray. The glass clinked faintly the only sound in the suffocating silence between us.
When he took the tray, his fingers brushed mine again.
And just like before, the world vanished.
The bond roared to life hot, electric, unstoppable. I could feel his pulse through the touch, could taste the heat of his breath, could hear the faint snarl his wolf made in the back of his throat.
Our eyes met.
Every part of me screamed to look away.
But I couldn't.
Because in that instant, beneath the hunger and confusion, I saw something else pain. Recognition. Regret.
And that terrified me more than any threat he could make.
Mira's voice broke the spell. "Lyra, the tonic"
I jerked back as if burned, the tray nearly slipping from his hands.
"Forgive me," I muttered, lowering my gaze. "I, it's nothing."
Kaelan's voice was soft, but there was steel beneath it. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, Alpha."
The title came out like a curse.
He held my gaze a moment longer, then nodded once curt, controlled and turned to Mira. "Thank you, Elder. I'll see these delivered."
But as he left, his scent lingered behind cedar, steel, and the faint, inescapable heat of the bond.
And I knew from the look in his eyes… he wasn't done with me.
When the door shut, Mira exhaled softly. "He looks at you like a man who's found something he thought lost."
My throat tightened. "He's looking for trouble."
"Or truth."
"Same thing."
I turned back to the pot, trying to breathe past the weight pressing on my chest.
I'd hidden for years. Changed my name. Buried my past.
But the moment our eyes met, I knew it couldn't last forever.
Because Kaelan Draven wasn't
just my mate.
He was my ruin.
And the longer he looked at me like that like he knew the closer I came to breaking.