Lyra woke to warmth she didn't understand.
Not the harsh, suffocating heat of punishment dens, not the sting of untreated wounds—but calm, steady warmth that made her hesitate. Safe warmth.
She sat up abruptly, pain flaring across her ribs. Her breath hitched, and she winced. Panic rose, sharp and familiar.
"Easy," a calm voice said.
She froze. Her golden eyes flicked toward the source. Kael Blackthorn stood near the doorway, arms crossed, posture deliberately non-threatening. He hadn't come closer, hadn't touched her. His presence was… controlled, restrained.
"You're awake," he said softly. "Good. How do you feel?"
Lyra shook her head faintly, biting back tears. "Why… why am I here? I'm not supposed to—"
"You are in Nightfang territory," Kael interrupted gently. "And while you're here, you're under my protection."
Her gaze dropped to the floor. "I'm not… allowed. No one lets someone like me stay."
"Who told you that?" he asked, stepping a little closer but stopping well short of her bed.
"They… they always do," she whispered, twisting her fingers into the blanket. "And if they don't, they kill you anyway."
Kael's jaw tightened, his wolf stirring beneath the surface. He didn't need her to say more. He could smell the fear, the trauma, the faint pulse of something ancient buried beneath it all. Nymph blood. Dangerous, forbidden, and dormant.
"Not here," he said softly. "No one here will harm you. I swear it."
Lyra flinched at the words—soft, protective, alien. "And… why would you care?"
Kael took another careful step forward. "Because you've already suffered enough. Because someone tried to break you. And because… you are mine, in ways you don't yet understand."
She froze, eyes wide, a flicker of disbelief crossing her expression. "Mine? No… I don't even know what that means."
"It means I won't let anyone hurt you," Kael said firmly. "Even if you don't trust me. Even if you think the world is all pain. You're safe here."
Lyra's lips trembled. She wanted to speak, to protest, but the words caught in her throat. Instead, she felt a strange stirring beneath her skin—a warmth, a vibration, subtle but undeniable. The air seemed to hum around her.
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly. He smelled it too, faint but real: power. Dangerous, ancient, untrained.
"You have power," he said quietly. "I can feel it."
Her head snapped up, panic flaring. "No! I—I don't. Please, don't—don't tell anyone!"
"I won't," he replied calmly. "Not if you don't want me to. But you need to know… it doesn't make you dangerous to me. Not while you're here."
Lyra's chest heaved as the weight of his words sank in. No one had ever said that. No one had ever made her feel that… safe.
"Why… why are you even being nice?" she whispered, voice cracking. "No one is ever… this way."
Kael's gaze softened, but his voice remained firm. "Because no one deserves to live in fear every moment of their life. And because you are not just anyone. You are my Luna… and I will protect you, no matter what it costs."
She stared at him, stunned. His words stirred something in her—fear, yes, but also… something unfamiliar. Hope? She didn't dare name it.
Outside the window, the snow fell silently, but inside the chamber, something ancient stirred. The power beneath her skin shifted, curious, testing boundaries, aware of safety for the first time in years.
Kael noticed the subtle change, his wolf growling softly in approval. She was strong—stronger than she realized. And while she didn't know it yet, that strength was just beginning to awaken.