Lira was his mate.
The silly girl who got stuck in trees and always had leaves in her hair. The Moonborne who was destined to save the world.
When Kyren was 10 years old, one of the Priestesses sent a page to fetch him and his father.
On her deathbed she had a vision about the prophecy. She was the only one to see the whole thing.
When he got there, the first words she uttered were, "Your son must die." it chilled Kyren to the bone.
Kyren remembered her pale face and withered lips reciting the prophecy while pages scribbled it down.
"When the moon breaks, her blood will rise. One alpha shall guard her. One alpha shall tempt her. One will break her heart. One will break the world. She shall choose fate or freedom; life or extinction. An alpha shall fall for her to stand…"
Her eyes then rolled to the back of her head and her head hung low. The pages and Healers tried to resuscitate her but his father stopped them.
"What's gone is gone." He said through gritted teeth.
Kyren always had in in the back of his mind that when he finds out who his mate was, he'd immediately reject her.
From the day the full prophesy was given, his life stopped being his.
His father drummed it into him from that day, 'Protect the Moonborne with your life'.
He had always thought it was a difficult or impossible task-even though he was an alpha, but looking at Lira's autumn red hair, green eyes and rosy cheeks, it seemed as natural as breathing.
"Kyren, I'm done."
"What?" Kyren's neck snapped forward.
"I said I'm done. Weren't you waiting for me?" Lira asked looking confused.
"Yes." Kyren straightened his back. "Donna and my father would like to speak to you about something. But it doesn't have to be today."
Kyren hurriedly added after seeing the look on her face. He stepped forward and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "You should have dinner at our house tonight and stay for a few days too. You don't look good." Lira simply nodded.
She barely spoke on the walk to the Alpha's house or when she got inside. Alpha David didn't speak to her until dinnertime.
"Lira, I heard about your father. I'm sorry for your loss."
"Thank you, Alpha."
"We've made plans for a joint funeral. I assume you'd want to officiate it."
Lira could tell that it wasn't a request. "No, I don't think I should." She looked up from her plate into his eyes
Alpha David stiffened then narrowed his eyes. He really couldn't command a Moonborne.
"I think it would help soothe the minds of the pack members. A lot has happened in a few days and the people need to have their faith in Selene solidified. Who else better than the Moonborne?" he entreated with a tight smile.
"I don't think she should decide that now." Kyren cut in.
"Will you attend the emergency pack meeting?" Alpha David asked and Lira shook her head.
Ordinarily, that would have been seen as a form of disrespect but Lira was no ordinary werewolf. David wasn't even her alpha.
After Alpha David finished eating he left immediately. His other two children, Dom and Sarah began to chat animatedly. Kyren could barely register their voices as he stared at Lira.
He heard that finding a mate was the turning point of every werewolf's life. He now realized how true that was. On that table, he swore to himself with more conviction than the first time that he would protect Lira with all he had.
Lira finished and got up then walked to the front door.
"Where are you going?" Kyren called out.
"The pack meeting." Lira said and tried to walk out. Kyren dashed to the front door and gripped her wrist.
They stared at each other in silence. Lira furrowed her brows. Kyren was looking between her eyes.
He inhaled and said, "Stay safe." He squeezed her hand and let her go.
Lira nodded and left moving right towards the temple.
That day she realized that the solution to everything was to simply get stronger.
At the vast Temple gardens she walked towards the largest dolmen.
Her plan was to completely light it up in ten seconds. The place was completely deserted and the night air was cold.
She walked closer but stopped in her tracks when she felt the air shift.
A chill crawled uneasily down her spine and her wolf stirred uneasily. Then she heard it, a low snarl.
Lira turned slowly. A Zombie wolf stood between her and the vestibule. Its elongated snout dripped blood and and its eyes glowed a pale yellow.
Its limbs were twisted and it had a foul stench. It was looking at her and only her.
"Stay back." She commanded.
Then it launched straight at her. Lira barely had time to throw up her hands.
Energy surged instinctively, raw unfocused and immensely powerful. It burst from her palms in a pale blue arc of light that left an ear-splitting sound.
It hit the wolf mid-leap and it disintegrated.
But the blast didn't stop. It roared outward and alammed into the temple. The stone walls trembled and gave way collapsing in a pile of dust.
Lira stumbled backwards and stared frozen at the carnage. The wolf was gone completely but so was a large part of the temple. She could hear screams in the distance.
"I didn't- it wasn't me," she whispered. "I didn't mean to." She stared at her palms terrified.
What if Kyren followed her? Would she have killed him too?
"Lira!" Donna shouted from far away and rushed over. A small mob was forming.
"Lira did you do this?" she asked.
Lira looked and saw the faces of the crowd. Some were confused while others were trying to sift through the wreckage.
But they all had one emotion in common.
Fear.