Lyra
The summons came at dusk.
A low-ranking guard appeared at the door of my cabin, avoiding my eyes as he delivered the message. "The Alpha requests your presence," he said stiffly. "Immediately."
My stomach dropped.
I didn't ask why. In this pack, questions were a luxury for people with power. I grabbed my cloak and followed him out, my wolf stirring uneasily beneath my skin.
The bond hummed.
Not loud. Not sharp. Just… aware.
The pack hall loomed ahead, its doors thrown open, torches lining the stone walls. Inside, voices murmured—quiet, curious, hungry.
They were all here.
I stepped inside, every gaze snapping toward me at once. The Alpha stood at the front, arms crossed behind his back, his presence commanding silence without effort.
And beside him—
The Alpha's sons.
All three.
They stood apart from each other, tension etched into every line of their bodies. None of them looked at me directly, yet I felt them all the same. The bond stirred, threads tightening, pulling us subtly closer.
I forced myself to keep walking.
"Step forward," the Alpha said.
I did.
His eyes swept over me, sharp and assessing. "Your awakening has caused… unrest."
A ripple of murmurs followed.
"You are aware," he continued, "that mate bonds are governed by pack law."
My heart began to pound.
"I am," I said carefully.
"Then you understand," he said, "that such bonds cannot be ignored."
One of his sons stiffened.
Another clenched his jaw.
The third finally looked at me—just for a moment—and the bond flared in response. Heat rushed through my chest, sudden and dizzying. I gasped softly, pressing my fingers into my palm to ground myself.
The Alpha noticed.
His gaze sharpened. "The Moon Goddess does not err," he said. "When she binds, she binds with purpose."
"I didn't ask for this," I said, my voice steady despite the storm inside me.
"Neither did they," he replied coolly. "That changes nothing."
Anger flared hot and bright.
"So what happens now?" I asked.
Silence stretched.
"Now," the Alpha said, "the bond is acknowledged."
My breath caught.
"There will be no rejection until the Moon gives clarity," he continued. "No public claims. No severance attempts."
A sharp pulse tore through my chest at the word severance.
The bond reacted violently.
I staggered.
Strong hands caught me before I could fall.
I froze.
His scent hit me instantly—warm, familiar, devastating. My wolf surged forward with a startled growl, flooding me with sensation. Heat. Awareness. Want.
Too much.
"Don't touch me," I whispered.
His hands released me immediately, but the damage was done. The bond screamed, tightening like a noose. I sucked in a breath, fighting the wave threatening to drag me under.
"I didn't mean—" he started.
"Enough," the Alpha snapped.
The room buzzed with tension.
"Until further notice," the Alpha said, "you will all maintain distance. Any uncontrolled bond reaction will be punished."
Punished.
The word settled heavily in the air.
I straightened slowly. "And me?"
His gaze softened—just a fraction. "You will remain under pack protection."
Protection.
Another word that felt like a cage.
The meeting was dismissed soon after, but the damage lingered. As I turned to leave, the pull tugged at me again—gentler this time, almost… pleading.
I hated it.
Outside, the night air was cool, but my skin still burned. I barely made it halfway down the steps before it happened.
The bond surged.
Hard.
I cried out softly, doubling over as a wave of emotion slammed into me—conflict, restraint, guilt. Not mine.
I felt them.
One of them staggered a few feet away, bracing himself against the wall. Another sucked in a sharp breath, eyes glowing faintly before he forced them back to normal.
"This is dangerous," one of them muttered.
"It's getting stronger," another said.
I laughed bitterly. "Congratulations. Fate wins."
They all looked at me then.
Not with cruelty.
Not with arrogance.
But with something far worse.
Need.
"This isn't control," I said quietly. "This is a warning."
I turned and walked away before any of them could stop me.
Behind me, I felt it—the bond stretching, resisting, refusing to loosen.
Pack law had spoken.
The Moon had chosen.
And whether we liked it or not, we were no longer just connected.
We were trapped.