Chapter Seventeen — Lyra’s POV

Waking up beside Kaine again felt right and comforting in a way I hadn’t expected. He was already awake, gently running his fingers through my hair, his eyes tracing the features of my face. I yawned, rubbing my eyes, only to catch him staring at me with a smile spread across his handsome face. Heat flushed my cheeks as I quickly sat up, glancing down at the pillow to check for any sign of drool. Thank goodness, I was spared that embarrassment. Kaine chuckled and pressed a kiss to my forehead.

“How long have you been awake? I asked, feeling shy under the intensity of his piercing blue eyes.

“A few minutes.”

“A few?” I quirked a brow.

He shrugged. “About fifteen. You looked so peaceful while you were asleep. And I wanted to keep you that way.”

“Asleep?”

“No,” he replied, sitting up and letting his hands glide along my bare shoulders. “Peaceful.”

I leaned in to kiss him, wrapping my hands around his neck and knocking him back onto the bed. Kaine’s hands tightened around my hips, pulling me impossibly closer as he deepened the kiss. But just as things were getting heated, I pulled away.

“We’ve got to get Leo ready for school,” I said, watching as his eyes, dark with desire, closed in frustration as he groaned.

Reluctantly, we got out of bed. While Kaine helped Leo prepare for school, I whipped up a simple breakfast of toast and eggs. Leo chattered at the dining table about his school, the puzzle he was working on with Kaine, and all the little things that filled his world. He was seemingly unaffected by the strange events unfolding around him. And a part of me was glad that he wasn’t aware of all the complexities looming around him. But soon, I knew that I’d have to sit him down and explain what he truly was—a hybrid. That is after I understood what that actually meant.

While Kaine was off dropping Leo at school, I busied myself with cleaning Leo’s room and the rest of the house. Now, standing in front of the mirror in my bathroom, I peered closely at my own eyes, half expecting them to turn that unusual shade of gold like Leo’s. I even focused intently on my toothbrush, willing it to levitate, do something—anything. Nothing of that sort happened. The words of Salome echoed in my head, I bound her to her fate as a werewolf—her fated mate. What did that even mean?

Kaine returned after I had just finished my bath. Noticing my long face, he asked what was going through my mind. I admitted to him that I was confused about who—or what—I really was. Everything Salome said had deepened my confusion when I tried hard to understand it all.

I knew the basics: I was part witch, part werewolf, and my witch side was somehow bound, locked away. But Leo, his witch side was free, manifesting in ways that made me worry. Kaine gave my hand a reassuring squeeze, promising me that we would figure it out together. When I suggested searching through my father’s belongings in the attic, he was happy to help. Hours later, we’d gone through everything at least twice, hoping for any clue about my past, but we came out empty-handed. The only discovery Iad made was a photograph of the woman I’d always believed was my mother—the woman I didn’t meet, the woman who’d supposedly died a few weeks after I was born.

Discovering that everything I knew about myself might be a lie left me in a fog of confusion. It felt like my entire life was a lie. If there was one thing I was grateful for at this moment, it was that I wasn’t unraveling this alone. Kaine was here, steady and sincere, and his presence made the uncertainty a little easier to bear.

He left to handle some pack duties, while I hurried to the diner for my shift. I was already late, and had to sprint the entire way. When I burst through the back door into the diner, breathless and tugging on my apron, the soft murmur of the evening crowd greeted me.

As soon as I stepped behind the counter, Isolde was waiting for me. “Finally decided to show up, huh?”

I blinked, startled by her tone. I should have gotten used to this by now—her coldness, the sharpness in her tone when she spoke to me—but I couldn’t accept that I’d lost my best friend so easily. I opened my mouth to apologize. “I’m sorry, I didn’t—”

“Save it.” Her words were sharper than usual, laced with irritation and annoyance. “I’ve been covering your shift for the last hour. And for what?”

I opened my mouth to explain, but then I closed it, wondering where I would even begin. Normally, she would be the first person I confided in whenever I had a problem. We used to know everything about anything going on in each other’s lives. But now, we were like strangers. The anger in her eyes made my heart heavy. I knew this was about more than just showing up late for work, and it frustrated me that I couldn’t understand why she was treating me this way.

I softened my voice as I moved closer to her. “Isolde, what’s going on? I don’t think it's fair for you to act this way and not tell me why.”

“Mr. Mason wants his coffee. I’m out of here.”

“Isolde—”

Her gaze darkened, lips pressing into a thin line. Without another word, she yanked off her apron and stormed out of the diner, leaving me standing there, bewildered. If I were to make a list of the things that confused me in my life right now, the list would be endless.

Sighing, I went ahead and served Mr. Mason his coffee before returning back to the counter to immerse myself in my work. This was when I noticed Dominic sitting in one of the chairs behind it. From the expression on his face—pity—I knew that he’d witnessed my confrontation with Isolde.

“I have a theory,” he said, scooting two chairs closer to me. “I wouldn’t exactly call it a theory—more of an observation.”

I frowned, still reeling from the earlier confrontation. “What are you talking about, Dominic?”

“You really don’t see it, do you?”

I paused in my task of putting the clean mugs and utensils away in their respective shelves to look at him. “Are you going to start speaking in words I understand, or what?”

He leaned forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “First day I moved to Crescent Valley, Isolde was at the house with Kaine. It wasn’t hard to notice how she giggled at every little thing he said, how eager she was to help him with anything, and how her body tensed whenever they got close.”

With each word Dominic spoke, my brows furrowed deeper in confusion. I could connect the dots, but it still didn’t make sense. Maybe I needed to hear him say it outright.

“The way she looks at him—it’s obvious she likes him.”

His words were like a sudden jolt, scattering memories through my mind. I could suddenly recall the little signs I’d ignored—the times Isolde was unusually protective and possessive around Kaine, the awkward silences whenever I spoke about my relationship with Kaine, the fleeting glances I’d caught her throwing his way. It all pieced together like a puzzle. Still, I didn’t want to believe it.

I shook my head. “No. You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t I?” Dominic raised an eyebrow, a slight smirk tugging at his lips. “You know I’m right. She’s angry because you’re back, messing up the ground she thought she was gaining or had gained with Kaine. He was always the subject of our conversations, always wanting to join our hunts, practically begging me to talk him into taking her along. And believe me, it wasn’t because she loved hunting.”

I dismissed it, shaking my head harder. “Isolde loves hunting. We used to hunt all the time with Kaine. Why would she need to beg him to take her along?”

Dominic chuckled, shaking his head as he leaned back. “You’re cute when you’re clueless.”

The sound of a mug shattering pulled my attention away from the conversation, and I whirled my head in the direction of the sound to see Mr. Mason push himself away from the table, collapsing onto the floor as he wheezed and clutched his chest.

I hurried away from the counter, toward him, but as soon as I touched his shoulders, he flinched. “Get your hands off of me, you outcast!”

The harshness of his tone startled me. I really needed to start getting used to people talking to me like this. I ignored his tone, determined to help him back into his chair. By now, patrons in the diner were turning to watch the scene unfold.

I reached for Mr. Mason again, and this time, he shot me a glare with reddened eyes and snapped, “Do you want to kill me?”

“What—no! Let me help you, Mr. Mason,” I said softly, extending my hands once more but he swatted it away.

“Y—you put almond milk in my coffee?” he said, his voice a mix of disbelief and accusation.

I was confused. He has always loved almond milk. He never took his coffee with regular milk. It always had to be almond milk. Mr. Mason continued to clutch his chest and wheeze, refusing any help from me. Just then, Dominic swooped in, assisting him back into his chair.

His skin had reddened, and a rash began to develop. I had seen this before—when Leo ate pumpkin pie. He was allergic to pumpkin and it affected him similarly.

I was about to dash behind the counter to grab the emergency shifter first-aid kit when I saw Mr. Randolf rushing towards us, already holding a small vial. He helped Mr. Mason down the liquid, explaining, ‘It’s a concentrated antihistamine—it works faster than human meds.’ Moments after finishing it, Mr. Mason’s coughing and wheezing subsided, though he was still panting heavily.

He shot me a cold glare when he was feeling better. “Do you want to kill me?” he asked again, bellowing, and I was startled by the sudden intensity of his voice.

“Mr. Mason, I’m so sorry. I had no idea—”

“How could you know when you abandoned the pack all those years ago?” he spat, then turned to Mr. Randolf. “I don’t know why you hired her. My brother has stopped eating here, and so have several people from my neighborhood. She’s meant to be an outcast, exiled, or even dead—just like Jared.”

Mr. Mason sneered, pushing away from the chair and attempting to stand.

“You should sit back down, Mason,” Mr. Randolf urged, but he removed his hand from his grip.

“No! As long as this traitor,” he pointed his fingers to me, “is working here, I’m not going to be coming back.”

Mr. Mason grabbed his coat and wallet, limping out of the diner with the aid of his cane. When he was gone, I turned to Mr. Randolf whose gaze reflected both disappointment, and as usual, pity. Without him needing to say a word, I knew what was coming. He gestured for me to follow him to his office. As I turned, I found Dominic mouthing some soothing words to me. I forced a smile in his direction and continued toward Mr. Randolf’s office.

Once inside, he motioned for me to sit. A few moments of silence passed between us, and I wondered why he was making me go through this. He should just rip off the Band-Aid, I thought.

“Lyra,” he finally said, breaking the silence. “Today was…unacceptable. Something worse could have happened to Mason, then it would have been my fault because it's my dinner.”

I remained quiet, fiddling with my apron as I contemplated my already known fate.

“I don’t blame you, though,” he continued. “You could never have known. Mason used to love almond milk. But what happened tonight wasn’t just about an unintentional mistake; it’s about your presence here upsetting my customers and driving away my regulars. After what happened with his nephew Jared, Mason hasn’t been the same. He’s an influential man in this town and everything he says matters, including his calls for justice to be served to you as it was to his nephew.”

Realization dawned on me. Jared was Mr. Mason’s nephew, which explained why he had been cold toward me since my return, despite our good relationship back in the day. He was always happy, always smiling, spreading joy and encouraging others to do the same. But now, that man seemed like a distant memory.

“Look, Lyra, I know you have a son…”

I met Mr. Randolf’s gaze, which was filled with pity. I hated this. I hated being pitied.

I managed a half smile and said, “It’s all right, Mr. Randolf, you don’t have to say it. I understand.”

“I’m so sorry, Lyra,” he said earnestly. “Believe me, I don’t want this—”

“I know, I know,” I said softly, still smiling. “I understand, Mr. Randolf. Thank you for everything you’ve done.”

I left his office, feeling the weight of his eyes on me. As I passed through the kitchen, I caught a glimpse of Dominic waiting by the counter through the glass in the door. Not in the mood for a conversation, I took off my apron and exited through the back door.

The cold night air bit at my skin, but I hardly felt it, though my body shivered. I’d left my jacket in the diner by the counter because I was avoiding Dominic. My mind was lost in thought as I walked home, and my vision blurred as I tried to make sense of everything happening in my life right now.

I’d barely made it halfway home when I noticed a figure moving toward me, striding directly in my path with clear intent. Even from a distance, I could sense the fury radiating off him, thick in the air. His eyes glowed red, and his claws extended—he was here for me. I spun around to slip away, only to find another man blocking my escape, his expression just as hostile.

“Lyra Winters!” he roared. “Tonight will be your reckoning.”

Caught between them, I let out a long sigh. Could this night get any worse?