Chapter Four — Lyra’s POV

I was getting ready to flee. Again. Well, flee may not be the appropriate word. I thought of it like this: Kaine had found me, almost at the brink of death, if I might add. Then he had saved me, and now that I was very much in good condition, I could leave. The term fleeing would actually make more sense if he took into account the things I shoved into the bag on my shoulder.

Since I’d lost my original bag during the fight with the Blackwood pack, I was left with no supplies to keep Leo and I going while I searched for another witch willing to cast a cloaking spell. I managed to gather some clothes, a flashlight, snacks, and blankets. But I barely managed to make it through the door before it flung open to reveal a very angry Kaine.

I stumbled back, nearly losing my footing. It wasn’t because he had bumped into me—though that would have been enough to throw me off my balance—but it was because of the look on his face. Less than an hour ago, he had sat at my side, eyes filled with compassion and pity. But now, all traces of that softness were gone.

Kaine’s expression was a storm, his anger barely contained beneath the surface. As he closed the distance between us, I instinctively backed away. His eyes drilled into me, piercing and accusing, making my pulse race in a way that had nothing to do with fear and everything to do with the raw energy rolling off him.

“Kaine…” My voice came out in a whisper as I continued to retreat. “Wh–what are you doing?”

His gaze was hard, unyielding. As if he could see through the walls I had built up over the years.

“Tell me it isn’t true, Lyra.” The air between us thickened with tension as Kaine’s words hung in space, each one laced with fury and disbelief.

My back collided with the wall, and I knew there was no escaping. Backed up against the wall, with Kaine only inches away from me, I was trapped. My breathing became heavy, my heart pounded rapidly against my chest, his scent—musky and raw—filled my nostrils, my senses evading me, as well as the ability to think straight. I couldn’t even bring myself to look at him, but when I finally mustered the courage to, his dark blue, rage-filled eyes bore into mine, searching for something.

“Did you cheat on me, Lyra?” Kaine said, his voice brimming with accusation.

If I’d been caught up in the moment before, allowing his scent to make me lose my sense of reasoning, those words definitely snapped me out of it. Something ticked inside of me when he asked that question. The audacity of his accusation hit me like a slap and suddenly, my fear gave way to a burning rage.

“You think I cheated on you?” I finally found my voice, the words sharp and cutting as they left my lips. My heart was racing, but this time it wasn’t out of fear. It was anger. Pure, seething anger. “What right do you have to ask me that, Kaine?”

“You left the pack, you disappeared for years, and now you show up with a child. A child who is about five years old, Lyra. What would you have me think?”

“You shouldn’t think anything! You shouldn’t be bothered about my presence or that of my son because it was you who cast me out in the first place!” My chest heaved, my entire being expanding with rage. How dare he ask me something like this after he humiliated me in front of everyone, just after we had spent the night together? I shoved my hands against his chest, trying to push his suffocating presence away but he caught me by my wrist.

I flinched. “Get your hands off me, Kaine! Don’t you dare touch me!”

His expression flickered, his anger momentarily replaced by shock at the force of my words. Slowly, he withdrew his hands, eyes dropping to the ground as he took a couple of steps back.

“I’m sorry, Lyra,” he said softly.

“For what exactly? For barging in here, accusing me of being unfaithful when all I had done was show more care to you than anyone else? Or for rejecting me in front of the entire pack the night after you snuck into my house and slept with me? You’re going to need to be a little more specific, Kaine.”

He turned away, clenching his fists. “You don’t understand.”

“Oh, but I do,” I scoffed. “I understand perfectly, Kaine. There’s no gray area when it comes to loyalty. And considering that you’re a big preacher of it, you more than anyone should know that it’s just black or white. But instead, all you’ve displayed is hypocrisy.”

The words hung in the air like a challenge, daring him to deny the truth. “So, no, Kaine. You don’t get to do this. You don’t get to stand there and accuse me of something I didn't do when you’re the one who tossed me away like a piece of crap.”

When he turned to look at me again, his eyes were wild, filled with a tumult of emotions I couldn’t unravel. “I never wanted this, Lyra. I never wanted you to leave.”

“Then why did you reject me?” I couldn’t control the way my voice cracked with emotions. “Why did you cast me out without a second thought?”

Kaine’s lips pressed together in a thin line. There was nothing but his silence.

I shook my head. I didn’t plan on having this conversation, I didn’t plan on confronting him over what happened in the past. I wanted to let bygones be bygones. Yes, Kaine had broken me, but I didn’t allow myself to remain down.

I’d fought, I’d struggled, and I’d found a way to survive. Earlier, when I first saw him, I promised myself that I wasn’t going to allow him to get under my skin. But then he barged in here with an audacity larger than life, and he unraveled the pent-up anger and hurt that had built inside of me over the years.

“You have no idea what I have been through, Kaine,” I continued, my voice trembling with emotion. “You have no idea what it’s like to be abandoned by the one person who swore to protect you.”

He stumbled backward, his expression wavering as though my words had hit him like a physical blow. I wasn’t sure what I expected him to say. Nothing he said could erase the last six years or make me feel any better about it. An apology could never be enough. In fact, I didn’t need him to feel sorry for me. But at the same time, I didn’t want him to remain silent. For some reason, his silence hurt more than his apology.

Blinking back tears, I stepped away, my heart heavy, before turning and heading for the door.

“Where are you going, Lyra? It’s not safe out there. Whatever attacked you is still out there for all you know.”

I scoffed. “And you care because…?”

“Come on, Lyra.” In an instant, Kaine was in front of the door, standing firmly in my way. “It’s late, it’s dark, and the woods aren’t safe at night.”

“I think I’ll manage.”

I attempted to move around him, but he stepped in front of me again. Frustration boiled inside of me. “Kaine, get out of my way.”

“Not until you tell me where you’re going.”

My eyes widened slightly at his nerve. “My, my, Kaine, how big did that ego of yours get over the years? Or does being Alpha now make you think that you can demand answers to everything?”

He grunted, shrugging his shoulders. “I’m just worried about you, Lyra.”

I rolled my eyes. “Nineteen-year-old me would have fallen for that crap. God, I was so naive.”

Kaine didn’t appear to be moved by anything as I was saying because he remained on the spot, his broad frame filling the space between me and the door, making it clear that I wasn’t going anywhere.

“Kaine—”

“Just tell me where you’re going, Lyra. Why do you have to be so goddamn stubborn? His voice rose, cutting off my next words.

I sighed, palming my face in frustration. This wasn’t the time to argue. I had spent too much time doing that already. Now I had to leave right this minute.

“I have to leave Crescent Valley. My presence is a danger to the entire pack. I imagine they don’t like me much after I abandoned the pack, but it is not my wish to see them killed.”

“Killed? By who?”

“The same people who poisoned me.”

“They’re still out there?”

“No,” I said flatly. “I took care of them.”

“Then you’re safe,” he said. “You’re safe here, Lyra. This is your home.”

I shook my head in refutation. “Not anymore, Kaine. I don’t have a home. And they’ll make sure of that when they realize the ones sent for me aren’t coming back…because they’re dead.”

Another wave of silence fell upon us. And I could tell from the way one Kaine’s eyebrow perked up that he was confused. “What are you talking about, Lyra?”

I exhaled sharply. “You want to know where I’m going? The truth is that I don’t know, Kaine. All I know is that I need to find a witch because the longer I stay unprotected, the more dangerous it becomes for anyone around me, including the pack.

“Lyra—”

“Kaine, you’re not listening to me. We’re wasting too much time. I need to get out of here now. So please, get out of my way!” I snapped.

That still wasn’t enough to move him. The confusion on Kaine’s face was apparent, but I wasn’t about to relive the eight months of hell I spent as a prisoner of the Blackwood pack by telling him the reason why I was being hunted. He might want answers but I owed him nothing, so I wasn’t giving him one. And if he continued to refuse to let me leave, he left me no choice but to force my way out, even if that meant hurting him. I had never bested him in our sparring sessions before, but I fancied my chances now.

I steeled myself, mentally preparing to strike, when Kaine spoke. “You can only try, Lyra,” he said with a lopsided smile like he’d read my thoughts. “But if you need a witch, I know one.”

******

I slept with one eye open, praying desperately to the Moon Goddess that the Blackwoods hadn’t tracked me to my latest hiding place. I hadn’t prayed to the Moon Goddess in a while—how could I? Not after she had set me up by mating me with a man who rejected and humiliated me. I thought she was cynical, twisted, and cruel. I still did. But desperate times called for desperate prayers.

I watched Leo like a hawk. He slept soundly, a smile curling up his lips. He looked peaceful, unlike the boy who struggled to fit in in our old neighborhood. I’d known Leo had a hard time fitting in at school, not only because he always came back feeling sorry for himself, but also because I’d caught one of his classmates bullying him. I’d done the motherly thing and simply scolded him. But once Leo turned away, I grabbed the boy by the collar, bared my fangs, and warned him never to touch my boy again. That was the last I heard of any bullying, but it still hadn’t been enough to make him feel like he belonged.

Now, barely twenty fours in the Ironclaw pack, Leo seemed like he’d finally found his place. A bittersweet smile tugged at my lips as I brushed hair from his face. He had found his home. He had even met his father. And as much as it pained me, I knew I had to take him away from all of this. It was for the best.

I begged for the morning to come, and finally, it did. Leo was up early, excited, as Kaine had promised to take him back to the pack’s institute today after he’d been so sad to leave yesterday. With other pressing matters to handle today, it seemed like the perfect arrangement.

Kaine returned about thirty minutes after dropping off Leo. The frown plastered on my face deepened when I caught his scent a few blocks away from the front lawn of the packhouse where I sat, waiting for him.

“I’m sorry I’m late, Lyra,” he apologized, halting in front of me, his tone casual. “I um, I had to take care of some things.”

My brows furrowed at him. There was something vague about the way he said, “take care of some things”, that told me he didn’t want me knowing what they were.

Without a second thought, I stood, storming away in the opposite direction. “You’re not taking this very seriously, Kaine.”

“It’s hard to take it seriously when you’ve not exactly told me why I should.” He didn’t attempt to follow me. He remained on the spot, eyes twinkling with mirth as I walked away.

“What part of ‘being here is dangerous for everyone’ don’t you understand?”

“The part where you haven’t explained how your presence here is a danger to everyone.” I heard him sigh. “Do you even know where you’re going, Lyra?”

“Yes. To the witch. Salome, right?”

“Well, you’re going the wrong way.”

I stopped in my tracks, trying to steady my rapid breathing from the growing frustration I was feeling. Then I turned around and began to walk back as if it had all been part of a plan. “I knew that.”

Kaine smirked. “Sure, you did.”

After about fifteen minutes of silent walking, we reached a secluded area, dotted with just a couple of weathered, rundown houses.

“Why do witches always have to be so creepy?” I muttered under my breath as Kaine led us toward a house with its door hanging slightly open.

The floorboards creaked beneath our steps as we entered. The air was heavy with the mingling scents of herbs, incense, and a faint layer of dust. The house felt eerily cold, its sparse furnishings—a single chair and a battered table—barely filling the emptiness of the living room. If not for the smoldering incense, I’d have thought the place was abandoned.

Out of nowhere, a cat darted from under the chair, leaping straight at my face.

“Damn it!” I hissed, catching the cat by the tail and tossing it gently to the chair. “Stupid cat.”

“Careful with your words. Animals have feelings, too,” a voice croaked from behind me. I turned, startled, to see an old woman with dreads that looked like they’d seen better days. She eyed me with suspicion before shifting her gaze to Kaine.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of the Alpha’s visit?”

Kaine stepped forward, offering his hand, which she accepted. “We need your help, Salome.”

She smiled at him, but when her eyes landed on me, her expression hardened.

I grimaced. What’s her deal?

“My… friend here needs a cloaking spell.”

“Friend?” She asked, her gaze narrowing as she sized me up.

“Her name is Lyra,” Kaine added.

“Lyra Winters. The Rejected Mate.”

My fists clenched beside me. Of course, I already had a title. The entire pack had witnessed my humiliation firsthand.

“Why does she need a cloaking spell? What is she hiding from?”

Kaine turned to me, his gaze searching for answers he didn’t yet have.

I let out a frustrated breath. “I crossed into Blackwood territory, and now they’re after me.”

Salome didn’t look like she believed a word that flew out of my mouth. But thankfully, she didn’t ask any more questions.

“I haven’t done a cloaking spell in years,” she revealed, walking further into the house. “I’m going to need some time to do this.”

“I don’t have that kind of time.”

“Well, darling, do you know another witch?” Her tone was sharp, and I sank back.

“Why don’t you both make yourselves comfortable while I get started?” She gestured to the chair, and I began to walk over, but then I noticed Kaine wasn’t following.

“Are you coming or what?”

“No,” he answered, shaking his head. “I’ve got to…take care of some things.”

Again with that vague, cryptic answer. What was he hiding? I nodded my head slowly before shrugging my shoulders nonchalantly.

“Are you going to be okay by yourself?” he asked.

“I’ve been on my own for the last six years.”

He caught the subtle jab and, without another word, turned to leave the house. But not before leaning in to whisper something in Salome’s ear.

It was uncomfortable, sitting in silence with a witch who clearly didn’t like me. But she was willing to do the cloaking spell without asking any questions, and most importantly, without asking for anything in return. Perhaps she owed Kaine a favor? She’d been warm toward him, so that seemed likely.

After what felt like an eternity of her “getting ready”— whatever that entailed —she finally performed the spell. It only took a couple of minutes. A mark materialized on my right arm, exactly where the last one had been.

Tracing the mark, I muttered a quiet, “Thank you.”

She didn’t acknowledge my gratitude. Instead, she said, “I’m not doing this for you.”

I frowned. “You don’t even know me, Salome. Why do you hate me?”

She went quiet, and I took it as my cue to leave. I stood up and started for the door, but her voice stopped me. “Does he know?”

Confusion crept across my face as I turned back. “Does he know what?”

“Does Kaine know the boy is his son?”

Shock washed over me.

“Yeah, I know, Lyra.” She stood up, her gaze steady. “Who do you think found you that night in the forest?”

My mind drifted back to that night. The memory was blurry, but I remembered shifting after Kaine had rejected me. When I woke, in my human form, I found myself with a woman who scolded me for shifting in my condition.

“It was you?” The words barely escaped my throat.

“No,” Salome corrected, her voice cold. “That was my sister—bless her soul. But I had seen you, and I sensed you were carrying an Alpha’s child. It didn’t take much to figure out you were the mate Kaine had rejected.”

I swallowed hard, my pulse quickening. I turned to the door, my steps growing faster. I wasn’t about to relive that awful night with her.

“Don’t even think about running again.” Salome’s sharp voice cut through the air.

“Excuse me?” I stopped, spinning around to glare at her.

“I know how people like you think, Lyra. You planned to get the spell and leave Crescent Valley again, didn’t you?”

My silence gave her the answer she needed.

“Well, don’t bother. The spell is tied to this packtown. Once you cross Crescent Valley’s borders, the very thing you’re running from will find you. You have Kaine to thank for that.”

A rush of anger surged through me. “Kaine put you up to this?”

Salome’s smile was pure cruelty. “You better hurry, Lyra. You don’t want to miss the ceremony.”

“What ceremony?”

Her next words struck me like a knife. “Kaine’s mating ceremony.”