Chapter Five — Lyra’s POV

The witch’s words echoed in my head: there was a mating ceremony, and Kaine was the star of the show. That was enough to keep me from following the crowd to the pack’s headquarters. But doubt crept in. Kaine wouldn’t have gone through all that trouble to save me, bring me back to the pack, and find a witch who bound me to this territory on his orders just to marry someone else, would he? That was beyond cruel—even for him. And as much as I thought Kaine was heartless, I didn’t think he could be this cruel.

Our twisted Moon Goddess must be having a good laugh right now, probably bawling her eyes at how foolish I was. Because what was I thinking, heading to the pack headquarters? To watch Kaine vow himself another woman, and claim her as his mate? Was the way my heart was threatening to explode not enough evidence of his cruelty? Did I still have to go and see for myself?

My curiosity always got the better of me, and so did the feelings I harbored for him. Earlier, when he sat by my side, I caught a glimpse of the kind and caring man I used to love. The man I believed I could build a life with. And for a moment, I wanted to forget everything and just imagine the three of us—Kaine, our son, and me, as a family. The way it would have been if he hadn’t decided that I wasn’t good enough for him. But once again, Kaine was showing how fickle his emotions were. Or rather, how goddamn good he was at pretending to care. Because no man could be that tender with one woman, then marry another the very next night.

God! I felt like such an idiot. Add that to the mix of emotions that were brewing inside of me: rage, fury, and anger.

As I approached the pack’s headquarters, I saw the full moon hang like a watchful eye above the clearing, bathing the gathering in its silvery light. Everyone was gathered, waiting in reverent silence for the ceremony to begin. I stopped in a corner—far away from the rest of the crowd but close enough to get a good view of the center aisle where the ceremony was to take place. The darkness of the night cloaked me as I watched my once-fated mate from the shadows. He was dressed in ceremonial attire, looking every bit like the Alpha he had become—commanding, strong, and utterly confident.

I couldn’t tear my gaze away from him, and yet the sight felt like a knife twisting in my gut. Kaine sat in a circle mapped out in the aisle of the quarters, alongside the woman who was about to claim what I once thought was mine. Her name was Juniper, from what I had heard. She looked stunning in that flowy white dress—the kind I had dreamed of wearing on my wedding day to Kaine. Her long brown hair cascaded down her shoulders in waves, her skin as bright and clear as day, glowing with perfection. Unlike mine, which has been marred by scars and bruises.

Her green eyes sparkled with admiration as she spoke softly to Kaine. Every glance he gave her, and every breathless smile she returned felt like the dagger was twisting deeper into the wound he had inflicted six years ago. I didn’t want to compare myself to her, but watching as she leaned into him, and the way Kaine’s mouth broke into a grin, I felt like I was witnessing the final act of a cruel play. And I found myself straying back to that night, Kaine’s words resounding in my head as though he was in front of me now, repeating them all over again.

“You’re not good enough for me, Lyra,” Kaine had said, shattering my heart into pieces. And then more, till it was nothing but a pile of dust. “You’re not worth the love of an Alpha. Lyra, you’re not worth my love.”

Was she better than me? Was Juniper worthy of his love? Was she enough for him in a way that I never was?

One of the pack’s elders stood in front of the aisle, with a book in his hand, ready to begin the ceremony.

“Tonight, we gather under the gaze of the moon to witness the joining of these two souls and to unite them as one,” he began, reciting the ancient marital rights meant to honor the couple’s bond, his voice profound. “Kaine and Juniper, please step forward to exchange your vows.”

Juniper practically jumped out of her seat, bubbling with excitement. Everyone waited for Kaine to do the same, but he didn’t move right away. I thought I saw something in his eyes when he looked at Juniper’s extended arm, eager for him to take a stand beside her. Perhaps my imagination was getting the better of me, because whatever flickered in his eyes didn’t matter anymore as he took her outstretched arm and joined her.

Though the thought still lingered in my head a moment too long. No one hesitated if they were absolutely sure of a decision they were about to make. Kaine certainly hadn’t hesitated before he rejected me. Then again, I was searching for reasons to believe that he didn’t actually want this when that hesitation could have just been a sign of nervousness.

She was the first to say her vows, promising him unwavering love, faithfulness, and everything in between.

My hands clenched at my sides, nails biting into my palms as Kaine’s turn soon came. Once again, he hesitated, but when he took Juniper’s hands and looked into her eyes, the words began to flow out of his mouth like a poem I knew too well.

“Juniper Greymont,” he began, his voice steady, but I didn’t miss the hint of reluctance, “from the first day I met you, your kindness drew me in. Your beautiful smile, your big heart, your strength, and your grace.” He paused, his jaw tightening. “I stand here tonight because I have a duty to my pack, just as you do. On the day I became Alpha, I swore a commitment to do whatever it took to protect my people, and today, I extend that same commitment to you. I vow to protect you, to be the Alpha you deserve. To lead with honor, and to stand by your side in every battle. I promise you loyalty, faithfulness…”

Loyalty…

Kaine’s words rang in my ears like a cruel joke. I had heard those promises before, one too many times, whispered in the quiet moments after he had taken me to bed. He would promise me the world, promise me his loyalty, promise me his protection, and everything I wanted to believe. Foolish as I was, I believed every word out of his mouth. If only Juniper knew that Kaine’s words were hollow and they didn’t mean a thing.

I didn’t realize when a tear slipped down my cheek. But I wiped it away quickly. Kaine’s gaze shifted from Juniper and landed on me. It was barely noticeable, but I saw the flicker of doubt in his eyes which told me that he didn’t want this, that it was killing him just as much as it was tearing me apart. But then he looked away and reality crashed down once more, brutal and painful. We were standing on opposite sides of a life we couldn’t have, and he was about to seal out fates.

This was it. The moment he would mark her as his mate, and bind their souls together. Kaine leaned forward, his fangs on display, ready to sink them into Juniper Greymont’s neck. Tears fell freely from my eyes, and I squeezed them shut, unable to watch him do to her what I always imagined for myself.

The sudden sound of gasps made me snap my eyes open. Kaine was no longer in the aisle. Juniper sat on the ground, sobbing. The elders stood, frozen in shock, and murmurs passed around the crowd filled the arena. What had happened?

Before I could process it, I heard a voice behind me.

“I couldn’t go through with it. Not when the woman I love was standing right here.”

My eyes squeezed shut as tears slipped from my eyes. There was a time I would have given anything to hear Kaine say those words. But he was six years too late. Now, they didn’t mean a thing.

I quickly dabbed at the tears on my face before turning around to face him. “You left a woman at the altar, Alpha Kaine,” I said.

“She’s not the woman I want.”

“You don’t know what you want.” My voice came out in a whisper. “I don’t think you ever did.”

I attempted to walk past him but Kaine caught my arm, spinning me around to face him. “Lyra, wait.” His voice was rough.

I yanked my arm away from his grip, my chest heaving with anger and hurt. “What do you want, Kaine? Did you expect me to run into your arms because you ditched a woman at the altar? Did you think in that twisted mind of yours that you did it for me?”

“I did it for you!” he said through gritted teeth. “I know what I want Lyra. And it’s you. It has always been you.”

“You have a pretty sick definition of love and want. Your display of cruelty is unmatched, and trust me, I have met a lot of terrible men out there. But none as cruel as you. You were going to marry her after binding me to this territory so that I could do what? Watch you live happily after you have broken me?”

Kaine’s jaw clenched, his eyes darkening in frustration. “It’s not like that, Lyra. You don’t know the full story.”

“The full story?” I snapped. “What other story is there other than the one everyone in the pack knows? Kaine rejected his mate, and if you thought he couldn’t get any more cruel than that, he found her, saved her, then bound her to a territory to watch him get married to another woman. Did I miss anything? Huh?” My voice was venomous, trembling with rage.

His nostrils flared, but he didn’t back down. “I had to bind you to the pack. If not, you were going to leave. Again.”

“And why do you care if I leave?” I barked angrily, feeling all the bottled-up rage spill over. “When have you ever cared about anybody but yourself?”

“Can you just stop?” Kaine barked in return, and I recoiled as if he had struck me, my breath catching in my throat. “You had no fucking idea what I went through, too, Lyra. You disappeared! You left me wondering for years, not knowing if you were dead or alive. I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep a wink. I scoured the woods and beyond, day and night, searching for you, hoping and praying that you would come back so I could explain why. But you didn’t, Lyra. You turned your back on me like I meant nothing to you.”

“You rejected me, Kaine!” I shouted, my voice shaking with the force of my anger. “You made me feel worthless, like I wasn’t enough for you! And then you moved on, and found someone else while I…” My voice cracked, and I tried to blink back the tears that were threatening to spill but it only unleashed them. “While I was trapped in hell, trying to survive.”

For a moment, Kaine was silent, his chest rising and falling heavily as he stared at me, his light blue eyes dark with emotions. Then he stepped forward, his voice low as he spoke, “I didn’t want any of this. I didn’t want to move on. Hell, I couldn’t. Because not a single day went by in the last six years where I didn’t think of you.” I stared at him, my heart aching as his words cut through me like a knife. I wanted to believe him, I wanted to think that he had suffered as much as I had. But how could I, when he’d stood there, ready to marry another woman?

“How do you expect me to believe that?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “How do you expect me to believe that you ever cared for me?”

Kaine’s expression softened, his frustration melting away into something more…something deeper. He took another step toward me, right into my personal space, and I found myself unable to move. My head was screaming at me to take to my heels, run away from him, and never look back. But I did nothing of that sort. Even when he reached out, gently brushing against my cheek, caressing it softly, I remained fixed to one spot. My wolf stirred, a low growl rumbling deep within me. Her instincts were protective and wary, a twinge of fear reminding her of the pain he’d caused us.

“I care about you, Lyra. I never stopped caring about you. Not for a single second. I still think about you every night. I still want you. More than anything.”

His words washed over me, causing my breath to hitch and making my heart pound wildly in my chest. Kaine’s second hand reached out and slid around my waist. My body betrayed me by responding to his touch despite the turmoil inside of me.

“Kaine…” I whispered, my voice trembling with a mix of longing and fear. His face was so close to mine now, and for a moment, I forgot all about it—the mating ceremony, Juniper, the rejection, the last six years. There was only Kaine, me, and the undeniable pull between us.

I felt the entire world fade behind me as he leaned down, our foreheads touching. His eyes searched mine as though he was seeking permission to go further. And dare I say, he found the answers he wanted. Just as his lips were about to touch mine, a voice cut through the moment like a blade.

“Kaine.”

We jumped apart immediately, our eyes darting to the source of the interruption.

“What do you want, Dominic?” Kaine said, his voice sharp with evident irritation at the intrusion.

“The elders want to speak to you,” Dominic said, a brow lifted at the compromising situation he had just found us in.

I met Dominic’s eyes for a brief moment, and something flickered in it. Judgment, maybe? He didn’t look surprised. He was probably expecting something like this since Kaine had just left Juniper at the altar. Now that I think about it, Kaine might be making a hobby out of humiliating women.

His gaze turned to me again, his eyes locking with mine for a final second. His eyes said what he didn’t: this wasn’t over.

And I knew as he walked away, that it wasn’t.