The Alpha's suite had two beds.
Lyra found this on her first night as Luna, when Kade showed her to the smaller room with all the warmth of someone giving directions to a stranger.
"This is yours," he'd said, not meeting her eyes. "I'll be across the hall." That was three weeks ago.
Three weeks of sleeping alone while her mate lived twenty feet away, close enough to hear him breathe but far enough to feel abandoned.
Tonight was no different.
Lyra stared at the ceiling, listening to Kade's footsteps moving in his room. Back and forth, back and forth, like a caged animal.
The mate bond tugged at her chest, asking her to go to him, but pride kept her frozen in place. Why didn't he want her?
The question ate at her like poison. She'd seen how other matched couples acted touching constantly, sharing secret smiles, unable to stay apart.
But Kade treated her like a business partner. Polite talks about pack duties.
Formal meals eaten in silence. Nothing more. A soft knock interrupted her thinking. "Come in," she called, expecting Maya with her regular evening tea. Instead, Seraphina slipped through the door, wearing a white dress that made her look like an angel. Her dark hair ran loose around her shoulders, and those familiar blue eyes sparkled with mischief.
"Can't sleep either?"
Seraphina asked, settling cross-legged on Lyra's bed like they'd done this a thousand times before. The casual closeness struck Lyra like lightning.
This was exactly how Alina used to sneak into her room during thunderstorms, seeking support from her big sister.
"Too much on my mind," Lyra managed, her voice catching.
"Want to talk about it?" Seraphina's worry felt genuine, which made everything worse.
"I know I'm new here, but sometimes strangers are easier to talk to."
Strangers.
The word twisted in Lyra's gut.
"Why are you here?" Lyra asked instead.
"In my room, I mean." Seraphina shrugged, playing with the edge of the blanket.
"I was walking by and heard you moving around. Plus, Kade's pacing is keeping half the pack house awake."
As if summoned by his name, the footsteps next door got louder. "He does that every night," Lyra admitted.
"I don't know why."
"Guilt," Seraphina said simply.
"He feels terrible about something but won't tell anyone what."
"How do you know that?" A shadow crossed Seraphina's face.
"I just... do. Sometimes I know things without knowing how I know them."
She looked confused by her own words.
"It's strange."
The room fell quiet except for Kade's restless walking. Lyra studied Seraphina's profile, looking for any sign of recognition, any hint that she remembered their shared past. Nothing.
"Can I ask you something?" Lyra said slowly.
"Of course."
"Do you ever have dreams about... a sister?" Seraphina went very still.
"Why would you ask that?"
"You called me sister yesterday. During training.
Do you remember?" "I did?" Seraphina frowned, real confusion clouding her features.
"That's... odd. I don't have any siblings. At least, I don't think I do." She pressed her fingers to her temples.
"My memories before coming here are fuzzy. Like looking through thick fog." Hope flared in Lyra's chest.
"What do you remember?"
"Water. Always water. A river that whispers secrets. And..." Seraphina's eyes went faraway.
"A voice calling my name. But not Seraphina. A different name. One that felt like home." Alina. Lyra's heart hammered so hard she was sure Seraphina could hear it.
"What name?" Lyra whispered. Seraphina opened her mouth to answer, then winced sharply. Her hand flew to her head as if someone had hit her.
"I can't... it hurts to think about it." Tears gathered in her eyes.
"Every time I try to remember, pain shoots through my skull." The footsteps next door stopped suddenly. Both women looked toward the wall, listening.
"He heard you," Lyra realized. Seraphina wiped her eyes, calming herself quickly.
"I should go. Kade worries when I'm upset." She moved toward the door, then stopped.
"Lyra? That feeling I get around you... like we've met before? It's getting stronger."
Before Lyra could reply, Seraphina slipped out, leaving behind only the faint scent of moonflowers and mysteries.
Lyra lay awake until dawn, Seraphina's words echoing in her thoughts. Fuzzy thoughts. A different name. Water and words.
The next morning brought new pain. Lyra found Kade and Seraphina in the kitchen, sharing breakfast like the perfect pair. Seraphina laughed at something Kade said, her hand resting on his arm.
He looked at her with an expression Lyra had never seen before soft, protective, totally devoted.
"Good morning, Luna," Seraphina greeted brightly, but Kade barely glanced up from his coffee.
"Morning," Lyra answered, pouring herself tea with hands that shook slightly. She tried to eat, but every bite tasted like ash. Watching them together was pain.
The way Kade's face lit up when Seraphina spoke. How he subconsciously leaned toward her. The soft touches that should have been Lyra's.
"I'll be in meetings all day," Kade announced, standing.
"Seraphina, would you like to tour the territory?"
"I'd love that," Seraphina beamed.
They left together, Kade's hand on the small of Seraphina's back, leaving Lyra alone with her broken heart. The days that followed formed a painful routine.
Kade avoided Lyra totally, speaking to her only when pack business demanded it. He spent every free moment with Seraphina, showing her around, introducing her to pack members, treating her like valuable treasure.
Meanwhile, Lyra threw herself into Luna tasks with desperate energy. She organized supply runs, settled disagreements, trained with the warriors until her body screamed for mercy. Anything to avoid thinking about the empty space beside her in bed.
"You're pushing too hard," Maya warned one evening, finding Lyra still working in the pack office long after sunset.
"When's the last time you slept?" "Sleep is overrated," Lyra muttered, not looking up from patrol plans.
"Luna, with respect, you look terrible."
Lyra caught her image in the window. Maya was right. Dark rings shadowed her eyes. Her cheeks had hollowed.
She looked like she was wasting away.
"I'm fine," she lied. But she wasn't fine. The mate bond was killing her slowly, a steady ache that grew worse every day. Her wolf whimpered constantly, confused by their mate's refusal. Some nights, the pain was so intense she couldn't breathe.
A week later, everything changed. Lyra was returning from a border check when she heard voices from Kade's office. The door stood slightly open, showing Kade and his brother Aric in heated discussion.
"You're making a mistake," Aric said strongly.
"Lyra is your mate. The moon goddess picked her for you."
"The moon goddess made an error," Kade replied coldly.
"My heart belongs to Seraphina. It always has."
"Since when? You never mentioned this woman before she showed up." Silence stretched between them.
Then Kade spoke, his voice strange and distant.
"I've dreamed of her my entire life. A beautiful woman with dark hair and blue eyes, calling to me across impossible distances. When I saw Seraphina, I knew she was the one from my dreams."
"Dreams aren't reality, Kade. Lyra is real. She's here. She loves you."
"Love?" Kade laughed bitterly.
"She's a stranger who shares my blood through magic. Nothing more." Each word hit Lyra like a physical blow. She pressed her back against the wall, fighting to breathe.
"I'm going to reject her," Kade continued.
"Formally break the mate tie. It's the nicest thing I can do." "That could kill her," Aric argued. "And you."
"Better than living a lie." Lyra ran before she could hear more, her eyes blurred with tears.
She burst into her empty room and fell on the bed, finally letting the sobs come. He was going to reject her. Officially, properly, in front of the entire pack.
The thought should have killed her, but instead, something else rose in her chest.
Something dark and fierce and absolutely done with being disliked.
If Kade wanted to reject her, fine. But she wouldn't make it easy for him. She was still crying when she heard the soft scratch at her window.
Lyra looked up, expecting to see a bird or branch. Instead, she saw a face pressed against the glass.
A face she recognized from her childhood fears. Her father's face, older and more haggard, staring at her with eyes full of sorrow and desperation.
Alpha Thorne had found her.