Chapter 11
Time seemed to freeze as Lyra walked into the Alpha’s office, a place she had never set foot in during her twenty years of life. The sharp scent of eucalyptus and spearmint hit her, overpowering and delicious all at once.
Mate! Juno howled in her head.
Her wolf had been restless ever since they stepped into the pack house, but Lyra had dismissed it. Juno had been agitated for weeks at the prospect of being officially released from the pack, labeled a rogue. Lyra had assumed that’s what had her on edge.
But now she realized, she should have known.
Jake, the Alpha, stood in the middle of the room, his bright green eyes locked on her. His sandy brown hair was tousled, falling across his forehead. His eyes widened, his mouth parting slightly as he stared.
“Mate,” he gasped, the shock plain in his voice.
“What?” Donovan looked from Jake to Lyra and back again.
“Jake…” Callan took a step toward him, then turned to look at Lyra.
“Please leave us,” Jake said hoarsely, glancing at his beta.
Callan hesitated only a moment before nodding. “Donovan,” he said, motioning toward the door. “We can go downstairs and see Megan for a few minutes.”
Donovan paused, turning his chair to fully face his sister. “Are you okay? Is he really your mate?”
She swallowed hard and managed a small nod. “I’ll be fine, Donnie. Please go with Callan.” Donovan sighed, giving her hand a quick squeeze before following Callan out the door.
As the door clicked shut, Lyra turned back to Jake. He didn’t move, just stared, the shock still etched across his face.
Her heart pounded. She didn’t know what to say. What could she say? She hadn’t come here expecting this. In truth, she had prayed she didn’t have a mate, fearing that having one would only mean another person destined to reject her.
And now here she was. Face to face with her mate. The Alpha of her pack, no less.
Jake cleared his throat, brushing his hair back from his eyes. “It’s been a long time, Lyra.”
< Chapter 11
She gave a stiff nod, crossing her arms over her chest.
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Jake took a slow step forward, then paused like he wasn’t sure he was allowed. “I… I didn’t know that you…,” He glanced away, swallowing hard, the muscles in his throat working.
She said nothing. Couldn’t. The silence stretched. Lyra forced herself to remain still. Juno strained toward their mate, restless and desperate, but Lyra held the line.
“You’ve changed,” he said at last.
Her jaw tightened. “Yeah. Life does that.”
Jake took another cautious step. “Lyra, this… this changes everything.”
“No,” she said sharply. “It doesn’t change why I came here.”
Jake flinched. “You’re my mate. You can’t believe I’m just going to release you from the pack
now.”
She clenched her jaw. She had spent the last eight years building a life for herself and Donovan in the human world. A safe life.
“You don’t want me,” she said bitterly. “No one in this pack does. My whole childhood was people telling me how I didn’t belong. How half–breeds weren’t welcome. And you? You were right there, laughing along with them.”
He flinched. Suddenly, a strange haze appeared around him, purple, teal, and blue, swirling in the air. Regret. Pain. Guilt, maybe. She blinked, and it was gone, just like it had been the night before with her father.
She shook her head, trying to shove away the emotions pouring through the mate bond, hers and his. She didn’t want to care how he felt.
But Juno did. Her wolf paced restlessly, furious they weren’t already in his arms.
“I’m sorry,” Jake said softly. “For what it’s worth. My father asked me to look out for you and I didn’t. I just watched everyone treat you like s**t and I didn’t stop it. I really am sorry.”
“It’s too late for apologies, Jake,” she snapped.
He looked like she’d struck him, but she didn’t feel bad. Not after what her family had endured. Not after how they had been treated.
”
“I was just a kid,” he said after a pause. “I was…”
“I don’t want your excuses.” She looked away, dragging in a ragged breath.
t
< Chapter 11 “My father…”
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“Is the reason I have this scar!” she yelled, pointing at her face. “Or have you forgotten?”
Jake’s eyes flicked to the scar, lingering for a beat. “He felt terrible.”
“Oh, I know,” she said, half–laughing, the sound jagged. “My father told me for years how awful the Alpha felt. How he apologized. How he tried to make it right. But none of it changes what happened.”
The silence between them deepened. Jake looked away, blinking hard. She watched the tension in his body, the rise and fall of his chest as he forced himself to breathe. A strange, overwhelming urge to touch him struck her, but she curled her hands into fists to resist.
He met her eyes again, jaw set. “You are my mate.”
The air between them practically crackled.
“No.” She shook her head. “I can’t be.”
Jake stepped closer, not touching her but close enough that she had to tilt her head to meet his eyes. So many shades of green, shifting like glass. His scent wrapped around her, earthy and minty and maddening.
“You are,” he said, voice low. “We both feel it.”
Her throat tightened. “Fate doesn’t get to decide for me. Not anymore.”
“Choice is a luxury.”
She frowned. Before she could ask what he meant, he reached out and cupped her cheek.
She gasped. Sparks raced across her skin from the spot he touched, and Jake inhaled sharply, pupils dilating.
“Goddess, you smell amazing,” he rasped.
His voice sent heat lancing through her. She leaned toward him before she could think, her hands landing on his chest. He slid his hand from her cheek into her hair, tipping her head back.
There was a brief, sane part of her mind telling her to stop, but it was drowned out the second his lips met hers.
It felt like a match to gasoline. Lyra clung to him, arms wrapping around his neck as his free hand gripped her hip, pulling her flush against him. He tasted like mint, just like his scent, and it was intoxicating.
SHASTRET
< Chapter 11
When his tongue slid along the seam of her lips, she groaned, parting for him. Their tongues met, and her fingers tangled in the hair at the nape of his neck.
He broke away, breathless, and kissed a trail down her neck. Sparks erupted along her skin, fireworks lighting her nerves.
“You’re mine,” he gasped against her throat. “You’re my mate.”
The words slammed into her.
Lyra pushed him back, hands against his shoulders.
Jake let her go, taking a half step back. His chest heaved. His lips were swollen, eyes hazy as he looked at her.
Juno begged her to go back to him.
But Lyra thought of Donovan. Of her mother. Of the elders who had tried to cast them out. Of the pain and rejection that had chased her through her childhood.
The truth hit her hard.
“They’ll never accept me,” she whispered, meeting Jake’s gaze. “The elders will never accept me as your Luna.”
“They don’t have a choice,” he replied instantly. “They can’t go against the will of the Moon Goddess.”
She stepped back, needing space.
“They want me to take a mate,” Jake said quietly. “They gave me until the end of the month. If
I don’t find my fated mate, I have to take a chosen one. They’ve already picked her.”
“Who?” she asked.
“Kylie. Callan’s little sister.”
Lyra paused. She didn’t know Kylie well, just that she was a few years younger, closer in age to Donovan.
“She’ll be a good Luna,” Lyra said finally. “She’s got the pedigree. Unlike me.”
Jake shook his head. “I don’t care. She’s not my mate. You are.”
Lyra sighed, pressing her fingers to her temples. “You’re not thinking clearly, Jake. You need a powerful Luna. Someone strong, someone respected. And let’s be honest, that’s not me. I’m half–human. The pack doesn’t want me. I probably can’t even carry your pups. Look at what
0:.
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carrying pups did to my mother.”
Jake looked away, frowning, as if truly considering her words.
“So you’re suggesting we reject each other?” he asked softly.
The very idea knocked the breath from her lungs.
Juno howled in her mind as Lyra nodded.
“Can you even survive that?” Jake asked, voice barely above a whisper.
It was a fair question. Rejection could kill a weaker wolf.
And the truth was, Lyra wasn’t sure she’d survive it.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
