Chapter 31
Lyra had not wanted to eat in the dining hall, where Jake took most of his n the process of refusing when Megan stepped off the elevator with Do
Jake’s eyes widened in surprise, trying to remember the last time he li house. It had probably been years.
She had been in
novan outside his
“Donnie!” Lyra’s face lit up. “I thought you’d have convinced Dad to pick you up by now.”
He sighed, looking beleaguered. “She won’t let me go.”
“That’s not true.” Megan waved a hand dismissively “Donnie loves me. He couldn’t stand to leave.”
“She made me help her sort and organize all the baby clothes.” He wrinkled his nose.
“I gave you the honor of helping me,” Megan said, arching an eyebrow. “You should be grateful. And now I’m allowing you the pleasure of accompanying me to dinner.”
“Save me,” Donovan said, looking pleadingly at his sister.
Jake turned to Lyra. “If Donovan’s eating in the dining hall, then you have to as well.”
“I think I need to get Donnie home,” Lyra said quickly. “He’s probably exhausted.”
Jake frowned. “He’s not a child, Lyra. And you’re just trying to avoid having to shift again today.”
She glared at him and crossed her arms.
“There’s no getting around this,” Megan declared, grabbing Lyra’s arm and tugging her toward the dining room. “I’m pregnant, and pregnant people need to get what they want all the time or they get stressed, and stress is bad for the baby.”
“That’s not true,” Lyra began. “I’ve actually studied medicine.”
“Psh. Human medicine.” Megan rolled her eyes and continued dragging her.
Donovan gave a long–suffering sigh and wheeled after them. Jake followed beh
“Human medicine is actually very similar to werewolf medicine in a lot of ways,” Lyra explained, seemingly forgetting she was supposed to be fighting Megan. “Werewolves and humans have a lot of biological similarities, especially when a werewolf is unshifted. Pediatrics is almost identical, since pups don’t have their wolves yet.”
She kept lecturing as they made their way through the food line. Jake helped Donovan reach some of the higher trays before scanning the room for a spot to sit. For the first time, he noticed how close the tables were packed, especially with people already sitting.
How was someone in a wheelchair supposed to move through this room?
15
Chapter 31
Of course, nothing in this pack had ever been designed with wheelchairs in mind. It was almost
unheard of for a werewolf to need one.
“Over here,” Lyra called, pointing to a table off to the side that Donovan could reach.
“I think we need to space the tables out more,” Jake said, pushing a
Donovan could wheel up to the table.
“Why?” Lyra asked as she sat.
f the way so
“There’s only like three tables he can even get to,” Jake replied, sitting beside her.
“Hence one of the reasons I hate eating here,” Donovan muttered. “That and the food being too high to reach. Oh, and the way everyone stares at me like I’m an axe murderer.”
“Maybe you are an axe murderer,” Megan whispered. “Maybe they’re on to you.”
Donovan grinned. “Damn. I’ll need a new hobby.”
“Why didn’t you ever say anything?” Jake asked. “Those things are easy to fix… well, other than the axe murdering. You’re on your own there.”
Donovan snorted. “Right. Like people have always been so accommodating to me here. What’s next? Going to suggest putting a ramp out front so don’t have to use the delivery door?”
Jake froze. “You come in through the delivery door?”
“Well, yeah.” Donovan rolled his eyes. “It’s the only entrance with a ramp.”
Jake stared at him for a long moment, thinking about the layout of the building and realizing he
was right.
“You never thought about it, did you?” Lyra asked, reading his expression.
He shook his head. “No. I guess it never occurred to me.”
“Well, now you know,” Donovan said flatly. “For all the good that does.”
“That’s why I want to take Donovan to Chicago,” Lyra said, undeterred by his infrastructure for people with mobility issues. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than this.”
nans have
“What kinds of things?” Jake asked, genuinely curious. It clearly wasn’t just about heritage. There was more to why she preferred the human world.
Lyra launched into an explanation, her voice animated as she described elevators in every building, buses that knelt to the curb, and bathrooms with wide stalls and safety rails.
Jake listened quietly, watching the way her eyes lit up, not with bitterness, but with hope.
Maybe this wasn’t about leaving the pack behind.
Chapter 31
Maybe it was about trying to give her brother a world where he didn’t have to fight for basic
dignity.
And maybe, just maybe, it was time New Dawn started doing better.
+25 Points-
esaw him through the
After dinner, Jake took Donovan and Lyra to their house. Lyle was ins window, but he didn’t come out. Once Donovan was rolling into the house, Jake grabbed Lyra’s
hand and led her into the woods.
“My dad told me to leave,” Lyra said suddenly as they walked. “After you left this morning, he said that’s what he wanted to talk to you about.”
Jake frowned. “Why does he want you to leave?”
“He said it isn’t safe here now that I’m your mate. That there are things at play.”
“What things?”
She shrugged. “He said he couldn’t tell me. I guess your dad commanded him not to say anything.”
Jake stopped walking and turned her to face him. He studied her expression. “There’s something you’re not saying.”
She sighed. “He was really upset. I haven’t seen him like that before. He’s been on edge the last few days. Whatever he knows, it’s eating him alive not to be able to tell me.”
Jake chewed on his lip. “There has to be a way to find out. Something he can say, or someone he
can point us to.”
“I wish I knew.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“You’re still thinking about leaving, aren’t you?”
She met his eyes slowly, and he already knew the answer. “I have to think abo we don’t know if this will work. The elders could still try to remove you as Al
and…”
van too. And
ay together
“f**k the elders.” Jake waved a hand and raked the other through his hair. “Let them try. I am the Alpha. And I’m done playing by their rules.”
“Jake, it’s not that simple…”
“What if it is?” His voice rose. “What if I told them all to screw off?”
She shook her head and sighed. Without another word, she turned to keep walking, and he followed a step behind.
Once they reached the clearing, Jake didn’t speak. He stripped off his shirt, then stepped out of his
Chapter 31
pants. When he turned, Lyra was watching him. He didn’t miss the heat in her eyes, the way her gaze darkened as she took him in. It made his mouth go dry, and his c**k throbbed in his boxers.
He swallowed hard. “Take your clothes off.”
She flushed but didn’t move.
Jake arched a brow. “Really? Still shy? I just had my fingers in you yest
“Jake!” she hissed, her face flaming,
He laughed. “Just take them off before I come over there and help.”
She smirked. “That’s a tempting offer.”
He took a step toward her and she backed away,
“Chickenshit,” he muttered.
She stuck her tongue out at him and peeled off her shirt. He crossed his arms, taking his time watching as she removed her leggings. When she was finally naked, she crossed the clearing to him, and he watched every step she took, his body straining.
“Just like last time,” he said softly. “Sit down, and I’ll stay with you the whole way.”
She hesitated. “Is it going to hurt just as much?”
The fear in her voice gutted him. He stepped forward and wrapped her against his chest.
“I won’t lie,” he whispered into her hair. “It’s going to hurt just as much. It’ll take a few more shifts before it gets easier.” He kissed the top of her head “But I’ll be here every time. I promise.”
She nodded against him. “Okay.”
She sat down, and he knelt beside her, taking her hand.
“Whenever Juno’s ready,” he murmured.
It only took a moment before the first bone cracked. Lyra toppled sideways, but he caught her, easing her to the ground. He brushed her hair back and kissed her forehead as her body twisted and writhed, bones breaking and reforming, skin rippling and shifting.
He stayed beside her, whispering softly, grounding her through the pain.
After what felt like forever, Juno finally stood. Her gray fur shimmered in the breeze, the exact shade of Lyra’s eyes, stormy and wild. But Juno’s eyes were a clear, piercing blue.
Jake smiled and reached out to stroke her fur. “Hey, beautiful,” he said. “Ready to run?”
