A New Mate

Lyra's POV

The moment Kael left my room, I stood there for a long time, unmoving, replaying everything that had just happened. My heart was still racing, my skin still tingling from where he had held me, and my mind was trying to comprehend the fact that I had said it.

I had told him I loved him.

The words still echoed in my mind, almost surreal. I had thought it before, felt it in the deepest parts of me, but I had never dared to say it out loud. Never allowed myself to voice it, to accept it.

But tonight, I had.

And he had said it first.

A shaky breath left me as I sat down on my bed, pressing my fingers to my lips as if I could still feel the weight of those words lingering there. I had spent so long keeping those feelings locked away, afraid of what it meant, of what it would change.

But now… now there was no denying it.

I loved him.