A run

Lyra stood frozen, her mind struggling to process the verdict Casian had given her family. She had never imagined such an outcome, but now that it had unfolded before her eyes, an uneasy weight settled in her chest.

"My lady, it's time for your medication," Penny's voice suddenly pulled her from her thoughts. Startled, Lyra merely nodded and followed her back to her chamber in silence.

Penny noticed her unusual quietness as she carefully applied the medicinal paste to her wound.

"Is something troubling you, my lady?" she asked, her gaze fixed on Lyra's still form.

Lyra snapped out of her thoughts and reached for her book and pen.

"Are they dead?" she wrote, her eyes cautiously meeting Penny's.

Considering the torment Lyra had endured at the hands of her family, Penny had assumed she would feel relieved after Alpha Casian punished them. But the fear in Lyra's eyes told a different story.

"Why do you care for them, my lady? They cast you aside without hesitation, yet you still worry for them?" Penny questioned, sliding Lyra's dress up to tend to her wound.

"They were cruel to me, but beheading them is an even crueler punishment. I don't want Alpha Casian to commit such a sin," Lyra wrote.

She had seen a different side of Casian—one that defied the ruthless reputation that preceded him. Watching him return to that stone-hearted state made her heart constrict.

She knew he wasn't entirely heartless, but this decision… this would only paint him as a monster.

Penny studied her for a moment before sighing. "But no one can change the Alpha's mind," she said simply before walking toward the table to fetch Lyra's herbal tea.

Lyra watched her cautiously. There was something in Penny's demeanor—something unsaid. She could tell Penny knew more than she was letting on. But was she ready to talk about it?

"I don't know if it's my place to speak," Penny began hesitantly, setting the tea in front of Lyra, "but the King and Queen wish for the Alpha to settle down, and they have been searching for a suitable match. We never expected it to be your stepsister."

Lyra's brows furrowed in confusion.

Then, a memory surfaced—Cecelia had once spoken about sending a marriage proposal to the King and Queen, an alliance through Miranda and Casian. But Lyra had never understood the urgency behind it.

She had always known Miranda wasn't as innocent as she pretended to be. But what surprised her was the idea that Miranda, who had once seemed so deeply in love with another, would so readily abandon her lover and agree to this marriage.

"I just don't want him to change," Lyra muttered to herself before quietly sipping her tea.

***

[Casian's Chamber]

"The family has been deported back to their house and given a strict warning, as per your orders," Darius reported, his sharp gaze fixed on Casian.

The Alpha remained still, leaning back in his swinging chair with his eyes closed, an unreadable expression on his face.

Darius couldn't quite grasp what was going through Casian's mind, but the shift in his verdict left him unsettled. He knew the change had everything to do with Lyra, yet he had never expected the Alpha to yield so easily.

The silence stretched between them, heavy and unspoken. When Casian still didn't respond, Darius finally broke the quiet.

"Lady Linda has sent a message regarding her arrival. Should I prepare a guest chamber for her stay?"

Casian remained still, his body relaxed against the chair as he slowly opened his eyes.

Linda was Lilith's twin sister and a childhood friend—one of the few remnants of Lilith's family he felt obligated to look after, even after her passing.

"Make sure she feels at home," Casian said after a long pause.

Darius, however, remained standing, shifting slightly as if debating his next words. "And what about Lady Lyra? What are we going to tell Lady Linda?"

Casian's eyes snapped toward him, his gaze sharpening. The frown between his brows deepened.

Darius hesitated before quickly lowering his gaze. "I will inform the servants to prepare a room," he said hastily before turning on his heels and leaving the chamber.

However, his words lingered in the air, leaving Casian to ponder the weight of the situation.

Casian knew it would be a shock for his family to learn about Lyra, but what unsettled him the most was knowing how they would try to strip her away from him. The mere thought of it made his stomach twist into knots.

He wasn't ready to accept the bond—not yet. And he knew his family would never accept Lyra as the next Luna. But the idea of forcing her out of his life didn't sit well with him either.

His thoughts grew heavier, turning unbearable, and before he could lose himself to them, Casian abruptly stood. Without hesitation, he strode out of his chamber, his body thrumming with the need for release.

A run. That's what he needed.

Without a second thought, he stripped off his clothes, his body shifting effortlessly into his massive wolf form. The moment his paws hit the earth, he let out a powerful growl before leaping into the depths of the woods, allowing the night air to soothe the storm raging inside him.

Back inside her chamber, Lyra startled, her thoughts scattering at the distant sound of a wolf's growl.

Something about it made her heart clench. As if drawn by an unseen force, she immediately rose to her feet and stepped onto the balcony. Her wide eyes scanned the darkened forest in the distance, her pulse quickening at the feeling stirring deep within her.

It was him.

And for reasons she couldn't yet explain, she found herself unable to look away.

Lyra had no idea how long she stood there, gazing into the distance, until the sound of wheels rattling against the stone path snapped her out of her trance. Her eyes darted toward the carriage that had just arrived in front of the mansion.

She furrowed her brows, watching as the door opened. A woman stepped out with effortless grace, her slender fingers adjusting the folds of her elegant dress. Everything about her exuded sophistication—the way her brown hair cascaded in soft waves down to her waist, the poise in her posture, and the air of confidence she carried.

But it was her piercing yet friendly eyes that caught Lyra off guard.

They scanned the surroundings briefly before lifting—meeting Lyra's gaze with an intensity that made her breath hitch.