Chapter 205 A ray of hope

Chapter 205 A ray of hope
Kai’s POV

A sudden tap on my shoulder forces my gaze away from the dark window.

I turn around slowly and my eyes land on Kara. She is standing behind me, looking at my face with a deeply worried expression.

"Hello, sis," My voice is completely devoid of any emotion. It sounds flat and dead, just like I feel on the inside.

Kara lets out a heavy breath, stepping closer. "You know, she wouldn't want you to be sitting up here being miserable like this, Kai. It's your birthday today. Come downstairs, please. Let's celebrate, brother."

Oh. I didn't even remember that today is my birthday. What is the fucking point anyway? It isn't like I have a single reason or desire to be alive anymore. Being dead would be a preferable option. Vlad is practically dead inside my mind as it is, my beast doesn't even talk to me anymore, all he does is whimper in pain because of the broken bond. 

"Not interested," I say, turning back toward the glass.

"No!" Kara immediately shouts at me, grabbing my arms to violently pull me back around to look at her. I don't even move. "You do not get to do this, Kai! You are not the only person who is grieving! We lost her too! She meant the absolute world to us, and we lost her! We all did! Life has never been the same without her, and we all know it! But she explicitly begged us not to be miserable when she left!"

A dry, bitter chuckle escapes my throat. "Well boohoo, I fucking am. I am miserable, Kara, and nothing you say is going to make me step a single foot out of this room. So you might as well just see me as your dead brother and get the fuck out."

Tears instantly stream down Kara's cheeks. I know I should feel terrible for breaking my sister's heart, but all I feel is an overwhelming, hollow numbness. My heart is shattered completely past the point of repair. I can't survive in this world without my flower.

Kara sobs brokenly, stepping forward and wrapping her arms tightly around my broad chest, hugging me as hard as she can. But I don't return the hug. My arms hang limply at my sides.

" I'm so sorry, Kai," she whimpers into my chest, her voice cracking. "I'm so sorry. You lost your fated mate, and I know it's not easy on you. Take all the time you need to grieve her... but please don't allow this entire kingdom to waste away. Rogues have been penetrating the academy borders ever since the news spread that the Phoenix Fox is no more. You need to step up and take charge, Kai."

She pulls back, her tear-filled eyes searching my face. She reaches up and cleans a single tear from my cheek that I didn't even realize had dropped. Goddess, I have cried more tears in the past six months than any man should in a lifetime. Now I truly understand what absolute, permanent loss feels like. I will never, ever get over it.

"Oh... and Nick is also downstairs," Kara adds softly, adjusting her dress. "He said he found two new fox shifters in the outer territories today. An old woman and a young boy. They had been trapped in illegal slavery for twelve years. That makes it over a dozen werefoxes he has rescued so far."

Normally, I wouldn't give a damn about anything happening outside my door. But over the last two months, I have developed a soft spot for fox shifters. Protecting them makes me feel just a tiny bit closer to Lyra and Wyndra.

I let out a heavy sigh. "Okay. I'll come down... but just for a few minutes."

Kara's face lights up, a happy smile breaking through her tears. She leans up and aggressively kisses my cheeks repeatedly until I finally push her face away with a scowl.

I step out of my dark room and descend the grand staircase. The palace ballroom is fully illuminated, filled with dozens of royals and regular pack members gathered together.

The second my feet hit the floor, a loud chorus of voices rings out. "Happy birthday, Your Highness!"

I offer a stiff nod, even though I feel like murdering every single one of them.

They all look so sickeningly happy, laughing and smiling with their mates and loved ones. Why the hell should they get to be happy when I am so miserable? Why should they get to hold their loved ones tight when mine was violently snatched away from me? I don't care if I sound like a hater. I am.

I glance across the room and spot Nick holding Lyra’s friend, Isolde, possessively by her waist while they engage in a heated, intense conversation. A sharp ache strikes my chest. I used to be like that with Lyra. Now she is buried under six feet of dirt. Fuck. 

My instincts scream at me to turn around and retreat to the sanctuary of my dark room, but I force my feet to stay. I move through the crowd, interacting stiffly with my people who are eager to hand me expensive birthday gifts.

I don't want gifts. The only thing I want in this universe is my flower back.

After about thirty agonizing minutes, I've reached my limit. I need to go back now. 

I'm about to walk out of the ball room, but at that exact moment, Damon comes rushing straight to my side, breathing heavily. I explicitly told Damon to stop bothering me weeks ago, but my best friend has been constantly lurking around my wing like a persistent rat, scared that I'll murder myself.

And I plan to, but after I've found someone to take over since Kara is not interested in ruling.

"Kai... you... you need to see this right now," Damon pants, stopping right in front of me, his hands on his knees.

"What the fuck do you want now, Damon?" I ask as I look away with complete disinterest.

"Listen to me," Damon urges, grabbing my arm to keep me from walking away. 

"Apparently, an old couple has been begging the guards to see you for the past two weeks, but they wouldn't let them past the outside gate. Tonight, I just happened to be scouting the outer perimeter and saw them standing near the fence."

"And what the hell does that have to do with me?" I demand flatly.

"I thought nothing of it at first," Damon whispers, his eyes wide with a strange, expression. "But then I saw the young girl standing beside them... And Kai, she looks exactly like your dead mate."

The second those words hit my ears, my heart violently jumps against my ribs. Vlad snaps awake in my mind instantly. I turn and grab Damon by his collar, pulling him forward. People in the ballroom stop talking, staring at us in shock.

"What... what the fuck do you mean?" I growl, my hands trembling against his shirt. "Don't you dare fuck with me, Damon. What the fuck do you mean?!"

Damon simply smirks at me, placing a hand on my wrist. "I think you just need to go meet that old couple by yourself right now, Kai. I really don't know what the hell it is."

I drop him instantly and sprint straight toward the palace exit. 

The moment I get closer to the fence, that familiar sweet scent of jasmine wafts through my nose.

I know only one person with that exact scent. No. It's impossible. It can't be.

The second I burst through the gate, I freeze completely on the spot. 

It's like my world just turned brighter in a second. I blink once, twice, three times to make sure I’m not seeing things. My heart races so fast I’m shocked it hasn’t stopped altogether. 

Lyra is standing there in the flesh.

She is laughing softly with an old couple who are holding her hands tightly, looking at her as if she were their own daughter. Her beautiful face looks radiant and healthy unlike the last time I saw her, her skin is glowing, and her long silver hair shines under the moonlight.

"Ly... Lyra?" I choke out, my voice barely a whisper.

Could it truly be my flower? Or is this some sick, twisted joke my broken mind is playing on me? Am I hallucinating?

Lyra freezes instantly at the sound of my voice. She slowly turns around to face me. The moment her eyes lock onto mine, a sharp gasp leaves her lips. 

"Kai..."

Our mate bond immediately snaps back into place as if it’s been waiting for us to see each other. It feels like a part of my body is being stitched back after tearing apart for so long. 

"It's really you..." she whispers in that soft voice of hers. I watch the tears stream down her face as she leaves the old couple behind, sprinting across the grass straight toward me.

She launches her body forward at the same time I catch her, wrapping my arms tightly around her waist, holding her so hard my muscles ache as I bury my face in her neck, breathing in her intoxicating scent. 

She's real. She's fucking real! Vlad howls for joy inside my mind the moment he feels wyndra present within Lyra.

“Oh goddess! I missed you so much!” Lyra sobs loudly, holding onto me. 

I’m still in complete shock as I pull back just enough to frame her face with my hands, wiping away her tears as I stare into her eyes. 

"I've conjured up this image way too many times in my head... I don't even know if this is real. Are you real? Are you my Lyra? My flower?"

Lyra nods frantically, fresh tears spilling over her lashes. "It's me! It's really me, Kai!"

I shake my head, narrowing my eyes at her. "Where did we first meet?"

Lyra rolls her eyes in that playful way she always does, a laugh escaping her lips. "Are we really doing a memory test right now, Lycan king?"

I pull her body tighter against mine, gripping her desperately. "Fucking tell me! Because if you're not my Lyra, I swear to the goddess, I will—"

"We met at the spring oasis back in Valeria Pack!" she yells softly, placing her hands over mine. "The secret spot that was both your sanctuary and mine! After that, you arrived at Valeria and made me your wolfless slave! Does that juggle your memory now, my Lycan Prince?"

I grab her face and slam my lips onto hers, kissing her fiercely and desperately. The sweet, familiar taste of her lips brings life back into my cold, dead soul.