Chapter 32: Closed

"You don't have to pretend you're okay."

Lyra's voice broke the silence as Damien stood by the window, his back turned to her. The moonlight reflected into the room, casting shadows across the floor and outlining the stiffness in his shoulders.

He didn’t respond at first, he just kept staring out at the dark, his jaw tight.

“I know what it’s like,” she added, her voice soft but sure. “To lose someone and pretend it doesn’t tear you apart.”

Damien exhaled harshly and turned around. His eyes were red, but no tears fell. “I’m the True Alpha, Lyra. I’m not allowed to fall apart.”

“You’re not made of stone.”

He walked slowly toward her. She was sitting on the edge of his bed, her knees drawn up to her chest, wearing his hoodie. As he got closer, the air between them shifted, it became thick with tension, grief, and something neither of them wanted to name.

“I should’ve protected her,” he muttered, his voice cracking. “I keep thinking… if I’d just stopped her.. or pestered Jack”

“You can’t change it.” Lyra met his eyes. “You can only carry it.”

Damien’s breath hitched. He dropped to his knees in front of her, his head hanging for a second before leaning forward and resting against her chest.

Lyra stiffened, her heart pounding, unsure of what to do. Slowly, almost cautiously, she brought her arms around him. He didn’t cry, but the way he gripped her shirt told her enough.

They stayed like that in silence. Until Damien lifted his head slightly, his breath brushing against her neck, their eyes met.

“I don’t know what this is,” he murmured. “But right now… it’s the only thing keeping me from breaking.”

And then, gently, his lips met hers.

It wasn’t rushed, it wasn’t hungry. It was soft, aching. A kiss full of unspoken grief and quiet longing.

Lyra’s hand froze on his shoulder but she didn’t pull away.

“Damien!”

Maya’s voice echoed faintly from downstairs.

Lyra pulled away immediately, her lips tingling from the kiss, heart pounding in her chest like a war drum. Damien blinked, still caught in the moment, but the sharp call snapped him out of it.

Footsteps padded across the hallway, then stopped.

Damien’s mother peeked around the corner of the living room, her expression warm but curious. “He’s upstairs, the room at the end.”

“Thank you,” Maya nodded politely, already halfway up the stairs.

Lyra jumped off the bed like it had burned her. She ran a hand through her hair, her chest still rising and falling too fast.

The door creaked open.

Maya stepped in, her eyes widening the moment they landed on Damien standing too close to Lyra, his shirt rumpled, her cheeks flushed. Her gaze darted between them.

“Really?” she muttered, not even trying to hide her tone.

Damien turned to her, his face unreadable, though his ears were tinged red. “Maya…”

“No. It’s fine,” she raised a hand. “You’re grown. You do what you want but if you’re done making out while everyone else is trying to hold it together, Jack needs you.”

“Jack?” Damien asked, straightening up.

“He hasn’t slept, he hasn’t eaten. He keeps sitting next to Lydia like she’s going to open her eyes if he blinks hard enough.”

Lyra looked away, guilt creeping up her spine. Damien rubbed a hand across his face.

“I just needed..”

“I know what you needed,” Maya cut in, arms folded. “But we all lost someone last night, don’t forget that.”

Damien nodded slowly, walking past her. “I’ll go see him.”

“Good,” Maya stepped aside, but her gaze lingered on Lyra.

Once Damien left the room, Maya shut the door behind him.

She crossed her arms again, staring Lyra down. “Are you in love with him?”

Lyra’s eyes widened. “What?”

“You heard me.”

“I..” she hesitated, licking her lips. “It’s not like that. He was hurting. I was just… there.”

Maya arched a brow. “And you think you’re helping?”

Lyra looked away.

“I’m not judging you,” Maya continued. “But if you’re going to stand that close to a man who’s already torn between leading a pack, mourning a friend, and fighting his past, you better be ready for everything that comes with it, I know you two are hiding something.”

Lyra nodded slowly.

Maya opened the door. “Come downstairs when you're ready, we’ll figure out what to do with Lydia’s body tonight.”

And just like that, she was gone.

Lyra sat back on the bed, her fingers brushing her lips where Damien had kissed her.

“Don’t even think about it.”

Damien’s voice stopped Jack right outside the school parking lot. The morning bell rang in the distance, but neither of them moved.

Jack sighed, his eyes hollow. “Think about what?”

“Bringing her back, blaming yourself for doing something reckless.” Damien stepped in front of him, locking eyes. “We can’t change what happened, Jack. But we can kill the monster that did it.”

Jack looked down at his shoes, jaw clenched. “And what if we can’t find it?”

“We will, well get all the help we can” Damien's voice dropped. “Because if we don’t, she won’t be the last one and I have to prove Peter wrong, I can take care of my pack and I'm nothing like him.”

Jack’s fists tightened. “I want to be the one to kill it.”

Damien nodded once. “You will.”

Just then, Cole approached them, he leaned against a lamppost with a smirk that didn’t reach his eyes. “Cute, you guys still playing heroes?”

Jack rolled his eyes. “Not now, Cole. Find something to do."

Cole pushed off the post and walked toward them, backpack slung over one shoulder like he had all the time in the world. “So let me guess, someone died and you both blame yourselves. You’re gonna go all secret-mission and hunt down whatever did it,

trying to hunt down a hybrid, you think I don't know about your games.”

“How did you know someone died? Damien asked.