Chapter 39 Mira's Gambit
Lira POV
The pack feast hall blazed with firelight and laughter. I sat at the high table beside Kael's empty chair, my fingers wrapped around a cup of honeyed wine I hadn't touched.
He was late. Again.
"Luna." Aria slid into the seat beside me, her hairs catching the light. "You should eat something."
"Not hungry." My eyes tracked the door, waiting.
She followed my gaze and sighed. "He's probably dealing with patrol reports. You know how he gets after an attack."
I did know. Kael threw himself into alpha duties whenever he wanted to avoid me. Three days since the rogue assault. Three days of him working himself to exhaustion rather than face what was growing between us.
The mate bond pulled tight in my chest, a constant ache.
"There." Aria touched my arm, nodding toward the entrance.
Kael strode in, with grace and cold authority. Pack members parted for him automatically, their wolves recognizing dominance. My breath caught despite everything.
Then I saw who followed him.
Mira wore a dress that left little to imagination—crimson silk that clung to every curve. She walked too close to Kael, her hand brushing his arm as she laughed at something he said.
"Oh no." Aria's voice went soft with sympathy.
The bond flared hot and vicious in my chest. Not pain exactly, but close enough. I watched Mira guide Kael toward the high table, watched him let her.
"Lira." Ryn appeared on my other side. "Don't watch this."
"I'm fine." But my knuckles had gone white around the cup.
Kael took his seat without looking at me. Mira settled on his other side, far too close for propriety. She leaned in to whisper something that made his mouth curve slightly.
Not quite a smile, but close enough to shred something inside me.
"He's doing this on purpose," Aria hissed. "He's trying to make you jealous."
"It's working." I set down my cup before I shattered it. "Excuse me."
"Lira, wait"
I stood, intending to flee to my room. But Mira's voice stopped me cold.
"Luna Lira." Her tone dripped false sweetness. "Leaving so soon? The feast just started."
Every wolf in the hall turned to watch. I felt their attention, their curiosity about whether I'd challenge or submit.
"I'm not feeling well." My voice came out steady despite the anger building in my veins.
"What a shame." Mira's hand settled on Kael's shoulder, possessive and deliberate. "The Alpha worked so hard planning this celebration."
Liar, Kael barely tolerated pack feasts.
"I'm sure he'll survive my absence." I met Kael's eyes finally, saw something flicker there before his expression went carefully blank.
"Actually." Mira's fingers traced down Kael's arm. "I was hoping you'd stay. I wanted to thank you properly for healing Joren. You've been so... useful lately."
The word landed like a slap. Useful. As if my Moonblood power was just another pack resource to be exploited.
"I don't need your thanks." light sparked at my fingertips, barely contained.
Aria grabbed my hand, squeezing hard. "Lira, not here."
But Mira wasn't finished. She leaned closer to Kael, her lips nearly brushing his ear. "You know, Alpha, I was thinking we should discuss territory expansion. In private, tonight."
The bond screamed. I felt Kael's pulse quicken through our connection, felt his wolf stir with interest.
Not for Mira, but for the conflict, he wanted to see my reaction.He wanted to see if I'd fight.
"By all means." I forced myself to smile, coldly. "Discuss whatever you need. I'm sure the Alpha appreciates your... strategic insights."
I turned to leave, but Mira's next words froze me mid-step.
"Oh, I've always been good at strategy. Especially in the Alpha's bed."
The hall went deathly silent. I turned back slowly. "What did you say?"
Mira stood, her expression triumphant. "Did I stutter? Kael and I have a history. A very... intimate history."
"That's enough." Kael's voice cut through the tension, but he didn't deny it.
He didn't deny it.
"Is it true?" I looked at him, searching his face for something—shame, regret, anything.
His jaw tightened. "My past is none of your concern."
"Your past fucked you multiple times." The words came out harsher than intended. "And now she's sitting at our table, touching you, while the entire pack watches."
"Jealousy doesn't suit you, little Luna." Mira's smile widened. "Though I understand, Kael's quite memorable in bed."
Something inside me snapped.
I crossed the distance between us in three strides. Mira barely had time to react before my hand connected with her face, the crack echoing through the hall.
"Lira!" Aria's shocked voice barely registered.
Mira recovered quickly, her eyes flashing with wolf-light. "You little bitch."
She lunged. I met her halfway, our bodies slamming together as we crashed into a table. Food and wine exploded across the floor.
"Stop!" Kael's alpha command rolled through the room, but neither of us could obey.
Mira's claws raked across my shoulder. I gasped, tasting blood, then drove my knee into her stomach. She doubled over with a grunt.
"This is what you wanted," I snarled, grabbing her hair. "A fight? Let's fight."
She twisted, throwing me off balance. We hit the floor hard, rolling through spilled wine and broken plates. Her fist connected with my ribs, driving the air from my lungs.
But I'd been beaten by experts for twenty years. Pain was an old friend.
I caught her next punch, twisted her wrist until something popped. Her scream was satisfying.
"Enough!" Kael hauled me up by the back of my dress, his grip iron-hard.
Mira scrambled to her feet, cradling her injured wrist. Blood streaked her face from where my nails had found skin.
"She attacked me!" Mira's voice rose. "In front of the entire pack!"
"You provoked her." Thomas stepped forward, his expression grim. "Everyone saw it."
"Provoked?" Mira laughed, high and brittle. "I made a comment about the Alpha's past, if the Luna can't handle that"
"You called her useful like she's a tool," Aria cut in. "You deliberately baited her."
"And she took the bait." Kael's voice was cold fury against my back. "Because she has no control."
The words hit harder than Mira's fists. I stopped struggling in his grip, went completely still.
"Kael." Thomas's tone held warning. "Think carefully about your next words."
But Kael was already speaking, his judgment final and absolute.
"Luna Lira will be confined to her quarters until she learns to control her temper." His grip tightened. "Three days with no visitors except the healer."
"You can't be serious." I twisted to look at him. "She started this!"
"You threw the first punch." His storm-gray eyes were merciless. "In my hall. During a feast meant to celebrate pack unity."
"I'm your mate!"
"Which makes your behavior even more unacceptable." He released me, stepping back as if I disgusted him. "Thomas, escort the Luna to her room."
"Kael, please" Aria tried.
"Now."
Thomas moved toward me, his expression apologetic. I held up a hand, stopping him.
"I can walk myself." I looked at Kael one last time, memorizing the cold indifference in his face. "Thank you, Alpha, for showing me exactly where I stand."
I left the feast hall with my head high, blood dripping from my shoulder, the mate bond screaming with betrayal. Behind me, I heard Mira's triumphant laughter.