Chapter 81 Lira Anger
Lira pov
"I gave you chances." I stepped back. "You wasted every one."
"I know." He dropped his hand. "But I'm here now, fully here. Choosing you over everything."
"For how long?" I demanded. "Until the next crisis? Until your pack needs you? Until choosing me costs too much?"
"Forever, I choose you forever."
"Prove it." I pulled out Darion's map as the parchment crackled between my fingers, edges worn soft from being folded and unfolded too many times. "Come with me. Leave Darkfang, help me reclaim Silvermoon and build something new."
His expression shattered. "Lira, I can't just abandon"
"See?" I folded the map, the paper made sharp creases under my hands. "There's always a 'but,' always a reason why the pack comes first."
"That's not fair." His voice was desperate. "I have responsibilities"
"So do I." I cut him off. "Responsibilities to myself, to my mother's memory, to the territories Elias is poisoning."
"Then let me help with those." Kael stood. The chair scraped against the floor, a harsh sound that made my jaw clench. "But don't ask me to abandon innocent wolves who depend on me."
"And don't ask me to keep sacrificing for a pack that doesn't want me." I countered.
We stared at each other, the chasm between us growing wider.
"I love you." He said it like a last resort. "Doesn't that count for something?"
"It counts for everything." I felt tears building, hot pressure behind my eyes. "And nothing, because love without action is just words."
"Then tell me what action you need." He grabbed my shoulders. His hands were warm through my shirt, grip tight enough to bruise. "Tell me how to fix this."
"Choose me." The words came out broken. "Right now. Completely. Walk away from Darkfang and come with me."
"Lira"
"That's what I thought." I pulled away, his hands fell to his sides. "You can't, and I can't keep waiting for you to be able to."
"So what?" His voice turned harsh. "You're just going to run off with a rogue alpha? Build an army of exiles?"
"Maybe." I met his eyes. They were storm-gray, darker now with anger or pain. Hard to tell which. "Maybe I need to be someone other than your mate for a while. Figure out who Lira Ashborne is without Kael Thorn overshadowing her."
"You'll always be my mate." He said it like a threat and promise. "The bond doesn't break just because you're angry."
"No." I agreed. "But I can learn to live with it. Can build a life that doesn't revolve around you."
"Is that really what you want?" He moved closer. I could smell him now. "To be alone? To fight this war by yourself?"
"I won't be alone." I gestured toward the north, my arm felt heavy, like the motion took all my strength. "Darion's offering alliance and support. Things you keep promising but never delivering."
"He's using you." Kael's voice turned desperate. "Can't you see that? He wants your bloodline, your claim to Silvermoon. You're a tool to him."
"And what am I to you?" I challenged. "Your redemption? Your salvation? Your proof that you're not the monster everyone thinks you are?"
He stepped back like I'd struck him."That's not" He started.
"Isn't it?" I pressed. "You need me to be the good you couldn't be. To forgive the unforgivable, to prove love conquers all."
"I need you because I love you." His voice broke. "Not for what you represent, for who you are."
"Then prove it." I handed him the map. The parchment trembled between us as my hands shook. His stayed steady as he took it. "Come with me right now. No conditions, no responsibilities. Just us."
He stared at the map for a long moment. His fingers traced the ink lines marking territories. Roads. Borders. The path to Silvermoon drawn in red. I watched his jaw work, watched his throat move as he swallowed.
Then handed it back. "I can't. Not like this, not without ensuring the pack won't fall apart."
The map felt heavier now. Like it weighed more going back into my hands than it had leaving them.
"Then we're done here." I turned away, unable to watch his face. My body wanted to turn back, my wolf whined in my head, desperate and confused. "Go back to Darkfang, be their alpha and forget about the mate who wasn't worth abandoning duty for."
"Lira, please" He reached for me, i felt his fingers brush my sleeve.
"Don't." I pulled away as the fabric slipped from his grasp. "You made your choice, now I'm making mine."
I walked into the cabin, grabbed my pack. The leather straps were cold against my palms as I shouldered it, felt the weight settle familiar across my back. Everything I owned fit in one bag. That thought should have made me sad. Instead it felt freeing.
Ryn was already at the back door, his own bag ready. His face was carefully blank, but I saw the tension in his shoulders. The way his hands gripped the straps too tight.
"You're really doing this?" He asked quietly.
"I'm really doing this." I confirmed.
Through the bond, I felt Kael's anguish as my knees went weak. I grabbed the doorframe to steady myself.