Chapter 100 You have my daughter
~ Kael's POV ~
As soon as the elevator doors slid open and I stepped out into the lobby, Dagan appeared at my side as though he had been waiting for that exact moment. His urgency matched the tension already coiled in my chest. He had been the one to alert me through mind link about the situation unfolding at the border.
“I just confirmed that the visitors are all members of Shadow Pack,” he reported as he matched my stride without hesitation. His voice was low but firm, and his phone remained pressed to his ear as though he had only just ended the call or was prepared to resume it at any second.
“Shadow Pack?” I repeated, my brows drawing together immediately. That name alone was enough to stir suspicion. I turned my head slightly to look at him. “Are you sure you heard correctly about him being Lyra’s father?” I asked before he could elaborate further.
“I made absolutely sure that was what I heard,” he replied, finally lowering the phone from his ear and gripping it in his hand. “You think he is lying?”
“That is what we are going to find out,” I answered evenly, my tone hardening as my mind began to assess the possibilities. “Now that word has spread that she is here, we should expect frequent visits like this. Many of them will be opportunists. Some will be fraudsters. Others will be impostors looking to gain something.”
He nodded at once, which was unusual for him. There was no resistance in his agreement this time.
“You are right,” he said. “This is when we must ensure she is well protected.”
That response made me slow my steps just enough to cast him a sharp look. “I thought you wanted her gone,” I reminded him.
He shook his head faintly, and something that resembled regret settled over his features. “I did once,” he admitted. “That was when I didn't understand the full picture. I let my ego cloud my judgment. I was wrong.”
For a fleeting second, he looked like the Dagan I used to trust without question, the one I could speak to freely without weighing every word. The familiarity almost disarmed me. Almost.
But I knew better than to lower my guard too quickly. So instead of responding, I allowed a faint smirk to curve my lips before I walked ahead and climbed into my car.
I could have reached the border on foot without difficulty. The distance was nothing to me. But speed mattered in this case. I needed answers immediately.
The image of Lyra’s face when I told her someone was claiming to be her father replayed in my mind. The uncertainty in her eyes had unsettled me more than I cared to admit. I had to confirm the truth quickly. I needed to return to her with certainty, whether it brought relief or disappointment.
Still, as I started the engine and drove toward the border, I remained almost completely certain of one thing.
Anyone arriving with members of Shadow Pack and claiming to be Lyra’s father was more likely an impostor than anything else.
The first thing that struck me when I arrived at the border and allowed my eyes to settle on the man standing at the front of the group of four was the resemblance. It was so immediate and so precise that it felt like a physical force. For a brief second, the world around me seemed to dull at the edges as my focus narrowed entirely on him.
He looked like Lyra, and it wasn't in a way that could be dismissed as coincidence. The similarity was uncanny.
A quiet, unwelcome thought pushed its way to the surface of my mind. Could it be true? Was this man truly Lyra’s father?
Even before stepping out of the car, I could feel the authority radiating from him. The Alpha aura was unmistakable. It rolled off him in steady waves.
His scent reached me next. It confirmed what I had already been told. He was Shadow Pack. Beneath that was something else layered into his scent, something sharper and less structured. He was also a rogue. The combination alone was enough to tighten my jaw.
Physically, his hair was pitch black, a stark contrast to Lyra’s striking silver. That difference and the obvious fact that he was male were the only immediate distinctions. Everything else mirrored her in a way that unsettled me.
The structure of his face was refined and sharp in the same way hers was. The cut of his jaw, the shape of his cheekbones, even the intensity behind his eyes. The eye color especially left no room for doubt that there was shared blood somewhere in their lineage.
I observed all of this while still seated in my car, my hands resting firmly on the steering wheel as if grounding myself. Dagan exited his vehicle first. When I finally stepped out of mine, I caught the look on his face. He had observed exactly what I had observed too.
“Greetings to you, Alpha Kael Thorne of Ironfang,” the man at the front said as I approached.
“Greetings,” the others echoed in unison, bowing their heads slightly in respect.
I gave them no acknowledgment beyond a measured stare as I fixed my attention solely on their leader.
“What does a rogue Alpha want with Ironfang?” I asked evenly. “You must know very well that we do not extend a friendly hand to rogues.” I allowed a faint edge of condescension to lace my tone. I wanted to see how he would react under pressure.
He did not flinch. There was no flicker of fear in his expression or in the posture of the wolves behind him. If anything, his composure remained intact. A small, knowing smile curved his lips and lingered there before he spoke.
“I am Alpha Dylan Vale,” he introduced himself smoothly. “And I am here because I received information that you have my daughter in your custody.”
I didn't react outwardly. “I have many people in my custody,” I replied coolly. “Am I supposed to magically know which one of them is your daughter?”
The resemblance meant nothing without proof. Shadow Pack alone made his claim questionable. I refused to be swayed by appearances.
“Her name is Lyra Vale,” he said without hesitation. “She is the witch you captured from her home in the small town of Dorhaven.” He paused only briefly before continuing. “I am here to see her, and I am also here to understand what crime she committed that warranted her capture and imprisonment within your stronghold.”
My brows lifted slightly. The audacity in his tone was undeniable. Yet I could not say I was surprised.
“First of all, Alpha Dylan,” I said, all traces of casualness gone from my expression, “I owe you no explanation. Secondly, the woman you claim is your daughter does not know you. So unless you can prove beyond reasonable doubt that you are related to her, I advise you to leave my territory now while I am still choosing to be civil.”
The air between us grew heavier as my words settled, and I made it clear through both posture and tone that my patience had limits.