Chapter 107 White tips
~ Taren's POV ~
The last thing I expected when I woke up the next morning was to have such a difficult start to the day. I had gone to sleep the night before believing that perhaps things would be calmer, but it seemed nature had other plans waiting for me.
The second to last thing I expected was to hear Alpha Kael’s voice inside my head that early in the morning.
“Bring Lyra’s food to my room,” he said through mindlink the moment I stepped out of the clinic and into the cool morning air.
The instruction stopped me in my tracks for a brief moment.
I immediately began to wonder why Lyra would be having breakfast in his room. If he had wanted to share breakfast with her, would it not have made more sense to ask for both of their meals to be served together in his dining room? The request felt unusual, and the more I thought about it, the more questions began forming in my mind.
However, wondering about it would not change anything. So I stopped.
I forced the questions aside and resumed moving, continuing with my duties for the day. Wondering would not get me anywhere. Carrying out the order would.
When I arrived outside Alpha Kael’s door, I raised my hand and knocked gently. Before my knuckles could even fall for a second knock, his voice echoed through my mind again, granting me permission to enter.
I pushed the door open carefully and stepped inside.
The moment my eyes lifted, my heart lurched so violently that I almost staggered.
Lyra was on the bed.
She was still fast asleep, her breathing soft and steady as she lay comfortably nestled within Kael’s arms. He held her close against his chest, one arm wrapped securely around her while his fingers moved slowly through her hair, stroking it with a tenderness I had never witnessed from him before.
The sight rooted me to the spot.
I could not help noticing that she was completely covered by the duvet, the thick blanket pulled high around her body. From the way the fabric revealed her bare shoulders, it appeared that she wore nothing beneath it. And neither did Alpha.
I was not a child. I didn't need anyone to explain what must have happened between them. And somehow that realization made something inside my chest ache.
It was not jealousy. I knew that much. The feeling was something deeper and far more painful. It was the quiet realization that I had longed for a very long time to be the one in that position. To be the one holding her that way.
“Good morning, Alpha,” I greeted quietly.
My voice was carefully controlled. I made sure none of the emotions stirring inside me surfaced in my tone or expression as I pushed the trolley forward and positioned it beside the bed.
“Morning, Taren. And thank you,” he replied in a low voice, likely careful not to disturb Lyra’s sleep. “You may wait outside.”
I bowed my head respectfully before turning and leaving the room exactly as instructed.
If only stepping outside had been enough to shield me from what followed.
Several minutes passed, and despite the door being closed, their voices eventually reached my ears.
“Wakey wakey,” Alpha Kael said softly. “Good morning, my love.”
The sound of his voice made me pause. I had never heard him speak like that before.
“Good morning,” Lyra responded sleepily, her voice soft and sweet in that unmistakable way people sound when they have just woken up.
Something about it melted my heart in a way I did not expect. And in that moment, I understood something with painful clarity. There was nothing more torturous than falling in love with someone you already knew you could never have.
Realizing that, I quietly stepped farther away from the door, putting distance between myself and the room so I would not hear another word of their conversation.
Moments later, Alpha Kael stepped out of the room, already fully dressed and prepared for the day ahead. His movements were calm and controlled as always, as though the morning held no surprises for him at all.
Not long after, Lyra emerged as well. Her hair was still disheveled, strands falling loosely around her face in a way that suggested she had not yet taken the time to tame it. Even so, she still looked beautiful. There was something effortlessly radiant about her that no amount of sleep ruffled hair could diminish.
“Good morning, Taren,” she greeted the moment her eyes landed on me.
“Good morning, my lady,” I replied with a small bow of my head.
The words came out steady, though I had to resist the strong urge to ask her how her night had been. I already knew the answer to that question, and hearing it from her lips would only deepen the ache inside my chest.
“I hope you slept well,” she said, her eyes studying me carefully. Her gaze lingered a little too long, as though she were trying to understand something about me. I suspected she was wondering why I had chosen to stand so far away from the door.
“I did, my lady,” I answered politely. Only then did I begin moving toward her, closing the distance that had separated us. She turned and walked toward her room, pushing the door open and stepping inside. She left it open behind her and gestured for me to follow.
I stepped in after her.
“Congratulations on meeting your father,” I said sincerely.
She turned sharply at that, her eyes narrowing as they fixed on me.
“How did you know about that?” she asked. “I am quite sure you had already left before that happened.”
“Kaitlyn told me,” I replied simply.
“Oh,” she said, the tension leaving her shoulders slightly. “I wish you had been there so you could have seen him yourself. But I do have a picture of him.”
Her eyes, which had briefly softened, narrowed again as she studied my face more closely. The intensity of her stare made me uneasy. I couldn't understand why she was looking at me that way.
“Are you alright?” she asked suddenly. “You don't look well.”
The question caught me completely off guard.
How did she know that?
“I felt a little under the weather this morning,” I admitted. “But Kaitlyn gave me some medicine and I am fine now.”
I offered the explanation in hopes that it would ease whatever concern she had noticed. Unfortunately, it did not have the effect I expected. Instead of relaxing, she continued staring at me as though something about my appearance was deeply wrong.
“You are not fine yet,” she said firmly.
She began walking toward me until she stood directly in front of me. The closeness made it impossible to avoid her gaze.
“You look pale,” she continued slowly. “And your hair.”
“What is wrong with my hair?” I asked immediately. I had checked my appearance before leaving my room that morning. I was certain everything had been in order.
“All the tips are white,” she said carefully. “And that is definitely not normal.”
“White?” I repeated, confusion and alarm creeping into my voice.
“Yes,” she confirmed. She lifted her hands instinctively intending to touch my hair. A few strands had fallen over my face, and her fingers closed gently around them.
What should have been an innocent gesture turned into something else entirely.
The moment her skin made contact with my hair, a violent wave of pain surged through my body. It tore through me without warning. My knees buckled beneath me before I could even process what was happening.
The next thing I knew, I collapsed to the floor in a completely undignified heap.