Chapter 38 Caught
~Kael’s POV~
The first thing I did when I woke up was reach for my phone. My hand moved before I was fully conscious, driven by the need to check the camera I had planted in Lyra’s room the previous night, the camera that was connected directly to my device.
I wanted to know if she had woken up, but nothing prepared me for what I saw on the screen.
She jerked awake with a sharp, panicked motion, sat upright with a stiffness that screamed fear, and looked around with her eyes widened in a way that made my chest tighten. My first thought was that she must have had a nightmare, and the sight of her reacting that way sent a ripple of unease through me.
I had barely slept last night, and the exhaustion clung to me like a second skin. Part of my unrest had come from how intensely aroused I had been. My mind kept replaying everything that had happened between us and the suppressed need to finish what I had started refused to let me rest.
Another part of the reason was the confusion that had strangled me ever since I discovered she was my true mate. That alone had been enough to ruin any chance of sleep, but what I had heard about Taren had made it even worse.
I did not want to believe that Taren could betray me. He had been one of my most dependable and loyal warriors. He had stood by me through battles, through leadership changes, through moments that tested every ounce of strength we had. But I could not dismiss Dagan’s and Brenda’s claims either, and that uncertainty had eaten away at me until I decided I needed to obtain firsthand evidence.
Last night, after making sure Lyra had fallen asleep, I returned to her room. I installed the camera where I was absolutely certain neither she nor Taren would detect it. When I was done, I tried to walk away, but I could not do it. My legs refused to carry me out of the room. Instead, I lowered myself onto the couch and simply sat there watching her sleep.
Her face looked peaceful, soft, and innocent in a way that made something warm spread through my chest. I breathed in her scent, allowing it to fill my lungs and settle deep inside me. I was amazed that one person could smell like everything I did not even know I had wanted all my life.
Yet the thought lingered inside my mind, a silent torment. Why did she have to be my mate? What game was the moon goddess playing with me, binding me to someone who complicated everything I believed in and everything I stood for?
Eventually, I forced myself to leave the room and return to mine. I managed to drift into a restless sleep only after relieving myself, though even that did not fully soothe the tension in my body.
“Good morning Alpha.” Abel’s voice rang out in my head, interrupting my thoughts with a tone that signaled business. “The spies are here already,” he informed me.
“Tell them I will be with them shortly,” I responded before dropping my phone and heading to prepare for the day.
The meeting with the spies was an essential one. It required precision, attention, and strategy, yet throughout the entire conversation my focus kept drifting back to my phone. I kept checking it just to see Lyra. She looked restless from the moment she woke up, and the uneasiness in her movements made me wish I understood what was troubling her.
I was about to force myself back into the flow of the meeting when I saw something on my screen that halted my breath. The door to Lyra’s room opened, and Taren stepped inside carrying her food. Her entire demeanor changed the moment she saw him. Her face brightened, and she smiled at him in a way that unsettled me more than I cared to admit. She spoke to him with ease and comfort, her expression open and gentle. A sharp discomfort stabbed through me, and I could not ignore it. Could it be true, what Dagan suspected?
I wished I could hear what they were saying, but the camera had been set deliberately without audio so that even a werewolf’s senses would not detect its presence.
Lyra ate slowly, moving with a stillness that felt off, and she remained quiet as she finished her food. Then the moment that confirmed my worst fear occurred. Taren pulled out a small folded piece of paper from his shoe and handed it to her.
I watched her unfold it and scan the contents, and then I watched her begin to wave her hands in rhythmic motions as she whispered words under her breath. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind burst through the room with enough force to send every lightweight object flying. The wind even lifted the dress she wore, exposing more of her than I was comfortable seeing under those circumstances. Taren immediately turned around out of respect, refusing to look at her, but it was already too late. The fire of anger and betrayal burning inside my chest spread so violently that I felt it in my bones.
“Alpha.” One of the spies called my attention. Their voices snapped me back to reality, and I only then realized that every spy present had their gaze fixed on me, their expressions puzzled by the tension radiating off me.
“I have to attend to something important. Let's take a break here. We will resume this meeting in twenty minutes,” I said, rising to my feet. I did not wait for a response. I left the meeting hall immediately. Through the mind link I ordered, “Abel, Dagan, both of you meet me in my quarters right now.” They both responded with a firm and unified “Yes Alpha.”
I headed straight to my quarters, anger boiling so intensely inside me that every step felt too slow. The moment I opened Lyra’s door and stepped inside, the room appeared calm, almost deceptively so. There was no trace of the chaos I had seen on camera. Lyra looked surprised by my sudden arrival, while Taren bowed respectfully.
“Good morning Alpha,” he greeted with his usual composed tone. There was no wind, no magic, no mess. If I had not seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed anything had happened.
“Where is it?” I asked, keeping my attention fixed on Taren.
“What are you asking about, Alpha?” he replied, his expression filled with genuine confusion.
“The spell paper she was using to practice magic in here. Where is it?” I asked again. I forced myself to speak more calmly this time, although the rage beneath my words was impossible to hide.
Surprise flashed in his eyes, but he concealed it quickly. By then, Abel and Dagan had already entered the room. The instant Taren saw them, he knew that I had not come here to make conversation.
“Alpha, it is not what you think. I can explain,” he said, lowering his gaze in realization of how serious the situation had become.
“How could you, Taren?” I asked, my fury simmering just beneath the surface. I could tolerate countless errors from him, but betrayal was something I could never overlook. “How could you betray me like this?” I needed an explanation even though part of me did not want to hear any of his words.
“And to think he played the part of a savior so well that none of us suspected he was behind Gordon’s traitorous act,” Dagan added coldly. Taren’s eyes widened with shock.
“What? No.” He struggled to free himself when Abel stepped behind him and grabbed his arms, holding him firmly in place. Taren’s eyes stayed locked on Dagan. “What are you talking about? I had nothing to do with that.”
Dagan delivered a brutal punch to Taren’s face, silencing him instantly. Blood spilled from Taren’s lips, and a sharp cry escaped Lyra.
“No. Stop. He has not done anything wrong. He didn't betray anybody, he's only trying to help.”
“Save your lies for the trial,” I said sharply to Taren, paying her no attention yet.
Abel and Dagan dragged Taren out of the room. Only when they were gone did I allow my gaze to fall on Lyra.
“I warned you never to practice magic here, did I not?” I asked, struggling and failing to lower the fury in my voice. To my surprise, she did not cower. She did not flinch. The only sign of vulnerability was the tears gathering in her eyes and the confusion written across her features.
“I was not hurting anybody with it. I am a witch. Magic is my nature. I cannot do without it,” she said.
“No magic is allowed in my territory. If you try it again, there will be severe consequences,” I told her.
The sight of her tears made a sharp ache spread through my chest, and I hated myself for feeling that way. I hated how she affected me.
To keep myself from softening toward her, I turned away and began walking toward the door.
“Taren has not done anything. I am the one to blame. Let him go.” Her voice trembled, the words partly broken, but hearing her defend another man filled me with a violent surge of jealousy and rage. The idea of her speaking in favor of him made something dangerous ignite inside me, and for a moment, all I wanted to do was tear Taren apart.