Chapter 73 Here now
~ Kael's POV ~
When I saw Elder Rowan’s message, it immediately gave me a reason to leave earlier than I had planned, and after the feast that night, I did not wait another minute. I left at once, taking to the road without hesitation and heading straight for Iron Fang, my thoughts fixed on only one person.
I arrived at the pack house early the next morning, and to my relief, there was no one around to interrupt my advance to my quarters. I didn't even pause to stop by my own room. I moved straight toward Lyra’s room, urgency driving every step I took.
When I entered her room, I found her seated on the sofa with a book in her hands, deeply absorbed in its contents. The sight made me pause for a brief moment because I had expected her to still be asleep at such an early hour. Seeing her awake and studying so intently made me wonder just how restless her mind must have been.
The moment she noticed me, relief immediately washed over her face, so clear and unguarded that it twisted something in my chest. She started toward me instinctively, but then she abruptly stopped. She began shaking her head as she took slow steps backward, creating distance between us instead of closing it.
“What is wrong?” I asked, confusion filling my voice. I couldn't understand why she was retreating when I had expected her to run into my arms.
“I’m hurting people, and I don't want to hurt you,” she replied, and the raw pain and honesty in her voice struck me far harder than I had anticipated.
Without thinking twice, I closed the distance between us and pulled her into my arms, refusing to let fear dictate this moment.
“Have you forgotten that I am immune to magic?” I asked gently. “You may be able to hurt anyone else, but you cannot hurt me, so relax. Let me be your safe space, okay?” I told her softly.
The moment I finished speaking, her body gave in, and she melted against me, sobbing quietly as she clutched at my clothes.
“I have been so scared,” she whispered, her voice muffled against my chest. “So scared that I even thought of isolating myself,” she confessed, and the words alone were enough to make my hold on her tighten.
I wrapped my arms around her more firmly. “It's okay. I’m here now, and you don't need to be scared of anything,” I assured her. “We will sort this out together,” I added, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head and allowing her to hold onto me for as long as she needed until her breathing finally steadied.
When we eventually pulled apart, I looked closely at her face and lifted my hand to wipe away the remnants of her tears that had not been absorbed by my shirt.
“So many things happened while you were away,” she said quietly, her eyes searching mine.
I nodded. “Elder Rowan told me everything.”
“Everything?” she asked, her brows knitting together.
“Yes,” I replied. “Everything about you losing control of your powers and the incident that happened at the archives.” I finished speaking, and she nodded slowly, as if confirming my words to herself.
“About that,” she began, “I just found a disguise spell that can make Taren and me unrecognizable to the child in case he is asked to identify us.”
“You can do that?” I asked, surprised despite everything I already knew about witches.
“Yes,” she said with a small nod. “I will need some items, and I will also need someone else to show a picture to the child. That will help erase the memory of our faces from his mind.”
“Okay,” I said after a moment. “What kind of picture?”
“Any random picture will do,” she explained calmly. “I will only lace the image with the concoction, and once he sees it, he will forget our faces.”
“What items do you need, and how do we get them?” I asked, and she turned back to the book she had been studying moments earlier.
She carefully slipped a piece of paper from between the pages and handed it to me. “I wrote them down,” she said.
I studied the paper for a moment, my brows drawing together as I realized that most of the items listed were unfamiliar to me.
“I’m not entirely sure,” she continued, “but I think Kaitlyn might be able to access them.”
I nodded slowly. “I’ll ask Kaitlyn, and she will get them for you. Taren will also bring you some food. I know you have not had any proper food since yesterday.”
“Taren?” she asked immediately, worry flickering in her eyes. “Won’t he be arrested?”
“Arrested?” I repeated, lifting a brow. “Have you forgotten who is in charge here?” I asked, unable to keep the pride out of my voice.
She smiled at that and then shook her head slightly. “You are.”
“Good,” I said firmly. “Let me freshen up and handle a few things. I will be back soon. We need to talk.”
She nodded in agreement, and I left her room, heading straight to my own. As soon as the door closed behind me, I drew in a deep breath, gratitude flooding my chest. Lyra was safe, and more than that, she was becoming more accepting of me. That alone felt like a victory I had never thought I would achieve.
With the depth of hatred I once carried for her kind, I never imagined I would fall this deeply for her. The thought of her being hurt felt like my own heart being torn apart a thousand times over.
I freshened up quickly and did not bother to rest, even though exhaustion tugged at me. I stepped back into the hallway and immediately spotted Taren emerging from the direction of the library and heading toward Lyra’s room. He came to a halt the moment he saw me.
“Alpha?” he called out, sounding uncertain, as if he could not quite believe what his eyes were seeing. I could not fault him for that. “Welcome back,” he added, bowing after recovering from his initial shock.
“Thank you, Taren,” I replied. “Are you alright?”
“I am, Alpha,” he assured me.
“I will settle everything soon and have you cleared,” I told him before moving on.
“Kaitlyn,” I called through mind link.
“Yes, Alpha,” her voice responded immediately.
“Meet me in my office. Now,” I instructed as I approached my door.
It took only a few minutes for her to arrive.
“Welcome back, Alpha. You sent for me,” she said, and I nodded in response.
“Do you know what these are?” I asked, handing her the paper with the list of items.
She scanned through it carefully. “I do,” she said after a moment.
“Are they available here?” I asked.
“They are,” she confirmed with a nod. “Do you need any of them?”
“Yes,” I said. “Please get all of them and take them to Lyra as soon as possible. Take this along with you as well.” I handed her another paper from my desk, one that held a random picture of a black hole. “Wait for her to finish what she needs to do, then return this picture to me,” I instructed.
“Alright, Alpha,” she said, turning to leave. She paused after a step and turned back to me. “I don't know if you have been told, but something happened while you were gone.”
“Elder Rowan filled me in, so yes, I have all the information I need,” I replied calmly. “Thank you for your concern, and thank you for believing in me. I won't let you down, and I will not let our people down.”
“I believe you won't, Alpha,” she said with a warm smile before leaving the office.
I waited a few moments, then activated the mind link once more.
“Dagan,” I said, my voice firm and unwavering. “My office. Now.”