Chapter 78 New skill
~ Lyra's POV ~
Throughout that day, I did not see Kael again, and I made a deliberate effort to keep myself occupied. I buried myself in the scrolls, studying line after line, committing symbols and incantations to memory, and forcing my mind to focus on learning everything I could. I did this while intentionally ignoring the one thought that had been gnawing at me from the moment I woke up.
I had not spoken to him about it because I did not want to come across as desperate or needy. Still, Kael’s failure to mark me the previous night troubled me deeply, and I was not the only one affected by it. Lunaris was just as unsettled.
“I can feel that our connection is sincere,” she said for what felt like the umpteenth time, her voice echoing in my mind. “I don't sense any ulterior motive from him, but why is he hesitating?”
“Can we not talk about him right now?” I replied, my frustration leaking into my tone. “I am trying to master this.”
I repeated the spell of denied access silently in my head, over and over, forcing myself to memorize every word.
The fact that the door to my room could not be locked from the inside was beginning to bother me far more than it had in the previous days. At first, I had brushed it off, telling myself it was nothing. But now, the lack of privacy was starting to feel oppressive. I needed solitude. I needed control. And one way or another, I was determined to get it.
Lunaris, however, was not ready to let the matter rest. She was equally unwilling to stay silent and allow me to focus.
“Do you know what else not marking your mate can mean?” she continued. “It can mean hesitance. It can mean uncertainty about taking such a permanent step. What if he is not being completely sincere with us?”
That question struck harder than I wanted to admit, and just like that, my carefully suppressed worry surged back to the surface.
I dropped the book onto the bed, knowing there was no point pretending I could concentrate anymore. I stood up and walked over to the window, resting my hands lightly against the frame as I stared outside.
“So what do you suggest I do?” I asked quietly. “Should I ask him directly? What if he misunderstands and thinks I am desperate? What if he takes it the wrong way?” The questions spilled out of me once I finally allowed myself to speak.
“Fine,” Lunaris said after a pause. “Let us give him another chance. If he does not do it next time, then you have to speak up. I would rather we hear the truth than be left in the dark, wondering.”
Her suggestion settled something inside me, and for the first time that day, my chest felt a little lighter.
“Yes,” I murmured. “Me too.”
My gaze drifted farther into the distance until it landed on a lone flower standing just outside the fence of the pack house. It was small and fragile, overshadowed by the broad leaves of a much larger plant beside it. The leaves blocked the sunlight almost completely, leaving the flower pale and struggling. It looked as though it was suffering quietly, unseen, and something about it tugged painfully at my heart.
I wished it were closer so I could move the leaves away with my hands and give it the light it desperately needed. When that proved impossible, I hesitated, then realized I might still be able to help even from where I stood. I was not certain it would work, but the thought alone filled me with determination.
I took a deep breath and focused all my attention on the flower, narrowing my world until it was the only thing that existed. I extended my finger slightly, testing my reach. When the flower responded by shifting ever so slightly, a rush of joy surged through me, so sudden and intense that I nearly jumped in place.
Encouraged, I deepened my concentration, pushing past the flower itself and reaching for the larger leaves that overshadowed it. I focused harder, drawing on everything I had learned so far, and just as I reached the peak of my concentration, it shattered.
Three knocks reached my ears before the door opened slowly, and someone stepped into the room, breaking the fragile connection in an instant.
From the moment the scent reached my nose, I already knew it was Taren. Because of that, I did not bother to turn around, nor did I move my eyes away from the point I was focused on.
After steadying my concentration once more, I resumed what I had been doing, carefully and deliberately moving the leaves away from the flower, one after the other, guiding them aside with slow precision.
A swell of pride filled my chest at that exact moment. If I had not just done it myself, I would never have believed something like this was possible. The reality of it made my heart race, and for a few seconds I simply stood there, absorbing the magnitude of what I had achieved.
“Good morning, my lady,” Taren’s voice reached me gently from behind.
“Morning, Taren. How was your night?” I replied, still refusing to look back at him. My attention remained fixed on the flower and the leaves, my mind buzzing with excitement at the fact that I could move them without touching them and from such an impressive distance.
“I slept well, my lady,” he answered. After a brief pause filled with silence, he spoke again. “You have been staring out the window for quite some time. Is there something interesting out there that has captured your attention?” There was a hint of concern in his voice, subtle but unmistakable.
“Yes, there is. Come see. I learned a new skill,” I said, turning only slightly so I could beckon him closer with a small gesture before returning my focus to the window.
He stepped toward me and followed my line of sight, looking out the window as I was. When I noticed he was still not close enough to see clearly, I reached out, took his hand, and gently pulled him nearer until he stood right beside me.
“Look at that flower and those leaves,” I said, shifting the leaves left and right so he could clearly identify which ones I was referring to. “Do you see them? The ones moving back and forth,” I asked, wanting to be sure he was truly seeing what I was doing.
“Yes, I see them,” he replied, his voice steady.
I went on to tell him how the flower had seemed to be begging for help, how it was hidden from the sunlight, and how I had decided to intervene. I explained everything, from the moment I noticed it to the instant I realized I could reach it with my power.
“That is a wonderful skill, my lady. You never cease to amaze me, every single day,” he said sincerely, stepping away from the window once he was done observing.
I finally turned fully toward him and offered him a smile filled with appreciation before shifting my attention to the trolley of food he had brought along. The aroma alone was already stirring my appetite and making my stomach ache with hunger.
The scent was different, richer, and more layered than usual. True to what my nose had already suspected, the food he brought that morning was not the same as what he had been bringing me on previous days.
I lifted my gaze to him with clear curiosity, only to find him smiling knowingly at my reaction. He did not wait for me to ask before he explained himself.
“Since you will not be attending the feast, I thought it would only be proper for you to have a taste of what everyone else will be eating tonight, so…” he said, trailing off slightly, though he did not need to finish his sentence. I already understood his meaning perfectly.
“Taren,” I called his name softly, my tone heavy with both surprise and gratitude.
“This is not all of it,” he added quickly. “The rest is still being prepared, but I will make sure you have it for dinner as well.”
Warmth spread through my heart at his words, and for a moment, I found myself unable to say anything at all.