Chapter 54
Chapter 54
Lyra’s POV
The kitchens of Solhaven were loud.
Not chaotic exactly—but loud in the comfortable, everyday way of a place where people gathered to eat, argue, and gossip all at the same time.
Steam curled from large iron pots over the fire pits. The scent of roasted meat and herbs filled the room, mingling with the sharp tang of woodsmoke.
Wolves sat at long wooden tables, trading stories from patrols or complaining about training drills.
It felt… normal.
Almost peaceful.
I sat near the end of one of the benches with a bowl of stew in front of me, trying very hard to focus on eating instead of the feeling that half the room still occasionally glanced in my direction.
Across from me, Kaelia was watching with poorly disguised amusement.
“You’re doing it again,” she said.
I looked up.
“Doing what?”
“Pretending not to notice people staring at you.”
“I’m not pretending,” I said. “I’m ignoring it.”
“Same thing.”
I scooped another bite of stew just to give my hands something to do.
“Eventually they’ll stop.”
“Maybe.”
“That wasn’t very confident.”
Kaelia shrugged.
“You did help set half the courtyard on fire yesterday.”
“That is becoming an extremely exaggerated story.”
“Toren told someone you lit three rogues on fire at once.”
I groaned.
“That didn’t happen.”
She grinned.
“You might want to correct that before it becomes legend.”
“I would rather not encourage it.”
“Fair.”
For a few minutes we ate in silence.
Then Kaelia suddenly leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
“Okay.”
My stomach sank immediately.
“That tone means trouble.”
“I have a question.”
“I don’t like where this is going.”
“You’re going to answer it anyway.”
“I might pretend not to hear you.”
She ignored that.
“So,” Kaelia said casually, “what exactly is happening between you and my brother?”
I nearly choked on my stew.
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“There is nothing happening,” I said quickly.
She stared at me.
“Lyra.”
“Kaelia.”
“That was the fastest denial I’ve ever heard.”
“Because it’s the truth.”
She leaned back in her chair, folding her arms.
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“I’m really not.”
She raised one eyebrow slowly.
“You turned red.”
“I did not.”
“You absolutely did.”
Heat rushed to my face again.
“That’s not proof of anything.”
“It’s proof of something.”
I dropped my spoon into the bowl with a clatter.
“Why are we even talking about this?”
Kaelia tilted her head.
“Because my brother hasn’t looked that relaxed in months.”
I blinked.
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“That has nothing to do with me.”
She gave me a look.
“Lyra, the entire training field saw him watching you today.”
“That’s because I was training.”
“He doesn’t watch the others like that.”
My stomach twisted slightly.
“You’re imagining things.”
“I’m really not.”
I leaned closer across the table.
“Even if that were true—which it isn’t—there’s still nothing happening.”
Kaelia studied my face carefully.
“You like him.”
My brain completely stalled.
“I—what?”
“You do.”
“I don’t.”
“You hesitated.”
“That was shock!”
“Uh-huh.”
I rubbed my temples.
“This conversation is a mistake.”
Kaelia laughed softly.
“You should hear yourself.”
“What about me?”
“You’re trying very hard not to say his name.”
“That’s because you keep bringing him up!”
“Exactly.”
I groaned and dropped my head briefly onto the table.
“This is torture.”
“Relax,” she said, clearly enjoying herself. “I’m not accusing you of anything.”
“You kind of are.”
“I’m observing.”
“That’s worse.”
She leaned forward again, her tone softening slightly.
“Look, I’m not teasing just to annoy you.”
“That’s definitely part of it.”
“Okay, maybe a little,” she admitted. “But I’m serious too.”
I lifted my head again.
“What do you mean?”
Kaelia hesitated for a moment before answering.
“Alpha bonds are… complicated.”
That caught my attention.
“How?”
“Well,” she said slowly, “when an Alpha starts forming a connection with someone, it’s rarely simple.”
“I’m not forming a connection with him.”
She ignored that.
“The bond can influence instincts. Emotions. Decisions.”
“That sounds dangerous.”
“It can be.”
I frowned slightly.
“Are you saying he shouldn’t get close to anyone?”
“No,” she said. “I’m saying when it happens, it changes things.”
“How?”
Kaelia shrugged lightly.
“The Alpha becomes more protective. More intense.”
“That already sounds like Draven.”
She laughed.
“Fair point.”
I traced the rim of my bowl with my finger.
“So why warn me?”
Her expression turned thoughtful.
“Because if something is happening between you two…”
“It’s not.”
“…then you should understand what that means.”
I sighed.
“I don’t even understand my fire yet. I definitely don’t need complicated Alpha bonds.”
“That’s probably wise.”
“Finally, we agree on something.”
She smiled slightly.
But then her expression softened again.
“For what it’s worth,” she said quietly, “I don’t think it would be a bad thing.”
I blinked.
“You don’t?”
“No.”
“Why?”
Kaelia leaned back in her chair.
“Because I haven’t seen him smile in a long time.”
I thought about the faint smirk Draven had given earlier during training.
“You mean he used to?”
“All the time,” she said.
“What changed?”
Her gaze drifted toward the far end of the kitchen where the doors opened into the courtyard.
“Leadership,” she said simply.
“That heavy?”
“Sometimes.”
I was quiet for a moment.
Then I asked softly, “And you think I’m helping?”
Kaelia looked back at me.
“I think,” she said, “that hearing you laugh earlier made him forget about the weight on his shoulders for a second.”
My chest tightened unexpectedly.
“That’s… a lot of pressure.”
She smiled faintly.
“I’m not asking you to fix him.”
“Good.”
“But I am glad someone is making him smile again.”
I stared down at my bowl, suddenly very aware of how warm my face felt.
Kaelia stood, stretching her arms.
“Well,” she said brightly, “this conversation was fun.”
“For you.”
“Absolutely.”
She started walking toward the door, then paused.
“Oh, and Lyra?”
I looked up.
“Yes?”
Her grin returned, mischievous again.
“You definitely like him.”
“I do not!”
She laughed and disappeared into the courtyard before I could throw my spoon at her.
Leaving me sitting there—
trying very hard not to think about the way Draven had looked at me earlier during training.