Chapter 4 — A Restless Wolf
623 Words
Lyra remained at the edge of the forest for several minutes after her wolf spoke.
Mate.
The word kept echoing in her mind.
She shook her head slightly.
“No,” she whispered to herself.
That couldn’t be right.
She already had Daniel.
They had been together for almost two years. Their wolves got along well, and everyone in their pack believed they would eventually become mates.
So why would her wolf say something like that now?
Lyra pressed a hand against her chest, trying to calm the strange feeling growing inside her.
Her wolf didn’t argue again.
But it didn’t take the word back either.
After a while, Lyra turned and walked slowly back toward the guest house.
The sun had begun to lower behind the trees, covering the territory in warm evening light.
When she stepped inside, she found Daniel sitting on one of the couches near the window.
He looked up when he saw her.
“There you are,” he said. “I was wondering where you went.”
“Just for a walk,” Lyra replied.
Daniel studied her for a moment.
“You seem distracted today.”
Lyra forced a small smile.
“New place. New pack. It’s a lot to take in.”
Daniel nodded.
“That makes sense.”
He stood and stretched slightly.
“Some of the pack members invited us to join dinner later,” he added. “Apparently they like to welcome visiting wolves.”
“That sounds nice,” Lyra said.
And it did.
Normal.
Simple.
Exactly what she needed right now.
Meanwhile, across the territory inside the pack house, Kael stood in his office staring out the window.
The forest stretched endlessly in front of him.
But his attention wasn’t really on the trees.
His wolf had been restless all afternoon.
The word still echoed faintly in his mind.
Mate.
Kael crossed his arms thoughtfully.
It had never happened before.
Not once.
He had met hundreds of wolves from different packs over the years.
None of them caused this reaction.
Yet the moment Lyra entered his territory yesterday, everything changed.
A quiet knock came at his door.
“Enter,” he said.
Beta Marcus stepped inside.
“You wanted to see me?”
Kael nodded.
“Tell me about the two wolves from Silver Brook Pack.”
Marcus shrugged slightly.
“Not much to tell. They’re here for the training program. Their Alpha recommended them.”
Kael considered that.
“And the female?”
“Lyra?” Marcus said. “She seems normal.”
Kael turned slightly.
“Normal wolves don’t make my wolf react like this.”
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
“You think she’s your mate?”
Kael didn’t answer immediately.
“I don’t know,” he said finally.
Outside, the evening breeze moved softly through the trees surrounding the guest house.
Lyra stepped onto the small balcony outside her room.
The sky had turned darker now, and the moon was beginning to rise again.
Her wolf stirred quietly.
Not restless.
Just aware.
Lyra leaned against the railing, staring at the forest.
A strange thought crossed her mind.
What if her wolf wasn’t wrong?
What if the mate bond really existed here?
Somewhere in this territory.
Lyra frowned.
“That would make things complicated,” she muttered softly.
At that exact moment, Kael stepped onto the balcony outside his office at the pack house.
His gaze moved automatically toward the guest houses.
Toward the same balcony where Lyra stood.
Even from the distance, his wolf reacted immediately.
Low and certain.
Kael’s eyes narrowed slightly.
And for the first time, he allowed himself to think the possibility he had been avoiding all day.
“What if… it’s her?”
- Writer
