Chapter 7 : The Dance of Edges
827 Words
Music carried across the clearing, drums beating in a steady rhythm while wolves laughed a little too brightly. Servants moved between tables with trays of food and wine. Lanterns glowed gold as dusk settled fully over the territory.
But Lyra felt none of it.
She felt watched.
She tried to act normal.
She failed.
“You’re walking like someone who swallowed a bee,” Mira muttered.
“I’m fine.”
“You are absolutely not fine.”
Rowan’s jaw was tight. “He spoke to you.”
“It was nothing.”
“It didn’t look like nothing.”
Lyra exhaled slowly. “He just mentioned the ridge fence.”
Rowan frowned. “How would he even know about that?”
Exactly.
She had replayed it three times already.
Your eastern ridge fence. It was repaired recently.
That wasn’t random observation.
That was awareness.
Before she could respond, the music shifted.
The elders were calling for the formal dance.
Mira grabbed her hand. “Oh no. No disappearing now. We’re staying.”
Lyra scanned the clearing.
The older heir was already standing beside her father.
The younger was nowhere in sight.
Her stomach tightened.
“Relax,” Mira whispered. “They’re not gods.”
They felt like it.
Couples began forming in the open center of the clearing. It wasn’t romantic — not really. It was tradition. A show of unity between packs.
Lyra turned to slip away toward the refreshment tables—
And collided with a solid chest.
Her breath caught.
Strong hands steadied her shoulders instantly.
Not rough.
But firm.
“Careful,” that low voice said.
She didn’t need to look up to know.
Still, she did.
He was closer than before. Close enough that she could see the faint scar near his jaw. Close enough to notice the controlled way he breathed.
“You keep appearing behind me,” she said before she could stop herself.
A flicker of something — amusement? — passed through his eyes.
“You keep not paying attention.”
Her pulse betrayed her by jumping again.
Around them, the dance was beginning.
“You don’t look like you want to be here,” he observed.
“I could say the same about you.”
That time, he almost smiled.
Almost.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
Heirs knew names. They were briefed before visits.
So this wasn’t ignorance.
It was intentional.
“Lyra,” she replied evenly. “Alpha’s daughter.”
“I know who you are.”
The words weren’t arrogant.
They were factual.
Silence stretched.
The music swelled.
“Dance with me,” he said.
It wasn’t a request.
It also wasn’t quite a command.
More like… a test.
Rowan shifted a few feet away, clearly tense. Mira’s eyes were practically glowing with gossip.
Lyra held his gaze.
“If I say no?”
His eyes darkened slightly.
“Then I’ll ask someone else.”
There it was.
Challenge.
Her chin lifted. “Then I suppose you’ll be disappointed.”
A beat passed.
Something unreadable flickered in his expression.
Then he extended his hand.
Slowly.
The entire clearing felt like it tilted.
She placed her hand in his.
The moment their skin touched—
Her wolf stirred.
Not a snap.
Not a claim.
But awareness.
Sharp.
Alive.
His fingers tightened just slightly.
He felt it too.
For a fraction of a second, his control slipped.
His jaw flexed.
Then—
It slammed back into place.
He pulled her into the dance formation smoothly, one hand at her waist, the other holding hers.
They moved in rhythm with the others.
Close.
But not intimate.
“You repaired the fence,” he said quietly as they stepped in time.
“Yes.”
“You calculated the brace angle without hesitation.”
She stilled slightly.
“How do you know that?”
“I observe.”
Of course he did.
“You shouldn’t have had to,” he added calmly.
“What?”
“Your warriors should have caught it before it rotted.”
There was no insult in his tone.
Just truth.
Her pride flared anyway.
“We fixed it.”
“You did.”
Not your pack.
You.
Her breath faltered.
The music slowed briefly.
His grip tightened again — involuntary this time.
Her wolf pressed forward harder.
The air shifted.
This time it wasn’t subtle.
It was there.
Between them.
Recognition.
His eyes flickered gold.
Just for a second.
And then—
He let go.
Physically.
Emotionally.
Mentally.
He stepped back before the dance ended.
Control locking into place like armor.
“This was a mistake,” he said quietly.
The words hit like cold water.
“What was?”
His gaze hardened.
“Don’t misunderstand tonight.”
And just like that—
He walked away.
Leaving her standing in the middle of the dance floor.
Heart pounding.
Wolf restless.
Confused.
Across the clearing, the older brother was watching.
And he did not look pleased.
- Writer
