“I don’t need her to,” Kael said, tilting his head toward the stars. “She wanted it her way, and I didn’t stop her.”
Cyrus let out a harsh breath, pacing in the shadows. “You’d hand her the stars if she asked for them.”
Kael didn’t bother to argue.
Lyra turned away before she could hear more. Her chest tightened, not just from his words—but from what the mark had stolen from her. Something in her soul felt emptied, like a wound she had sewn shut herself, only to feel the stitches tearing open again.
She didn’t follow them after that. She went home in silence.
By dawn, Kael had already brought Elowen back to Luminara territory.
That same night, the wind carried an unfamiliar scent—blood, ash, and ancient moon magic. Deep in the cursed woods beyond Solari’s borders, Kael had gone alone. His goal: the Scarlet Dawn Crystal, a relic sealed centuries ago. Elowen desired it. And Kael obeyed.
It was one of the things she had foolishly mentioned during the exhibit—how she would only bind herself to a man who could retrieve it.
Cyrus had tried to reason with him again. “That stone belongs to Luminara, Kael. It was locked away by the elders for a reason. You’re risking everything just to feed some she-wolf’s vanity.”
“I’ll bring it back,” Kael replied, eyes glowing with restrained resolve. “Even if I bleed for it.”
“The Moonstone isn’t some trinket you dig out to impress a lover!” Cyrus snapped. “Our ancestors died sealing it. That forest doesn’t forgive intruders—it devours them.”
But Kael’s expression didn’t waver.
“Those wards will tear you apart,” Cyrus warned. “The forest has a mind of its own. So does the stone. You might not come back.”
“I will,” Kael murmured. “Because she asked me to. And that’s enough.”
He did return. And he did bleed.
---
Lyra’s POV
That night, when I opened the door, the air reeked of blood and pine.
Kael stood in the doorway like a storm dragged through the dirt—mud-streaked, his ribs bound, blood caked across his temple. He didn’t bring a flower this time. No token of apology. I already knew why. He’d sent the prize ahead—to her.
“There was a rogue ambush,” he said finally, voice low, gaze averted.
I tilted my head slightly. “Of course there was.”
He nodded stiffly. “I’ll be gone for a while. Maybe a week. I need to heal.”
“Then rest,” I said quietly. “Take all the time you need.”