"Then explain it," I said through clenched teeth. "Tell me why you didn’t protect our daughter. Tell me why you didn’t offer her son, whose father remains a mystery."
Kael’s eyes snapped up, anger flickering in them. "You don’t speak about him like that."
My voice came out flat, drained of emotion. "You're unbelievable."
The fury simmering inside me solidified into something cold and dangerous.
"I'm going to bring Caia back."
His face twisted in alarm. "Don’t be foolish, Lyra. We have peace here. We’ve finally established a home. Don’t ruin that because of your emotions."
I stared him down, my voice frigid. "What good is a home if my child’s not in it?"
I walked away, not once looking back.
I knew where to go.
The weaponsmith lived on the outskirts, an old wolf whose hands had seen war. He didn’t ask why I came, only studied my face with knowing eyes.
“I need a sword,” I told him.
He gave one nod. “Come back at nightfall. It’ll be ready.”
I turned around and made my way through the woods, heading back toward the den to gather what I needed. I cut through the path near Celeste’s dwelling. That’s when I heard it.
Sounds drifted through the half-closed window—soft, rhythmic, unmistakable. My body tensed. I recognized the noises, the breathless moans that couldn’t be mistaken for anything else.
I stood frozen.
Then came the voices.
“It’s alright, everything will work out,” Celeste said, her tone syrupy and confident.
“I hope you’re right,” Kael replied.
The air left my lungs.
“My brother’s unstable,” Celeste went on, “but this mess isn’t his fault.”
“I know,” Kael answered quietly.
Celeste cooed sympathetically. “Poor Lyra. It must be devastating, losing her little girl.”
“She’ll understand,” Kael said, as if none of this mattered. “She won’t act out. She never does.”
“She always had a dramatic streak,” Celeste said with a laugh that made my stomach churn. “You saw her earlier.”
“She’s just emotional,” he replied. “She’ll move on.”
Move on?
My entire body burned with rage, my wolf clawing at my insides. How dare he? How dare they sit there and speak so casually, as if I would simply roll over and forget?
Then Celeste’s voice turned quiet, almost tender. “It’s alright. We still have our son. I’ll raise him to be just like you.”
Son.
The word hit like a dagger. Something inside me shattered.
Celeste’s child… wasn’t just hers.
He was Kael’s too.