CHAPTER 1: SHADOWS OF REGRET
1046 Words
"What brings you here, Kael?" Lyra asked, her voice shaking. The moonlight created dark shapes on her face. She hugged herself, as if trying to keep her broken parts together.
Kael didn't move, his eyes locked on her. He looked different more tired, as if his choice had sucked the life out of him. "I had to return," he said. His voice was quiet just above a whisper.
"Return?" Lyra's eyes flashed with a mix of hurt and rage. "You had a choice, and you made it. You abandoned me."
Kael winced. "I know. I feel sorry for it every day."
Lyra's hands balled up at her sides. She moved back a step shaking her head. "Sorry? That's all you've got to say?"
"Lyra..." Kael's voice cracked, but she turned away from him. "I tried to keep you safe. I didn't want this kind of life for you. The pack... my job... it puts people in harm's way."
"And now?" Her voice cut like a knife. "Do you think it's any safer? Or are you just here because you found out I was still alive without you?"
Kael exhaled, his arms falling to his sides. "You never left my thoughts."
Lyra spun around, her eyes glistening yet fierce. "So why did you abandon me to endure this? You can't imagine what I've endured. You have no clue about Damon's true nature."
Kael moved closer, his heart racing. "I see it, Lyra. You don't need to explain. I notice the hurt in your gaze."
"You know nothing about suffering!" Lyra yelled. "You abandoned me for your responsibilities, and I ended up with a beast. Damon..." Her voice broke. She gulped trying to maintain her control. "You can't imagine what he's done."
Kael's hands balled up at his sides, his inner wolf stirring. "Tell me what he's done."
Lyra chuckled with resentment rubbing her eyes. "Why should I? You left me to handle this by myself. You didn't want me, remember?"
"I never stopped wanting you," Kael said with urgency in his voice. "I believed I was making the right choice. I thought turning you away would protect you."
"Protect me?" Lyra's voice grew louder. "You believed abandoning me with Damon would keep me safe? Are you aware of what you've done?"
Kael moved a step nearer, his heart hurting as he saw her cry. "Lyra, I apologize. I know I messed up. But I'm here now. Let me make things right."
"Fix this?" Lyra let out another laugh, but it sounded empty. "There's nothing left to fix Kael. I'm his wife now. I'm pregnant with his baby. This is my life."
Kael stopped dead. "You're... expecting?"
"Yes," she said. Her words were barely audible, but they hit Kael like a sledgehammer. "And now I can't escape."
"No," Kael said moving his head from side to side. "You're not stuck. I'll lend a hand. I'll get you out of this mess."
"How?" Lyra asked, her voice weak as the fight drained from her. "How can you help when you left me to face this alone? Damon has control over everything. He won't let me go."
Kael moved closer trying to reach for her, but she pulled back. "I'll keep you safe. I'll do anything necessary."
For a moment, Lyra's eyes softened as old feelings tugged at her heart. But she looked away. "It's too late, Kael. You can't just come back and think things will be like before."
"I'm not expecting that," Kael said, his voice quiet but steady. "But I can't just watch you hurt anymore. I'll stand up for you Lyra. I'll fix things."
Lyra let out a breath running her hands over her arms as the night's chill settled around them. "I'm not sure you can. Damon... he won't just let me go. He's mean. You don't get it."
Kael's jaw tightened. "Then I'll make him get it."
"You can't," Lyra said. "He'll end you."
Kael grabbed Lyra's hand catching her off guard. His touch gave her comfort and warmth, despite the pain she'd endured. "I'd rather die fighting for you than live knowing I let you suffer."
Lyra felt her heart flutter, but she withdrew her hand. "You don't understand what you're getting yourself into, Kael. He's more powerful than you realize."
"I don't care," Kael said. His eyes grew darker as his wolf nature surfaced. "I'll confront him. I'll do anything to free you from this situation."
"Kael..." Lyra's voice faded, and for a moment, they stood in silence, the tension palpable between them.
But then, the moment broke as a deep voice sliced through the night air.
"What's happening here?"
Lyra felt her heart race as Damon emerged from the shadows, his eyes narrowing when he saw Kael standing near her.
Kael's body stiffened, his muscles tightening like a coiled spring. "Damon."
Damon looked between them, his lips twisting into a mean smile. "I see you've returned, Kael. Still yearning for what belongs to me?"
Lyra took a step back, her heart hammering in her chest. "Damon, please..."
"Shut up!" Damon barked; his eyes fixed on Kael. "You think you can return to town and take her from me?"
"She isn't your property," Kael snarled. His wolf pushed to surface eager to shield Lyra.
Damon chuckled, a sinister noise that chilled Lyra to the bone. "She’s my wife. That means she belongs to me Kael. And you... you're nobody."
Kael's eyes blazed, and in an instant, he sprang at Damon.
Lyra's breath caught as the two men smashed into each other, their forms merging in a whirlwind of brutality. Punches sailed through the air, snarls filled the space, and the c***k of breaking bones pierced the darkness.
"Knock it off!" Lyra yelled, but the racket of their brawl drowned out her words.
Kael swung his fist, but Damon sidestepped striking back with a savage hit to Kael's chin.
Lyra's pulse raced as she looked on in terror. She knew she needed to act, but she couldn't move a muscle.
Then, without warning, Damon's eyes blazed with rage, and he recoiled lifting his hand. "I cautioned you Kael."
Lyra stared in shock as Damon's fist flew toward Kael's chest ready to deliver a fatal strike.
"Stop!" Lyra yelled, but she couldn't prevent it.
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