Lyra's POV
The entire clearing seemed to hold its breath. No one moved, no one spoke. The elder's words still echoed through the air. "The heir of the Shadowfang Pack…" Everyone already knew who that meant.
Kael.
A ripple of excitement spread through the crowd, whispers rising and falling around us like restless waves. Kiera leaned closer to me, her eyes wide with anticipation. "Oh my goddess," she whispered. "It's actually happening."
I forced myself to breathe normally, even though something inside my chest felt dangerously tight. Of course it was Kael. Shadowfang Pack was the strongest in the region. Their heir was the obvious choice. It made perfect sense.
Logically.
Politically.
Strategically.
Everything about it made sense. Except for the strange tension twisting deep inside me. Across the clearing, Kael had stepped forward slightly, standing closer to the elders now. His expression was serious, his jaw set tight. He looked like someone who had just been pushed into a situation he hadn't agreed to.
Which, honestly, was probably true. The elders rarely warned heirs before announcements like this. I shifted my weight, trying to shake off the unease crawling beneath my skin. This had nothing to do with me. Nothing.
The elder's voice rose again, steady and deliberate. "…Kael Draven." The crowd erupted instantly.
Cheers.
Gasps.
Excited murmurs.
Kiera grabbed my arm. "I knew it!" she whispered excitedly. "Everyone knew it would be him!" I nodded faintly, though my attention had already drifted back toward the clearing. Kael didn't react to the cheers. If anything, he looked even more tense. His shoulders were rigid. His eyes weren't on the elders anymore. They were searching the crowd. Then suddenly…. They found me.
Again.
My stomach dropped. For a split second, everything around us seemed to fade. The noise, the people, the celebration. All of it disappeared into the background. There were hundreds of wolves gathered here.
Hundreds.
Yet somehow his attention locked onto mine as if nothing else existed. My wolf stirred uneasily. He knows. The thought surfaced without warning. I didn't even understand what it meant. But something in Kael's expression had changed. It wasn't confusion anymore. It was realization. As if a piece of a puzzle had suddenly fallen into place.
Kiera was still talking beside me. "…I wonder who the other heir will be. Maybe someone from Silverfang? Or Stormridge?" Her voice faded into the distance as my focus remained fixed on Kael. He looked… Alarmed. His brow furrowed deeply. His gaze flickered briefly toward the elders again. Then back to me. And suddenly… He took another step forward.
The movement caught the attention of several people nearby. Even the elder paused slightly, noticing the shift. Kael's wolf was close to the surface now. I could feel it. Even from across the clearing. The tension between us tightened like an invisible thread pulled too far. My wolf reacted instantly, restless beneath my skin.
Don't.
The word echoed faintly in my mind. But I didn't know who it was meant for.
Him.
Or me.
The elder raised his hand again, signaling for silence. The cheering slowly faded. The clearing grew quiet once more. "And now," the elder continued, his voice carrying across the festival grounds, "the second heir chosen to complete this alliance." The crowd leaned forward collectively.
Anticipation filled the air like electricity before a storm. My heart began to pound.
Beside me, Kiera squeezed my arm tightly. "This is the best festival announcement ever," she whispered excitedly. I barely heard her. Because Kael was still staring at me. Not just staring. Watching. Like he was waiting for something. Or bracing himself for it.
The elder unfolded the parchment in his hands. His voice rang out clearly across the clearing. "The daughter of Mooncrest Pack…" My breath caught. Mooncrest.
My pack.
Kiera gasped beside me. "Oh my goddess." But the elder hadn't said the name yet. The entire clearing had fallen completely silent. My wolf had stopped moving entirely. As if it already knew. As if it had always known. And across the clearing… Kael's expression darkened. Because he knew too.
The elder lifted his head. And spoke the name. "Lyra Valen." My world stopped. The ground beneath my feet felt unsteady. The noise of the crowd returned all at once; gasps, whispers, shock… but it sounded distant, muffled, unreal.
Because across the clearing… Kael wasn't surprised anymore. He looked certain. Like this was exactly what he had just realized. And somehow… That terrified me more than the announcement itself.