The silence didn't last long.
But it lingered long enough to leave cracks.
Deep ones.
Lyra couldn't breathe.
Not properly.
The room felt too small, the air too heavy, the bond too loud. Every emotion—hers, theirs—pressed against her chest until it felt like she might shatter under the weight of it.
"I need… air," she whispered.
No one stopped her this time.
That was the first mistake.
---
The moment she stepped out of the room, she didn't slow down.
Didn't think.
Didn't look back.
She just walked.
Fast.
Then faster.
Until walking turned into running.
The corridors blurred around her, her heartbeat pounding in her ears as the bond pulsed wildly, reacting to her sudden distance. It tugged at her, pulling her back—but she pushed against it.
For once—
She needed silence.
She needed space.
She needed to feel like herself again.
Not someone's mate.
Not someone's source.
Just…
Lyra.
---
She didn't know how long she ran.
Or how far.
But eventually—
She stopped.
Breathless.
Alone.
She found herself in a quiet part of the fortress, far from the main halls. A small, open balcony overlooked a vast stretch of forest, the sky above painted in shades of deep orange and fading gold.
It was peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Lyra gripped the edge of the stone railing, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
"What am I doing…?" she whispered.
Running wouldn't fix anything.
She knew that.
But staying?
That felt worse.
Her thoughts spiraled.
Three Alphas.
One bond.
Power she didn't understand.
And feelings—
Feelings she definitely didn't understand.
Her chest tightened.
Because the truth was—
She felt something.
For all of them.
And that scared her more than anything else.
---
Back in the chamber—
Chaos.
"Where is she?"
Kyle's voice was sharp, edged with something dangerously close to panic.
Rowan cursed under his breath, already moving toward the door. "You let her walk out alone?"
"She needed space," Azriel replied—but even he didn't sound convinced.
Kyle turned on him instantly. "Not here. Not now."
The bond pulsed violently.
Empty.
Wrong.
"She's too far," Rowan said suddenly, his voice tightening. "I can barely feel her."
That was all it took.
Kyle moved first.
Fast.
"Find her," he ordered.
Not asked.
Ordered.
---
Lyra didn't hear them coming.
At first.
She was too lost in her thoughts, too focused on the storm inside her to notice anything else.
Until—
The bond snapped.
Hard.
Her breath hitched.
They were close.
All three of them.
She turned slightly—
Just as footsteps echoed behind her.
"Lyra."
Kyle.
His voice was tight.
Controlled.
But barely.
She didn't turn fully.
"I just needed a moment," she said softly.
"That's not a moment," Rowan snapped as he appeared beside Kyle. "That's disappearing."
Azriel stepped forward more slowly, his gaze searching her face.
"You shouldn't be alone," he said quietly.
Lyra let out a small, tired laugh.
"That's the problem," she murmured. "I'm never alone anymore."
Silence.
Heavy.
Honest.
Kyle stepped closer.
"Is that a bad thing?" he asked.
Lyra turned then.
Finally looking at them.
Really looking.
At the worry in Kyle's eyes.
The frustration in Rowan's.
The quiet concern in Azriel's.
And her chest tightened again.
"I don't know," she admitted.
Her voice cracked slightly.
"I don't even know who I am anymore."
That—
That hit them.
Hard.
Rowan looked away briefly, jaw tight.
Azriel's expression softened.
And Kyle—
Kyle stepped even closer.
Slow.
Careful.
"Then we figure it out," he said quietly.
"Together."
Lyra shook her head slightly.
"What if I don't want that?" she whispered.
The words hung in the air.
Painful.
Sharp.
Real.
Kyle stilled.
Rowan's eyes snapped back to her.
Azriel's gaze darkened slightly.
But none of them got angry.
None of them lashed out.
Because they heard what she wasn't saying.
'I'm scared.'
"I'm not asking you to choose," Azriel said softly.
"Not yet," Rowan added, his voice rougher than usual.
Kyle exhaled slowly.
"But don't shut us out either."
Lyra looked down at her hands.
The bond pulsed again.
Quieter this time.
Softer.
Not demanding.
Just… there.
"I just need time," she said.
Kyle nodded once.
Rowan didn't argue.
Azriel stepped back slightly, giving her space.
But none of them left.
They stayed.
Not crowding her.
Not pushing.
Just… there.
And for the first time—
Lyra realized something important.
Even when she ran—
They followed.
Not to control her.
Not to trap her.
But because…
They didn't want to lose her.
And maybe—
Just maybe—
She didn't want to lose them either.