The room was too quiet.
Not peaceful.
Not calm.
Just... heavy
Lyra stood near the far wall, her arms crossed tightly, her gaze fixed anywhere but the bed.
But no matter how hard she tried-Her eyes kept drifting back.
To him.
Kael lay still, unmoving, the usual sharpness in his presence completely gone. His breathing was
steady now, but faint. Too faint.
The royal healer moved around him, checking the mark, his expression tense.
"The curse has worsened," he said quietly.
Lyra's fingers tightened.
Because of the bond?" she asked
The healer hesitated.
"Partly," he admitted. "But more because of resistance."
Lyra frowned slightly.
"Resistance?"
The healer glanced at her briefly.
"The Alpha bloodline does not adapt easily to forced connections," he explained. "Especially not unnatural ones."
Unnatural.
Lyra looked down at her wrist.
The mark was faint now.
Quiet.
As if nothing had happened.
"...He'll wake up?" she asked.
"Yes," the healer replied. "But he needs stability."
A pause.
Then-
↓
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"Which means you need to stay close."
Lyra's expression hardened instantly.
"I won't."
The answer came without hesitation.
The healer sighed softly.
"This is not about what you want, Princess. If the bond destabilizes again, it could trigger another collapse"
Lyra didn't respond.
Didn't agree.
Didn't move.
Because part of her-
Still refused.
Hours passed.
The room remained quiet
Still.
Tense.
Lyra hadn't left.
Not because she wanted to stay.
But because something-
Something she couldn't explain-
Kept her there.
Watching.
Waiting.
The light outside dimmed slowly, turning the room darker.
And then-
A shift.
Small.
Subtle.
Kael's fingers twitched.
Lyra noticed immediately.
Her posture straightened slightly.
The healer stepped closer.
"Your Highness?" he called carefully.
Kael's brows furrowed faintly.
Then-
Slowly-
His eyes opened.
Golden.
Sharp.
Alive.
The room stilled.
Lyra didn't move.
Didn't speak
Didn't breathe.
For a brief second-
His gaze was unfocused.
Then it cleared.
And the first thing he did-
Was sit up.
Ignoring the pain.
Ignoring the healer's warning.
"I'm fine," he said coldly.
His voice-
Back to normal.
Controlled.
Distant.
The healer frowned. "You should rest-"
"I said I'm fine."
Final.
Unarguable.
The healer stepped back.
Reluctantly.
Kael swung his legs off the bed, standing up
without hesitation.
His movements were steady.
Too steady.
As if nothing had happened.
As if he hadn't just collapsed.
Lyra watched him.
Her brows furrowed slightly.
"You should be careful," she said.
The words slipped out before she could stop
then.
Silence.
Kael froze.
For a fraction of a second.
Then-
He continued moving.
As if he hadn't heard her.
Lyra's expression tightened.
No response.
Not even a glance..
The room grew colder.
"What?" she said, irritation rising. "You can't even answer now?"
Still-
Nothing.
Kael walked past her.
Close enough that she could feel his presence.
But not close enough to touch.
Not close enough to connect.
Not close enough for the bond to react.
And yet-
It didn't flare.
It didn't hurt.
Because something else had replaced it.
Distance.
Intentional.
Sharp.
Lyra turned to face him.
"...Are you ignoring me?"
Kael stopped.
Finally.
But he didn't turn.
Didn't look at her.
"Yes."
The answer was simple.
Cold.
Cutting.
Lyra blinked.
Caught off guard for just a second.
"...What?"
Kael's hand clenched slightly at his side.
But his voice remained steady.
"I have nothing to say to you."
Each word landed heavier than the last.
Lyra's jaw tightened.
"Oh, now you don't?" she snapped. "You were just ordering me around yesterday."
Kael finally turned.
But not fully.
Just enough to speak.
Not enough to meet her eyes.
"That was before."
Before.
Before what?
Before she refused him.
Before he collapsed.
Before something shifted.
Lyra took a step forward.
"For someone who claims not to care," she said,
"you're acting very dramatic."
Kael's gaze remained fixed ahead.
Not on her.
Never on her.
"You made your position clear," he said. "I'm respecting it."
The words were calm.
But colder than anything he had said before.
"You didn't want me near you."
A pause.
"So I won't be."
Lyra felt something tighten in her chest.
Annoyance.
That's all it was.
"...This isn't about that," she said.
Kael almost laughed.
But there was no humor in it.
"It's exactly about that."
Silence.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Then-
He walked again.
Past her.
Away from her.
Like she wasn't there.
Like she didn't matter.
Like the bond didn't matter.
Like nothing did.
Lyra stood still.
Her fingers slowly curling into her palm.
"...Fine," she muttered.
Her voice quieter now.
Colder.
"If that's how you want it."
Kael didn't respond.
Didn't stop.
That night-
They stayed in the same room.
But it felt different.
Before, there had been tension.
Now-
There was distance.
Sharp.
Deliberate.
Kael stood by the window again.
Lyra sat on the opposite side.
Neither spoke.
Neither moved closer.
And the mark-
Didn't react.
Not because it was gone.
But because something else had taken over.
Something colder.
More dangerous.
Silence.