Chapter 4 The Reason

LYRA POV

"Aira" I whispered, my breath shaking. That faint whisper from her still echoed in my mind.

Mate.

My heart is pounding faster. It felt like something cold was crawling under my skin.

"Grandmother" I shouted, stumbling out of bed.

My door burst open almost immediately. My grandmother entered with two other witches behind her, their robes glowing faintly with power. One look at my face and she rushed to my side.

"what happened, child?" She asked, voice tight.

“I… I heard Aira,” I said shakily. “She spoke to me. Just one word, ‘mate.’ And I dreamt about the curse. Something in the dream said only the marked one can stop it.”

The room fell silent. The silence fell so heavy it felt like the air thickened.

The two witches exchanged troubled glances before slipping out of the room to alert the council.

My grandmother stepped closer. “Come, my child.” She guided me to sit at the edge of the bed. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking.

“We have been searching for a way to awaken Aira,” she said quietly. “And we finally found a hint. The cause of her unconsciousness might also be her cure.”

I looked up, confused.

“What do you mean?”

She took a slow breath. “Aira’s silence is tied to emotional rupture. And the only way for her to awaken… is to face the very thing that broke her. Which means, Lyra, you must return to Kabir.”

My heart stopped.

I stared at her blankly.

Return to him?

To the man who rejected me?

“I won’t go back,” I whispered. “Never.”

My grandmother placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Destiny has begun to move, Lyra. The path you ran from has come to find you.”

My throat tightened painfully. “He hurt me. Because of him Aira is gone. I can’t shift.”

“That is exactly why you must go,” she said softly. “Your wolf will not wake until you face what shattered her. Running will only bury her deeper.”

I swallowed, tears burning behind my eyes. “How am I supposed to face them? Face him? After everything?”

“The same way you survived these past six months,” she said. “With strength you didn’t know you had. I didn't ask you to be with him. Just stay around him and use him to awaken your wolf”

Before I could protest, she added:

“And there is more. Your parents and the Lycan Kingdom sent a message. The curse has begun to spread. People are already showing signs of being marked by darkness.”

My breath hitched.

“They requested for you to return,” she continued. “The prophecy says you are the key to breaking the curse and preventing war.”

Something inside me shifted, not Air, but something close. Something tired of running away from trouble.

I closed my eyes. “Fine. I’ll go.”

Grandmother exhaled with relief. “You leave tomorrow. Your training has prepared you for what is coming. Trust your instincts. A small guard will escort you.”

“Just know,” I said quietly, “this doesn’t mean I forgive him. I’m doing this for Aira. And for innocent people suffering from the curse.”

She gave a small nod.

I left the courtyard before she could say more. My heart felt heavy. My wolf is still silent. My fate is already tightening around my throat.

That night as I packed, a strange warmth spread in my chest.

I sat up suddenly.

"Aria?" I whispered.

No answer.

But the warmth grew for one long heartbeat then faded.

I gripped the sheets, shaking.

Was that, was that her?

I swallowed hard, fear creeping up my spine.

If Aira was trying to wake up.

What was calling to her?

I pressed my hand to my racing heart.

And that was when I heard it.

A voice, soft but echoing like it traveled through the world. "He is breaking"

My head snapped up, breath frozen.

Kabir?

Or the empire?

I don't know.

But I knew one thing:

Tomorrow, everything will change.

And something was waiting for me.