His voice dropped to a pitch so soft it could melt the mountain ice,laden with raw protectiveness.“I may not be the Alpha who formally raised you...But you are always welcome and safe within my territory,Lyra.”
His burning gaze,full of an inappropriate depth of feeling,made Lyra’s face turn an even deeper shade of scarlet.Meanwhile,Elara stood a few feet away,observing the scene like a useless human sentinel guarding a bond that didn't exist.
Finally,Ryder seemed to recall her presence.Releasing Lyra,he looked at Elara with a fleeting flicker of guilt.“Elara...You don’t mind,do you?Lyra is my pack-sister,after all.”
He had already prepared the placating words—the Alpha rituals to soothe a jealous Mate.
But she only offered him a faint,hollow smile and said,“I do not mind,Alpha.”
Those three words were light and airy,yet they felt like a jagged piece of bone stabbing into her own heart.