Midnight Howling Book 1

Chapter 26: James/Lyra

Alpha James POV

Alpha James stood in his office, his gaze wandering to the window where the trees swayed gently in the breeze. The weight of the last few days pressed on his shoulders—humans too close to the pack lands, heightened patrols, and Lyra's first shift rapidly approaching. But what weighed on him most was the conversation he was about to have.

Liam had mentioned earlier that Lyra needed to speak with him, and although it wasn't like her to hesitate or keep things hidden, something about this felt different. When she first came to the pack, fresh from the trauma of her attack, she had been a quiet, timid girl, unsure of herself and the world around her. She had struggled with the intensity of pack life, with her new identity. But now... now she was different. She had grown stronger, more sure of herself, facing every challenge with a determination that hadn't existed before.

A soft knock at the door pulled him from his thoughts.

"Come in," he called, straightening up.

The door opened, and Lyra stepped inside, her steps measured, her eyes steady as they met his. There was still something guarded in her expression, but it wasn't the hesitance he remembered from her early days. She wasn't the same shy, uncertain girl who had stumbled into this world. No, the woman who stood before him was someone who had grown into her strength, though the weight of something unsaid was clearly pulling at her now.

"Alpha James," she greeted him, her voice calm, though it held a note of something deeper—concern, perhaps. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I needed to talk to you about something."

James nodded, motioning for her to sit down. "Liam mentioned you wanted to speak with me. What's on your mind, Lyra?"

She moved to the chair, sitting down with a certain confidence that wasn't there in the beginning. Yet, even now, he could sense the unease in her, the way her fingers fidgeted ever so slightly in her lap, something she hadn't done in a long time. This was different. Whatever she had to say, it was weighing on her.

"I've been meaning to tell you this for a few days now," she began, her voice steady but quieter than usual. "But I wasn't sure if it was real or... if it was important."

James leaned forward slightly, watching her closely. "Go on."

She took a deep breath, meeting his gaze head-on. "The day I woke up in the pack hospital after I fainted... I had a vision. A white wolf with yellow eyes came to me in a field by the sacred lake. It spoke to me, told me I had a place here in the pack and that I'd be protected from danger. It felt so real, but I didn't know what it meant. I didn't want to worry you or anyone else if it was just... a dream."

James felt his body tense at her words, but he kept his expression calm. She had grown so much—become so much stronger than he had anticipated—but keeping this from him, even unintentionally, was dangerous.

"You should have told me," he said, his voice firm but not harsh. "Something like this isn't just a dream, Lyra. You've been part of this pack long enough to know that visions carry weight."

Lyra's eyes flickered with guilt, but there was no stuttering apology, no trembling fear like there once would have been. Instead, she lifted her chin, meeting his gaze with a sense of ownership over her actions. "I know. I'm sorry for not coming to you sooner. I got so focused on training, on preparing for my shift, that I didn't stop to think about how important it could be."

James let out a slow breath, running a hand through his hair. He wasn't angry, just frustrated that something this critical had been delayed. "It's not nothing."