Page 50 of Lycan Prince's Secret Baby

Missing her and Lina, I wasn’t sleeping much. After a week of tossing and turning without a proper night’s sleep, I decided to seek Lyvia out. I desperately needed a sleeping potion. I’d recently ordered a whole bunch of palliks from the ShadowMoon Pack, which had just arrived in the last delivery. However, I had gifted it all to Leah and now regretted not holding any back for myself to help get some sleep. Still, I reminded myself that Leah said the herb brought good dreams, and given how I was feeling, I would likely end up dreaming about her anyway.

I found my way to the fourth floor, doing everything I could not to let my eyes snake down the hall to Leah’s door. As I knocked softly on Lyvia’s door, the witch soon opened it.

“Hey, Kyle,” she greeted me, her elegant black brows sweeping together as she took me in. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, fine, thanks,” I said, then quickly explained, “I hoped you might have something to help me sleep. I don’t feel like I’ve slept properly since the exhaustion after the ritual.”

Lyvia’s face softened sympathetically. “Sure, come in. I’ve got something that should do the trick. I’ve got tuttaa stones somewhere. Aha,” the witch said, pulling out some yellow crystals from a box. “They’re spelled with sleeping enchantments and should help you get some rest.”

I leaned by the door. Being here, where the ritual had taken place, reminded me of how much I missed Leah. Pain and pleasure seemed strangely tangled together as I remembered the excruciating pain racking my body, lighting me up as if a flame were tearing through each muscle, sinew, and bone, penetrating to my very marrow. But all of it was made alright as I knew Leah was shielded from that pain. My aura had wrapped around her and Lina both, and I could endure anything as long as they were both okay.

“Kyle?” Lyvia’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. I blinked, realizing she was standing right in front of me, holding a smallcollection of yellow stones. “Sorry, Lyvia,” I said, shaking off my distraction.

She frowned, concern playing over her face. “Have you spoken to Leah lately?”

I heaved a sigh. “She doesn’t want to see me. I’m trying to give her space,” I said.

Her frown deepened. “I don’t want to go behind Leah’s back. Her friendship means the world to me, and I care deeply about Lina,” she explained, her voice laced with earnestness.

I nodded, understanding her loyalty. The bond between Lyvia and Leah had been evident as soon as I’d arrived, cemented by all the care and magic she had poured into Lina’s treatment. But I frowned, wondering why she would bring up their relationship. Tension coiled in my gut as I waited for her to go on.

“During the ritual,” she continued, “I saw how much you care about both Lina and Leah. The way you used your aura to shield them both from the pain of that process. It was powerful. I know you love Leah, Kyle. But I don’t think it’s space you need to give her. It’s honesty.”

“I haven’t been dishonest with her,” I protested, a flicker of defensiveness creeping into my voice. “I’ve told her how much I want to be with her. Besides, didn’t you just say that my actions at the ritual showed how much I love her?”

“To me, it was clear,” she replied, her voice softening. “But—” She hesitated, taking a breath that weighed heavy with unspoken concern. “She’s planning to sever your mate bond. She’s been considering the ritual ever since escaping your pack. With her health affected by imprisonment, the pregnancy, and then Lina’sillness, she’s only now able to do it. If there’s anything you haven’t said to her, I urge you to do so soon—before it’s too late.”

A vice-like grip tightened around my heart. My lungs felt as if they’d had concrete poured into them. My pulse spiked. My wolf snarled and clawed at my insides in protest.

No. No.

Every repressed emotion I had buried over the past weeks surged to the surface like a tidal wave. This revelation from Lyvia crashed over me. Leah was planning to sever our bond. But it wasn’t gone yet. It wasn’t too late.

I wrenched open Lyvia’s door, thoughts of rest entirely shattered. My eyes traveled down the hallway, landing on Leah’s door. My steps quickened, purposeful and steady, fueled by urgency. Standing outside her and Lina’s room, my chest felt too full, a mix of yearning and dread roiling through me. It had been two days since I’d laid eyes on Leah. I knew I was unprepared for the sight of my mate. But no time would ever be enough. I knocked softly on her door.

Leah’s stormy blue eyes filled with surprise as she opened the door, but her face soon turned guarded. I felt the gravity of the moment squeeze my chest. There was so much unsaid between us. But today wasn’t about toppling Leah’s defenses. It was about dismantling mine. In that moment, every wall that I’d hidden behind—my justice to Igaluk, my duty to my pack, my role as liberator of the Blood Moon Pack—fell away. There was just me.

“Leah,” I breathed, the tremor in my voice betraying the urgency swallowing me whole. “I need to speak to you about us.”

The words tumbled from my lips, raw and resonating with an intensity as I spoke from my heart.

Astonishment painted her face, but her eyes filled with sorrow, pulling at the corners of her lips. “Kyle—”

“Please, let me finish.” I cut her off, a plea lacing my tone. “Leah, I love you. You’re strong, smart, and resilient, and I know you don’t need me. You’ve fought through so much, and I admire you for that. But I need you—you and Lina. If severing our bond is what you truly wish, then you should do it. Above all else, your happiness is my greatest concern. But if there’s even a chance that you could try to forgive me for how I’ve hurt you in the past, I can show you just how committed I am to being the mate you deserve.”

Her eyes held mine, shimmering as understanding flickered in their depths. For a moment, silence wrapped around us. It felt as though the world held its breath as I braced for a verdict that might cast into perpetual shadow.

Then, like sunlight breaking through the clouds, Leah’s lips tipped into a tentative smile. “Perhaps there’s a chance.”

Dazed, I could only stare, disbelief swallowing me.

“You can come in,” she whispered, her smile softening further as she opened the door wider. “But be quiet; Lina’s sleeping.”

My heart thundered as she let me back into the space she had created—a sanctuary forged through resilience and love for both her daughter and herself. As I took her in, my gaze caught on the robe draping her form, the delicate sprigs of lavender clashing strikingly with her red locks, and once again, her effortless beauty dazzled me.

But then, I froze, caught off guard to find Roman sitting casually at the window seat. The reality of what I had just declared to his wife washed over me, and I swallowed hard against the lump in my throat.

But no matter the challenge, those magical words that Leah had just uttered rang in my ears again: “Perhaps there’s a chance.” Complications with Roman be damned. I was willing to fight for this second chance. If Leah would give our bond a chance, I wouldn’t relent. It didn’t have to be now. It could be moons or years from now, but I was here for it.

---