The Lycan King's Outcast Omega (by Cara Anderson) novel Chapter 211

Alexander felt a physical pain unlike anything he had ever known before. The silver thread of the mate bond between him and Lyra stretched taut with every step he took away from her, a relentless force pulling him back, whispering that what destiny had bound together could not be undone. His head throbbed fiercely, and the conflicting forces within him—his healing nature and his Alpha instincts—whirled in chaotic unrest, more turbulent than ever.

“Alex?” Dominic’s voice cut through the storm raging in his mind. “You’re moving too fast. You’re practically running.”

It struck Alexander suddenly that he had been pushing through the thick forest at a punishing speed, as if by putting distance between himself and Lyra, he could somehow weaken the invisible bond tightening around his heart. He halted abruptly, one hand pressed firmly against the rough bark of a towering tree, struggling to steady his ragged breath.

“A true mate,” he murmured, disbelief coloring his tone. “Now, of all times.”

Dominic stayed silent, his face etched with concern. He had witnessed the spark between Alexander and Lyra, but he couldn’t feel the deep certainty that clashed violently with Alexander’s sense of duty.

“It’s getting worse, isn’t it?” Dominic asked quietly. “The pain of separation.”

Alexander nodded, unable to deny the truth. “They say the first time true mates are apart is the hardest… but this…” He pressed his palm against his chest, where the ache felt like a wound carved deep into his soul. “How did Father endure it when Mother was taken from him?”

“He nearly didn’t,” Dominic reminded him softly. “He almost died trying to reach her. That’s what the stories say.”

The memory did nothing to soothe Alexander’s turmoil. His parents had defied all odds—a king and a healer, breaking tradition and overcoming generations of prejudice to claim their bond. Their union had fulfilled the first part of the prophecy, and from it, Alexander had been born.

Now, he stood at a similar crossroads, burdened not only by the weight of the throne but by the full prophecy hanging over his head.

“We should head back,” he said, forcing his legs to move toward their horses. “The Gala goes on tonight, and Selene will expect an explanation for my absence.”

“Alex,” Dominic’s voice stopped him once more. “We need to talk about what just happened.”

Turning to face his oldest friend, his Beta, the one person besides his sister who had always seen beyond the crown to the man beneath, Alexander asked, “What is there to say? Fate has a cruel sense of timing.”

“You’re seriously thinking about rejecting your true mate,” Dominic said, disbelief thick in his voice. “For a political alliance with Princess Selene.”

“For the prophecy,” Alexander corrected him firmly. “For the good of the kingdom.” Even to his own ears, the words sounded hollow.

“The same prophecy brought forward by those who seem to be hunting healers?” Dominic challenged. “Doesn’t the timing strike you as suspicious? They arrive with new prophecy texts just as strangers in Northern colors begin tracking healing enclaves.”

They reached their horses and mounted in silence, each man lost in his own thoughts. The ride back to the palace passed in a blur as Alexander wrestled with the growing ache of separation from Lyra, trying to piece together everything they had uncovered.

By the time they slipped in through a side entrance usually reserved for servants, dusk was settling over the royal grounds. The second night of the Choosing Gala would begin in less than two hours, and Alexander was expected to appear—to dance with Selene and the other potential matches, to continue the charade of choice when fate had already made its decision.

“What will you say to Selene?” Dominic asked quietly as they neared Alexander’s chambers.

“Nothing about Lyra,” Alexander replied firmly. “I’ll explain my absence as a necessary diplomatic matter, nothing more.”

“And tomorrow night? You promised to meet Lyra again.”

“I’ll keep that promise,” Alexander said, though the thought of seeing her again—feeling the bond deepen only to deny it once more—sent a sharp pang through him. “We need information, and she’s our best link to the healing communities.”

Dominic gave him a long, searching look. “Is that the only reason you’ll go?”

Alexander didn’t answer, unwilling to admit the truth—that any excuse to see her again would be enough, regardless of duty or prophecy.