MATED TO MY BROTHER'S ENEMY

THE SENT OF DESTINY.

Lyra POV

"Kael is here!" the guards shouted.

The arrow whizzed past my face, grazing my skin, before sinking into the wall behind me. I crashed to the ground, my back slamming into the stone as I pressed my trembling hands on my chest.

"Damn it," I muttered.

It's Kael. My brother. Even over the clash of steel below, I could still hear his vow: that he'd take back what was his, no matter who he had to kill. 

In the courtyard below, swords clashed and men screamed, their cries drowned by the ringing of steel. 

I moved toward the tower window and gripped the wall.

Kael lunged at the guard and drove his sword into the guard's chest. The guard fell, and blood spread all over the ground.

I felt a sharp pain as my stomach twisted. I swallowed the pain.

This is my fault.

My throat burned as I choked back the words, If only the council had chosen my brother. A wolf howled. 

Another group joined in. Kael's warriors had brought their hounds.

Should I run away? Or I should return to my room as the weak omega that I am and let the alphas kill themselves.

I couldn't move my leg as I watched people die because of a crown I never desired.

The wind changed, bringing a smell that made my wolf uneasy.

Something caught my breath.

"No!" I held the windowsill; my omega nose didn't lie. "This can't be happening,g," I whispered. But my body failed me. As heat rushes through my veins.

My heart pounded as I bit my lips to keep quiet. My mate is down there in the middle of the fight. Fighting my family, as the scent grew stronger and closer.

I looked across the courtyard, and I saw him, a drake shape moving between Kael's men like a shadow...

 His eye locked on me from a distance..."You," I whispered without meaning to.

His lips curved into the faintest of smiles, as though he heard me, though the clash of steel still rang in the air.

Oh, no, Marcus Thornfield, the winter wolf. My brother's worst enemy. His pack's blood is on Kael's hand. And now he's here, cutting down my guards like a shadow.

He looked up like he felt I was watching him. His nose twitched. He smelled me. 

The fighting ended.

For a second, everything stopped. 

We gazed at each other, enemies who somehow know each other.

An arrow hit his feet.

He turned as I saw him step forward from the tower window. As his alpha pushed him to break in and take what was in the same way, my omega screamed to go to him.

Then...

"Princess!" Captain Reynolds burst in, blood streaking his armor. He bowed his head, breathless.

"How bad is it?"

"Your brother has withdrawn, Your Highness. This is just a warning; the real fight will come tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," Marcus will be my enemy. This mate, fate has chosen for me, is about to destroy all I was born to protect.


"Princess!" Captain Reynolds drew closer with a concerned voice.

"You are injured? You look pale..."

"I'm fine," I interrupted, hugging myself, though my hands trembled.


"Just tired," I said, forcing a smile.

He studied me for a moment, then sighed. "Very well, your Highness. We'll double the guards at your door tonight."

"That is not necessary..."

"It is," he cut in sharply. His eyes darkened. "Your brother... He might come for you next."

His words hit me like a stone. "Come for me?"

Reynolds' jaw tightened. "Yes," your Highness. "If Kael can't take the throne overnight, he'll take you to control it. Don't underestimate him.

"I looked away. Of course," I murmured, forcing my hands to still.

Reynolds glanced back at the door. "If you need anything tonight...

"I'll call".

He hesitated, then bowed. "Try to rest.

The moment he left, I returned to the window once more. By the time I got to the window, the courtyard was empty; only the dead bodies remained. 

Everybody has withdrawn to plan for another attack.

He tempts me. I pressed my head on the wall as I closed my eyes.

In some stories, mates are perfect. What if fate were somehow funny? What if it gives you a lover you will never love without you losing all that you loved?

"Marcus Thornfield," I called his name in the dark. It looks like being saved and cursed at the same time.


Tomorrow I'd like to choose the right alpha to settle with. Someone strong enough to give me the power I needed to take the throne and stop Kael's madness.

The council already had a list of alphas, powerful alphas from important packs, who could help me. But none of them smell like Marcus. None of them will make my heart race by just looking at them. Or any of them, the man the moon goddess has chosen for me.

I turned away from the window, my jaw clenched, not just in resolve but in defense. As if I could change fat itself.

"I, Lyra of Raven Crest, the next queen... I whispered to the empty room, must to protect my people, no matter what it will cost me. I was even killed. Even if I spent the rest of my life asking myself what might have been."

The tower room grew colder as I stepped towards the door. Each step reminds me of the scent that comes from the courtyard.

And a thought came into my mind.

What if Marcus had felt it too? What if Marcus were pacing around his fortress right now, just as I am restless? What if fate knew exactly what it was doing?

This was reckless. It was treason.

As I left the tower room, moving towards my chamber, I couldn't forget the incident that happened that evening.

War is coming to Raven Crest.

Kael will stop at nothing until he takes what he thought was his. And somewhere out there, my mate is planning on how to destroy my family. 
But under all the fighting and hard decisions, one thing is sure.

I found him.

Against everything, my other half is out there. Nothing, no duty, no danger, would keep him from me now. But the biggest question is, what should I do?.

I don't know.

Immediately after I entered my room, I heard the guard taking their post outside my room. Then I realized one thing is certain. 

Tonight has changed everything.

There is no going back.

Three months ago.

 I walked towards the great hall; the heat was too strong, but I still felt cold inside me. 


 I sat nervously on the edge of the witness chair, squeezing my hands together until they turned pale. Those who gathered around me were the most powerful alphas and betas in the kingdom. Their faces were hard and unmoving like stone. 

High council Elena Moon whisper-walked to the middle of the hall. Her footsteps echoed.  She was nearly a hundred years old, yet every pack in the kingdom respected her. When she spoke, even the strongest alpha listened. 

"We are here today," her voice filled the room. "To judge the crown prince, Kael Ravenrest."

The defendant's chair felt hot as my brother sat on it. I didn't need to look at him to feel his anger; it pressed on me like heat from fire. 

After three months of searching, we were finally here. And we both knew this trial would destroy him.

"The charges," Elena said, "are hurting pack members on purpose, breaking pack law, and failing to act like a true alpha."

The council members muttered among themselves. Some had known Karl was evil, but even I didn't realize how bad it was. 

Councilor Aldrich Ironforge stood up from his seat. As the alpha of the mountain clans, he towered over everyone, his shadow across the room as he spoke.

"I call Marcus Thornfield, alpha of the Northern Peaks pack, to testify."

My breath caught.

"Marcus Thronfield." His name rolled through the air like a storm front, and before I realized it, my hands had gone cold against my skirts. 
Every hair on my arm stood to attention, and I couldn't look away from the doorway where he stood.

They called him Winter Wolf, a living legend among our people. A battle commander who'd never been defeated. His presence alone made other alphas bow their heads. He walked in like thunder. Every omega wanted to bow.

Elena said. "Tell us, what happened?"

Marcus spoke quietly, but anger hid in his words. 

"Two years ago, Prince Kael asked to meet." 

"He wanted to stop our pack. "I went as the old rules required, just me, my parents, and my younger sister for peace talks."

The room went silent. Even the fire seemed to stop moving. 

"The prince met us at the old temple on Moonfall Ridge." Marcus's face twisted with pain. 

"This wasn't a peace talk." "Prince Kael hurt my family for hours before killing them." "He said it was a warning to anyone who disobeyed the Raven Crest."

People gasped around me. 

As I covered my mouth in shock. I knew something bad had happened to the Thronfield, but Kael had lied to me. He told me it was just a failed border attack.

 "Kael made me watch." Marcus stared at me, his green eyes fierce. He said. "This is what happened to Alpha, who disobeyed him. Then he chained me with silver and left me to die as a lesson." 

"How did you survive?" Elena asked softly.
"My pack found me after three days." His voice dropped. My family was already gone."

 The silence felt heavy. 

I looked at Kael, who used to read me a fairy tale. Who also promised to protect me is now a monster.

 Kael stood, his face angry.

"The Northern Peaks pack has caused trouble for years." I only did what I had to do to keep peace. You hurt children," Marcus shouted, his anger breaking free. 

Many alphas had to hold him back as he tried to reach Kael.


"You killed innocent people during peace talks."

"I'm the crown prince," Kael yelled. "Only the moon goddess can judge me."

We'd all been avoiding the truth.

Kael's lips curled into a sneer as the council shouted around him. "I am the blood of kings," he spat, shoulders squared, daring anyone to contradict him. Not even the sharpest gazes of the alphas could pierce his arrogance.

Elena lifted her hand. "Bring in the final witness."

Then followed the testimony that made me want to break out of the prison and never return. Pack members were tormented for minor issues. Omegas are beaten for rejecting him. 


Betas who had gone missing because they refused to obey his evil orders. All along, Kael sat with the same evil smile, watching as if it were a comedy show instead of listening to the testimony of his evil atrocity.


Sarah was the last witness, a young omega from the Eastern territories. Tears shadowed in her eyes, and marks of beating that had already begun to heal encircled her wrists.


"Tell us what happened when you rejected 

Prince Kael." Elena asked gently. 

Sarah whispered, "He said omega lives to serve alpha and that I should be grateful he noticed me." "When I said I had a mate." He...she started crying. 

"Take your time," someone said.

"He killed my mate and made me watch it." Sarah cried hard. Then he said he would kill all the omegas in my pack if we refused to obey him."

The room exploded in anger. Alphas jumped up, shouting. Beta called for punishment; the omegas there wept.

Kael kept sitting; his evil smile never faded.

"Enough." 

Elena's sharp voice silenced the chaos.

 "Prince Kael, you are charged with breaking pack law, betraying sacred oaths, and acting in ways that make you unworthy to rule."

Kael stood slowly, standing over the crowd. For a second, I saw that he could become powerful, regal, and commanding.

"I am the rightful owner of the throne by blood and birthright." He said.

"Is that your answer?" Elena asked.

"Yes," Kael replies rudely. "These people have forgotten their place. A true king rules with strength, not soft words."

His voice turned colder. "When I am king, such weakness will be removed."

"Silence."

The atmosphere turned icy. Even his royals shifted uncomfortably. 

Elena gave a slow, grim nod. "So bit. The council will decide."

The next hour dragged on forever. I watched in silence as the world's most powerful leader determined my brother's fate without realizing it. Mine too.

If they declared Kael unworthy to rule... There was only one option left. And that is me. The council returned. Elena's face gave nothing away.

"After deliberation." She declared, "Crown Prince Kael is found guilty. By law, he is not worthy to rule us."

 Kael's roar shook the wall around us. "You have no right." "The throne belongs to me by blood."

"I am Alpha."

"You are a monster," Elena said, her voice quiet but unshaken. "And monsters do not get to rule good people."

Kael's composure shattered. "Then who?" He sneered. "There is no one else." "I am my father's only son." 

 Elena's eye turned to me, and suddenly, I felt the future press down on me, heavy as armor. 
"Princess Lyra Ravencrest," Elena's voice rang clear, "by bloodright and council law, you are now crowned heir to the Northern throne."

The hall went deathly still.

Me? An omega?

Every face mirrored the same disbelief. Some looked horrified; others were calculating. Never in many years has Omega ruled alone.

"No," Kael shouted, furious. "She is too weak to rule."

The room felt heavy. This changed everything.

"An omega cannot rule an alpha..."

 Elena's voice cut through the murmur. "A kind omega rules better than a cruel alpha."

Then she added the world that would chase for months. "But ancient law demands one thing: first, an omega queen must take an alpha mate before claiming the throne".

"Princess Lyra has one year to choose a mate. If she fails, the crown goes to another." My blood ran cold.

The next heir was my cousin, Roderick Blackfang; he is even more dangerous than Kael. 

Kael's laugh echoed through the hall, sharp and full of triumph. "One year to find an alpha who'll treat a pathetic omega as an equal." Kael laughed coldly. "When you fail, little sister, the throne returns to me."

He walked out; his royal guard followed behind like a wolf pack. But his cruel words stayed with me, even when he was gone. He wasn't wrong.

An alpha sharing power? Impossible. Alphas treated omegas as pets or breeding stock. The idea of one ruling as an equal. It wasn't just radical. It was dangerous. The council ended; I couldn't move.

I was a queen.

I'd spent my life as an invisible spare; now the Northern throne waited for me. If I could find an alpha willing to stand beside me, not over me.

Marcus Thronfield entered as the crowd cleared. He was even more imposing, a mountain of muscle and scars that told stories no bard could sing.

 "Your Highness." With respect, he bowed, deep and proper. "For what it's worth." 

Marcus said, "The council made the right choice. Your brother deserved more than banishment."

"Gracia," I whispered, my voice rough. Then softer. "I'm sorry about your family. What Kael did, there are no words." His breath caught. Surprise? That I'd remembered his loss?

"Princess," he said firmly, "his crimes are not yours to carry."

"But when you're queen," his voice turned to ice, "justice will come, one way or another."
With another bow, he left, letting the threat linger in the silence. 

"Justice?" What would that mean for Marcus? And what price would my kingdom pay?


Long after everyone had gone. I sat alone in the hollow hall, staring at the empty throne that would soon be mine, my throat tight, my chest heavy as if all the stone walls of the keep had settled on my shoulders. One step closer, and my knees nearly buckled.

Kael called me weak. 

The council doubted me. The kingdom would scorn an omega queen.

Good

Let them all learn what happens when an omega rises. I stood tall, smoothed my dress, and walked out with my head held high.

 I have one year to find a mate, claim my throne, and protect everything I love from my brother's madness.

The question was: Would a year be enough? I climbed to my chambers, unaware that the answer would arrive on the wind, sharp with pine and winter's bite. 

Three months later, on the battlefield far from here.

Fate had other plans for justice.

And for love.

The weight of the crown.

The crown sat on the soft red cushion like a snake ready to bite.

I looked at it through my glass. My face looked back at the shiny gold.

The touch light made the diamond shine, painting rainbows on the walls so pretty. So dangerous. Soon it would be Mine.

"Heavier than you would expect". Councilor Elena told me from behind.

Her steps echoed as she walked towards me. "Three pounds of gold, platinum, and dark magic".

"It feels heavier already". I said, pressing my hand on the cold glass.

"And I hadn't even worn it yet."

Elena's smile wasn't kind. "Your father said the same thing on his coronation day. She paused. "He said it got heavier every year."

I turned to face her.  "Did you bring me here just to warn me about the weight?"

"No". Elena's silver eye locked onto mine. "I called because tomorrow,  everyone in the kingdom will hear the news."

Princess Lyra Ravencrest, the new heir to the throne.

My heart sank. "Tomorrow."

"The Council voted." "Today, the news of your brother 's trial would spread very fast." "We must act fast before people panic."

Elena walked to another case. This one thing, holding old scrolls.

"But first, there are things you need to know about being a Queen".

She pulled out an ancient archment, its edges yellow and cracked. The wax seal looked new, though it was a hundred years old.

"What is it?" I asked.

"The oOmegaAccords", Elena said as she unrolled the old paper. "Written when Queen Astrid the wise ruled, the last omega queen".

"Last". I stepped closer, looking at the faded words. "What happened to her?" 

She ruled for 37 years. She stopped the pack war and made trade deals we still use." Elena pointed at the writing. "But she had an alpha husband. King Marcus the Bold."

My heart jumped. "Marcus?"

"Common name for northern alphas." Elena looked at me sharply. "Does that mean something to you?"

"No, I just... I ran my finger through my hair."

"Go on".

"The Accord says an omega ruler must bond with an alpha within one year of becoming an heir." "The alpha would be a king consort, he shared power but can't overrule the omega Queen", Elena explained as she unrolled the paper more.

"In theory". I asked

"In reality, they always took full control eventually. It's their nature". Elena's voice was very serious. "You must choose carefully".

Suddenly,  the vault door slammed open loudly. Captain Reynolds rushed in, his armor rattling. Sweat shone on his face despite the cold room.

"Forgive me", your Highness," He said, looking between me and Elena, "but there is a problem." "Prince Kael has escaped."

Elena dropped the parchment.

"Escaped? How?"

"He attacked the guards during the transfer." "Killed two." Reynolds clenched his jaw. "He's gone and took six royal followers with him."

My legs trembled. I grabbed the display case to steady myself. 

"How long is it"?

"Three  hours ago." Reynolds came closer. Your Highness," he's not just hiding." "Our trackers said he's going north, to the shadowlands."

"The Shadowlands?" Elena turned pale. "He wouldn't dare."

"What is in the shadowlands?" I asked, though part of me already feared the answer.

"Outlaws packs, Reynolds growled. Criminals, exiles, and alpha are banned from decent society. If Kael unites them..."

'He will have an army," Elena finishes. "An army with nothing left to lose."

I looked at the crown in its case, three pounds of gold, a burden I wasn't prepared to carry.

"Maybe three months before he became a real threat," Reynolds replied grimly. 

But your Highness, there's more. "The Northern packs are already spreading rumors." "Some packs are saying omega rulers can't keep them safe," Reynolds reported.

The Iron Forge sent a letter today. "The mountain clans are worried about having a new, untested Queen."

Reynolds' face showed what he thought of their worries. Three more packs agree with them. I sank into a chair, overwhelmed.

"They want me to step down."

"No." Elena corrected. "They want you to prove you are strong enough." "Quickly".

"How?" I asked angrily. By marrying some alpha? Or being as cruel as Keal.

"By acting like a true Queen," Elena said. "By making tough decisions."

The vault went quiet. Only the sound of dripping water broke the silence.

I looked at the shining crown. "Tell me more about Queen Astrid."

Elena smiled. "She was strong. Smart. Very stubborn. She told the Council that being omega made her fight harder."

"And her husband?"

"Completely royal." "He led her armies but always obeyed her." Elena's smile faded. "Finding someone like that now will be very... difficult."

Suddenly, a young messenger ran in, out of breath. Your Highness. "News from the east."

Reynolds read the scroll. His face darkened. 
"The Nightbreeze pack asks for protection." "They fear Kael will attack the omega who testifies against him."

"Sarah," I whispered, remembering her frightening face.

"Three more packs also seek protection," the messenger added.

I stood up filled with new strength. "Tell Nightbreeze, I'm coming myself."

"Your Highness." Elena protested. "It's too dangerous."

"I must go," I insisted. "They need to see that their future queen was not hiding in the castle."

Reynolds warned, "Kael is gathering outlaw packs."

"Then I would gather the royal ones first." I touch the crown's glass. "How many guards could come with me?"

"Fifty. Maybe Sixty if we leave the castle lightly guarded." Reynolds replied.

"Do it. We leave at dawn." I turned to Elena. "Call all the pack's leaders to meet at Moonfall Ridge in one month."

Elena looked shocked. "That's where Kael...Killed the Thronfield family."

" Yes." I met her eyes. It's time to take that place back from his darkness."

"After a moment," Elena nodded. "It's risky.... But it might work."

It has to work, I said, looking again at the crown. Tomorrow I will be named heir. That's the same tomorrow, I'd have a target on my back.

But tonight, I am still Lyra. And Lyra needs to help Sarah Nightbreeze, remember the crown hadn't forgotten her.

For the first time,  the crown's weight didn't scare me. I would bear it, no matter how heavy it was.

"One more thing." The messenger spoke again. "An unsigned letter came by raven."

He handed me a wrinkled note. The messy writing said: "The Winter Wolf remembers debt. Call for the North when needed."

My hands shook. Marcus Thronfield. Even now, he supports.

"Bad news?" Elena asked.

I tucked the note away.

 "No." Very good news.

Suddenly, the crown wasn't so heavy anymore.