“All the difference, Lyra. All the damn difference. Why?”
She didn’t look at him, but could hear the rage in his voice. “You had no right to know.”
“What, that he’s my child?”
“Keep your voice down!” she shushed. “Leave now. And don’t come back, don’t interfere with our lives…Next time, I won’t ask nicely. And I won’t ask alone.”
“Listen to yourself, Lyra! That boy is my son.”
“No, he is mine.”
Levi stayed silent, then he nodded. “Has he…found his abilities yet?”
“No. Not yet.”
He scoffed. “And what are you going to tell him? What do you tell him about his father? What will you tell him when he discovers he’s a dragon?”
“Well, I’m hoping that doesn’t happen. You know, sometimes only one side wins.”
“What are the chances that he’ll be a wolf?”
“I don’t know. I guess time will tell. Time always does.”
“Stop it with the subliminal shots already!” he yelled. “I get it, I left! You don’t have to throw it in my face every second. I’m here now, aren’t I?”
“And I keep asking you to leave!” Lyra lost her temper too.
The door creaked open, and she was glad for a moment that someone was coming to her rescue, but no, it was Adam.
Adam, who had initially been reserved about Levi, glared at him. Then in a moment as quick as lightning, Adam launched at Levi with superhuman speed and growled, his eyes turning bloodshot. His elbows bent and Lyra thought it was just her eyes, but his fingers grew into claws, cutting Levi on his shoulder. It was the first time she had seen anything like it—Adam was just seven years old.
It was the shock of the attack that took Levi out, the fact that he had not seen it coming from the seven-year-old.
Lyra came to his aid and helped Adam—who was just as confused as the rest of them—to his feet.
“Stay inside, Adam.”
Adam went back inside, looking at Levi strangely, like he had wanted to hurt him, but didn’t understand how it happened.
Levi was bleeding on his shoulder, though he seemed vaguely unaware of it. She watched the bleeding wound, wondering whether to shove her sentiments aside and tend to it or just stand there, watching him. She chose the latter. Even better if he bled to death.
“Seems we have a winner,” she said. Lyra had been scared that Adam’s werewolf genes would be recessive. Luckily, she’d been wrong.
“He’s still young. His werewolf capabilities may have been the first to surface, it doesn’t mean they’re dominant. What matters most is what happens now. The boy needs to be trained. I can train him.”
Lyra scoffed. “You must be dreaming if you think I’ll let you get anywhere near him.”
“It’s for his own good. If he doesn’t get the right training, who knows what could happen?”
“Yeah, who knows? Because all these years, he’s been doing perfectly fine without you.”
“But this is the first time his abilities have shown and it’s no coincidence that I’m here—doesn’t that tell you something?”
“Yes. My son is confused, wondering what happened to him, and I’ll have to explain things in a way his young brain can understand. None of which would have happened if you hadn’t come.”
“You’re not listening to me. Look, this could be great. I know you hate me and deservedly so, but, please…Adam deserves to be with the dragons. We're his family too.”
Lyra shook her head. “Yeah, of course. Of course you are.”