Page 7

"Or because someone has awakened something that was meant to stay sleeping," the elderly councilman added, speaking for the first time. His voice carried an accent Lyra couldn't place, and when he looked at her, she felt like he was seeing far more than just her surface thoughts.

"Which brings us to the matter at hand," Ruth said, setting down her knitting and folding her hands in her lap. "Miss Whitaker, you've awakened a founder's rune and bound yourself to its purpose. That makes you, whether you like it or not, a guardian of this town's most important secret."

"And if I don't want to be a guardian?"

"Then you leave," Cade said bluntly. "Tonight. And you never come back."

Lyra reeled from the sudden statement like a physical blow. She'd been in Mistwhisper Falls for barely two days, but the thought of leaving already felt wrong in a way she couldn't explain. "And if I stay?"

"Then you accept the responsibilities that come with founder blood," Ruth said. "You learn to control your magic. You help maintain the seal. And you follow the protocols that keep this town safe."

"What protocols?"

Cade pulled another form from his folder and slid it across to her. "Standard magical disturbance warnings. No unauthorized spellwork above Category Two. No experimentation with unknown magical artifacts. No solo magical practice until you've been cleared by a qualified instructor."

Lyra read through the form, her temper rising with each restriction. "This is ridiculous. You're basically putting me under magical house arrest."

"We're keeping you from accidentally unleashing something that could destroy half the state," Sheriff Torres said reasonably. "There's a difference."

"Is there?" Lyra stood up, sparks danced across her fingertips in response to her emotional state. "Because it sounds to me like you're punishing me for something I didn't know I was doing."

"Sit down, Miss Whitaker," Ruth said, her voice carrying a command that made people obey without thinking.

Lyra remained standing. "No. I don't think I will. I've listened to your concerns, and I understand the seriousness of the situation. But I'm not signing away my autonomy because I had the audacity to inherit magic I didn't know I had."

Cade's eyes flashed gold. "You don't understand what you're dealing with."

"Then explain it to me like I'm an adult instead of treating me like a child who can't be trusted with sharp objects," Lyra shot back.

"I touched the rune. It's bound to me now.

That makes me part of this whether any of us likes it or not.

So maybe instead of trying to control me, you should be figuring out how to work with me. "

"Work with you?" Cade stood as well, and suddenly the room felt much smaller. "You've been in town for two days and you've already destabilized protections that have been in place for centuries. Why exactly should we trust you with anything more complicated than making coffee?"

"Because like it or not, Wolfman, you're stuck with me," Lyra said, her voice dropping to match his challenging tone.

"The rune chose me. Your precious seal needs me.

So you can either help me figure out how to do this right, or you can keep treating me like a problem that needs to be managed.

But I guarantee you won't like how that works out. "

They stood facing each other across the small chamber, magic and dominance crackling between them. Lyra's chaos magic was reacting instinctively to her heart, making the air shimmer with heat, while Cade's wolf was clearly fighting to surface.

"Enough," Ruth said sharply, and both of them stepped back as if they'd been slapped.

"This posturing is accomplishing nothing.

Miss Whitaker, you will sign the magical disturbance protocols.

Mr. Halloway, you will provide whatever assistance she requires to learn proper magical control.

And both of you will remember that your personal feelings are secondary to the safety of this community. "

Lyra and Cade glared at each other for another moment before Lyra grabbed the pen and signed the paperwork with more force than was strictly necessary. "Fine. But I'm not agreeing to be babysat indefinitely."

"The restrictions will be lifted once you've demonstrated adequate control," Ruth said calmly, returning to her knitting. "In the meantime, I suggest you focus on learning everything you can about your new responsibilities."

"And I suggest you focus on not burning down the inn," Cade muttered, gathering his paperwork.

"Oh, bite me," Lyra snapped.

Cade's eyes went pure gold for a moment, and his voice dropped to a growl. "Careful what you offer, Sunshine."

The temperature in the room spiked as their magic responded to the challenge, and Sheriff Torres cleared her throat loudly. "Perhaps we should adjourn this meeting before someone accidentally melts the furniture."

Lyra grabbed her copy of the signed protocols and headed for the door, pausing only to look back at Cade. "For the record, Alpha boy, telling me I can't do something is pretty much guaranteed to make me want to do it more."

"Good to know," Cade said, his tone deceptively mild. "I'll keep that in mind when I'm writing up your next violation report."

Lyra left the building before she could say something that would probably get her arrested for threatening a public official. But as she made her way slowly back to the inn, her mind was already spinning with plans.

If the council wanted to treat her like she couldn't be trusted with her own magic, fine. She'd show them exactly how much control she actually had. And if a certain grumpy wolf shifter thought he could intimidate her into compliance, he was about to learn just how stubborn a chaos witch could be.

By the time she reached the inn, Lyra had decided her first order of business would be setting up proper wards around the property. Not because the council had told her to be careful, but because she wanted to make sure certain unwanted visitors knew they weren't welcome without an invitation.

Especially unwanted visitors with golden eyes and an attitude problem.

"Let's see how you like being locked out, Wolfman," she muttered, pulling her supplies from the trunk of her car. "Time to find out just how effective chaos magic can be when it's properly motivated."