The Villains Must Win-Chapter 167: Lyander Wolfhart 17

Behind all that iron and instinct, something raw pulsed inside Lyander. Not just suspicion or anger. Pain. Deep pain.

Whatever he was hiding behind those amber eyes wasn’t just trauma—it was armor. And someone had once made him believe he needed it to survive.

Liora sighed and looked down at her hands. She wanted to know what had happened to him—to strip back the walls he’d built and see what was really underneath. But there wasn’t time. Not yet.

She had a mission. One that couldn’t wait for wounded hearts to heal.

Rhett was coming.

And when he did, Henry might die.

She turned back to the pup, now watching her curiously, and forced a smile. "Come on. Let’s get you something to eat."

=== 🖤 ===

Lyander stalked into the pack house like a storm about to break, the door slamming behind him with a thud that shook the shelves. His boots echoed ominously through the hall as he made a beeline for the Alpha’s office, his mood a barely restrained explosion.

Inside, Henry sat hunched over his desk, buried in maps, reports, and scout messages. He looked up calmly, as if he had already sensed the tension coming long before the door opened.

"You let her out," Lyander said, his voice sharp and accusing. "Why?"

Henry didn’t flinch. "Because she’s not a prisoner."

Lyander leaned forward, hands braced on the desk. "She should be. We don’t know who or what she is. She could be working with the Silver Moon pack, for all we know."

"And yet," Henry said evenly, "she’s been here over a month. Has she harmed anyone? Betrayed us? Spied? Poisoned our water?"

"That’s not the point," Lyander snapped. "She’s unpredictable. She walks around this pack like she belongs, like she’s one of us. She doesn’t answer questions. Her memories are still ’missing.’ How convenient."

Henry stood, slow and steady, but his young eyes were hard. "What exactly are you afraid of, Lyander? That she might actually be good? Or that she’s starting to get under your skin?"

Lyander’s jaw tightened, his fists balling at his sides. "Don’t start with that."

"I’ve seen the way you look at her," Henry said, his voice quieter but firmer. "Suspicious. Wary. And yet, you’ve never outright tried to throw her out. You don’t want her gone—you want to understand her. But you don’t like the way she makes you feel."

Lyander barked a bitter laugh. "You’re a kid, Henry. Don’t pretend you understand how I work."

"I may be young," Henry said, "but I’m not blind. Maybe it’s because I’ve had to grow up faster than others. Maybe because after my parents died, I stopped being a boy and became Alpha. But I see things. I see the way you tense around her. I see the way your wolf reacts to her. You probably don’t realize it yourself but your eyes go all ember around her."

Lyander turned away, running a hand through his hair like he wanted to tear it out. "She’s dangerous."

"Maybe," Henry admitted. "But I’ve watched her. She helps in the kitchen. She watches the children during training. She even fixed the broken fencing near the east side. No one asked her to. She just did it. Maybe that doesn’t prove innocence, but it sure as hell doesn’t scream enemy either."

Lyander clenched his jaw, his gaze distant. "You’re gambling with this pack’s safety."

"I’m following my instincts," Henry said. "Just like you taught me to."

That made Lyander freeze. The boy’s words hit deeper than he wanted to admit.

"And maybe," Henry added, voice dipping lower, "you’re just scared. Scared that the last time you trusted someone, it nearly destroyed you. That if you let her in, the pain will come back. Or worse . . . that it would give you another pain the second time around."

Lyander spun on him, fury flaring in his eyes. "Don’t talk about her."

Henry didn’t back down. "I will if it means knocking sense into you. What happened to your mate—yes, it was cruel. Unfair. But you can’t let that destroy everything good that tries to come near you." freewёbnoνel.com

"Liora is not good!" Lyander barked. "She’s a mystery, a time bomb—"

"Or maybe she’s the answer to stopping Rhett."

That silenced Lyander.

Henry exhaled. "You’re not the only one carrying burdens, Lyander. You think this is easy for me? I promised my parents I’d protect this pack, and every day I feel like I’m walking a tightrope. I don’t know how to stop Rhett. I don’t have the strength. But she . . . Liora . . . maybe she can help us. Maybe that’s why the Moon sent her."

Lyander looked away, his chest heaving. "You think she’s some divine gift? She’s human! And we both know that she’s suspicious! Wake up Henry!"

"I think I need every ally I can get. And you need to stop pushing away everyone who tries to help."

Lyander didn’t reply. He turned, storming toward the door. "You’re too young to understand."

"And you’re too stubborn to see what’s right in front of you," Henry called after him.

The door slammed again, rattling the walls. Silence fell in the wake of his departure.

Henry sat down slowly, rubbing his temples. Sometimes, being Alpha wasn’t about age or strength. It was about holding the line when even the strongest among them lost their way.

And sometimes, he hated being wiser than someone twice his age.

Henry sat alone in his office, the silence pressing in like a thick fog. Papers were scattered across his desk, yet his eyes weren’t on them. His thoughts were stuck on one person—Lyander.

He was grateful, truly. Lyander had been a steadfast ally through these difficult times, always reliable when it came to protecting the pack from external threats. But that same strength, that same unwavering presence, was also his flaw. His stubbornness made him hard to reason with. And more than that, it made him isolated. Unapproachable.

Henry rubbed his temples, sighing. The warriors respected Lyander, but they also feared him. His cold demeanor, the way his gaze could silence an entire room—it kept others at arm’s length.