"Fae metabolism," Nico said cheerfully, as if that explained everything. "We run a bit cooler than most. Cade, looking particularly grim today. I take it you felt our new resident's magical debut?"
"Half the supernatural population within twenty miles felt it," Cade said, accepting one of the coffee cups with a nod of thanks. "What do you know about founder's runes?"
"Considerably more than either of you, I'd imagine." Nico settled into one of the kitchen chairs with feline grace. "Though I have to say, Lyra, your timing is impeccable. Most people manage at least a week in Mistwhisper Falls before they accidentally activate ancient magical artifacts."
"I'm an overachiever," Lyra said dryly, wrapping her hands around her coffee cup. The warmth seemed to ground her, and Cade noticed some of the chaotic energy around her settle. "So this founder's rune thing—it's important?"
"Important enough that it's been sleeping peacefully under your grandmother's inn for the better part of two centuries," Nico said. "The founders of Mistwhisper Falls weren't just ordinary settlers, you see. They were the three legendary entities of immense power of their time—a witch, a wolf, and a fae. They came here for a reason."
"What reason?" Lyra asked.
Nico's smile turned mysterious. "To bind something that needed binding. To seal something that needed sealing. Therunes they left behind are part of that binding—locks on a door that was meant to stay closed."
Cade felt his wolf tense at the implications. "And now one of those locks is cracked."
"Cracked, but not broken," Nico said quickly. "Though I suspect that's more due to Lyra's particular magical signature than any inherent stability in the binding itself."
"My magical signature?"
"Chaos magic with a founder bloodline twist," Nico explained. "Your grandmother Vera was descended from the original witch founder. That's why the rune responded to you—it recognized you as family."
Lyra sat back in her chair, looking stunned. "Vera never told me any of this."
"Vera was protecting you," Cade said, surprising himself by speaking up. "Knowledge like this... it comes with responsibilities. Obligations."
"What kind of obligations?" Lyra's voice had gone carefully neutral, but Cade could smell the wariness radiating off her.
"The kind that tie you to this place," Nico said gently. "The kind that make it very difficult to leave."
Lyra stood up abruptly, pacing to the window that overlooked the overgrown garden. "I just wanted to renovate an inn. Fix up the place, maybe turn it into a successful business. I didn't sign up for ancient magical responsibilities."
"None of us sign up for what we are," Cade said, his voice rougher than he intended. "But that doesn't change the reality."
She turned to face him, and something in her expression made his chest tighten. "And what reality is that?"
"That you're not just Vera's granddaughter anymore. You're a founder descendant who's awakened a rune that's been dormant for centuries. Whether you like it or not, you're part of this town's magical ecosystem now."
"And if I don't want to be?"
The question hung in the air like a challenge. Cade felt his wolf surge beneath his skin, responding to what it perceived as a threat to their mate's safety. The idea of her leaving, of walking away from Mistwhisper Falls and never coming back, sent a spike of something dangerously close to panic through his system.
His control, already strained from being in close proximity to her scent, began to slip.
"That's not really an option," he said, his voice dipped to a low rumble that made pack members step carefully around him.
Lyra's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"
"The rune is bound to you now. Leaving town would be..." Cade paused, trying to find a way to explain without sounding like he was threatening her. "Inadvisable."
"Inadvisable," Lyra repeated flatly. "As in dangerous, or as in you and your pack won't let me?"
Cade's wolf was pacing now, agitated by her obvious distress and his own inability to simply claim her and be done with it. The rational part of his mind knew he was handling this badly, but the scent of her magic and the pull of the mate bond was making it difficult to think clearly.
"As in the magical consequences could be severe," he managed. "For you and for the town."
"How convenient."
Nico cleared his throat delicately. "Perhaps we should table this discussion for now. Lyra's had quite enough revelations for one day, and Cade, you're looking a bit..." He paused, his pale eyes flicking to Cade's face. "Stressed."
