Chapter 5 DEEP DOWN, HE'S NOT A BAD PERSON

"Ma'am, I beg you, I urgently need the job," Lyra pleaded with the owner of a restaurant in the city center. The woman looked her up and down while counting some bills, instantly noticing her striking beauty.

"Look, girl," she said without raising her voice much. "During the day I can't pay you much, but if you work at night, I can offer you a little more. Plus, you'll get tips. If that schedule suits you, the job is yours."

For Lyra, it was as if a light had been lit in the darkness. Without looking for it, she had found the perfect option: she would earn more money and be able to take care of Kael during the day.

"Of course! When can I start?"

"Tomorrow. Be punctual and come well-dressed."

"Thank you, ma'am!" Lyra exclaimed with a wide smile as she left the restaurant. She walked enthusiastically back home when something caught her attention-a store with items for blind people. Without a second thought, she went in and bought a cane for Kael.

She sighed deeply, with the firm hope that everything was starting to fall into place. With a lighter heart, she arrived home, but upon entering, she found him just as always: Kael remained motionless, immersed in his silent world.

"Hello... how are you feeling?" she asked softly, approaching to hand him the cane.

"What do you care how I am? What's that?" Kael snapped with disdain as he felt the wood brush his fingers.

"It's a cane," Lyra replied patiently. "I bought it thinking it might help you while you're at home."

Kael grabbed it violently and threw it to the floor.

"A cane? Are you crazy, omega! I don't need any damn cane," he bellowed, and as he got up from the seat, he tripped over the leg of the table. A cry escaped his throat.

"Shit!"

Lyra barely managed a small, amused smile and bit her lips, trying not to burst out laughing.

"If you say you don't need it, that's fine," she said lightly. "I'll go to the kitchen to prepare something to eat. Anything you need, just call me."

Without giving it more importance, she got up and left him there, grumpy. Kael, as if annoyed by having to agree with her on anything, began to grope his way around the house, determined to find the TV remote control on his own.

"Damn it!" he growled again, tripping over a poorly closed drawer. Filled with fury, he raised his voice. "Lyra! Lyra! Where the hell is the remote?"

She came out of the kitchen without the slightest sign of annoyance; on the contrary, she loved serving him. She calmly approached the table next to the bed and took the remote control, gently placing it in his hand.

"Here's the remote. But... why do you want it, if you can't see?" Lyra lowered her voice at the end, almost a whisper.

Kael snorted furiously and snatched the device from her hands.

"To hear anything but your voice," he snapped, before turning and fumbling for a place to sit.

Lyra felt a pang in her chest, a slight pain. But what did it matter? He was there, with her, and that was all that truly mattered.

"Lyra!" Kael growled again from the hallway, as he tried to reach the bathroom. A dull thud echoed through the house, and Lyra ran in alarm.

"Kael! Are you okay?" she asked upon arriving, her heart in her throat. In front of her, a table lay broken in two.

"I'm fine, but damn it! Why did you arrange the furniture like this? You're doing it so I fall, aren't you?"

"No, Kael, of course not," she said firmly, though her voice remained sweet. "And please, don't break anything else. We don't have money to replace the furniture, remember this isn't our house. Come, let me help you."

She gently took his arm, guiding him first to the bathroom and then, with infinite patience, back to the room. But the worst wasn't over: Kael seemed determined to make her life impossible that day. He spent the day shouting orders at her, demanding her attention for the slightest thing, as if he wanted to take out his anger on her for his blindness, for his frustration... for everything.

Although Lyra was exhausted, she did it with pure pleasure. Attending to Kael was, for her, an act of love, an intimate pleasure. However, the peace of the neighborhood did not share that feeling. The Alpha's shouts, his authoritarian tone, and his outbursts of fury began to attract too much attention.

The woman who had rented them the apartment lived only one floor away, and that afternoon, fed up with the rumors and complaints from the other tenants, she decided to go directly to confront them.

The door knocked twice. Lyra quickly opened it and found the landlady, who gave her a bitter smile.

"Hello, dear... are you alright?" she asked with a scrutinizing gaze that swept over Lyra from head to toe.

"Yes, ma'am. What's wrong? I've already paid the rent, why have you come?"

"Everyone in the building has heard how that man shouts at you," she said in a low voice, taking a step towards her so that the conversation remained between the two of them. "It's worrying, girl."

"Who?" Lyra frowned, genuinely puzzled.

"That man, your husband. Oh, child... don't let him keep mistreating you. You can leave, get away from him. He's blind and too grumpy. You're too pretty, too young, to be putting up with that. Tell me the truth... does he hit you? I heard something last night." The woman's voice cracked slightly, and her face paled as she remembered the commotion.

Lyra's lips parted in surprise. The landlady's words caught her completely off guard, and she shook her head, trying to gather her thoughts.

"Ma'am... I think you're mistaken," she replied in a low voice.

But before she could say anything else, Kael appeared at the door, leaning awkwardly against the walls, guided only by his keen wolf hearing, which hadn't missed a single word of the exchange. Those insinuations, the assumption that the omega was his wife or partner, only fueled his fury. The mere fact of being associated with her in that way irritated him deeply.

The landlady took a step back; seeing him, she felt fear run down her spine, and it was no wonder, Kael's presence was imposing.

"My miserable existence... I owe it to this woman," Kael spat with a sneer of contempt. "Who, without being asked, decided to save me. Otherwise, I would already be dead. And at peace."

Lyra couldn't help but smile a little, amused and resigned. In his own way, Kael was thanking her. Or something similar.

The landlady paled at his expression, yet she tried to maintain her composure.

"Sir, I... I've only come because I've received complaints in the building. You are new here, and as the manager, I must ensure the harmony of the place," she said, striving to sound firm, though her hands betrayed her nervousness. Kael instantly perceived it.

His sense of smell didn't lie. It was fear! He doubted it was because of him... but perhaps it was. And that, for some reason, gave him a dark satisfaction.

"You mind your own business!" Kael roared forcefully, his voice vibrating with brutal aggression. His blind pupils dilated and his body began to tremble dangerously. He was about to transform into his wolf form, until the landlady, seized with terror, gasped and covered her face, paralyzed with dread.

"Kael!" Lyra approached him without thinking, wrapping her arms around him, pressing her forehead against his while tenderly stroking his hair. "Kael, please..."

Slowly, the tension in his body dissipated. It was as if Lyra's touch calmed him, as if her gentle energy could extinguish the fire roaring within him. His breathing slowed, his posture relaxed... but then, as if he felt exposed, he roughly pushed her away with coldness.

"Leave me!" he growled through clenched teeth.

Lyra stumbled and almost hit the floor. The landlady reacted instantly, holding her with both arms.

"Girl!" she exclaimed, holding her. Lyra straightened up with dignity, gently releasing herself.

"I'm fine, really... come on, I'll walk you to the door."

The young woman took the woman's arm, and together they walked towards the hallway. Despite everything, Lyra felt a little ashamed with the woman; she understood her deep down, understanding what was happening wasn't easy.

When they reached the stairs, the landlady stopped and, with a sigh, spoke to her honestly.

"Look, Lyra... it's clear you're a good woman, but if this continues, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I can't allow violence, shouting, or terrified neighbors in the building. And with all due respect... you seem to be letting him treat you that way."

Lyra pressed her lips together, took a deep breath, and gently took the landlady's hand. Her large, transparent eyes fixed on the woman's as she spoke.

"I swear it's not what it seems. Kael isn't violent with me; he's just... broken. Hurt, he can't see, he doesn't trust anyone, and he's barely learning to live again. He doesn't hit me, he doesn't abuse me... he shouts, yes, but he's never harmed me. Please, I just need a little more time. I'm begging you."

Memories of Kael's pain flooded her mind, of every night she heard him murmur in his sleep, of the shouts he couldn't contain, of the invisible scars that ran through his soul. She sighed with a heavy heart and lowered her gaze slightly before continuing.

"Kael is a very important person to me... he's the only thing I have in life. He's like that... rude, cruel... for many reasons that, unfortunately, I can't tell you. But I assure you that, deep down, he's a good person."

The woman observed her in silence, frowning, processing every word. Finally, she let go of her hand, not with contempt, but with resignation.

"I hope so... I hope so, Lyra. Because if not, if things stay the same, you'll have to leave. I can't allow this to affect the peace of others."