Encrypted soul

Chapter 3: Unwelcome

The woman stood perfectly still.

Yet somehow she seemed to occupy more space than everyone around her.

The courtyard had gone quiet again.

Not because Alpha Kael had appeared.

Because people were watching.

Waiting.

Interested.

Lyra hated being the center of attention.

Especially after being dragged back from a failed escape attempt.

The woman crossed her arms.

Her expensive bracelet caught the morning sunlight.

"You caused all this trouble just to be caught before breakfast?"

A few nearby warriors chuckled.

Lyra brushed dirt from her sleeve.

"You sound disappointed."

The woman's smile sharpened.

"I expected more."

Lyra looked her up and down.

The polished boots.

The elegant clothing.

The carefully styled hair.

Not a warrior.

Not a servant.

Someone important.

Or someone who thought she was.

"What exactly were you expecting?" Lyra asked.

The woman's eyes narrowed.

Before she could answer, Darius stepped between them.

"Enough."

The woman sighed dramatically.

"Captain, I was only introducing myself."

"You can do it later."

Something flashed across her face.

Annoyance.

She hid it quickly.

"I'll see you around, rogue."

Then she turned and walked away.

Several people immediately moved aside for her.

Lyra watched.

"Who was that?"

Darius looked tired already.

"Lady Selene."

The name meant nothing to Lyra.

"Should it impress me?"

One guard muttered, "You really don't know anything."

Darius shot him a warning look.

Then he gestured forward.

"Move."

Again with that word.

---

The rest of the morning was worse.

Far worse.

Lyra was escorted to a small office inside the administrative wing of the territory.

The room contained a desk.

Several chairs.

Stacks of paperwork.

Nothing threatening.

Yet somehow it felt more uncomfortable than chains.

A gray-haired man sat behind the desk.

He adjusted a pair of glasses as she entered.

"Sit."

"No."

The old man sighed.

Darius sighed.

One of the guards sighed.

Lyra folded her arms.

The old man rubbed his temples.

"Wonderful."

"Who are you?"

"Edwin."

"Just Edwin?"

"At my age, one name is enough."

Despite herself, Lyra almost smiled.

Almost.

Edwin opened a notebook.

"Where were you born?"

"No idea."

"Parents?"

"No idea."

"Pack?"

"None."

"Former pack?"

"None."

Edwin looked up.

"Everyone comes from somewhere."

Lyra's expression hardened.

The warmth vanished instantly.

"Not everyone."

Silence settled over the room.

Edwin studied her for several moments.

Then quietly wrote something down.

The questioning continued.

Most of it led nowhere.

Lyra genuinely didn't have many answers.

Her earliest memories consisted of running.

Hiding.

Surviving.

She knew forests better than people.

That was about it.

Two hours later Edwin finally closed the notebook.

"Interesting."

"I get that a lot."

"No," he replied. "You really don't."

For the first time, genuine curiosity appeared in his eyes.

That bothered Lyra more than hostility would have.

---

When she was finally released, a guard escorted her back toward her room.

Not because she needed guidance.

Because they didn't trust her.

The guard never left her side.

Not once.

At lunch she sat alone.

The dining hall buzzed with conversation.

Families gathered together.

Friends laughed.

Warriors exchanged stories.

Nobody invited her over.

Nobody even tried.

Whenever she approached a table, conversations stopped.

People looked away.

Or stared.

One woman grabbed her young son and pulled him closer when Lyra walked past.

The gesture hit harder than she expected.

She wasn't dangerous.

At least not to children.

Yet everyone had already decided what she was.

A rogue.

A threat.

A problem.

She carried her tray toward an empty corner.

Several minutes later someone dropped into the chair opposite her.

Lyra looked up.

The young maid from yesterday.

Mina.

The girl smiled nervously.

"Hi."

Lyra blinked.

"Hi."

Mina immediately looked relieved.

As though she'd expected to be bitten.

"You escaped."

"For six minutes."

"Still counts."

Lyra snorted unexpectedly.

Mina laughed.

Then quickly lowered her voice.

"You shouldn't try that again."

"I definitely should."

"You definitely shouldn't."

The conversation might have continued.

Except another voice interrupted.

"Why are you sitting here?"

Mina froze.

Lyra looked up.

Three young women stood beside the table.

Servants.

Their expressions were far from friendly.

One of them pointed toward Lyra.

"Everyone knows she's dangerous."

Mina shifted uncomfortably.

"She's eating."

"So?"

The tallest servant frowned.

"Lady Selene specifically warned us."

There it was again.

That name.

Selene.

The women left shortly afterward.

But Mina looked uneasy for the rest of lunch.

Eventually she stood.

"I should go."

Lyra nodded.

The maid hesitated.

Then quietly whispered—

"Not everyone believes the rumors."

Before hurrying away.

For the first time since arriving, Lyra found herself staring after someone.

Not because she distrusted them.

Because they had been kind.

The realization felt strange.

---

Later that afternoon, Alpha Kael finally heard about the escape attempt.

He stood in the training yard watching warriors spar.

Darius approached.

"You heard."

"I heard."

Kael's gaze remained fixed on the arena.

A young warrior landed flat on his back after a failed attack.

"Any injuries?"

"Two bruised guards."

The corner of Kael's mouth twitched.

"Only two?"

"One claims she bit him."

"Did she?"

"Yes."

Kael nodded thoughtfully.

The warrior in the arena climbed back to his feet.

Again.

And again.

Refusing to stay down.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

"Increase the northern patrols," Kael said.

Darius blinked.

"Because of the rogue?"

"Because something drove her into our territory."

That was the part nobody seemed interested in.

A lone rogue didn't cross heavily guarded borders without reason.

Something had happened.

Kael intended to find out what.

Even if Lyra refused to talk.

---

That evening, rain began to fall.

Soft at first.

Then harder.

Water drummed against the roof of Lyra's room.

Sleep refused to come.

She sat beside the window.

Watching.

Thinking.

Planning.

The territory looked different at night.

Less intimidating.

More vulnerable.

Every fortress had weaknesses.

Every prison had exits.

She simply hadn't found this one's yet.

A faint movement caught her attention.

Someone stood outside beneath the rain.

Watching her window.

Lyra stiffened.

The figure remained motionless.

Hidden beneath a dark cloak.

Then—

The person turned away.

And disappeared into the darkness.

A chill crawled down her spine.

Instinct.

Pure instinct.

The same feeling she'd learned to trust long ago.

Danger.

Real danger.

Not gossip.

Not suspicious guards.

Something worse.

Someone had been watching her.

And somehow she knew—

It wasn't by accident.