A Gift for the Three Alpha's

Chapter Seven - Blood

Lyra made it back to her small room on shaking legs. Every muscle ached, and her mind felt scattered, unable to focus on anything except the shame of what had almost happened.

She opened the door and froze.

A girl was sitting on her bed, holding a wooden tray laden with food.

Bread, cheese, dried fruit, and a bowl of steaming soup. Lyra's stomach growled so loudly that the girl jumped.

Without thinking or asking questions, Lyra crossed the room and began eating. She shoved the bread into her mouth, her hands shaking with the force of her hunger.

The soup was warm and rich, and she drank it straight from the bowl, not bothering with a spoon.

The girl watched her with wide eyes.

"Slow down," she said, her voice quick and bright like a bird chirping. "You are going to make yourself sick. Actually, you might anyway, your body has probably forgotten what real food tastes like, has not it? I am Izzy, by the way. I am so sorry about missing you before, I did not even know you were here, can you believe that? I just found out this morning when Elena started yelling about you and then there was a dead guard in the restroom and everyone was talking about it, and I thought someone should bring you food because clearly no one else was doing it and –"

"Who sent you?" Lyra interrupted, her mouth still full of bread.

"Oh, Darius did," Izzy said matter-of-factly. "He went to the kitchen this morning and confronted the chef about turning you away. He was scary about it too, all cold and dangerous. The chef has not stopped shaking since. Darius said you were to be fed properly from now on, no exceptions."

Lyra's chest tightened. Darius had done that for her? Even after what had happened in his room?

Then she remembered. The way he had pinned her down. The way he had touched her without asking. The way he had only stopped because her body had betrayed her weakness.

She turned away from Izzy and continued eating, suddenly unable to look at anyone.

"What is wrong?" Izzy asked, tilting her head. She was a small girl, probably around Lyra's age, with dark curly hair and quick, curious eyes that seemed to notice everything. "You were fine a second ago."

"Nothing is wrong," Lyra said quietly. "I am just tired."

Izzy did not seem convinced, but she did not push. Instead, she began talking again, her words tumbling over each other in a constant stream.

"You know, I have been here for three years now, so I know pretty much everything about this place. The guards, the servants, the princes. I know who drinks too much wine at dinner and who sleeps with the stable hands. I know which kitchen maid is pregnant and hiding it because they will throw her out if they find out. I know that Kael has a scar on his left hip from when he was fourteen and got stabbed by a rival pack member, and Asher cries sometimes when he thinks no one is watching, and Darius has not smiled since his father died."

Lyra found herself listening despite her exhaustion. Izzy's constant chatter was strangely comforting, like a distraction from her own dark thoughts.

"How do you know so much?" Lyra asked.

"People talk around me because they think I am stupid," Izzy said without any bitterness. "But I am not stupid. I just like to listen and watch. It is useful that way."

Lyra decided in that moment that Izzy would be a valuable source of information. And despite her need to be alone, she found that she did not mind the company.

"Tell me about the physician," Lyra said carefully. "The one they mentioned."

Izzy's expression shifted. She suddenly looked nervous, which was the first time Lyra had seen any emotion other than cheerful curiosity on her face.

"Why do you ask?" Izzy said slowly.

"I am just... wondering what it will be like."

Izzy bit her lip. "It is not just a normal medical checkup," she said quietly. "They are going to draw your blood. They need to find out your ancestry, where you come from, what bloodline runs through your veins."

"Why does that matter?"

"Because royal blood is different," Izzy explained, her words coming faster now. "When they test it, it reacts differently. It ignites fire, you see? Commoner blood does not do that. It just stays normal. So they can tell if you have noble blood just by looking at how your blood reacts to their test."

Lyra's blood went cold. The Moonspire bloodline was ancient and powerful. Royal blood flowed through her veins. If they tested her, if they saw her blood ignite...

"What else?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper. "What else happens during this test?"

Izzy looked uncomfortable now. "You have to be... naked. They strip you down completely in front of guards and the Alphas so they can see all of you. It is very embarrassing. They make you stand there while they prick your finger and watch your blood. If it reacts, they know you are royal. If it does not, you are safe."

"Safe from what?"

"From being killed, I suppose," Izzy said matter-of-factly. "Royal bloodlines are dangerous. They are a threat to the Ironfang rule. So if they find out you have royal blood, they will not just keep you as a breeder anymore."

Lyra's mind was racing. She had to find a way to hide her bloodline. But how? How could she hide something that was literally written in her blood?

"How do you know all of this?" she asked Izzy. "About the test, about what happens?"

Izzy hesitated. She looked away, suddenly very interested in the pattern of the stone floor.

"Because I have seen it before," she said quietly. "You are not the first breeder they have brought here. There was another girl, about two years ago. She came as a peace offering from the eastern packs. She also went through the test."

Lyra felt her stomach twist.