The Wolf They Buried Alive

Lyra "Get up, you worthless piece of trash!" The bucket of ice water crashed over me before I could move. I gasped, jerking upright on the cold basement floor, my teeth already chattering. Beta Jace stood over me with an empty bucket, his brown eyes filled with disgust. "Alpha wants you upstairs. Now." He kicked my ribs for good measure. "The Crimson Pack Alpha arrives in an hour, and this place better be spotless." I scrambled to my feet, keeping my eyes down. "Yes, Beta." "And Lyra?" His hand shot out, gripping my chin hard enough to bruise. "If you embarrass us in front of Alpha Draven, I'll personally make sure you never see daylight again." My heart hammered as he shoved me toward the stairs. The Crimson Pack. Everyone knew about them—the most powerful pack in the territory, led by Alpha Kael Draven. Rumors said he'd killed his own father to take control at eighteen. That he could tear a wolf apart with his bare hands. That no one who challenged him lived to tell about it. Why would someone like him come here? I rushed through my morning routine—if you could call splashing cold water on my face and pulling my matted hair into a bun a routine. My reflection in the cracked mirror showed what I'd become: hollow cheeks, dull gray eyes, skin stretched too thin over bones. Three years since my eighteenth birthday. Three years since my mate rejected me. Three years of hell. "Lyra!" My sister Freya's voice echoed through the house. "Where's my breakfast?" I hurried to the kitchen, preparing her favorite—eggs, bacon, fresh fruit. Everything I wasn't allowed to touch. My stomach cramped with hunger, but I'd learned to ignore it. Freya strutted in wearing a silk dress that cost more than I'd ever see. She looked like our mother—beautiful, with long silver hair and curves in all the right places. Nothing like me. "You look like death," she said, wrinkling her nose. "Thank the Moon Goddess Alpha Draven won't even notice you exist." "The office still needs cleaning," I whispered. "Then why are you standing here?" She threw her plate at me. It shattered against my shoulder, eggs sliding down my worn shirt. "Clean yourself up first. You're disgusting." I bit my tongue until I tasted blood. One day, I promised myself. One day I'd make them all pay. The office was already pristine—I'd cleaned it last night—but I wiped every surface again anyway. That's when I felt it. A presence that made every hair on my body stand up. Power rolled through the room like thunder. "You missed a spot." I spun around, my heart stopping. A man sat in the corner chair, one foot propped on his knee. He was... devastating. Dark hair fell across his forehead, and his eyes—Moon Goddess, his eyes were pure gold, with red rings around the iris. Power radiated from him in waves that made my knees weak. This had to be Alpha Draven. "I-I'm sorry, Alpha. I didn't know you were here." "Clearly." His voice was deep, smooth like whiskey and twice as dangerous. "Come here." My legs moved without my permission. The closer I got, the more my body reacted. Heat pooled low in my belly. My skin felt too tight. What was wrong with me? "What's your name?" He studied me like I was a puzzle. "Lyra, Alpha." "Lyra." The way he said my name made me shiver. "Tell me, Lyra, why do you smell like fear and blood?" "I... I fell this morning." His eyes narrowed. In one fluid movement, he stood, towering over me. Six and a half feet of pure predator. His hand reached out, fingers ghosting over a bruise on my arm I'd forgotten to cover. "Liar." The word was soft, but it held a threat. "I don't like liars." The door burst open. Alpha Magnus—my Alpha—stormed in with Jace right behind him. "Alpha Draven! I see you've met our omega." Magnus's voice held false warmth. "Lyra, get out." "Stay." Kael's command froze everyone. His eyes never left mine. "She'll sit in on our meeting." "That's not—" Magnus started. "Are you questioning me?" Kael's voice dropped to a growl that made the windows rattle. "Of course not." Magnus's face went pale. "Lyra, sit." I didn't know where to sit. There were only three chairs, and I'd never been allowed on furniture. Kael solved the problem by pulling me down next to him on the small couch. His thigh pressed against mine, and that strange heat intensified. "Let's discuss the treaty," Magnus said, shooting me a look that promised pain later. "Actually," Kael said, his fingers drumming on his knee, "let's discuss why your omega has marks from silver chains on her wrists." The room went silent. My blood turned to ice. How could he see them? I'd hidden them under long sleeves. "She's disobedient," Jace said quickly. "Requires discipline." "Is that so?" Kael's hand moved to my wrist, pushing up the sleeve. The burn marks were obvious—layers upon layers of scarring. "And what did she do to earn this... discipline?" "She killed someone," Magnus said flatly. "Her own mate. On their mating ceremony night." The words hit me like a physical blow. No. That wasn't what happened. But I couldn't speak. If I contradicted an Alpha, the punishment would be worse than death. "Interesting." Kael's thumb traced one of the scars, and I had to bite back a gasp. "Tell me, Lyra, is that true?" I opened my mouth, then closed it. Magnus was staring at me, his message clear: tell the truth and suffer. "Yes," I whispered. "Now who's the liar?" Kael's voice held dark amusement. His hand moved to my chin, forcing me to look at him. Those impossible eyes seemed to see straight through me. "The girl who killed her mate wouldn't cower. She wouldn't submit so easily. And she certainly wouldn't smell of innocence." "Are you calling me a liar?" Magnus stood, rage radiating from him. "Yes." Kael stood too, still holding my chin. "But more importantly, I'm taking her." "What?" Magnus and I said at the same time. "Consider her part of our treaty. I need a new..." he paused, his eyes flickering with something I couldn't read, "servant. She'll do nicely." "She's not for sale!" Magnus snarled. "Everything's for sale." Kael pulled out a check, writing a number that made Magnus's eyes widen. "That should cover any inconvenience." "You can't just—" "Actually, I can." Kael's voice went deadly quiet. "Unless you'd prefer I dig deeper into what really happened to her mate? I have a feeling that's a story you don't want told." Magnus went white. "Take her. But if she causes you trouble—" "She won't." Kael pulled me to my feet. "Get your things." "I don't have any things," I whispered. His jaw clenched. "Then we leave now." "Wait!" Freya ran in, her eyes wild. "You can't take her! She's—" She cut herself off, glancing at Magnus. "She's what?" Kael asked softly. "Nothing. She's nothing." But I saw the fear in Freya's eyes. She knew something. Something about that night three years ago. Kael's hand pressed against my lower back, guiding me toward the door. "Let's go, little wolf." "I'm not—" I started to say I wasn't a wolf anymore, that my wolf had been bound as punishment, but Magnus cut me off. "Alpha Draven, there's something you should know." His voice held cruel satisfaction. "She can't shift. Her wolf is dead. Killed it herself the night she murdered her mate." Kael stopped. Slowly, he turned back to Magnus. "Is that what you told her?" "It's the truth." "No." Kael's eyes flashed red. "It's not. Wolves can't kill their own wolves. It's impossible." He looked down at me. "Your wolf isn't dead, little one. She's bound. Imprisoned. And I'm going to find out who did it and why." He led me outside to a black SUV that probably cost more than my pack's entire territory. But as I reached for the door handle, a familiar voice made my blood freeze. "Lyra." I turned to find Theo—my supposed dead mate—standing in the shadows. Very much alive. His green eyes met mine, and in them, I saw fear. "Don't go with him," Theo whispered urgently. "You don't understand what you're—" A growl from Kael cut him off. But it was too late. I'd already seen too much. My mate was alive. Everyone had lied. And Alpha Kael Draven had just become my only chance at finding out why.