chapter one: the wolf wasn't there
THE GIRL THEY CALLED WEAK
The night the moon turned silver, Lyra heard a wolf howl.
Not an ordinary howl.
It was deep, powerful, and strangely familiar—as if something inside her had been waiting eighteen years to hear it.
Lyra opened her eyes.
For a moment, she lay completely still on the cold wooden floor of the servant quarters, staring into the darkness.
Her heart was pounding.
There it was again.
Awoooooo...
The sound came from somewhere beyond the forest surrounding the Yellow Moon Pack.
Lyra slowly pushed herself up.
Everyone in the house was asleep.
At least, they were supposed to be.
She glanced toward the tiny window beside her bed. Moonlight slipped through the broken curtains, painting the floor silver.
She froze.
The moon was different tonight.
It wasn't its usual pale white.
It was silver.
A strange warmth suddenly spread through Lyra's chest.
She pressed a hand against her heart.
"What is happening to me?"
A sharp pain shot through her body.
Lyra gasped.
She fell to her knees, gripping her chest as her breathing became ragged.
Then she heard a voice.
Not from outside.
Not from another person.
From inside her mind.
Lyra.
Her eyes widened.
"Who are you?"
Silence.
Then the voice came again.
You have slept long enough.
Lyra's entire body trembled.
"Show yourself."
A low growl answered her.
Suddenly, images flashed through her mind.
A forest covered in blood.
A massive silver wolf standing beneath a red moon.
A castle burning in the distance.
A woman screaming.
Two men standing on opposite sides of a battlefield.
And finally—
A pair of glowing golden eyes staring directly at her.
Lyra screamed.
The images disappeared.
She collapsed onto the floor, breathing heavily.
The door suddenly flew open.
"What was that noise?"
Lyra looked up.
Mrs. Helena, the head of the servants, stood in the doorway with an angry expression.
"You again," the woman snapped. "What trouble have you caused this time?"
"I... I'm sorry."
Lyra quickly stood.
Her knees were shaking.
"I had a nightmare."
Mrs. Helena rolled her eyes.
"Of course. Always something with you."
Lyra lowered her head.
She was used to it.
For eighteen years, she had been called weak.
Useless.
A cursed orphan.
A worthless omega.
Nobody knew where she came from.
She had been found abandoned in the forest as a baby, wrapped in a torn piece of silver cloth.
The Alpha of the Yellow Moon Pack had taken her in—but not as a daughter.
She had become a servant.
A slave, in everything but name.
"Get to the kitchen," Mrs. Helena ordered. "The Alpha's family will be having breakfast soon."
"Yes, ma'am."
"And Lyra?"
Lyra stopped.
"If you break anything today, you'll sleep outside."
"Yes, ma'am."
The woman slammed the door behind her.
Lyra stood silently for a few seconds.
Then she looked toward the window.
The silver moon was still shining.
For some reason, she felt as though it was watching her.
---
By sunrise, the entire Yellow Moon Pack was awake.
Today was supposed to be an important day.
The Alpha's son, Adrian, was turning twenty-one.
That meant he would officially be recognized as an Alpha.
The pack members had gathered around the main house, preparing for the celebration.
Lyra moved between them carrying trays of food.
Nobody thanked her.
Nobody even looked at her.
She was invisible.
Until someone deliberately stepped in front of her.
Lyra stopped.
A young woman stood before her, dressed in an expensive red gown.
Clara.
The Alpha's daughter.
She smiled cruelly.
"Where are you going?"
"I was asked to take these to the dining hall."
Clara looked at the tray.
Then she deliberately knocked it from Lyra's hands.
Crash!
Plates shattered across the floor.
The food scattered everywhere.
The entire courtyard became silent.
Lyra stared at the broken dishes.
Clara crossed her arms.
"You ruined my brother's birthday breakfast."
Lyra's eyes widened.
"You knocked it down."
Clara's expression hardened.
"Are you calling me a liar?"
"No. I..."
"Pick it up."
Lyra immediately knelt.
She began gathering the broken pieces.
One sharp piece of glass cut her finger.
Blood appeared.
But something strange happened.
The wound closed almost instantly.
Lyra stared at her finger.
Her blood had barely touched the ground before the cut disappeared.
She quickly hid her hand.
Someone had seen it.
A young man standing across the courtyard.
Adrian.
The Alpha's son.
His eyes narrowed.
He had witnessed everything.
Especially the wound.
Before he could say anything, a strange scent suddenly filled the air.
Lyra stopped breathing.
Her heart slammed against her chest.
Something inside her awakened.
A pull.
A connection.
A voice whispered inside her mind.
Mate.
Lyra slowly looked up.
Adrian was staring directly at her.
His expression had changed.
His eyes had darkened.
He took one step toward her.
Then another.
Lyra's heart raced.
"Lyra..."
He whispered her name as though he had never said it before.
She couldn't move.
Neither could he.
Then suddenly—
A terrifying growl came from deep within the forest.
Every wolf in the pack went silent.
Adrian turned toward the trees.
Lyra felt the voice inside her mind awaken again.
He is not your only mate.
Her blood ran cold.
"What?"
The voice whispered one final sentence.
Your second mate is coming.
And somewhere far beyond the borders of the Yellow Moon Pack...
A vampire king opened his eyes.
His golden gaze turned toward the moon.
For the first time in three hundred years, his cursed heart beat.
Once.
Twice.
Then a single word escaped his lips.
"Lyra."
The ancient war between wolves and vampires had just begun again.
