Rejected By One, Claimed By Four

chapter 5

It had been a week since the revelation of her mate bonds with Asher, Orion, and Demitrius, and Lyra still felt like she was unraveling. Every day seemed to bring a new layer of complexity, a new emotional weight pressing down on her. Each bond had stirred up a different set of feelings within her, feelings she struggled to understand, much less accept. And yet, amid all these revelations, one constant, unshakable feeling gnawed at her, a doubt that began and ended with Orion.

There was an edge to him. Something suspicious that she couldn't point her finger on.

Finally, she decided she needed some fresh air to clear her mind. She left the pack house, striding into the forest, letting the familiar scent of pine and earth ground her. The forest was her sanctuary, the one place where she felt she could shake off her worries, if only for a while. But as she wandered deeper, her senses heightened. Something wasn’t right. She felt it—a presence nearby, moving silently through the trees.

Her breath stilled as she caught a glimpse of a figure moving stealthily between the shadows, further ahead. It was Orion. He moved with a purpose she hadn’t seen in him before, his usually relaxed gait replaced by a tense, furtive pace. He checked his surroundings frequently, almost as if he were making sure he was alone. The sight ignited her suspicions, and without a second thought, she slipped into the shadows, keeping her distance as she followed him.

They moved deeper into the forest until he came to a stop in a secluded clearing. She watched as a man, unfamiliar and imposing, stepped out from the shadows to meet him. Lyra’s heart thundered as she pressed herself against a tree, her ears straining to catch their conversation. The stranger’s face was rough and sharp, his gaze cold as he appraised Orion.

“You’ve done well, Orion,” the man said, his voice low and measured. “The pack trusts you, and even Lyra seems convinced you’re her mate. She’s the final piece we need to bring down Silver Fang from the inside.”

Lyra felt as if the ground had crumbled beneath her. Every word hit her like a stone, each one harder and colder than the last. Orion was no mate—he was a traitor, an enemy who had come into her life and the Silver Fang's to destroy everything she held dear. Her heart pounded with rage and betrayal. Her mind reeled, trying to process the enormity of the deception. Everything had been an elaborate act. The way he befriended the pack leaders. How he acted around them.

She forced herself to stay hidden, to steady her breathing. A dark, cold fury took root in her heart, spreading like poison through her veins. She felt her fingernails digging into her palms as she listened, fighting the urge to confront him right then and there. The stranger continued, “Once you’ve gained her full trust, she’ll be powerless to stop us from using the pack’s resources. We’ll strip Silver Fang bare, and she’ll help us do it without even realizing.”

Orion’s laugh echoed through the forest, cold and mocking. “It’s almost too easy,” he sneered. “Lyra was so desperate to believe in the mate bond though she questioned a lot of things. She'll walk right into it, like a lamb to the slaughterer, because she thinks it's designed by her so-called Moon Goddess.”

The callous words sent a sharp pang through Lyra’s heart, mingling her fury with the sting of anger. Swallowing hard, she forced herself to step forward, her feet crunching softly on the leaves underfoot as she approached. She had always known there was something suspicious to Orion.

“Orion,” she called, her voice cold and clear as steel.

Orion and his accomplice turned, surprise flashing in his eyes before he quickly masked it, his face slipping into a smirk. “Lyra,” he said smoothly, taking a step toward her. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Save it,” she said, her voice trembling with barely-contained fury. “I heard everything.”

Orion’s smirk faltered, a flicker of irritation crossing his face before he regained his composure. He took another step forward, shrugging nonchalantly. “And what, exactly, do you think you heard?”

“Enough to know that everything was a lie,” she spat, her voice shaking with the fury she could no longer contain. “You’re not my mate. You’re a spy, an enemy in disguise.”

Orion’s smirk deepened into a sneer, his eyes glinting with cruel amusement. “Well, you finally caught on,” he drawled, his voice dripping with mockery. “Took you long enough. But it’s nothing personal, Lyra. I’m just playing my part. Your little pack? It’s just business. You just happened to be the easiest way in.”

Her chest tightened with a pain that was equal parts anger and betrayal. “You disgust me,” she hissed, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “You were never my mate. You were just another snake trying to tear down everything I love. The Silver Fang Pack loves.”

Orion chuckled, a cold, empty sound that seemed to echo through the clearing. “Believe whatever you want, Lyra,” he said, his voice a low growl.

Her hands trembled, but she forced herself to stand taller, to push past the ache in her heart. “Well, whatever plans you had, they end now. I won’t let you or anyone else use me or my pack for your schemes.”

A cold smile crossed his lips as he folded his arms, unbothered by her defiance. “And what are you going to do about it, Lyra? Call the pack? Fight me?” He scoffed, his gaze darkening. “You can’t undo the damage already done.”

Lyra took a steadying breath, lifting her chin as she prepared to sever the final connection. “No,” she said softly. “I’m not calling the pack. I’m rejecting you.”

For the first time, a flicker of real anger crossed his face. “Rejecting me?” he repeated, his voice dripping with disdain.

“Yes,” she said, feeling the power of her words as they took shape. “Orion Snape, I reject you as my mate. I break our bond, here and now, and cast you out of my life.”

She felt the mate bond snap like a broken thread, a shudder of pain and relief coursing through her. Orion staggered back, his face twisting with fury as he clutched his chest, feeling the absence of the bond. For a moment, she saw raw, unmasked anger in his eyes, and it gave her a sliver of satisfaction to know he felt even a fraction of what he had done to her.

“You’ll regret this, Lyra,” he growled, his voice filled with malice. “I may be out of your life, but I’m far from gone. You’ve just made an enemy stronger than you can imagine.”

She met his glare, unflinching. “Then come at me, Orion. I’d rather face an enemy openly than live another second with a traitor disguised as a friend.”

Orion held her gaze for a tense moment before he turned, storming off with his accomplice into the depths of the forest, leaving her standing alone in the clearing. As his figure vanished into the shadows, Lyra felt the weight of his betrayal lift from her heart, replaced by a fierce resolve.

With one final glance at the empty clearing, she turned back toward the pack house, her mind clear, her heart steady. She was done with illusions and lies.