CHAPTER FOUR — Teeth Behind Smiles
1028 Words
Nyxara's POV
The dining hall fell silent when I entered. Dozens of wolves stopped mid-conversation, their eyes tracking my movement like I was prey stumbling into a den of predators. The weight of their stares pressed against my skin, suffocating.
"Ignore them," Rhex murmured beside me, his hand hovering near my lower back without quite touching. "They're just curious."
"They're terrified," I corrected quietly. Word had spread fast. The girl who burned her entire pack. The orphan with Moon Blessed blood. The impossible mate bond.
A woman near the entrance whispered to her companion, not bothering to lower her voice. "Bad omen, bringing her here. Mark my words, death follows that one."
"Maybe she killed them herself," another voice added. "p*******e runs in cursed bloodlines."
My hands clenched into fists. Rhex's fingers finally made contact, warm against my spine. "Breathe."
I couldn't. Because across the hall, Lyssara sat at the high table between Veyr and Zephyr, looking like she'd been born to that position. She wore crimson silk that made her look regal, powerful. Everything I wasn't.
When she saw me, her smile was poison wrapped in honey.
"Nyxara!" she called out, her voice carrying through the hall. "Come, sit with us. We saved you a seat."
It wasn't an invitation. It was a summons. A public test I couldn't refuse without looking weak.
I walked forward, aware of every eye following me, every whispered judgment. The seat Lyssara indicated was at the far end of the table, as far from the Alphas as possible while still technically sitting with them.
"You look better," Lyssara said warmly, though her ice blue eyes were calculating. "Rest does wonders, doesn't it? Though I suppose three weeks of unconsciousness is rather excessive."
"I didn't exactly plan it," I said evenly.
"Of course not." She took a delicate sip of wine. "Though one must wonder what kind of Luna sleeps through her own pack's funeral rites. Oh, wait. There were no rites, were there? Nothing left to bury."
The hall went deadly quiet.
Veyr's jaw tightened, but he said nothing. Zephyr continued eating as if he hadn't heard. Only Rhex reacted, his easy smile fading into something harder.
"That's enough, Lyssara," he said quietly.
"I'm simply making conversation." She turned to address the hall, her voice bright. "After all, we should get to know our guest. Tell us, Nyxara, what are your qualifications exactly? Your training as Luna? Your diplomatic experience? Your combat skills?"
I had nothing. I'd been groomed to lead Moonveil, not this massive stronghold with its complex politics and ancient traditions.
"I thought so." Lyssara's smile sharpened. "You see, a true Luna must be strong. Capable. She must have the respect of her pack and the strength to defend them. She cannot be, how shall I say this kindly, broken."
"You don't know anything about me," I said, my voice low.
"Don't I?" She leaned forward. "You're an orphan who couldn't save her own family. A wolf who burned everything she touched. And now you hide behind three Alphas, expecting them to protect you while offering nothing in return."
Heat flared in my chest. The bond writhed, agitated. I felt Veyr's suppressed anger, Zephyr's iron control cracking slightly, Rhex's dangerous amusement.
"At least I don't trade political alliances for a mate," I shot back. Lyssara's perfect composure slipped for just a second. Her eyes flashed with genuine fury before the mask returned.
"How delightfully naive." She stood gracefully. "Politics is how packs survive, little girl. Love is a luxury for those who can afford weakness."
She swept from the hall, leaving me shaking with rage and shame. The whispers erupted immediately.
"She's not fit to be here."
"Did you see how she spoke to Lyssara?"
"Disrespectful. Dangerous."
I stood abruptly, my chair scraping against stone. I couldn't stay here. Couldn't breathe with all these eyes judging, condemning.
I fled.
++++++++
That night, the nightmares came. I was back in the clearing. Blood soaked the sacred ground. My mother's eyes stared up at nothing. My father's hand reached for me, always reaching, never quite touching.
My uncle stood over them, blade dripping. "The Moon demanded blood."
"Why?" I screamed. "Why them? Why everyone?"
"Not everyone." His voice changed, became feminine. My mother's voice. "You survived, little wolf. You were meant to."
The scene shifted. My mother stood before me, whole and alive, but wrong. Her eyes glowed with moonlight.
"They lied to you," she whispered. "All of them. Your father, the elders, even me. We hid what you were because we feared it."
"Feared what?"
"Your birthright. Your purpose. The Moon didn't just bless our bloodline, Nyxara. It marked us. And that mark demands payment."
"I don't understand."
"Your uncle." Her form flickered, fading. "He was only a weapon. Someone else held the blade. Someone who wants you dead before you awaken fully."
"Who? Mama, who's doing this?"
But she was gone, dissolving into moonlight and ash.
The dream twisted. Darkness consumed everything. I heard screaming, smelled blood, felt heat scorching my skin from the inside out.
"Nyxara, wake up!"
Someone was shaking me. The voice was familiar. Deep. Controlled even through obvious concern.
"Nyxara, open your eyes. Now."
I gasped awake. Zephyr loomed over me, his gray eyes wide with something I'd never seen in them before. Fear.
"What," I started, then stopped. Because my hands were wet. I lifted them slowly, already knowing what I'd see. Blood coated my palms, my fingers, dark and fresh in the moonlight streaming through the window.
"No," I whispered. "No, I was dreaming. I was just, "
"Look at me." Zephyr gripped my shoulders. "Whose blood is this?"
"I don't know!" Panic clawed up my throat. "I was asleep, I was dreaming, I didn't, "
My reflection caught in the window glass. For just a second, my eyes glowed pure silver. Exactly like my mother's had in the dream.
The scream that tore from my throat wasn't entirely human. It was the sound of something ancient and terrible waking up inside me, something that had tasted blood and wanted more. And I had absolutely no idea what I'd done while I slept..
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