Chapter 3
1388 Words
Shadow Moon Pack:
The council chamber was filled with tension as every elder, general, and council member waited in silence.
At the head of the table, Alpha Lucien broke the royal seal on the letter. His expression remained unreadable as his eyes scanned its contents.
Then he spoke.
"By order of His Majesty, King Kaizer Nightfall... The Lycan Kingdom seeks the King's destined mate. Any allied Alpha who presents a suitable she-wolf will receive the Lycan King's protection, great wealth, and a royal alliance."
The moment the words left his lips, the chamber erupted into discussion.
"This is a great opportunity," one elderly council member said eagerly.
"I disagree," another replied. "No father would willingly send his daughter into the hands of the Death Angel."
Murmurs spread across the room.
"That's true..."
"But opportunities like this may never come again."
The council quickly divided into two sides.
"If sacrificing one girl can save the entire pack," another elder argued, "isn't it worth it?"
"But who would volunteer for such a fate?" someone asked.
The room fell into another heated debate.
Voices rose.
Arguments clashed.
Some believed the pack's future should come before the life of one person.
Others believed no father should be forced to sacrifice his daughter, no matter the reward.
Nearly two hours passed, yet no agreement was reached.
Throughout the entire discussion, Alpha Lucien remained silent, listening carefully to every opinion.
Finally, he stood.
The room immediately fell silent.
"We will continue this meeting tomorrow," he said calmly. "Think about it with clear minds. We will make our decision then."
His sharp gaze swept across the council.
"For now... this meeting is adjourned."
One by one, the council members stood and left the chamber.
Not a single person knew what was going through Alpha Lucien's mind.
And he intended to keep it that way.
Lyra's POV:
After the party, I didn't fall asleep until late at night. Yet, before dawn even broke, I had to wake up at 4:30 a.m. to prepare breakfast for everyone living in the pack house.
The pack house had two chefs and five maids, including me.
My Aunt Aveline also lived there.
She was my only safe place. The only person who truly understood me and never judged me. She was the one who had cared for me since I was a child, teaching me everything I knew until I was capable of handling my duties on my own.
Yes, I lived in the pack house...
But not as the Alpha's daughter.
I lived there as nothing more than a servant.
By the time the sun had fully risen, I had already washed stacks of dishes, cleaned the bedrooms, swept and mopped the hallways, dusted every corner of the house, and helped prepare the ingredients for lunch exactly as the chefs had instructed.
Not once had I been given even a single minute to rest.
As I sorted freshly washed vegetables in the kitchen, two senior maids walked in, speaking in hushed but excited voices.
"I still can't believe what happened at the council meeting last night," one of them whispered.
"I know," the other replied, shaking her head. "The royal decree has everyone on edge."
My hands paused for a brief second.
A royal decree?
Trying not to draw attention to myself, I quietly continued chopping vegetables while listening carefully.
"What do you think Alpha Lucien will do?" the first maid asked.
The second maid sighed.
"Who knows? If he agrees, everything in this pack could change."
"I heard every Alpha in the allied packs received the same decree."
"Imagine becoming the Lycan King's mate..." the first maid murmured, a dreamy smile appearing on her face.
"The future Queen of the Lycan Kingdom..." the other added wistfully.
They both giggled.
I lowered my eyes to the cutting board.
The Lycan King...
The man everyone called a monster.
The stories about him had spread across every pack.
Some said he had slaughtered an entire rogue army alone.
Others claimed his wolf was so terrifying that even powerful Alphas couldn't withstand his aura.
No one knew which stories were true.
But everyone agreed on one thing.
King Kaizer Nightfall was not someone ordinary wolves wanted to meet.
I quietly returned to my work, believing that whatever the royal decree was...
It had nothing to do with someone like me.
By evening, after finishing all my work for the day, I finally returned to my tiny room. A warm shower washed away some of the exhaustion clinging to my body, though it couldn't erase the ache in my heart.
Once I changed into a simple dress, I stepped outside the pack house and waited near the entrance.
I wasn't waiting for just anyone.
As I stood there, waiting in silence, I couldn’t help but overhear a few pack members passing by. Their voices were low, but not low enough.
“…I still don’t understand why Kaizer was even considered for that position,” one of them muttered.
“Exactly. He acts like he’s above everyone else just because of his strength,” another scoffed. “Power doesn’t make someone fit to lead.”
“Honestly, he’s more trouble than he’s worth,” a third voice added. “Cold, ruthless… no one even knows what he’s really thinking.”
Their words lingered in the air long after they walked away, leaving an uneasy weight in my chest that I couldn’t quite explain.
I was waiting for Mia.
She had been assigned to work at the pack restaurant today, so she always finished later than I did. We had made it a habit to have dinner together whenever our schedules allowed. We'd share whatever food we could afford, complain about our endless chores, laugh over silly gossip, and, for a little while, forget how difficult life really was.
Mia was my only true friend.
We were both orphans...
Or at least, that's how it felt.
Yes, my father was alive.
He was the Alpha of this pack.
But I had never known what it felt like to have a father. To him, I was nothing more than an unwanted burden—a servant who happened to share his blood.
So, in every way that truly mattered...
I was an orphan.
Mia's story wasn't much kinder.
Her father had died before she was old enough to remember him, and two years ago, she lost her mother to a sudden illness. Since then, she had been completely alone.
Maybe that was why we understood each other without needing many words.
Neither of us had a family.
But...
Neither of us had a family.
But...
We had each other.
And for now, that was enough.
Suddenly, someone poked my side.
"Aah!" I let out a loud scream, clutching my chest in shock.
Mia burst into laughter, holding her stomach. "You should've seen your face!"
I rolled my eyes and glared at her.
"You're dead."
The moment I lunged at her, she squealed and took off running.
"Catch me if you can!" she shouted over her shoulder, still laughing.
"Oh, I'll catch you!" I yelled, chasing after her through the pack house courtyard.
Our laughter echoed through the evening air, drawing amused glances from a few pack members. For a little while, all the worries, loneliness, and pain disappeared.
In moments like these, it felt like we were just two ordinary girls... not forgotten orphans trying to survive.
Suddenly, Mia stopped in her tracks, and I nearly bumped into her.
"What happened?" I whispered.
She raised a finger to her lips, signaling me to stay quiet.
Just a few steps away, two of the senior staff were talking in hushed voices, unaware that we were standing nearby.
"Have you heard about the Lycan King?" one of them asked nervously.
"They say he's ruthless... a merciless monster," the other replied, lowering her voice even more. "I heard a girl from our pack is going to be sent to him as a sacrifice."
"But who?" the first woman wondered, concern filling her eyes.
"I don't know. Whoever she is..." she sighed sadly, "...I truly pity her."
"The poor girl won't have a future. They say no woman has ever survived being close to the cursed Lycan King."
Mia and I exchanged a silent glance.
Neither of us said a word.
- Writer
