The Demon Alpha's Songbird

Episode 3

Lyra's POV

There was something in the way he said that, as if cruelty pleased him almost as much as possession. I shuddered.

I wanted to spit in his face. I wanted to put my hands around his throat and feel him choke. Instead, I wrapped my arms around myself and tried to anchor my mind where it had been—by the river, with Rowan's hand in mine, with the simple, foolish dream of a life that felt safe and free.

"You are a monster," I said.

Kael's laugh was soft, like the scrape of metal.

"Call me what you will, little moon, but I suggest you get some rest,"

With that, he turned and left without another word. When the lock clicked, the silence pushed in like cold water. And for the first time since I woke in this godforsaken place, tears welled up in my eyes.

I pressed my palms to the scar on my chest until the burn dulled to a dull ache and yelled to the empty room.

"Why me? What did I do to deserve this?"

There was no answer.

Only the knowledge that the world I knew might already be burning.

****

I woke before dawn.

Sleep had been nothing but a blur of memories and Kael's voice echoing in my head. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the burning sky, the smoke curling around the church, and Rowan's face fading into nothing.

I couldn't stay here.

The thought had started as a whisper hours ago, and by morning, it was the only thing keeping me steady.

When the door clicked open, I froze. It was just the elderly woman, the same one who had appeared the night before, bringing food I refused to touch. Bowing slightly, she said something about breakfast and set the tray near the bed.

That was my chance.

The moment she turned to adjust the curtains, I bolted. My bare feet slapped against the cold stone floor as I ran down the long corridor with my heart hammering so hard it hurt. The halls twisted endlessly, lined with black iron sconces and flickering torches that cast more shadow than light.

But I didn't care where I was going, as long as it was away. Away from that room. Away from him.

Behind me, I heard shouts and the heavy thud of boots. My breath came in ragged gasps as I ran faster, every step echoing off the walls.

"Stop her!" someone yelled.

Panic clawed up my throat.

I rounded a corner, nearly slipping, but I didn't stop. I kept running towards a door at the end of the hallway as hope flared in my chest. Without thinking, I yanked the door open and stumbled inside, slamming it shut behind me.

My chest heaved, my hands trembled, and sweat beaded my forehead as I pressed my back against the door. Maybe, just maybe, I'd lost them.

But luck was cruel.

The moment I opened my eyes, I froze.

Dozens of eyes were staring back at me.

I blinked once, twice, my pulse roaring in my ears as I realized where I was. A long, black table stretched across the room, lined with figures that did not look human. Their skin had a grayish pallor with dark veins beneath it, as if ink flowed through them instead of blood.

And at the far end, sitting in a high-backed chair with his fingers drumming lazily against the table was him, Kael. His cold and sharp gaze found mine instantly, and the faintest smirk curved his lips as if he had been waiting for this exact moment.

The air left my lungs in one hard rush, and I went completely still. I didn't dare move or even blink as the silence stretched for a beat. Then, as if I wasn't already living through enough hell, his voice cut through it, low, dangerous, and far too calm to mean anything good.

"How thoughtful of you to come straight to me."

I swallowed hard, wishing the floor would open up and swallow me whole. I had barged right into his meeting or whatever dark gathering this was, and every pair of eyes in the room felt like fire against my skin. I needed to leave, to disappear, before their stares burned straight through me.

But before I could move, two guards stepped into the doorway behind me, blocking my only escape. Then the elderly woman from before, glided between them with a cold, deadly look in her eyes that made my stomach twist.

"Forgive me, My Lord," she said, bowing low. "She tried to escape the moment I opened her door."

Kael's blue eyes cut to me, but there was no hint of amusement in them. "Is that so?"

I lifted my chin, though my legs trembled.

"You can't keep me prisoner," I snapped. "I want to return to my father, to my pack."

He rose slowly, his height filling the room. "You have no pack."

His words hit harder than I expected.

"That's not true. My father will come for me. He always does. And when he does, you'll regret..."

He took a step closer, and the rest of my threat died in my throat.

"No one is coming, little moon,"

My chest tightened.

I wanted to believe he was lying. My father was Alpha Cedric of Silverkeep, no one defied him. He wouldn't sit idle while his only daughter was stolen. He would come with fangs and fury, with every warrior in his command. Rowan would be with him, leading the charge. They had to be.

But what if they weren't?

What if they thought I was dead?

I shook my head, forcing the thought away.

"You're wrong," I said, but my voice didn't sound as strong as before. "He'll find me. And he'll burn this place to the ground."

Kael's mouth curved, not into a smile, but something colder. "Let him try."

He stepped closer again, close enough that I could see the faint glow in his eyes—a blue so bright it almost burned.

"You must have been a princess where you came from," he said mockingly. "Coddled. Obeyed. Worshiped, even." He paused and tilted his head, studying me like I was something strange and delicate. "But here, you are nothing."

"I am not nothing," I whispered, hating how weak it sounded.

"You are what I allow you to be," he continued as though I hadn't spoken. His voice was calm, too calm, like a man stating a simple fact. "And right now, you have two choices."

He held up two gloved fingers.

"Sing for me and live," he said. "Or keep trying to run and die trying."

The room went silent again.

I stared at him, anger and fear swirling inside me until I couldn't tell which burned hotter. My instincts screamed to fight, to defy him, to prove I wasn't some fragile thing he could cage. But another voice, a smaller, quieter voice, whispered that if I wasn't careful, I'd never see home again.

I thought of Father, his fierce eyes, his booming laugh, and the way he always looked at me with pride. I thought of Mother, who always told me I was born under a lucky moon. And Rowan... Rowan who had held my hand and promised forever.

Were they looking for me now?

Was Father already marching across the borders?

The silence stretched, thick and suffocating, until Kael finally took a step back. "Choose your misery, Little Moon. All roads lead to me."

Little Moon...

That stupid name again.

My jaw tightened as the words echoed in my head, slicing through what little composure I had left. I wasn't little, and I sure as hell wasn't his moon. Not in this godforsaken life and not in the next.