The Fox and The Throne

2

Chapter Two

The Price of Staying

By noon, Lyra's hands were aching. She had spent the entire morning cleaning the east wing, only to be sent back twice because someone had decided the floors were not polished enough.

She knelt beside the last window, wiping a faint streak from the glass. Behind her, two servants whispered, as they had been doing for nearly ten minutes. Lyra ignored them. She had become very good at ignoring things: whispers, stares, insults, and the occasional reminder that she was only still alive in Mooncrest because the Alpha allowed it. That one was harder to ignore. She dipped the cloth into the bucket and wrung it out.

"Did you hear what happened yesterday?" One of the servants lowered her voice.

Lyra paused. "About Lyra?"

The other servant laughed quietly. "Who else?"

Lyra continued cleaning.

"Apparently, she tried to get into the Alpha's chambers again."

Her hand stopped. She looked slowly over her shoulder, and the two women immediately pretended to be busy. "I was delivering breakfast," Lyra said.

Neither answered. She turned back to the window. Of course. It didn't matter what she did, because someone would always change the story. She had stopped trying to defend herself against every rumor months ago, since there were too many. Some said she had deliberately betrayed Draven. Others said she had been working with Darkclaw. A few believed she had only stayed in Mooncrest because she wanted the position of Luna, and that one almost made her laugh. She couldn't even walk through the main hall without being ordered aside, yet everyone was convinced she wanted their title.

Lyra finished the window and stood, her knees protesting. She ignored that too. The east wing was quiet now. She picked up the bucket and started toward the servants' quarters, but she stopped when she heard footsteps approaching.

Draven.

Her heart reacted before her mind could stop it, and she hated that. After everything he had done and everything he had said, some part of her still responded whenever he came near. She lowered her gaze as he walked past.

"Lyra."

She looked up. Draven had stopped several feet away, his expression unreadable. "You were told to clean the east wing."

"I have."

"Then why are you standing here?"

"I was taking the supplies back."

His eyes moved to the bucket in her hand. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then he said, "Come with me."

Lyra frowned. "Where?"

His expression hardened. "Do you question every order now?"

"No." She set the bucket down. "Of course not, Alpha."

She followed him through the main corridor without another word. Several pack members stepped aside as Draven passed and bowed their heads. Some looked at her, but most looked away. She wondered if Draven ever noticed the way people stared at her, like she was something shameful attached to his name, or whether he simply didn't care.

They stopped outside his study. Draven opened the door, Lyra stepped inside, and the door closed behind them. For a moment she thought this might finally be it, a private conversation and a chance to explain herself. She turned toward him. "Alpha..."

"Sit."

Lyra sat. Draven remained standing behind his desk, a strange tension in his expression. "You've been asking questions."

Her stomach tightened. "About what?"

"My parents."

Lyra stared at him. "I wanted to know more about what happened to mine."

"I told you everything you need to know."

"No." The word came out before she could stop it, and Draven's eyes narrowed. Lyra swallowed. "I mean... I only wanted to understand what happened."

"You were a child."

"I know."

"You don't need to involve yourself in things you don't understand."

"Those were my parents."

Something flickered across his face and was gone almost immediately. "I know."

"Then why won't anyone tell me anything?"

Silence. Draven looked away, and Lyra watched him carefully. There was something there, something he wasn't saying. She could feel it.

"Draven."

His eyes snapped back to hers. She hadn't meant to use his name, not after everything, but for one brief second she saw the man she remembered, the one who used to smile when she called him that, who used to sit beside her beneath the moon and talk about the future. Then his expression closed again.

"Don't."

Lyra's chest tightened. "Don't what?"

"Don't act as if nothing happened between us."

"I don't."

"You expect me to forget?"

"No."

"Then stop looking at me like I owe you something."

Her lips parted. "I never said you owed me anything."

"You don't have to." His voice was bitter now. "I know what you did."

Lyra felt something inside her c***k. "I didn't betray you."

"I believed you once."

"And I loved you."

The room went completely silent. She hadn't meant to say it, not anymore. Draven looked at her, and for a moment she thought he might finally say something. Instead, he looked away.

"That is exactly why I should have known better."

Lyra's eyes burned, but she refused to cry, not here and not in front of him. She stood. "May I go?"

Draven didn't answer immediately. Then he nodded. Her hand had barely touched the door handle when his voice stopped her.

"Lyra."

She turned. He was watching her again, and there was something unfamiliar in his eyes. It wasn't anger or hatred but something closer to uncertainty, and it disappeared before she could understand it.

"Stay away from the western forest."

Lyra frowned. "Why?"

"Because I said so."

She almost argued. Instead, she nodded. "Yes, Alpha."

She left the room, and the moment the door closed behind her she exhaled and leaned against the wall, her heart beating too fast. She hated that he could still affect her like this. She hated that she still wanted him. And most of all, she hated that despite everything, she still believed there was something left between them, something worth saving.

Lyra pushed herself away from the wall and headed toward the servants' quarters. She didn't notice the figure watching her from the end of the corridor.

Vivienne stood in the shadows, her brown eyes following Lyra until she disappeared around the corner. Then she smiled. Draven might still have feelings for his mate, and that was a problem. But problems could be solved, and Vivienne had already begun thinking of a solution.