Marked by the Lycan King

Chapter 8

Lyra walked down the aisle slowly, her gaze fixed ahead, her expression calm despite the storm raging within her. At the end of the aisle stood her mate… but not for her.

Aiden’s expression shifted the moment he saw her. His eyes lingered a second too long, taking in the way she looked, the way others were already looking at her. His jaw tightened, his fists clenching at his sides as something dark flickered within him. Just a few more minutes, he told himself. It will all be over.

Behind her, Alpha Ryan and Luna Daria walked proudly beside Lyka, who looked radiant in her wedding dress, her smile soft but victorious. She had won, and she knew it. When her eyes met Aiden’s, she smiled, and he forced himself to return it.

At the altar, their hands met, and the priest began the ceremony. “We are gathered here today to witness the union between Aiden Stonefield and Lyka Hendrix…” The words blurred in Lyra’s ears as her heart pounded against her chest. “If anyone has a reason why these two should not be joined, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

A silence fell over the hall, heavy and expectant, and slowly, almost instinctively, the crowd turned toward Lyra.

She said nothing.

Instead, Aiden stepped forward.

A ripple of surprise moved through the guests as he reached for the microphone, his fingers tightening slightly around it. “There is something I need to do first,” he said, his voice controlled, but not entirely steady.

His eyes locked onto hers.

Lyra’s body trembled faintly. She already knew.

“I, Aiden Stonefield, Beta of the Crimson Moon Pack, reject Lyra Hendrix as my mate.”

For a moment, everything went still.

Then Lyra smiled.

It wasn’t soft or relieved, it was wide, almost unsettling, as though something inside her had finally snapped into place.

Aiden felt it instantly. The bond disappeared like it had never existed, her presence, her scent, everything that had once tied her to him gone in a single breath. A hollow feeling spread through him, but he pushed it down, convincing himself it was relief, that this was justice, that Kylie would finally rest.

Across the hall, Lyra’s knees gave way beneath her as a broken sound escaped her lips. “Why…?” The word barely formed, choked by tears as pain tore through her body, her hands clutching weakly at the ground.

Kendall moved immediately, but Alpha Ryan’s voice cut through the air before he could reach her.

“Anyone who dares to help her will be exiled from this pack and blacklisted from the werewolf world.”

The threat was enough. No one moved.

“She is a criminal,” Alpha Ryan continued coldly. “What she is experiencing is nothing but retribution.”

Lyra remained where she was, seated on the floor, tears falling silently as the weight of his words pressed down on her. Slowly, the tears stopped, and her expression emptied, as though whatever was left inside her had finally gone still.

She lifted her head and looked toward the altar.

The ceremony continued.

Vows were exchanged, hands were held, and smiles returned to faces as if nothing had happened, as if she had never existed.

Then came the final moment.

Aiden pulled Lyka closer, his hand resting against her waist as he lowered his head to her neck and sank his teeth into her skin, sealing the mark.

The instant it happened, Lyra’s body jerked violently as another wave of pain surged through her, sharper, deeper, final. A broken sound escaped her lips as she forced herself to stand, her body trembling under the weight of everything she had just lost.

She turned and ran, as fast as she could, as far as she could go.

Out of the hall, past the gates, past the guards, her vision blurred as tears streamed down her face. Her body shifted mid-run, bones cracking as her wolf took over, carrying her faster, farther, until she reached the cliff at the edge of the territory.

She shifted back, her body bare against the cold air as she stepped closer to the edge, her chest rising and falling unevenly.

Her existence had always felt like a mistake. To her father, to her pack… even to her mate.

All she had ever wanted was a fraction of the love that came so easily to Lyka, something small, something real, something that could have made her stay.

But maybe she was never meant to have any of it.

A hollow laugh left her lips as tears slipped down her face.

“Mom…” her voice trembled softly. “I’m tired.”

And without another thought, she stepped forward.