Between Fang and Tide

Chapter one Lyra pov I thought the night was finally over when I reached my room. My body ached from hours of work, and every step I took felt heavier than the last. The kind of exhaustion that didn't just sit in your bones, but settled inside your thoughts too. All I wanted was silence. Not peace. Just silence. I pushed the door open and stepped inside. The room was exactly how it always was Small. Cold. Forgotten. A narrow bed stood against one wall, its sheet thin from years of use. The dresser leaned slightly to one side like it had given up trying to stand properly. And the window….the window that never fully closed. Cold air slipped through the cracks, brushing against my skin the moment I entered. Outside ,rain hit the ground with heavy, uneven drops. It sounded angry. I closed the door behind me slowly and leaned against it for a moment. Just breathing. Just existing. Then I moved to the bed and sat down carefully, like my body might break if I moved too fast. My hands were shaking slightly. I didn't know why. Maybe it was just another long day. Another short night that never seemed to change. I rubbed my face gently, trying to push the tiredness away. But it stayed. Always stayed. That was when I heard footsteps. Slow. Heavy. Confidence. Coming down the hallway towards my room. My eyes shut briefly in annoyance instead of fear because, deep down,I already knew who it was. Caleb, the beta’s son. No one else walked with careless confidence in the middle of the night. The footsteps stopped right outside my door. A few seconds passed, then suddenly the door swung open without a knock. Then he stepped in, looking calm, almost bored, like he had just walked into a place that already belonged to him. His shirt was slightly at the top, and the scent of alcohol followed him like a shadow. My stomach tightened immediately. You didn't come earlier,” he said casually. His voice was light. Too light, like this was normal. Like I was supposed to understand it. I was working,” I replied quietly. Caleb shut the door behind him. Click. The sound echoed louder this time. He stayed there for a moment, just watching me. His eyes moved slowly across the room, then back to me. You're always working,” he said. “It's almost impressive.” I didn't respond. I had learned that silence was safer than explanations. Caleb walked closer. Slowly. Unhurried. Like he had nowhere else to be. Like I had nowhere else to go. My body straightened without permission. That was what fear did.I moved before I thought. He stopped in front of me, close enough that I could smell the alcohol in his breath now. Not enough to make him unstable, just enough to make him braver than he should have been. “You've been avoiding me,” he said softly. No,” I whispered. The word came out too fast. Too weak. His lips curved slightly, “You always say that when you're lying.” My fingers tightened against the edge of the bed. “I'm not lying.” He lifted his hand and touched my chin. Light pressure. Controlled. Forcing my face upward. My stomach twisted immediately,I hated being forced to look at him. Hated how easily he could make me still. “You're a terrible liar, Lyra,” he said. My name sounded different when he said it. Not soft, not kind. Just familiar in a way that didn't feel safe. He brushed his thumb lightly across my cheek. Like it was nothing. “You know,” he continued, voice low,” most girls would be grateful. My throat tightened. Grateful. That word always made something bitter rise inside me. Because 8 understood what he meant. What he always meant. Grateful for attention. Grateful for protection. Grateful for being chosen by someone powerful enough to decide their worth. But I didn't feel grateful. I felt trapped. “I'm tired,” I whispered. Caleb gave a soft laugh, like I had said something amusing. “Tired of what?” he asked. “Scrubbing floors?” The way he said it made heat rise in my chest. Not anger you could express. Just something painful and stuck. I looked down slightly. But he gently guided my face back up again.” Don't do that,” he murmured. I hated how calm he was. How easily he controlled every moment without raising his voice. Outside ,thunder rolled across the sky. The rain grew heavier. The sound filled the silence between us. I felt his eyes on my body, then he leaned forward and captured my lips. He put one hand behind my head, while kneading my left breast with the other. He licked my lips trying to get access to my mouth and once he did, he deepened the kiss, as if he was going to devour me. I felt his c**k getting hard, it poked my stomach as he grinded his hips. Still,I didn't do anything. Growling, he leaned back and frowned at me. “At the very least ,you need to try and enjoy this. It wouldn't hurt if you did.” I just stared back at him and said nothing and this left him frustrated. He shook his head. “I am not a monster, Lyra, I am trying to be gentle with you here. I opened my mouth to speak. My voice sounded foreign, as if I was not the one speaking. “Just do it,” I said curtly, trying to mask the pain and disgust behind my voice. Taking it as his cue, he wrapped his arms around my waist and pushed me to the bed. His lips found my neck, placing lingering kisses along my skin. I hissed as he sank his teeth into my skin, leaving a hickey before flicking his tongue over the spot. His hands slipped down to my hips. Before I could react, he yanked me towards him, pulling me to the edge of the bed. I bit my bottom lip, my heart pounding wildly in my chest as I heard him whisper, “Ready for me” Caleb leaned back, his face inches from mine. I swallowed, catching the intense look in his eyes. He went further, sliding my skirt up until my panties came into view. I saw his eyes flicker down, and a smug smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. Before I could speak, a gasp escaped me as his thumb pressed against my c**t, stroking me through the fabric of my panties. I didn't have to look to know the smug bastard was smirking right now. Without a word, he pushed my panties aside, and my body tensed, my back arching as he slid a finger slowly into my p***y. “f**k, you're just as tight as I remember,” Caleb muttered under his breath, sliding his finger in and out before adding another, building a slow, steady rhythm. My hands gripped the edge of the bed, head tilted back, eyes fixed on the ceiling as I breathed through my nose, trying not to focus on how his thick fingers stretched me out.