Chapter 7
1188 Words
Lyra didn’t stop running until she reached her room.
Her chest burned, her lungs aching from the effort, but the pain inside her heart hurt far more. The hallway blurred as tears finally slipped down her cheeks. She pushed the door open and slammed it shut behind her, locking it quickly before sliding down against it.
The moment she reached the floor, the strength she had been holding onto shattered.
Nyx whimpered softly in her mind.
Lyra…
Lyra covered her mouth with her hand, trying to muffle the sound of her sobs. She had promised herself she would not cry in this place. Not in front of them. Not in front of Kael.
But his words echoed endlessly in her mind.
“Why were you sold by your own father?”
Her chest tightened painfully.
She remembered that day far too clearly.
The warriors arriving.
Her father not even looking at her.
The way he signed the papers like he was selling livestock instead of his own daughter.
Her fingers curled tightly into fists.
“I hate him,” she whispered hoarsely.
Nyx’s voice was gentle now.
Not everyone here hates us.
Lyra laughed bitterly through her tears.
“Your definition of ‘everyone’ must be very small.”
Because the one person who should have stood beside her… the one person who was meant to protect her…
Was the one who had just broken her the most.
Her mate.
⸻
Downstairs, the packhouse felt strangely quiet.
Kael had not left his office.
The sound of glass breaking earlier had echoed through the corridor, drawing curious looks from passing warriors. No one dared approach the Alpha when his temper flared like that.
Except one person.
Selene.
She pushed the office door open without knocking.
Kael stood behind his desk, both hands braced against the wood. Papers were scattered across the floor, and a broken glass lay shattered near the wall.
Selene raised an eyebrow.
“Well,” she said lightly. “Looks like someone had a bad meeting.”
Kael didn’t respond.
Fenrir growled low in his mind the moment Selene entered.
Leave.
Kael ignored the wolf.
Selene stepped further inside, glancing around the mess.
“Let me guess,” she said calmly. “The new Luna refused to behave.”
Kael’s jaw tightened.
“She’s not Luna.”
Selene smiled faintly.
“Of course she isn’t.”
She walked around the desk slowly, her movements graceful, familiar. She had done this countless times before—entering his space without fear, without hesitation.
Because she had always belonged here.
Or so she believed.
“You should have known this would happen,” Selene continued softly. “Girls like Lyra don’t understand their place.”
Fenrir snarled again.
Enough.
Kael rubbed his temples.
“She didn’t sign the contract.”
Selene paused.
“Oh?”
“She refused.”
A flicker of annoyance crossed Selene’s eyes.
“That’s inconvenient.”
Kael exhaled sharply.
“She said the bond changes everything.”
Selene’s lips curled slightly.
“The bond only matters if you accept it.”
Fenrir’s rage surged violently.
She lies.
Kael clenched his fists.
“She called me a manwhore.”
Selene blinked once, then laughed softly.
“Well… that’s new.”
Kael shot her a glare.
“It’s not funny.”
“Actually,” Selene said casually, leaning against the desk, “it’s a little funny.”
Kael’s patience was thinning rapidly.
“She pushed me.”
Selene tilted her head.
“And?”
Kael hesitated.
For the first time since she had walked in, his voice lowered.
“I lost control.”
Selene’s eyes sharpened.
“What did you do?”
Kael looked away.
Fenrir’s voice echoed coldly in his mind.
Tell her.
Kael swallowed once.
“I grabbed her.”
Selene raised an eyebrow.
“That doesn’t sound too serious.”
Kael’s next words were quieter.
“By the throat.”
Silence filled the office.
Selene studied him carefully.
“And?”
Kael’s jaw tightened.
“I said things.”
“What things?”
He hesitated again.
Then he muttered bitterly,
“I brought up her father.”
Selene’s expression shifted slightly.
Not sympathy.
Calculation.
“Well,” she said finally, shrugging lightly. “You’re not wrong.”
Fenrir exploded in rage.
Enough.
Kael slammed his fist against the desk again.
“That’s not the point!”
Selene watched him with quiet interest.
“You feel guilty.”
Kael looked at her sharply.
“I do not.”
“You do.”
Her voice was calm, confident.
“She got under your skin.”
Kael’s silence confirmed it.
Selene pushed off the desk slowly.
“You need to remember something, Kael.”
She walked closer to him.
“That girl is temporary.”
Fenrir growled viciously.
Liar.
Selene continued.
“She’s here because of a debt. Nothing more.”
Her fingers brushed his arm lightly.
“You and I both know where you belong.”
Kael didn’t react.
But inside his mind, Fenrir’s anger simmered dangerously.
⸻
Upstairs, Lyra had finally stopped crying.
Her eyes were red, and her throat still hurt from where Kael’s hand had been.
Nyx spoke quietly.
You should eat something.
Lyra shook her head.
“I’m not hungry.”
A soft knock came at the door.
Lyra stiffened.
“Lyra?” Mira’s voice came from the other side.
Lyra hesitated before standing slowly and unlocking the door.
Mira stepped inside immediately, her sharp eyes scanning Lyra’s face.
“Oh.”
Her usual teasing tone vanished instantly.
“What happened?”
Lyra forced a weak smile.
“Nothing.”
Mira crossed her arms.
“Bullshit.”
Nyx huffed softly in approval.
Lyra sighed.
“It was just… an argument.”
“With Kael?”
Lyra nodded.
Mira studied her neck carefully.
Her expression darkened.
“Did he do that?”
Lyra instinctively touched the faint red marks on her throat.
“It’s nothing.”
Mira’s eyes flashed with anger.
“That idiot.”
Lyra looked at her in surprise.
“You’re not defending him?”
Mira snorted.
“Please. Kael is a great Alpha.”
She paused.
“But sometimes he’s also a complete idiot.”
Lyra couldn’t help letting out a small laugh.
Mira sat down on the edge of the bed.
“So,” she said gently, “what did you say to piss him off?”
Lyra groaned.
“I may have called him a manwhore.”
Mira blinked.
Then she burst out laughing.
“Oh my god.”
Lyra buried her face in her hands.
“I know.”
Mira wiped tears from her eyes.
“You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that.”
Lyra leaned back against the wall.
Her voice was softer now.
“He said something worse.”
Mira’s laughter faded.
“What?”
Lyra stared at the floor.
“He said my father sold me because no one wanted me.”
Silence filled the room.
Mira’s expression hardened instantly.
“That was low.”
Lyra nodded slowly.
Nyx’s voice was quiet.
But not true.
Lyra closed her eyes.
She wished she believed that
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