Chapter 3
1033 Words
Morning came too fast.
Lyra had barely closed her eyes when someone banged on her door.
"Get up! The Alpha wants everyone in the main hall!"
She forced herself upright. Her body screamed. Her ribs ached. Her hands burned. Her stomach was empty.
She didn't want to go. She wanted to hide. But hiding wasn't an option.
She made her way to the main hall. The pack was already gathered. Everyone was whispering, their faces a mix of confusion and excitement.
Lyra pressed herself against the back wall. Invisible. That was survival.
The Alpha stood at the front. Logan stood beside him, looking important.
"Alpha Ronan has made his decision," the Alpha announced. "The alliance will proceed. But he has requested something specific."
Whispers spread through the crowd.
"What does he want?" someone asked.
The Alpha's eyes scanned the room. They landed on Lyra.
"He wants her."
Lyra's blood ran cold. Her heart stopped.
"Lyra Vale. He wants her as part of the alliance."
The crowd erupted. Gasps. Shouts. Disbelief.
"Her? Why would he want her?"
"She's nothing. She's worthless."
"She's a murderer."
Logan stepped forward. His face was twisted with anger. "This is a mistake. She's not worth anything. She's broken. Her wolf is sealed. She killed our parents."
The Alpha held up his hand. "Alpha Ronan has made his request. We will honor it."
Lyra couldn't breathe. Her vision swam.
He wants me. Why does he want me?
She remembered last night. The way he looked at her. The way he grabbed her chin. The coldness in his eyes.
He doesn't want me. He wants something from me.
But she didn't know what.
She was dragged to the front of the hall.
Lyra stumbled, her legs barely holding her. Everyone was watching. Everyone was whispering.
"Lyra Vale," the Alpha said. "You are being given to Alpha Ronan Blackthorne as part of our alliance. You will go with him. You will serve him. You will never return here."
Lyra shook her head. "Please. I don't want to go. I don't want to"
"Do you have a choice?" Logan sneered. "You're nothing, Lyra. You've always been nothing. Now you'll be nothing somewhere else."
She looked at her brother. His eyes were cold. Cruel. There was no recognition. No mercy.
He used to call me sister.
She felt tears burning her eyes. She refused to let them fall.
Ronan appeared at the front of the hall. He moved through the crowd like a predator. Everyone stepped aside.
His silver eyes found her immediately. His face was expressionless.
"Stand up," he commanded.
She didn't move.
He grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet. His grip was firm. Unyielding. She felt his strength through her thin sleeve.
She trembled against him.
"You belong to me now," he said quietly. "And I will decide what to do with you."
She was dragged outside.
The pack watched from the windows. They laughed. They pointed. They whispered.
"Finally rid of her."
"Good riddance."
"Worthless murderer."
Lyra kept her head up. She refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing her break.
Ronan's warriors surrounded her. They stared at her with open disdain.
"This is our Alpha's mate?" one of them murmured. "She doesn't look like much."
"She doesn't even have a wolf," another said.
Ronan growled. They fell silent.
"You'll ride with me," he said.
"I can walk," she said quietly.
"You'll ride with me," he repeated.
She climbed onto the back of his wolf.
His wolf was massive. Pure black. His fur was thick and warm. She sat as far away from Ronan as possible.
The journey began.
She watched Silver Creek fade behind her. The pack house. The courtyard. The stones she had scrubbed a thousand times.
I'm leaving. I'm actually leaving.
She didn't know how to feel. Relief? Terror? Both?
She had wanted to escape for twelve years. But not like this. Not with a monster.
Ronan didn't speak to her. His warriors ignored her. She was invisible. Just like always.
But then the sun began to set.
The blood seal on her chest started to burn.
Lyra gasped. Pain shot through her chest. Sharp. Sudden.
"Stop," she whimpered. "Please. Stop."
Ronan pulled his wolf to a halt. "What's wrong?"
"The seal. It's burning"
She doubled over. Her body convulsed. The pain was unbearable.
Ronan dismounted. He pulled her down from his wolf. She collapsed onto the ground.
The seal was glowing. Light spilled from her chest. Bright. Terrifying.
His warriors backed away. Their eyes were wide.
"It's her wolf," one of them said. "The seal is breaking."
"That's impossible," another said. "Blood seals don't break."
But the seal was cracking.
Lyra screamed. Her wolf was waking. She could feel it. Desperate. Angry. Starving.
It clawed against the seal. Demanding release.
Ronan knelt beside her. His silver eyes were fixed on her face.
"Lyra," he said. "Look at me."
She opened her eyes. Her vision was blurred. Everything was spinning.
"Hold on," he commanded. "Don't lose control."
She couldn't. The seal was breaking. She felt it shatter.
Her wolf exploded outward.
For the first time in twelve years, she shifted.
Her wolf was enormous.
She was larger than any normal wolf. Her fur was the color of moonlight. Her eyes were golden.
She threw back her head and howled.
The world trembled.
Ronan stared at her. His silver eyes were wide. His jaw was tight.
His warriors stepped back. Their faces were pale.
"Alpha," one of them whispered. "Her wolf. That power"
Ronan didn't answer. He just watched her.
Lyra's wolf turned to him. Her golden eyes met his silver ones.
She didn't attack. She just looked at him.
Then she collapsed.
Lyra shifted back. Her body crumpled onto the ground. Unconscious.
Ronan caught her before she hit the ground.
He held her against his chest. Her heartbeat was weak. Faint. But steady.
He stared down at her. His expression was unreadable.
His warriors watched in silence.
"Alpha," one of them said. "What is she?"
Ronan didn't answer.
He lifted her into his arms. He mounted his wolf. He held her close.
They continued the journey.
He didn't speak.
But his grip on her tightened.
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