Chapter 3
1055 Words
Lyra's POV
They dragged me through the forest, not even caring if I stumbled or gasped for breath. My legs ached, my wrists burned, I kept crying and crying but they didn't care.
Eventually, we got somewhere with less trees, revealing a wide clearing with tents, cages, and a large fire in the middle. It was some sort of camp,temporary but organized. I wasn’t the only one here.
There were girls.
Caged.
Maybe twenty of them, some younger than me, others around my age, all looking just as lost, scared, and broken.
One of the men kicked open a cage door. “In.”
I was shoved inside, the cold metal biting into my skin as I hit the floor. The bars slammed shut behind me, locking me in.
“Another one?” a girl with tangled brown hair whispered beside me.
“They just keep collecting us,” another muttered, hugging her knees.
I didn’t respond. I was still trying to process it all.
I had escaped my pack’s wrath only to end up in a cage, surrounded by strangers, in the middle of nowhere.
I was about to lie down when a shadow appeared by the cage.
It was him.
The leader.
He crouched so his eyes met mine through the bars. “You’ll stay quiet here. No trouble, or you’ll regret it.”
I said nothing.
He studied me, then stood up and turned away. As he walked off, I heard one of the guards say, smiling.“That one should get h us a good price, I mean she can fight"
Price?
My stomach turned. They were planning to sell us.
I leaned back against the cage, trying to steady my breath. Trying to put the pieces together.
Later that night, as the fire outside crackled and the rest of the camp dozed, I turned to the girl beside me.
“Do you know where we’re going?” I asked quietly.
She nodded. “We’re slaves. Other times, they just kill us.”
“How long have you been here?”
“Three days,” she whispered. “They move often. Sell fast. We don’t stay long in one place.”
My mouth went dry.
Being sold like an item
Was this my fate now?
I lay there in silence, staring at the rusted bars, as my thoughts drifted.
If my parents were here, they would’ve fought the entire camp to get me out. They were warriors, respected, feared… until they were framed. Until the pack turned on them. Until I was left alone.
I shut my eyes tightly, hoping I stop thinking about them. But it kept coming back, the day of their execution, the screams, the betrayal. Their faces.
I missed them so much it hurt to breathe.
Suddenly, a commotion stirred outside. Heavy boots, urgent voices.
One of the men burst into the clearing, panting.
“The royal hunt!” he shouted.
Everyone froze.
The leader stepped out from his tent, eyes narrowing. “What did you say?”
“It’s happening now. The royal family’s are planning to go hunting, less than a day’s ride from here.”
The leader’s gaze flickered, calculating. “The triplet princes?”
“All three. And nobles from several territories.”
A spark lit in his eyes. He turned to look at the cages.
“We’re not selling them here anymore,” he said. “We take them to the hunt. Royal auctions draw higher bids.”
My heart skipped.
Royal hunt? Princes?
“What’s that?” I whispered to the brown-haired girl.
“It’s a tradition,” she said. “The royal family hosts it once every year. The princes and other royals come together, hunt beasts and bid on rare… prizes.”
“Prizes?” I echoed.
She looked at me, eyes tired. “Girls like us.”
They sell us like trophies?
It was disgusting. Dehumanizing.
But… an idea formed in my head. A dangerous one.
What if I could turn this around?
I had heard about them, every pack did.
They were powerful, respected and feared.
And maybe, I could just find my way out of all this.
If I could get them to choose me, I won't be sold to a far place and I will be able to keep tab on my pack.
It was stupid,Insane, that I was happy to become a slave. But I had nothing else, no option.
No pack. No family. No wolf.
Just this spark left inside me.
And I would make sure it doesn't only stay as dream.
“I’m going to make them buy me,” I said under my breath.
The girl beside me turned sharply. “What?”
“I’ll make I'm bought by the royal family.”
She laughed bitterly. “You think they care about us?”
“I don't need them to care" I said.
She looked at me for a while. “You’re crazy.”
“Maybe. But I won’t die in a cage.”
Just then, the guards started moving. The leader barked orders. “Get them ready. We leave before dawn.”
Chains were unlocked. Girls were moved from cage.
A few sniffled. One girl screamed and was slapped hard.
I said nothing.
My eyes were fixed ahead.
I would endure.
I would survive.
And I would find a way to make sure I'm bought to somewhere close.
Because if I could do that… maybe I could start rewriting my fate.
We were pushed into the back of a wagon. The doors slammed shut. Darkness fell.
But in the dark, I saw it clearly:
My parents’ faces.
A storm was brewing inside me.
And if fate wanted a show at the royal hunt…
Then I would give it one.
But as we rumbled down the dirt road, toward whatever horrors lay ahead, the wagon jerked suddenly, then slowed.
Something was wrong.
The guard shouted.
One of the girls screamed.
I pressed my face to the tiny gap in the wood.
And I saw the blood.
It seems the girl had bitten the guard.
He slapped her, she fell on the floor, and he dragged her up she tried to struggle, but he was stronger.
I wasn't even surprised.
And then something that made my jaw drop happened.
He shot her.
- Writer
