REBORN: CHOSEN BY THE DRAGON KING

LYRA "You slept with another werewolf." I widen my eyes, shaking my head. Everyone around us stares in shock and anger at the same time. They look at me like I betrayed their Alpha, but I didn't. "That's not true, Kael!" My voice comes out shaky, choked with tears that haven’t yet fallen. "You know me, you know I would never..." "Enough!" he roars. Kael, heir Alpha of the Silver Moon Pack, looks at me like I’m nothing. Like I’m filthy. He steps toward me, and I feel tears welling in my eyes. "What I saw with my own eyes can't be undone by sweet words, Lyra." His growl vibrates in the air, his amber eyes burning with restrained rage. "You were with my brother. In heat. In my own bed." The crowd gasps. "I wasn’t! I was called there by a note, and he tricked me!" I scream. "It was a trap, Kael! I would never do that to you. To us!" He clenches his fists, his jaw locked tight. "You think anyone will believe that? Think they’ll forgive a marked she-wolf who opened her legs for another? Even if it was a lie… I am the Alpha. And I can’t accept this as my mate." My world spins around me and for a moment I think I’ll faint. This can’t be happening. "Kael… please… we were fated…" He steps forward again, lifting his chin arrogantly. "Before the entire Silver Moon Pack, before the elders and the sacred union altar, I, Kael Thorne, Alpha of this pack, reject you, Lyra Rowen, as my fated mate. The mark is broken. Your place among us is erased." Something inside me shatters. Tears soak my face and I place my hand over my chest, feeling the pain of public rejection. I stumble, gasping, and fall to my knees in the center of the ceremonial hall, still dressed in the pure white of the union ceremony that never happened. But he doesn’t stop there. "And as punishment for the humiliation you caused to my house, my bloodline, and my honor… take her away." "What?" my voice barely escapes, horrified. "Kael, what are you going to do to me?" He looks at me like I’m a problem that needs to be erased. "There is no forgiveness for what you’ve done." "Kael!" I scream, now desperate. "Please! Listen to me! I love you!" "Take her to the Burning Mountain," he orders. "Deliver her as an offering to the Dragon King." "NO!" I scream, trying to rise. "You can't do this! You’ll regret it!" But the guards are already closing in, chaining my wrists to keep me from escaping. "A sacrifice calms the dragon’s fire. You are the perfect impure one," he says, emotionless. I am taken to the Burning Mountain. Climbing there is hard, but the pain in my heart dulls all other pain. I feel the tears burning in my eyes. Being a dragon's offering is one of the worst punishments that exist. "Please... please, don’t do this to me..." I beg the werewolves dragging me. "I swear I’m innocent..." They don’t say a word. The Burning Mountain is a dormant volcano. Or at least… that’s what they say. For centuries, the elders have given offerings to the Dragon King whenever the ground trembles or the sky fills with black smoke. It’s an ancient ritual. Cruel. And now, it’s my sentence. "You’ll pay for this, Kael!" I scream to the sky, my voice torn by despair. "I SWEAR! You’ll pay!" From above, Kael himself watches. Cold. Motionless. Then he speaks, his voice full of authority: "In the name of the Darkblood Pack, I deliver Lyra Rowen as an offering to the Lord of Eternal Fire." And without another word, they throw me. The wind rips through me. The white dress flies around me like a shroud. The impact is brutal. My back hits a hot rock, and smoke chokes me. I scream, but no air comes. I faint. Or almost. Because before I lose consciousness, I feel it. The ground trembles. Fire crackles around me. And then, footsteps. Heavy. Powerful. A roar splits the sky. A roar no wolf could ever make. I open my eyes just enough to see a monster rising from the flames. A colossal body, with scales black as molten coal. Giant wings lift against the smoky sky, and the eyes… the eyes are golden, blazing, and locked on me. My mouth tries to scream, but no sound escapes. The dragon approaches — and then, like some ancient spell, he changes. The scales vanish, and in front of me stands a naked man, his body sculpted, his eyes aflame. He walks toward me and kneels, his warm fingers brushing my face. “They made a grave mistake, little she-wolf…” It’s the last thing I hear before the darkness takes me.