CHAPTER 4
1191 Words
Lyra – POV
My request had been granted. Three months. But within a day, I lost everything.
Kaelen wasted no time. The moment I agreed to his conditions, he returned with three guards and a cold command: “Pack your things.”
I wasn’t taken to another guest room. Not even to the old Luna chambers once used by his mother. No. I was led down narrow hallways, past the kitchens and the cold storerooms, until we reached a door near the back of the mansion.
The servants' quarters.
“If you’re staying under my roof,” Kaelen said, voice devoid of anything but disdain, “you’ll earn it. You are no longer the Luna. Consider this a generous downgrade.”
He left me there with no more words.
Later that afternoon, I stood silently among the kitchen staff as Kaelen made his official announcement in the central hall.
“I’d like to introduce you all to Estelle,” he said proudly. “My true mate. And the woman who will soon become your Luna.”
She was radiant. Smiling. Standing at his side like she had belonged there from the beginning.
I stood behind a row of maids, head bowed, as the staff clapped half-heartedly. Many stole glances at me, pity in their eyes, confusion in others. But no one said anything. No one could.
I was no longer Luna Lyra. I was the girl who had been replaced.
---
After the announcement, Estelle wasted no time asserting her new role.
“Lyra,” she called sweetly from the grand staircase. “Be a dear and prepare something light for me. Something warm, but not too heavy.”
I bowed. “Yes, Luna Estelle.”
She lifted her hand. “Sorry? I didn’t quite hear that.”
I gritted my teeth, bowed lower, and repeated, “Yes, Luna Estelle.”
She smiled with venom. “That’s better. Now run along.”
I turned and left, refusing to look at Kaelen. If I had, I was afraid I might break.
---
I moved quickly through the kitchen, my hands steady despite the storm raging inside me. I made her a broth with roasted roots and fine-cut herbs, comfort food, nothing heavy. The same dish I once made for Kaelen when he was grieving his father.
I placed it carefully on a silver tray and returned to the sitting room, where the two of them were lounging and watching a broadcast about Kaelen’s company.
He'd taken over everything, his father’s estate, the pack, and the company. His business acumen was unmatched, and he wore power like a second skin.
They were sipping wine. Laughing.
“Your meal, Luna Estelle,” I said softly, setting it on the low table.
“Stay,” she said, waving a dismissive hand. “I want you to stand here while I eat. In case I need anything else.”
I nodded. My hands folded in front of me.
She took a spoonful. Then another. Then she spat it out dramatically, coughing as though it had poisoned her.
“Water!” she cried.
I rushed to grab a glass, but she stood, red-faced and theatrical.
“What did you put in this?!” she shrieked, and before I could answer, her palm cracked across my cheek.
Pain bloomed instantly. Kaelen stood, alarmed. “What happened?”
“She’s trying to kill me!” Estelle screeched. “She poisoned me!”
Kaelen turned to me, eyes blazing. “What did you do?”
“I didn’t—” I started, but Estelle hurled the bowl at me. The scalding contents splashed across my arms and chest. I cried out, the heat searing my skin.
“Make something else. And do it right this time,” she hissed, voice low and cruel.
Still holding the burning tray, I turned and walked out. My steps were calm, but inside me, something was unraveling. And then I heard it, their voices. My wolf senses sharpened.
“She didn’t do anything,” Estelle giggled. “I just wanted to punish her.”
Kaelen chuckled darkly. “You’re wicked.”
“She won’t last long. A few more stunts like this and she’ll leave on her own.”
They laughed again. Bitterness clutched my throat like a vice. They had no intention of honoring my time here.
This was a game. A slow, cruel game to break me.
---
The days that followed were worse.
Every task I performed was criticized. Every corner I cleaned was suddenly too dusty. When Estelle’s golden necklace went missing, I was accused of theft on the spot.
“She took it,” Estelle said with a sneer, pointing at me. “I saw her near my room yesterday.”
“I didn’t,” I said firmly. “I would never steal—”
“Lies,” Kaelen barked. “You’ve become desperate. Pathetic.”
A voice rang out then, a timid maid stepped forward.
“I saw where it was,” she said, hands shaking. “Luna Estelle left it in her purse. I saw it there this morning.”
“You little—” Estelle spun on her, furious.
Kaelen looked embarrassed, but he recovered quickly. “Someone must have moved it.”
Of course. Nothing was ever their fault.
Afterward, I returned to the servants’ quarters, laid down on the thin mat, and stared at the cracked ceiling as the ache in my chest deepened.
My tears came quietly. I no longer sobbed. I simply… unraveled.
I gave everything, I thought. I endured. I stayed loyal. I loved. And in return, they killed my child, stole my place, and made me a joke in the house I once ruled.
Something hardened inside me. I sat up, my jaw clenched.
“They’ll pay,” I whispered. “They’ll both pay for this.”
A familiar voice echoed behind me. Not from inside this time. Not like before but real and present. I turned and there she was.
Bane stood by the doorway of my small room, eyes glowing like twin moons in the dark.
“You’re ready,” she said.
I wiped my cheeks. “I’ve had enough.”
She stepped closer. “Then say it. Out loud. Say what you’re willing to become.”
I hesitated. “My softness... it got me nothing,” I said. “I’m done being loyal. Obedient. Kind. That woman died when they took everything from her.”
Bane smiled. “Then let me in. Let me all the way in.”
I nodded. Before I could blink, she leapt toward me, not as a wolf, but as green light, raw and ancient. It passed through me like fire.
My body shook, bones rattling under the pressure of her power. My breath came short, then sharp.
I collapsed to my knees as her voice rang within me, “We are one now.” I turned to the small mirror by my bedside.
My eyes, once hazel, now shimmered green. But I wasn’t afraid, I felt strong, balanced and whole.
A slow, dangerous smile touched my lips. Let the game begin.
- Writer
