Chapter 3

In the quiet room, a muffled sob broke through the stillness, filling the air with Lyra ’s heartache.

Despite her outward strength in public, she was a different person when the night came, shedding tears in solitude.

Once accustomed to the luxury of an elegant bed chamber, now she found herself in the attic, a place that amplified her feelings of loneliness and isolation.

“Let’s escape,” a voice whispered in the back of

Lyra ’s mind, belonging to Stella, her wolf.

She clutched her pillow tightly, the tears ceasing at the sound of her wolf’s suggestion.

Ever since she turned seven, Stella had been anconstant presence in her thoughts.

Lyra couldn’t explain it, but she knew she’s a special case, she knew her wolf was always looking out for her, however, she only shifted once–there was one time during her coming-of-age when she was all by herself in the woods and managed to shift.

Since then, she and Stella had an agreement not to shift again, at least until the right time has come.

The pack knew Lyra wasn’t wolfless, but they believed that her wolf was weak for her not to be able to shiftnon her own accord.

“And then what?” Lyra asked, her tears shimmering on her cheeks as she brushed them away.

She knew her wolf only wanted what was best for her, having witnessed her struggles, but she wasn’t quite ready to heed her advice just yet.

“We have nowhere to go.nLet’s endure everything for now.”

“Tsk.” Stella’s disapproving response was the last sound Lyra heard before she let out a deep sigh and gazed out of the small attic window.

The moonlight bathed her in a soft, pale glow as a cool breeze rustled the leaves outside.

She closed her eyes, finding solace in the knowledge that she wasn’t locked away, yet couldn’t shake off the feeling of helplessness, a reminder of her childhood struggles.

The next morning, as Lyra opened the attic door, cold, dirty water cascaded over her.

Her eyes widened in shock as she watched the droplets drip from her clothes onto the wooden floor below.

The she-wolf maids, different from those of the previous day, giggled mischievously.

These were the ones who attended Anya.

“Oops, sorry,” the one with black hair offered a mocking apology.

Lyra let out a deep sigh, wiping the droplets from her forehead before standing tall and facing the maids who laughed even louder.

“What’s the matter with you?” she inquired calmly, her voice steady.

This childish behavior had become a regular occurrence, and frankly, she was growing tired of it.

Taking a step forward, she watched as they slowly retreated.

They had heard of how she had dealt with their friend the day before and now sought to teach her a lesson.

Their wounded pride couldn’t bear the fact that they tended to an orphan who turned out to be a fake.

“Why are you still here anyway? Just leave! You don’t belong here!” one of the maids huffed, tossing a wooden bucket in Lyra ’s direction.

It smacked her on the forehead, causing Stella to growl in anger, but Lyra held her wolf back from retaliating.

She knew things could get messy if she let Stella loose.

“Why would I leave? What authority does a maid like you have?” Lyra retorted, a trickle of blood running down her forehead.

The maids gasped, their eyes widening in shock.

“We’ll make sure you leave our pack, so our real future Luna won’t have to worry about your existence!” they spat before scurrying off, leaving Lyra to clean up the mess they’d made.

Sighing, she touched her forehead, wincing at the pain as she looked at her hand, stained with wet, red blood.

“I will kill them!” Stella growled once more.

“Calm down, they’ll regret it eventually,” Lyra reassured her wolf as she finished cleaning the floors.

After tending to her wound and changing into a fresh uniform, she tied her long, red wavy hair into a ponytail and headed to the main mansion to start her work.

Today, she was assigned to serve in the dining hall where the high-ranking pack members gathered for breakfast.

Pushing a cart laden with food, Lyra entered the hall and overheard the Alpha and Luna engaging in friendly conversation with Anya, asking about her well-being, and continued chatting with Rhys, the beta, and his child.

Lyra couldn’t help but purse her lips.

She used to sit where Anya was, but now she was being ignored.

After serving the food as instructed by the head kitchen maid, she stood to the side with the other maids.

Anya’s eyes then locked with Lyra’s, a mischievous grin playing on her lips.

“Hmm?” Anya’s expression turned to shock as she took a spoonful of the soup, only to have her eyes widened moments later.

A red rash spread across her skin as she frantically scratched at it.

“What’s the matter?” Rhys’s voice rang out with concern, echoing the worry of everyone at the table.

“M-my soup has peanuts. I’m allergic to peanuts, w-why–” Anya’s voice broke as tears welled up in her eyes, clutching her stomach. In that instant, Lyra could sense trouble brewing.

“But our soup was peanut-free. I informed the chef of your allergy.” Rose chimed in, puzzled.

“Unless someone tampered with yours.”

[Come to the dining hall,] Alpha Aiden’ command resonated through the pack physician’s mind link.

All eyes then turned to Lyra , who had served the soup.

Suspicion hung heavy in the air, accusing glares aimed her way.

She clenched her fists, knowing her protests would fall on deaf ears, but she couldn’t stay silent.

“I didn’t do anything; I just followed the kitchen maid’s instructions to serve the food.”

“I’m disappointed in you, Lyra . Must you really go this far? You could have harmed Anya out of spite. It’s not her fault she’s Rhys’s fated mate,” Lorena’s words cut deep, causing Lyra to bite her lip.

Even her best friend had turned against her, placing the blame squarely on her shoulders.

“I swear, I didn’t put anything. I don’t even know about her allergy—”

“Enough!” Alpha Aiden’ voice boomed, sending a shiver down Lyra’s spine.

“Be grateful I haven’t banished you yet. Pull a stunt like this again, and I’ll send you back to where I found you 12 years ago.”

Tears threatened to spill from Lyra ’s eyes as the trauma washed over her, but she blinked them away when Rhys splashed tea over her head.

His icy gaze held no emotion, but his clenched jaw spoke volumes as his anger bubbled to the surface.

“Is this the real you? A two-faced wench?!”

Rhys’s accusation hung in the air, but Lyra remained silent, resisting the urge to retaliate.

She knew defending herself would be futile– they had already cast her as the villainess.

“You said you wouldn’t interfere, but here you are,” he growled through gritted teeth.

“Our pack took you in, and treated you well, and this is how you repay us? By harming my mate, the true key to the prophecy?”

“You may have the potential to be a great Luna thanks to my mother’s guidance but let me make one thing clear…” Rhys’s hand gripped Lyra ’s cheeks, forcing her to meet his gray orbs, burning with anger.

“Anya was far superior to you. She was the daughter of a beta from the Silver pack, one of the nobles in the north. Her wolf was strong, unlike yours, which can’t even shift at will.”

Lyra could sense Stella itching to break free, but she expertly kept her in check, all while wearing a poker face.

It was a tricky balancing act, but she had already mastered it.

Even the Alpha wouldn’t be able to catch on.

Besides,there is a strict rule in the Incarnadine Pack that members are not allowed to shift into their wolf forms inside the pack house unless there is a potential threat.

This rule was put in place to protect the human servants who live among the pack members and prevent them from being startled or afraid.

Anyone who breaks this rule faces banishment from the pack.With a dramatic bang, the door swung open,and in march a couple of warriors, their eyes fixed on Lyra .

She felt a chill run down her spine as they seized her by the arms.

Her face paled, fearing Alpha Aiden would do what he had said earlier.

But instead, he coolly commanded them to toss her into the dungeon,nwhere she endured a week of harsh treatment and meager rations of water.

The endless torment didn’t stop there. The past three months had been a nightmare, with pack members’ mistreatment every day, especially Rhys’s emotional assaults and Anya’s relentless schemes to make her life more miserable than it already is.

However, Lyra managed to endure everything just like she did in the past.

After much preparation and anticipation, they were finally setting off towards the Capital where the Alpha King’s Banquet was being held.

Despite owning a car, the Alpha and Luna were cozied up inside the carriage with Rhys and Anya, while Lyra sat beside the coachman.

This was her first time heading to the palace, so it was no wonder she felt a flutter of nerves. After all, she knew all about the Tyrant Alpha King.

There were countless rumors surrounding him, from slaying an entire pack single-handedly to having a hideous appearance befitting someone cursed.

During her lesson on becoming a perfect Luna, she discovered that the curse was passed down to whoever from the royal family would inherit the throne.

For generations, Alpha Kings have been unable to sense or find their mates. As a result, an event called Luna Selection was made, which all high- ranking unmated she-wolves were required to attend.

However, this generation, whoever is chosen by the current Alpha King meets an unfortunate fate–they die before the mating ceremony can even take place. That is because they would rather choose death than become his mate– and this year would be the King’s third attempt to select a mate and Luna.

With a jolt, the carriage came to a stop.

Lyra’s eyes widened in awe as she took in the grand, elegant palace before her. The anticipation was building as she realized she would soon come face to face with this notorious ruler of Verdentia.

Suddenly, the coachman’s booming voice cut through her daze.

“We have arrived.”