ALPHA KING DOMINIC'S DARKEST CLAIM

Lyra stepped out of the bathroom and tightened the towel around herself as steam drifted through her bedroom.

Her gaze fell on the outfit spread across her bed, and a nervous smile tugged at her lips.

Tonight was finally the night she was losing her virginity..

For months, she and her boyfriend Caelan had talked about completing their chosen bond during the Mating Festival. They had planned everything together. After years of loving each other, years of promising that they would choose one another no matter what fate decided, tonight they would finally take the next step.

The thought sent warmth rushing through her chest.

After a moment's hesitation, she opened the top drawer of her dresser and pulled out the new lingerie she had hidden there weeks ago. Her cheeks immediately turned pink.

She had spent an entire afternoon choosing them and another week convincing herself she wasn't being ridiculous.

Now, standing alone in her room, she couldn't stop smiling.

"Get yourself together, Lyra, it's just underwear," she muttered.

A laugh escaped her as she quickly got dressed.

A few minutes later, she hurried downstairs and entered the kitchen. The basket of honey cakes she had spent all afternoon baking sat waiting on the counter exactly where she had left it.

The sweet scent immediately filled the air.

Caelan had always loved honey cakes. She wanted to give these to him as a way to show that she would always take care of his needs, both physical and sexual.

Carefully lifting the basket, Lyra headed for the door.

The evening breeze greeted her the moment she stepped outside. Lights glowed throughout the pack lands as wolves gathered to celebrate the final night of the Mating Festival.

A smile curved her lips as she adjusted the basket in her hands and started toward the pack house.

The celebration downstairs grew fainter as she reached the upper floor. Most people were outside enjoying the festivities, leaving the hallway quiet.

She stopped in front of Caelan's room and took a steadying breath.

A smile found its way to her lips as she looked down at the basket in her hands. She could already picture the look on Caelan's face when he opened it and found the honey cakes inside. 

Suddenly, all the hours she had spent in the kitchen felt worthwhile just to see that look on his face.

Clutching the basket a little tighter, Lyra reached for the door.

Before her hand could touch it, a sound drifted from inside the room.

A woman's moan.

Lyra froze.

For a moment, she simply stood there, staring at the door.

Surely she had heard wrong. As if to answer her uncertainty, Caelan's low chuckle came next, followed by another, louder moan.

Lyra's heart stumbled before beginning to pound so hard she could hear it in her ears.

No, that wasn't possible.

Her fingers tightened around the handle of the basket.

A thousand explanations rushed through her mind at once. Maybe someone was hurt, or she was misunderstanding what she had heard. There had to be a reason.

But even as her thoughts scrambled for answers, another part of her already knew.

Her pulse thundered.

Tonight was their mating night. In a few brief hours, they were supposed to stand before the pack and complete the bond they had promised each other. Caelan loved her. He had spent years proving it.

He wouldn't do this, he couldn't. The certainty in her heart battled against the fear rising in her chest.

Slowly, almost mechanically, she reached for the handle and pushed the door open. 

The basket slipped from her fingers. Honey cakes scattered across the floor, but she barely noticed.

For a moment, the world seemed to stop.

Caelan and Vivian lay on his bed, their bodies intertwined as they shared a deep, passionate kiss, lost in the moment. Their clothes strewn across the room, leaving no room for misunderstanding and no space for excuses.

The room seemed to tilt around her. Lyra stared at them, unable to make sense of what she was seeing.

Vivian was the first to recover. She looked toward the doorway and slowly smiled.

"Well," she said, sounding far more amused than embarrassed. "This is awkward."

With a sudden movement, Caelan broke away from her embrace.

The moment he saw Lyra, all the color drained from his face. He scrambled to put some distance between himself and Vivian, reaching for the clothes scattered nearby.

"Lyra," his voice sounded strained, but she barely heard him.

She looked at him, then at Vivian. Then back at him again.

Part of her kept waiting for someone to explain. To laugh. To tell her there was some misunderstanding, some mistake that would make everything she was seeing disappear, but no one did.

The silence stretched until it became unbearable.

Finally, Lyra swallowed hard.

"How long?"

The two looked at each other, but neither of them answered. The pain that followed their silence cut deeper than any confession ever could. Vivian sat up, pulling a sheet around herself. As she moved, something caught Lyra's eye - A mark.

Lyra's breath caught. The silver crescent-shaped mark stood out clearly against Vivian's skin. Lyra knew that mark, every wolf did.

Slowly, her gaze shifted to Caelan.

His shirt hung open as he hurriedly pulled it on, and there, just below his collarbone, she saw the same mark, the same crescent - the same bond.

Something cold settled in her chest.

No.

Vivian noticed where she was looking. A satisfied smile spread across her face. "The Moon Goddess chose us," she touched the mark lightly.

"Our mate bond awakened this afternoon. "The words landed like a physical blow.

Lyra felt the air leave her lungs.

Slowly, she looked at Caelan.

"Please tell me she's lying."

The desperation in her own voice startled her.

Caelan lowered his gaze.

"Lyra, I didn't know," he blurted. "I swear I didn't know Vivienne was my mate until today."

Lyra laughed softly.The sound barely resembled laughter by the time it left her lips.

"You promised me."

For a moment, guilt flashed across Caelan's face. He looked away and ran a hand through his hair as though searching for the right words.

"Lyra, I'm sorry. I never wanted things to happen like this."

Vivienne stepped closer to him and slipped her arm through his. The satisfied smile on her face made Lyra's stomach twist.

"It wasn't his fault," Vivienne said. "The pull of the mate bond was too strong for both of us."

Lyra stared at them.

Only hours ago, she had been planning a future with Caelan. She had looked forward to completing their chosen bond. 

"You promised me," she repeated.

This time, something changed in Caelan's expression. The guilt was still there, but it was slowly being replaced by justification.

"Lyra, you have to understand my position."

"Understand?" she repeated quietly. 

Caelan let out a long breath.

"In the past, I thought you and I were meant to lead this pack together as Luna and Alpha, but that comes with responsibilities.” 

Lyra felt her chest tighten.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Caelan hesitated for only a second.

"You've been nineteen for months, Lyra. Every other wolf the same age as you in the pack already shifted years ago . Your wolf may never appear, and if it appears at all, there's no guarantee she'll be strong enough. You and I both know that Alpha Roland would never choose you,  a wolf-less girl,  to be the next Luna of Ashborne."

There was a silence before he continued.

“The goddess must still want me to lead this pack in future, but not with you. That’s why she mated Vivienne and I together.”

The words landed like a slap. Beside him, Vivienne's smile widened. Caelan either didn't notice or didn't care.

The room seemed to grow smaller around her.

For years she had carried the shame of being wolf-less. She had endured the whispers, the pity, and the judgment. Through all of it, Caelan had been the one person who claimed none of that mattered.

Now he was using it against her.

"The Moon Goddess knew what she was doing," Caelan continued. "Vivienne is strong. She's respected. She already has her wolf. The bond happened for a reason."

Something inside Lyra finally snapped. It had nothing to do with the mate bond, or Vivienne. This was the man who had sworn he loved her. The man who had promised to choose her regardless of what the Moon Goddess decided. Yet the moment fate offered him something he considered better, he abandoned everything he had promised and used her deepest insecurity to justify it.

Before she could stop herself, her hand moved. The crack of the slap echoed through the room. Caelan's head turned sharply to the side.

For several seconds, nobody spoke. Even Vivienne looked surprised. Lyra lowered her trembling hand and stared at the man she had loved for years. Tears burned behind her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

"You don't deserve me."

Her voice shook slightly, but there was no uncertainty in it.

"You never did."

Then she turned, walked out of the room, and never looked back.

The hallway blurred as she descended the stairs. Voices and laughter echoed through the pack house, but they sounded distant now, as though she were hearing them from underwater.

Outside, the celebration continued beneath the moonlight. The entire pack was celebrating while her world quietly fell apart. She crossed the courtyard and broke into a run towards the forest as the tears she had held in freely streamed down her cheeks.

Branches brushed against her arms as she followed familiar paths deeper into the trees. She wasn't aiming for anywhere in particular as she entered the forest. She only knew she couldn't stay there.

The image of him and Vivienne refused to leave her mind.

Eventually, she reached a small clearing.

Moonlight spilled across a still pool surrounded by ancient trees. Silver reflections danced across the water's surface, transforming it into a mirror of the night sky.

Lyra stumbled to the edge and sank onto a flat stone.

For the first time since leaving the pack house, she allowed herself to cry.

The tears came silently at first.

Then, all at once.

She covered her face as years of buried loneliness surfaced alongside tonight's heartbreak.

Caelan had been the one person who always made her feel chosen. Now even that had been taken away from her.

"Why?" she whispered toward the moon. The question disappeared into the night. Only the rustling leaves answered.

A moment later, another sound followed. A sharp crack echoed from somewhere beyond the trees, making her freeze. She could sense someone watching her in the shadows. Her tears stopped as panic set in.

Slowly, she rose to her feet. A chill crept down her spine as movement appeared between the shadows. One figure stepped into the moonlight, followed by two others. Her stomach dropped in recognition. Their yellow eyes gleamed in the darkness as they watched her—rogues.

Lyra's heart slammed against her ribs as one rogue stepped forward.