CHAPTER 3— PUNISHED BY THE ALPHA

Lyra didn't stop running until the forest began to thin and the familiar outline of her home appeared through the trees.

The forest seemed different in the daylight.

Less frightening.

More familiar.

Yet every step she took only made her thoughts race faster. How was she supposed to explain the mark? The mating ball was tonight.

The realization made her groan aloud.

Of all days for this to happen, it had to happen on the day every unmated wolf in the kingdom would gather under one roof.

Lyra picked up her pace.

By the time her family's house appeared through the trees, she was almost running.

Relief washed through her as she climbed the porch steps and reached for the door.

Unfortunately, fate seemed determined to test her patience one more time. The door opened, and Vivienne stepped out.

For a moment, both sisters froze.

Vivian looked as though she had just returned from the pack house. Her hair was slightly messy, and there was a softness on her face that hadn't been there the previous evening.

The sight alone was enough to remind Lyra where she had spent the night.

A fresh wave of irritation swept through her.

She tightened her grip on the door handle and stepped forward, hoping to slip past her sister without starting a conversation.

Unfortunately, Vivienne had already noticed her. More specifically, she had noticed Lyra's rugged appearance.

Her gaze traveled from Lyra's tangled hair to her wrinkled dress before finally settling on the torn shoulder.

The amusement on her face disappeared.

"No way."

Lyra immediately lifted a hand and covered the damaged fabric.

"Move."

Vivienne didn't move, instead, she stepped closer. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the exposed skin near Lyra's shoulder.

"No way," she repeated, sounding almost breathless now. "Is that what I think it is?"

"Mind your own business, Vivienne."

Lyra tried to walk around her, but she caught her wrist.

The movement wasn't strong enough to stop a wolf, but it was enough to make Lyra pause. 

Vivienne let out a disbelieving laugh. "You actually ran off and got marked."

Lyra's stomach tightened. "Let go of me."

"Oh my Goddess!" Vivienne's eyes widened even further. "It really is a mark."

Her gaze shot back to Lyra's face. "Who is he?"

Lyra pulled her hand free. "I don't have time for this." She retorted as she turned toward the staircase.

"Mom!" Lyra stopped in her tracks as Vivienne shouted. A headache immediately began forming behind her eyes.

"Mom! Dad! Come down here!"

"Vivienne," Lyra's voice, laced with a desperate plea, reached out to her.

"Oh, no. You don't get to run away from this," Vivienne shot back as footsteps sounded from upstairs.

Several seconds later, Luna Lydia Ashbourne appeared at the top of the staircase wearing her morning robe. Alpha Roland appeared behind her, his expression already irritated from being disturbed so early.

"What is all this shouting about?" Lydia asked.

Vivienne pointed dramatically at Lyra.

"Look at her shoulder."

Both parents frowned. Then they saw the mark. The change in the room was immediate. The sleepy confusion vanished from Lydia's face. Roland's expression hardened. Neither of them moved for several seconds.

Then Gregory started walking down the stairs. Each step felt heavier than the last. Lyra instinctively straightened. Her father only approached her when she had done something wrong. The realization made her chest tighten.

"Lyra." His voice was calm, too calm.

"Look at me."

Slowly, she raised her eyes.

Gregory's gaze shifted briefly toward the mark before returning to her face.

"Who did that?"

Lyra opened her mouth, but no words came out. She genuinely didn't know how to answer. She knew nothing about him except the fact that he had saved her life.

The silence stretched.

Roland's eyes narrowed.

"I'm waiting."

"It isn't what you think," Lyra said quietly.

"Then tell me what it is." His tone carried a subtle edge of annoyance. She swallowed.

"I…"The words refused to come.

Vivienne folded her arms. "I told you she ran off after she found me and Caelan together." She paused for dramatic effect, then continued, "She must have desperately found an omega to mark her, because Caelan rejected her."

Lyra looked horrified. "It's nothing like that." She whispered.

"Then explain the mating mark on your neck," Vivienne smirked.

The sarcasm in her voice was impossible to miss.

Roland's jaw tightened. "Who marked you?"

Again, Lyra couldn't answer. She watched the realization slowly dawn on his face.

His expression shifted from anger to disbelief. Then to something worse.

"You don't even know who he is."

It wasn't a question; he was stating a fact.

Lyra lowered her eyes. The disappointment that flashed across her father's face hurt far more than his anger.

"You let a stranger mark you?"

Lyra remained silent.

Gregory laughed bitterly.

"Do you know which pack he belongs to?"

"I…" Lyra had barely opened her mouth when a slap echoed through the room. She stumbled sideways as a sharp sting spread across her cheek.

For a moment, nobody spoke, though Vivienne looked as though she had just witnessed the most entertaining event of her life.

Gregory lowered his hand slowly. His chest rose and fell heavily.

"You have humiliated this family."

Lyra pressed a hand to her cheek. Tears threatened to rise, but she refused to let them fall, not in front of Vivienne and her mother.

Lydia pointed toward the mark on Lyra's shoulder.

"Do you have any idea what people will say when they see that?"

Her voice was icy, each word sharper than the last.

"Haven't you embarrassed this family enough already?"

Lyra remained silent.

There was no point in defending herself.

She had spent most of her life carrying the blame for things she had never done. Whenever something went wrong, somehow the fault always found its way back to her. Over the years, she had learned that explanations rarely changed anything.

Her father had never forgiven her for the circumstances of her birth. The former Luna had died bringing Lyra into the world, and although no one said it openly anymore, the shadow of that loss still lingered over the family.

Lydia's feelings were no secret either.

Every time she looked at Lyra, she saw the face of the woman who came before her.

Lyra had inherited her mother's eyes, her smile, and even the shape of her face. Pack members often commented on the resemblance, never realizing how quickly it darkened Lydia's mood.

As for Roland, looking at Lyra was like looking at a ghost he could never forget.

So when trouble appeared, it never took long for fingers to point in her direction.

The mark on her shoulder had simply given everyone a new reason.

Even without it, they would have found something else, eventually.

They always did.

Roland stepped closer. "You have until tonight to find your mate. If by the end of tonight's mating ball, you don't return with a mate, I'll kill you myself."

Her head lifted. "What?"

"You heard me."

Shock flashed across Lyra's face.

"Dad…"

"I don't care who he is, just find a wolf willing to redeem our family's name."

His voice filled the room.

"Until the ball begins, you'll spend your day working with the omegas, and every day after that. That's the punishment for your stupidity."

Roland pointed toward the kitchen. "Report to the omega quarters immediately. And pray the Moon Goddess sends you a miracle before tonight."

Lyra stood frozen as her parents walked away. Only when the room became quiet again did she realize her hands were shaking.

She walked upstairs and went straight to her small closet. She chose a high-necked dress and carefully arranged her hair to hide the mark on her shoulder before reporting to the omega quarters as ordered.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Nobody questioned her, but that somehow made it worse.

The omegas welcomed her politely and immediately put her to work helping prepare for the mating ball. Tables needed decorating, flowers had to be arranged, and hundreds of dishes were being prepared for the evening's celebration.

Normally, Lyra would have enjoyed the work. Today, she simply buried herself in it. If she kept her hands busy enough, perhaps her thoughts would stay quiet too.

Unfortunately, the rest of the pack had other ideas.

As she carried trays through the kitchen, conversations drifted toward her from every corner.

"Did you hear what happened?"

"Of course I heard."

"I still can't believe Caelan ended up mated to Vivienne."

"Poor Lyra."

The words followed her everywhere.

One omega shook her head sadly.

"First, she lost her mother. Now she loses her chosen mate to her own sister."

Lyra kept a straight face and pretended the whispers didn't hurt.

She had almost settled in when the kitchen doors opened and Vivienne entered. Walking beside her was the last person Lyra expected to see, Caelan. Vivienne's hair had been styled beautifully, and the mark on her neck was fully visible for everyone to see.

The room immediately grew quieter.

A slow smile spread across her face when she saw Lyra.

"There you are."

Lyra continued arranging flowers.

"What do you want?"

Vivienne ignored the question and walked around the table.

"Why are you hiding your mark? Caelen couldn't believe it when I told him you found your mate, so I brought him to see for himself."

The room became completely silent. Every omega stopped what they were doing.

Lyra's grip tightened around the flowers in her hands.

"Is it true?" Caelan asked as he stepped closer, "Is what she is saying true?" A distinct note of bitterness sharpened the edges of his voice.

“What if it is? It's clearly none of your business," Lyra said as she continued arranging the flowers.

Vivienne stepped closer.

"Come on, show him."

Vivienne reached forward before Lyra could react. She grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward.

"Vivienne."

The warning came too late. With one quick movement, Vivienne pushed Lyra's hair aside, exposing the mark. Gasps filled the room.

"Who is it? Who gave you the mark?" Caelan asked, not bothering to hide his fury.

Lyra jerked away from Vivienne.

"Stop it." She said to Vivienne, then turned to Caelan. "And you, you stopped having any right to my body after you marked my sister. What I do with it is none of your business."

"What?" Vivienne spread her hands innocently. "You found your mate too. This should be a happy occasion."

Lyra wanted to scream.

Instead, she lifted her head high and walked away, hoping no one could see the tears threatening to form in her eyes.