Chapter 3

The pack court started murmuring. Some of them were starting to wonder — how could it really be such a coincidence? Selene, alone, in exactly the right place.

But Kane's eyes had filled with disgust. "I believe my mate. I've seen you do it for years. Always throwing your 'real daughter' status in Selene's face. Bloodline never really matters. Heart does. And yours is rotten."

Damien stepped up to back him. "You used to rip her out of every family photo. Said she didn't belong there. Every birthday gift from Mom — you'd ruin hers on purpose."

Every eye in the room turned on me.

A few of the older women were already shaking their heads. Someone sighed.

"How petty. To do that to her own sister…"

"Awful. Poor Selene."

"Doesn't matter if you're blood. With a heart like that, you don't deserve to be in our pack."

The whole hall was leaning toward Selene now.

She dropped her head right on cue, shoulders trembling, tears falling silently — and bit her lip so she wouldn't make a sound.

Kane stalked over to me, looming.

"I'm ordering you. Apologize to Selene. Now."

I held myself straight.

I looked back at him, steady.

"I did nothing wrong."

Kane's jaw tightened. He started to speak again.

I cut him off. "I'll say it one more time. I was switched. Don't you want to know why?"

Damien sneered. "What lie are you spinning now?"

I didn't look at him. I looked at Kane. One word at a time.

"Don't you want to know why I was switched? Because I'm the Alpha's true —"

I didn't get to finish.

A sharp cry cut me off.

"Ah — it hurts!"

Selene was clutching her head, doubled over. Her face was bone-white.

The whole hall jumped. Kane and Damien spun and caught her at the same time.

"Kane, your emotions — they're too much. My body can't take it. Look — the mate mark's gone red."

She pulled her collar back to bare her throat. A pale gold mark was glowing faintly, hot.

Then she turned to me. And smirked.

"Lyra. You saw the mark, didn't you? What were you saying just now?"

How could she have a mark?

I was the mate. I could feel Kane's pulse, his breath, his presence — and there was nothing on my skin.

I looked at that dark red glow. Suddenly I understood.

"Selene. You — you used forbidden potions. You monster."

There was no warmth under that mark. No blood moving through it. No soul-pulse.

It was just witch's pigment drawn on her skin.

"Forbidden potions?"

"What forbidden potions?"

The whole hall went up at once. Damien turned on me, livid, like he was looking at someone past saving.

"I'm sorry, everyone. My sister has no manners. She's not well in the head — and she's insanely jealous. Don't take anything she says seriously."

He glared at me, hard.

Kane went volcanic. "You hurt Selene first. Now you're trying to drag her name through the mud? You had your chance. You wasted it. There are consequences."

"Someone bring the rod."

I went cold all over.

Rage and disbelief almost cracked me in half.

It didn't matter what I said. The ending was always the same.

Kane ordered Damien to do it.

The wooden rod came down with a dull, heavy sound.

My knees tried to fold. I forced them straight.

The pain shot from the base of my spine into my skull. My vision whited out for a second.

He raised it again. My body curled in on itself — reflex, like begging.

He hesitated for one second.

I saw his throat move. Something complicated flickered through his eyes.

He paused.

Then Selene's voice came in, soft and trembling at exactly the right pitch.

"Lyra, please don't hate me. I don't want this either. I just wanted everyone to know the truth — why are you doing this to me?"

Whatever had stopped him died.

His face hardened. His hand stopped shaking.

"She doesn't get it. This time she'll learn."

The second blow came down.

I heard it from inside my bones. My whole chest rang with it.

Blood came up out of my mouth — dark red, splattered across the court floor.