Chapter two

“Child, will you calm down? Sit and eat properly, where are you off to in such a hurry?” Luna Anna asked as she came down the stairs, catching sight of Lyra wolfing down a sandwich like she was racing against time. Her brow arched. “Where are the triplets?”

“Hello, Mother,” Lyra said quickly, not daring to meet her eyes. She adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder. “I have an early class without them, so I’ll leave first.”

Anna’s frown deepened. “I thought you four were skipping school today for training?”

Lyra’s fingers tightened around her bag, pulse quickening. She hadn’t thought this far ahead. Her voice came out too fast, too high. “Change of plans. I—I’ll see you later.”

She ducked her head, rushing toward the door before Anna could press further.

The Luna watched her go, confusion etched across her face. Lyra never avoided her like that. And she never left the house without the boys. Something was off.

*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*•*

“Lyra, I didn’t see you this morning,” Michelle said, bouncing up to her side, giggling for no reason at all.

“Yeah, I came late,” Lyra replied, her tone flat, uninterested. She kept walking toward the cafeteria, her tray clutched tightly in her hands.

“So I met with Steve last night…” Michelle’s voice rose with excitement, spilling into endless giggles as she launched into every detail about her boyfriend.

Lyra could hardly hear a word she said, all she could think of was what happened earlier. At least she was grateful she hadn’t seen them yet.

Did they not come to school? She couldn’t help but wonder. In as much as she had always tried to keep her feelings under control for years now it just busted out open in a day… in such a way she can’t even deny it.

The triplets were attractive, not just attractive. They were dangerously sexy, Their perfect faces and flawless bodies were impossible to ignore. Especially those tight muscles, she had tried to keep her feelings under control, reminding herself that she was insane for finding three men attractive and having feelings for them, or the fact that they may have girlfriends.

As Michelle droned on, Lyra kept zoning out. All she could think about was the look on Silas's face when she moaned. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't seem to get them out of her head. She couldn't stop thinking about their dark eyes, strong arms, and the way they made her feel when they were together.

“Fuck, I’m so fucked up”. Lyra murmured, hitting her head on the table.

“I’m so excited for the alphas upcoming 21th birthday party”. Michelle giggled excitedly.

Lyra's head shot up, and she stared at Michelle. "What did you just say?" she asked, her voice shaking.

“I said I’m excited for the Alphas’ upcoming twenty-first birthday party,” Michelle repeated, frowning at Lyra’s strange reaction. “Did I say something wrong?”

“No, you didn’t,” Lyra replied quickly, forcing her tone to stay calm. “I just… didn’t realise their birthday was so soon.” The lie left her lips stiffly, and she prayed it sounded convincing.

“Oh, I thought you knew,” Michelle said, blinking in surprise. “It’s only two weeks away. I heard our Luna is planning a huge celebration. She’s even inviting other packs—just to make it easier for them to find their mate.”

That was the only part Lyra heard. Just to make it easier for them to find their mate. The words rang in her head like a cruel echo.

“I need the toilet,” she blurted, standing so quickly her chair scraped the floor. “I’ll be right back.”

But when she turned, she slammed straight into a hard chest. Her breath hitched as she stumbled back—only to find herself staring at the triplets.

Her stomach twisted, heat rising to her cheeks. She bowed her head instantly, swallowing hard, wishing she could vanish.

“Si—” Lyra started, but before she could finish, strong hands closed around her arms. In seconds, they were dragging her down the hall, pulling her into an empty room. The door clicked shut and locked behind them.

“Why are you running away from us?” Ezra growled, his eyes sharp as the three formed a circle around her.

“I-I… I’m not running away,” Lyra stammered, her back pressing against the wall.

“We’ve been looking for you all day,” Zayn said, his voice low, accusing. “And then we hear you came to school without us.”

“I—I didn’t mean to,” Lyra rushed out, her heart slamming against her ribs. “I just… I just wanted to be alone for a while. I didn’t mean to make you worry.”

Silas stepped forward, closing the little distance between them. His voice dropped to a whisper, almost brushing her skin. “Are we bothering you, Angel?”

His gaze locked on her trembling lips, daring her to answer.

Lyra shook her head quickly, her breath catching as Silas leaned closer. His body heat washed over her, making it impossible to think straight. “No, you’re not bothering me,” she said, forcing the words out, but the tremor in her voice betrayed her.

“Then why are you avoiding us?” Silas pressed.

“Because I’m embarrassed!” she blurted, her voice breaking as she tried to move back, only for Zayn’s hand to stop her, holding her in place.

Ezra tilted his head, eyes narrowing. “Embarrassed of what?”

Lyra’s chest rose and fell rapidly. She couldn’t look at them, couldn’t meet their eyes. Her voice came out a whisper, raw and small. “This morning… I… I wasn’t supposed… you guys saw me… saw me like that.”

Her head dropped lower, shame flooding her cheeks. Ezra moved closer, pinning her against Silas and zayn.

"There's no need to be embarrassed," Ezra said, his voice soft and reassuring. "You didn't do anything wrong."

“But it was so inappropriate,” Lyra whispered, her face burning hotter with every word. “I feel like I’ve ruined everything.”

Silas leaned in from behind, his breath hot against her ear. “Ruined?” His lips brushed her skin, sending a shiver through her. “Angel, you haven’t ruined a thing. Do you know how hard it is to stay focused when we’re training with you?”

As he spoke, his mouth traced slow kisses from her ear down to the curve of her neck, each one dragging a quiet, helpless sound from her lips.

“You have no idea how happy we felt when you moaned our names in your dreams, Lyra,” Ezra growled, his arms sliding around her waist, pulling her flush against him as his hands kneaded her slowly but firmly, leaving her trembling.

“God, please,” Lyra whispered, her head falling back, baring her throat without thinking…an invitation Zayn took instantly.

His lips brushed her neck, teasing, hot, and deliberate. The faint scrape of his teeth made her gasp, her knees nearly buckling.

“Please…” the word broke from her lips, barely audible, but desperate.

“We want you, Lyra”.