Chapter 08

Darius POV

Darius slammed his palm against the stone wall, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. The impact sent a dull ache through his arm, but it was nothing compared to the storm raging inside him.

Lyra is Alpha Rhea.

But Alpha Rhea of the Crescent Pack was dead.

The name still didn’t seem right to him.

He had spent years believing the Alpha of the Crescent pack was dead, believing that the woman who was to sit on the throne of the Crescent pack had vanished without a trace. And now, not only was she alive, but she was an Alpha… his ex, technically.

The truth banged in his skull like a war drum. He clenched his jaw, his mind replaying the moment over and over the moment she stepped onto that throne, her presence commanding, her power undeniable and every warrior in that hall had bent their knee without hesitation.

She hadn’t just taken the seat. She had owned it.

The woman he once called his wife had deceived him. No, not just deceived him… she had made him a fool.

He had always known Lyra to be weak, but an Alpha? That was impossible. It should have been impossible.

Yet, he had seen it with his own eyes.

His fingers curled into a fist, knuckles white. He had spent days believing she was nothing more than the woman he had left behind, the woman he had replaced with Vivienne. And now, the world has shifted.

A bitter laugh escaped his lips.

“What a damn joke,” he muttered, moving a hand through his hair.

The chamber was dimly lit, the flickering torches casting restless shadows across the walls. Outside, the night was still, but inside him, a storm raged.

Footsteps echoed down the hall, then a reluctant knock.

“Darius?” Amara’s voice was cautious, uncertain.

He didn’t answer.

A moment later, the door creaked open, and his sister stepped inside. She wore the same shocked expression he had been seeing in his reflection.

“We need to talk,” Amara said.

Darius turned, his eyes dark. “About what? That my ex-wife is an Alpha? That I was blind to it? Or that she’s been playing me all this time?” His voice dripped with bitterness.

Amara swallowed, her hesitation clear. “I… I don’t think she was playing you.”

Darius scoffed. You saw her, Amara. You saw how she stood there, how she commanded them. That wasn’t the woman I knew. Don't tell me you are beginning to side with her since you found out she's an Alpha, Amara.

Are you?

“No,” Amara declared. I am not siding with anyone, you of all people should know how much I dislike her not to talk more about siding with her.

Yes, she wasn’t the woman we all know. But maybe that’s the point.

Her words hung between them like an unsaid truth. Darius turned away, his fingers gripping the edge of the table. His mind fought against it, but deep down, a part of him wondered if had he ever truly known Lyra.

Amara exhaled, shifting her weight. “Mother needs to know.”

Darius stiffened. Katya.

Their mother had always believed that Lyra was beneath him, that she was nothing more than a weak, unwanted woman. Telling her the truth now… Darius wasn’t sure how she would react.

Still, Amara was right.

“Fine,” he said, pushing away from the table. “Let’s tell her.”

*******

Katya sat in her high-backed chair, sipping from a silver goblet. The moment Amara and Darius entered, her sharp eyes raised, sensing the tension before a word was spoken.

“What is it?” she asked, setting the goblet down.

Amara glanced at Darius, then took a breath. “Mother… there’s something you need to know about Lyra.”

Katya’s expression twisted in distaste. “Why are we even speaking of her?” I thought we'd cleared her case as a cheat and liar.

Darius stepped forward, his voice tight. “Because she’s not who we thought she was.”

Katya raised a brow. “She was a mistake, a nobody. What else is there to know?”

Amara hesitated, then spoke the words that changed everything.

“She is Alpha Rhea.”

Silence.

The air in the room seemed to shift, thick with unspoken words. Katya blinked once as if registering the sentence in pieces. Then, a slow, cruel laugh left her lips.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she scoffed. “Lyra? An Alpha?”

Darius’ jaw tightened. “It’s true.”

Katya’s laughter faded as she studied their faces. Neither of them was joking.

Her fingers curled against the armrests. “Explain.”

Darius exhaled sharply, running a hand down his face. “We saw her. At the coronation. She wasn’t a servant. She wasn’t a forgotten woman hiding in the shadows.” His voice dropped lower. “She was the Alpha… not just an Alpha but the Alpha of the Crescent pack.

Katya’s nails scraped against the wood. “How?”

“She was never just Lyra,” Amara said softly. She was always Rhea. She was always meant to take that throne.

Katya’s lips pressed into a thin line. For a long moment, she said nothing. Then, in a voice sharp as a blade, she spoke.

“And you let her slip through your fingers.”

Darius flinched, but his mother wasn’t done.

“You were married to an Alpha,” she hissed, rising to her feet. Do you understand what that means? Do you understand what you lost?

But mother, you were the one who made me leave her. How could you say this now? Are you trying to blame me?

Darius’ fists clenched. I didn’t lose anything. She lied, She's a cheat and I can't have such a woman around me who sleeps around.

Katya shook her head. “No, you were blind. And now, she is beyond your reach.” Yes, I never liked her but you are the man here, if you loved her you wouldn't have let her go still.

Mother!!! Darius called out but was interrupted by Amara.

Amara stepped forward. “Mother, what does it matter? She’s not our enemy…”

“She is not our ally, either,” Katya snapped. Her sharp gaze returned to Darius. “And what about you? How do you feel about all this?”

Darius didn’t answer immediately.

How did he feel?

Betrayed. Angry. Confused.

And underneath it all… something else. Something he refused to name.

Katya studied him, then her lips curled in disdain. “It doesn’t matter. What’s done is done.”

She turned away, her voice quieter but no less cutting.

“You let an Alpha slip away, Darius. I hope you understand what that means.”

Darius did.

It meant he had lost more than just a wife.

He had lost a throne he never even knew was his to take.

And perhaps, in some way, he wouldn’t admit… he had lost the only woman who had ever truly loved him.

Silence stretched between them.

Then, Katya looked at her daughter. “And you? How do you feel about it?”

Amara hesitated, then exhaled sharply. “I don’t know. I thought I’d feel… something. Anger. Relief. Maybe even joy. But all I feel is distance.”

Katya’s gaze softened. “Because she’s no longer the Lyra you knew.”

Yes.” Amara leaned forward, rubbing her hands together. “She didn’t react to us, Mother. She didn’t look at us like we were family. She looked at us like outsiders.”

Katya’s expression darkened slightly, but she simply nodded.

“Then we are.”

Amara blinked at her. “…What?”

Katya straightened. “She made her choice the moment she sat on that throne. She is not our Lyra anymore. She is Alpha Rhea.”

The finality in her mother’s tone sent a shiver down Amara’s spine.

Because for the first time, she realized Katya wasn’t wrong.

Lyra was gone.

We let her go.

And Alpha Rhea had taken her place.

********

Vivienne’s POV

Vivienne hadn’t expected to feel this unsettled.

She had walked into that coronation as Darius’ wife, the woman who had taken Lyra’s place. And yet, the moment Rhea had walked into that room, something in the air had shifted.

Not just for Darius.

For her.

She had spent days convincing herself that Lyra was nothing but a ghost, a past that no longer mattered. But seeing her well without being shattered… seeing her take her place as an Alpha shook something open inside her.

And the worst part?

Rhea hadn’t even looked at her.

Not once.

Not a glance. Not a flicker of recognition.

And that was what unsettled Vivienne the most.

Because it meant she wasn’t even worth a second thought.

Vivienne walked straight to Darius's room after eavesdropping the conversations between the family… Darius, Amara, and Katya.

Darius remained silent, standing by the window, staring at the moonlit sky.

Vivienne watched him for a long moment before speaking.

“You haven’t said a word to me since we left.”

Darius didn’t turn around.

She exhaled, crossing her arms. “Say it.”

He finally glanced at her. “Say what?”

“Whatever you’ve been thinking since we saw her.”

Darius studied her, his expression unreadable.

Then…

“I don’t know what to think.”

Vivienne’s chest tightened slightly. “You still love her.”

Darius didn’t answer.

And that silence told her everything.

******

Amara’s POV

Amara sat by the window, arms wrapped around her knees, watching the moon hang heavy in the sky.

The moon had always been soothing to her soul whenever she watched the shape at night.

But tonight, it only reminded her of how much had changed.

Lyra was alive.

Lyra was Rhea.

And now, everything felt uncertain.

A knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts. She turned as her mother stepped inside.

Katya’s face was unreadable, but there was something sharp in her gaze.

“Still awake?” she asked quietly.

Amara nodded.

Katya sighed, walking to the edge of the room. “You were always the one who thought ahead. Who questioned things.”

Amara frowned. “And?”

Katya met her gaze. “Tell me, Amara. If Lyra… if Rhea is no longer part of our family… what does that mean for us?”

Amara’s stomach twisted.

Because she already knew the answer.

And she wasn’t sure she was ready to say it out loud.