Chapter 4

There was a knock on my door.

Weston pushed it open, a hint of brandy on his breath, his tone matter-of-fact.

"Lyra, Riley's crowning is a once-in-a-lifetime event. At ten tomorrow morning, representatives from all the vassal packs will be there. She can't handle a stage that big on her own."

I looked at him. "So?"

"We're postponing the bonding ceremony until evening. We'll skip the formalities and go straight to the final rites at the sacred altar."

I almost scoffed.

Did he think I would have many bonding ceremonies in my lifetime?

A servant passing in the hall whispered, "They're skipping all the important rites. Sounds like some hushed-up ceremony for a shameful mate."

My mother's voice hissed from the hallway. "Shut up. The Alpha's decisions are not for you to question. Who believes in those old curses anymore?"

Weston came to me, his gaze gentle but unyielding.

"Lyra, promise me. You've always been the one who gives me the least trouble."

I looked at him, and suddenly remembered a day from our childhood. It was the first time I had successfully shifted into a wolf. I was small, but it was the proudest moment of my life.

My parents were at Riley's first hunt ceremony.

Weston had promised he would come for me, but he went to the hunt instead. I curled up alone at the edge of the forest, whimpering at the moon all night.

After all these years, I was still alone.

"Fine. Whatever you say."

It would save me the trouble of getting through all the ridiculous formalities.

They all breathed a sigh of relief when I agreed. The sounds of celebration resumed downstairs. Glasses clinked, wine splashed, and laughter rose higher and higher.

Late that night, Weston was a little drunk. He undid the top two buttons of his shirt and leaned against the stone balustrade of the terrace.

The night wind swirled up from the valley, carrying the scent of pine resin and damp earth from the territory below.

I asked, "Weston, are you looking forward to our bonding ceremony?"

He didn't answer.

"Why did you choose me back then?"

I already knew the answer, but I needed to hear him say it. I needed this final piece of pain to sever my feelings completely.

When he finally spoke, his voice was laced with alcohol, but his words were utterly cruel. "Of course I like you, Lyra. I wouldn't have agreed to this bonding otherwise. You're obedient and quiet. I can put you somewhere, and you just... stay there."

"But Riley is different. If she were tied down to a quiet life, your pack would lose its brightest star.

"So she's always more important than me. Is that it?"

Weston looked out at the dark, dense forest in the distance. "I thought you understood, Lyra. You've always understood."

The night wind stung my eyes.

The truth was even worse than I had imagined.

Perhaps he did have some affection for me. But what he loved was my limitless obedience, my meekness that would never force him to choose between the two of us.

But the moment Riley beckoned, he would abandon me without a second thought.

On the morning of the ceremony, the main house was buzzing with activity before dawn.

Everyone was focused on Riley's crowning.

My mother was preparing her jewelry, my father was organizing the venue, and Weston was standing behind Riley, helping her adjust the clasp of her cape.

I came downstairs in a simple white ceremonial dress. "I'm not going to the crowning. Someone needs to oversee the procedures at the sacred altar."

Weston didn't even look at me. "Fine. You go. Don't neglect the elders who are there to observe. We'll head over as soon as this is finished."

I picked up my small bag and got into the car headed for the altar. I went alone. No one even noticed I was gone.

A guard from the patrol stopped me. "Miss Lyra, should we wait for the Alpha's escort?"

I looked up at the gray sky and smiled politely. "No. He has someone more important to be with."

The sacred altar was on the pack's oldest ridge, a semi-open-air shrine to the Moon Goddess, surrounded by cedar and silver pine, with the entire Black Forest stretching out under the vast sky.

Alone, I changed into the hastily prepared backup gown, settled the lunar crown on my head, and walked toward the altar.

The altar was surrounded by envoys from vassal packs and attending nobles. They immediately noticed the Alpha was not present.

Whispers rustled through the cedar forest. Some glances were pitying; others were waiting for the spectacle to unfold.

And so I stood there, my back ramrod straight, meeting every gaze without flinching.

The appointed time came, and then it quickly passed. The place beside me, meant for the Alpha, remained empty. Just then, my phone buzzed.

[Riley's ceremony is more complicated than expected. I'll be late. If the elders ask, keep them occupied for me. Smile and handle it. Be good.]

I read the message twice. Then I let out a bitter smile. The last thing he would ever give me was still just another "wait."

I pulled off the ring that symbolized our engagement and placed it gently on the altar's moonstone.

The altar priest whispered, "Miss Lyra, the Alpha will be here soon. Don't throw a tantrum."

"No, he won't be coming."

Before the words had even left my mouth, the roar of an engine tore through the air from the other side of the ridge.

A path was violently torn through the cedar forest as a massive, all-black transport truck smashed through the outer line of warriors and barreled straight for the altar.

The open cargo bay was packed with masked rogues. They were clutching weapons loaded with silver bullets, all aiming directly at me.

Someone screamed the name of a rival rogue pack. The guards began to howl, preparing to shift as debris rained down around me like stones.

Then, a blinding flash of light swallowed the world.

On the other side of the ridge, Weston's convoy had just left Riley's crowning ceremony.

He sat in the back of the SUV, unconsciously fidgeting with his phone.

He had wanted to tell Lyra to wait for him obediently, but a strange sense of panic had gripped him before he sent the message. Still, he was certain she would be there, waiting quietly, just as she always had.

The ridge wasn't even in sight when his phone began to vibrate violently.

"Hand the phone to Lyra," Weston said softly as soon as he answered. "Tell her I'm almost there, okay? Tell my good girl to wait just ten more minutes for me."

There was no reply from the other end. Instead, there were screams, howls, and then a deafening explosion that made the speaker crackle.

"Alpha!" his most trusted Beta, Damon, roared through the chaos.

"It's Rogues! They attacked the sacred altar from the north cedar forest! The truck was loaded with silver bullets and Wolfsbane gas! They were aiming for your approach route, but you weren't there!"

Weston's blood ran cold. "Where's Lyra?" he demanded.

"The truck plowed straight into the main altar! She was standing right under the archway. The whole thing is gone!"

"Alpha, we can't find Miss Lyra..."

The phone slipped from Weston's trembling hand, shattering on the floorboards as a suffocating dread seized his throat.