MasukNick“Where the heck is Rixa?” My voice cracked as I shouted it again, my chest heaving like I’d just run miles. The entire plane shook slightly beneath my feet as the pilot’s voice came through the speakers.“We’re landing now.” The words barely registered.The moment the wheels touched the ground, I felt the heavy pull of gravity, the violent finality of it. The plane slowed, but my heart didn’t. It slammed against my ribs like it wanted out.Where is Rixa? I turned sharply, scanning every face, every corner, every shadow. My fingers curled into fists so tight my knuckles burned.“She was here,” I muttered. “Alpha,” Ben said quickly, stepping closer, his voice calm but strained. “Please…please calm down.”I whipped around to face him, fury blazing in my eyes. “Calm down?” I snapped. “You want me to calm down?”He raised his hands slowly, trying to ground me. “Some of our men already jumped down with parachutes,” he explained carefully. “They’ll find her. I promise you.”“What if the
Lyra“What do you mean by the fact that Rixa must have been getting married to him right now?”The words left my mouth sharp, desperate, almost trembling. I stared at her, my heart pounding like it already knew the answer, but my mind refused to accept it.“What do you mean by that?” I repeated, my voice cracking. “But she didn’t flinch, her lips pressed into a thin line, her eyes unreadable.“You don’t need to know the full details,” she said dismissively, as if she were brushing dust off a table. “But…”I opened my mouth to speak, to demand answers, but I never got the chance, something cold hit my face.What's this?? What's this smell? What the heck did she just….before I could react, before I could even inhale properly, she squirted it again, liquid splashing across my skin, into my eyes, my mouth.“What…?” I gasped, my hands flew up instinctively, but it was already too late, my vision blurred instantly, the world tilted immediately.My knees weakened.“I…I…” My tongue felt thic
NickWhat do I do?? Shit! This is bad!Ben and the elder were just staring at me once again..“Alpha…what are you thinking? Just say yes and let's move on…please…the plane will soon be landing.” Ben pleaaded…but I knew this was my decision to make…The ball was in my court.Do I say yes or no??“No. I don’t.” The words escaped my mouth before I could soften them, before I could protect anyone’s feelingsHer face…Lyra’s face..twisted instantly. The softness vanished, replaced by something sharp, something ugly. Her eyes darkened, blazing with rage, anger rushed through her expression so fast it startled me.“What?” she hissed, then she snapped.“How dare you reject me?” she screamed. “I said I’m Lyra!”That was it, that single sentence, the voice cracked, enough for me to hear it and my instincts finally clicked into place, my breath hitched.That voice…It wasn’t Lyra’s anymore, It was Rixa’s, the realization struck me like a blow to the chest.So this was it, she had mimicked Lyra, her
NickAs soon as her fingers slipped beneath the veil and lifted it, the entire room froze, time didn’t slow…it literally stopped, my breath caught so sharply in my throat it burned, my eyes widened, in pure, uncontrollable shock, because the face staring back at me, It was Lyra’s face. Every familiar feature I had memorized without ever trying, her eyes, her lips, even the slight tilt of her head when she was nervous, my heart slammed violently against my ribs, so hard it felt like it was trying to break out of my chest.No! My body reacted before my mind could catch up. My hands trembled. My knees felt weak. I felt heat rush through me, then cold, sharp, paralyzing cold.This was Lyra’s face, but the moment my senses reached deeper, something screamed wrong.The scent, It wasn’t her, Lyra’s presence always wrapped around me, but this… this scent was hollow, like an echo pretending to be a voice.My skin prickled as if rejecting what stood before me.“What…” My lips parted, but the w
NickI couldn’t sit down, no matter how many times they asked, no matter how calm they tried to sound, my body refused to cooperate. I paced the room like a restless animal, my steps uneven, my hands running through my hair over and over again.“Alpha, please…” one of the workers tried gently. “We need you seated.”I ignored him, my heart was beating too fast, too loud, like it was trying to escape my chest. My palms were damp. My thoughts were everywhere, colliding, overlapping, refusing to slow down.I’m getting married.The realization hit me again, sharp and unreal.I’m marrying Lyra, the woman I never thought I’d have. The woman I’d chased, lost, hurt, nearly destroyed, and somehow still loved me enough to stand at the edge of this madness.It felt impossible, like a dream my mind had created just to torture me.Is this real?Am I actually doing this?I laughed under my breath, shaking my head.“Oh no,” I muttered. “This has to be a dream.”“Alpha.”Ben’s voice cut through my tho
LyraI wanted to ask him what was really going on, the words burned at the back of my throat, sharp and urgent. Why are you in a hurry? What do you mean you’re out of time? What aren’t you telling me?But I just stood there, staring at him, my chest tight, my heart pounding like it was running out of space inside me.Nick’s eyes were locked on mine, unreadable, like he’d already made peace with something I didn’t understand.Say it, Lyra….Just say it.I swallowed hard and took a step toward him, forcing my legs to move even though they felt heavy, like they didn’t belong to me anymore.Let’s do this, I told myself. Ask him.But before I could get close, before a single word could leave my mouth, hands grabbed mine from both sides.I gasped, startled.“Ma’am, we need to get you ready now, before landing,” one of the women said softly but firmly.Another joined her immediately, fingers closing around my wrist.“Wait…” I turned my head sharply toward Nick. “Nick…!”I stumbled as they pul







