I put on some makeup and let my hair down. I looked in the mirror and smiled, holding the pendant as it glowed softly. I bid my grandfather father goodbye and set off for the party.
I finally got to the party and pushed the door open, looking around. My mouth opened in awe of the hall but I closed it as I saw some students staring at me. They seemed to be enchanted by how pretty I looked but immediately came back to their senses as Vanessa walked through the crowd. "Hey Lyra," she called out to me while walking towards me. I didn't say anything. I just tilted my head in confusion. "Look Lyra, I know I have been a really bad person to you and I am really sorry about that," Vanessa said. Gasps filled the hall as everyone focused on us. "You are sorry? Why would you.......I....I don't know what to say, Vanessa," I stuttered, still confused. "Yes, I am really sorry. It's okay for you to be confused," Vanessa said as she walked slowly to me and placed her hands on my shoulder. "O...kay," I said. "Oh come on, birthday girl," Vanessa said, smiling. My eyes widened. I hadn't told anyone that today was my eighteenth birthday. "How... How did you know about that?" I said. "I decided to be a good friend and dig in on you. Not to be rude or anything. I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday and a good luck in finding your mate today," Vanessa said and hugged me. I stood there frozen. The almighty Vanessa Thorne just hugged me. "Come on, hug me back," Vanessa pouted, still hugging me. I came back to my senses and slowly raised my hands, hugging her back. Vanessa made a disgusted face but immediately replaced it with a smile as she moved away from me. "I prepared a surprise for you Lyra and I hope you will like it." She smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes. "Follow me." I didn’t notice it. I smiled and followed her. We walked till we reached a door. "Your surprise is inside, like I said I hope you like it." Vanessa smirked and pushed the door open. It was dark and a foul smell hit the air as we entered. "What's that smell?" I said, covering my nose. "Vanessa? Vanessa?? Where are you?" I called out but there was no answer. Suddenly the light came on and I saw lots of students. Some were smiling at me while some gave me dirty looks. But almost immediately, Vanessa pushed me forward. "You little omega, you think I will just...be your friend from nowhere? You really had lots of expectations from me. Well, as I said, I hope you will love what is gonna happen," she said menacingly as she signalled two boys. The boys dragged a rope and immediately a pool of pig's blood fell on me, staining my dress and drenching me completely. "Ohhhhh!!" They laughed at me, pointing their fingers. Vanessa joined in too. I was a fool to listen to this cruel witch.Lyra’s POVThe light in the room was soft and golden, filtering gently through the curtains. My eyelids fluttered open, heavy and sluggish like I’d been asleep for days. The first thing I saw was Maddox—his head bowed beside my bed, his weathered hand still wrapped tightly around mine.He’d fallen asleep holding me.I blinked slowly, trying to sit up, but my body protested with a dull ache and a sharp pulse at my temple. The motion must have stirred him, because his eyes snapped open, and he gasped softly."Lyra," he whispered, like he wasn’t sure if he was dreaming. “You’re awake.”I managed a nod, though even that felt like a struggle. “What… happened?”“You scared me, sweetheart,” Maddox said, his voice tight with emotion. “You were screaming. I ran to where you were but before I could ask you what was happening, you collapsed. I thought…” He paused and cleared his throat. “You gave this old man a real fright.”I stared at him, memory flashing in broken pieces - me collapsing, the
Lyra’s POVI sat on the floor near the fireplace, my fingers curled on my laps as pa took a sit opposite me. He was fidgety and kept shifting in his chair. "Pa, is everything alright? You keep fidgeting." I asked him curiously."I'm okay my dear. It's just that I really find it hard to talk about it." Maddox said and then he started.“Your mother, Rhea, was like you. Kind. Gentle. Too soft for a world that didn’t know how to love softness. They treated her like dirt because she was an omega too. She was quiet, but there was fire in her. I saw it. She reminded me of her mother, my wife.She was just a girl when they started picking on her. It was cruel, even back then.But one day, she came home… different.Her cheeks were flushed. Her eyes brighter.I asked her why.She said, "He picked up my books, Papa. He told them to stop."I didn’t think much of it. Teenagers do reckless things. But weeks passed, and her eyes only grew softer. She looked more alive and happy.One day, I followed
Vanessa's POVI narrowed my eyes.Transfer student? Since when do we have those? I thought.She stood there like she owned the entire damn training ground, all grace and wide-eyed wonder and the worst part was that She was..... beautiful. With delicately carved features. Skin like porcelain. Long, dark lashes that framed those annoyingly perfect blue eyes.And Kade..He was .... smiling. Not the usual smirk he gave me when I flirted with him, this was genuine, softer in fact.He hadn’t even looked at me like that before and My stomach twisted.I took a bold step forward, pushing past a few students to get a closer look. My smile was sugary sweet, but every inch of me was burning.“Oh,” I said, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Did she wander in from a modeling agency or… is she actually going to train?”A few students chuckled under their breath. Ria looked away. Caleb blinked, still catching his breath from the fight. But Kade’s expression didn’t change.“She’ll train like the rest o
I forged ahead, reading more of the highlighted sentences. My eyes landed on one that made my breath hitch.📔"A SECRET HE NEVER TOLD ME, HE WAS A VAMPIRE"📔I froze. Who was a vampire? My father? But I never saw him or knew anything about him. Every time I asked Grandpa, he always changed the topic. My thoughts swirled in confusion, but I couldn’t stop reading. I turned to the next page, and another highlighted sentence stared back at me.📔"HE LIVES ON STILL. HE NEVER DIES. HE IS WAITING, WAITING FOR OUR DAUGHTER."📔The words echoed through my mind. Waiting for… me?? I whispered to myself. I… I have no idea what this means.Just then, I heard a knock. “Dinner’s ready, Lyra,” Grandpa Maddox called out.“I’m coming,” I replied quickly, packing up the box and placing it back beneath the floorboard. I opened the door and made my way to the dining table.As we sat to eat, I couldn’t stop thinking about what I had read. “Vampire.” “Our daughter.” Those words haunted me.Grandpa noticed.
My vision blurred with unshed tears as I darted through the thick forest, branches whipping at my face and thorns snagging my clothes. My lungs burned, my heart pounded like a war drum in my chest.My foot caught on a moss-covered rock hidden beneath the underbrush, and I crashed to the ground with a gasp. Pain flared as my knees and palms scraped against the rough forest floor. Blood welled up in angry streaks, but I barely noticed.I just lay there for a moment, breathing hard, fists clenched against the dirt, the weight of everything pressing down on me. The ache in my body was nothing compared to the storm raging inside.My mind was spinning. Two mates in one night. The first — my so-called boyfriend, the one I thought would give me the whole world — rejected and humiliated me. Then the second… I didn’t really get to see his face.I gulped and stood up. I dusted myself off and started walking home. A few minutes later, I reached my house and entered. My grandfather, Maddox, was sh
KADE'S POVMy chest rose and fell slowly. “She’s my mate,” I said again. My eyes were still locked on the direction she’d fled. I stood still for a long moment, staring into the shadows where the girl had disappeared. The red string had vanished as quickly as it appeared, but the memory of that connection burned into my skin like a brand. My wolf was howling inside, restless, clawing at the walls of my chest. I tried to run after her but my beta, Dax, stopped me. “Alpha,” Dax stepped closer, “she’s terrified. You shouldn’t chase her and besides, we came here for business.” My jaw clenched. My instincts screamed to follow, to protect, to claim. But Dax was right. “You are right. I will find out who she is later,” I finally said, my voice like steel. Dax nodded. "Yes, we will. I can help you do that." I looked at the door one last time and was about to step forward when I heard footsteps. Vanessa, Tanya, and Ria were giggling as they walked out of the room but froze as they saw me