CHAPTER 1: BEFORE DESTINY

Lyra's POV

"Have you finally decided you'd rather die than obey?"

The voice thundered through my tiny room before another heavy fist slammed against the door.

I squeezed my eyes shut, Terror coiled tightly in my chest. Every knock meant the same thing—another punishment. I forced my exhausted body off the old mattress and walked toward the door.

Before I could turn the handle, the voice snapped again. "How much longer do you plan to keep Madam Vespera waiting?"

My name is Lyra Avalon, the last living member of my family. My parents and brother died fighting a war for the wolves.

Yes... the wolves. Though I know I'm human, in this realm, humans exist solely to serve as slaves to the werewolves. Yet, even fellow humans, who should support one another, loathe and scorn me. The werewolves abuse me more than any other slave in the pack house... while the humans see it as an opportunity to do the same... And someone turning up to deliver punishment, for whatever reason, was a regular occurrence for me.

A wave of dread swept through me as I rushed to the door before my punishment tripled for taking too long. I threw the door open and a heavy slap landed on my face. My vision blurred beneath fresh tears, but I refused to let them fall. Crying would only make things worse.

"Why are you just opening the door?" Ava yelled.

I swallowed the lump forming in my throat and lowered my head. "I'm sorry..."

One look at her told me I was doomed—not that I had ever been anything else. A slow, cruel smile crept across her lips, promising nothing but pain.

"Keep that pathetic apology to yourself," she hissed.

"Madam Vespera wants you in the kitchen right now." With that, she shot me a look of pure disgust before walking away.

Ava was a human slave just like me, yet she hated me more than the werewolves did. She despised me so much that she seized every chance to make my life worse.

I exhaled slowly and headed toward the kitchen. I wish I could escape this torture one day, even if it meant dying. But they would never allow that.

"Why are you just coming, you disgusting slave?" Madam Vespera, the head maid and a werewolf, yelled angrily.

She then turned to Ava. "Ava, didn't you go fetch her when I told you to?"

Ava didn't hesitate. "Of course I did but she insulted me and said you could do your worst."

I wasn't surprised. Ava would blame me. She always did.

"She what?!" Madam Vespera questioned.

Ava nodded. "Yes, ma'am. She said exactly that."

"No, ma'am, I didn't say that." My voice trembled. "She was the one who slapped me. I never insulted you."

Madam Vespera's palm collided with my face. It stung far worse than Ava's slap. Tears burned behind my eyes, but I forced them back. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing me cry.

"You demon... what gave you the nerve to insult me?" Madam Vespera sneered.

"I...I didn't do that." I whispered.

"Ava, strip her naked," she snapped.

Before I could process what I heard, a bowl of hot ground chilli pepper was poured all over me. Agony ripped through my body. My skin felt as though it had been set ablaze. It felt as though thousands of burning needles were driving into every inch of my flesh. My lungs refused to obey. My breath caught in my throat as agony swallowed me whole.

They laughed as though my suffering were entertainment. The slaves giggled and smiled while the guards watched with amusement, enjoying every second of my suffering. I blinked away my tears, drew a shaky breath, and returned to work. I had learned long ago that complaining only invited more pain.

"Don't just stand there, you filthy thing, clean up this kitchen before breakfast is served." Madam Vespera demanded.

"Yes, ma'am." I said quickly. Despite the pain I felt, I scrubbed tirelessly.

Pain throbbed through every inch of my body. The smell of warm bread made my stomach twist.

"Madam Vespera... please, may I have something to eat?"

"Something to eat?" she scoffed. "Did you give me any food to keep for you?"

"I... I..didn't...h.. have dinner yesterday." I stammered.

"And how is that my concern?" She didn’t seem the slightest bit bothered.

"There's nothing for you this morning. Now go back to your duty."

"I'm done with the cleaning ma," I whispered.

"If you are done, go wash the dirty plates," she said coldly.

"There aren't any dirty plates in the kitchen, ma'am." I replied.

"And who are you again?" She raised her eyebrows. "Who are you to question me?"

"Go and scrub the kitchen again, you can wash the plates once we are done eating." She dismissed me.

I ran back into the kitchen and the tears I had been holding back started pouring out freely. My stomach growled with hunger. I scanned the kitchen until my eyes landed on a freshly baked loaf of bread resting on the counter. My body moved before my mind could stop it.

"What are you doing?" Ava screamed at me. "What did you just do?"

"She's a thief!" Another slave called out.

"Lyra isn't just a demon. She's also a thief," one of the slaves sneered.

"I'm not a thief." I whispered.

One of the guards dragged me out of the kitchen and across the cold stone floor of the corridor. Madam Vespera looked at me with pure hatred and disgust. Their gazes were filled with contempt—the same way they had always looked at me. I should have grown used to such treatment by now, but it still hurt that not a single person saw me as anything other than a monster.

"What right do you have to steal from the royal's kitchen?" Madam Vespera yelled.

I lowered my head and didn't respond because I knew that nothing I said would save me.

Madam Vespera's eyes darkened with fury as she glared at me, her lips curled into a cruel smile.

"Go get me a hot iron from the dungeon. I believe you know what I mean?" she said to a guard.

"Of course I do." A cruel smile spread across his face.

I raised my head. Cold fear settled in my chest. A hard kick landed on my stomach and I unconsciously bowed my head. I struggled to show no hint of pain because satisfying them is the last thing I would ever want to do.

"The iron is ready," the guard announced.

Madam Vespera's face twisted into a mocking smile. "Get that wretch here, I want to give her a beautiful design on her face."

Their laughter echoed in my ears, but it sounded farther away with each passing heartbeat, as though the world was slowly abandoning me. So, this is how I'm going to die, part of me welcomed it, at least I could meet my family in the afterlife. I couldn't help the question: Will I be happy there? Would I be bullied just like here? Will they see me as a curse? What if I bring misfortune to my family in the afterlife? Warm tears spilled down my cheeks before I could stop them.

Just as the glowing iron neared my face, the air thickened until breathing became difficult. Every flame in the kitchen flared before shrinking into trembling blue tongues. The laughter died instantly. Silence swallowed the kitchen. Then, one by one, the guards staggered backward, clutching their chests as though an invisible mountain had crashed down upon them. A terrifying pressure filled the room, forcing everyone to their knees.

"And what do you think you are doing?"