HIS TO OWN

Lyra’s POV‎

The hotel smelled like roses and was like happiness. Guess what, everyone? Tonight was my last night being single!‎

The receptionist smiled politely as she slid the room card across the counter.‎“Mr. Killian checked in an hour ago. He asked us to expect you," she informed me. "and he said to refer to you as Mrs. Blackthorn.”‎

The title made my chest flutter. Mrs. Blackthorn. I’d repeated it in my head a hundred times, imagining how it would sound when he called me that tonight.‎

By this time tomorrow, I will be married to the love of my life. ‎I clutched the spare key she handed me and said. “Thank you.”‎

The elevator ride felt endless, and I twirled repeatedly in it as my imagination ran wild. Thinking of how Killian would hold me in his arms, how our first night would be.‎

Gosh, I couldn't wait!‎

The key card clicked, and I pushed the door open, then my world stopped.‎ ‎Matilda’s moan was the first thing I heard then. Then Killian’s voice, low and rough, as he rammed into her while telling her how fucking good her pussy was.‎

I froze, the door wide open, my body refusing to move. There they were—in the bed my fiancé and I were supposed to share. ‎

Matilda turned her head and smiled at me, without shame or remorse that I'd caught her fucking my fiancé. “Oh, hey, Lyra,” she moaned from beneath Killian, who had his eyes on me.‎

My shameless fiancé, Killian, didn’t even stop. He looked at me with a smirk and kept moving inside her like the sight of me meant nothing. “Guess the virgin bride came early,” he said, his voice dripping with mockery.‎

The sound that tore out of me didn’t feel human. It was pain and disbelief, breaking me open in one cruel second.‎“Killian…” My voice cracked. “How—how could you do this to me?”‎

He finally pulled out of her, standing shamelessly naked and walking towards me, his cock still erect. “Don’t act so surprised, Lyra. You’ve been guarding your body like it’s some holy temple. ‎"Did you think I’d wait forever?" He held his cock. "I’m a man, and I have needs."

Matilda, who'd come to stand next to him, wrapped her arms around him, her eyes glittering with triumph. “He needed someone who wasn’t afraid to actually please him, so he settled for the best.”‎

My knees went weak, but I forced myself to stand tall. “You promised,” I snapped, my voice rising. “You swore you’d wait until our wedding night and you'd make it memorable.”‎

He laughed. "And I planned to, but why wait that long for something that may not be worth it?" His hand hovered around Matilda's derriere before he smacked it.‎ ‎

Matilda moaned his name, and she pressed her bare chest to his body. "Nobody would want to be tied to a cursed omega like you."‎

The word "cursed" hit harder than their betrayal. I’d lived with that brand my whole life, but I'd thought these two were different.I'd told them something personal, and they'd used it against me.

‎“You disgust me,” I choked, tears blurring my vision. "I hate both of you; everything about the two of you disgusts me."‎

His smile was merciless. “No, Lyra. You are the disgusting one here because nobody will ever want you, okay?" He shoved me so hard that I fell to the floor. "Not with your pathetic innocence, and you’ll die untouched and unloved."‎

His words pierced me deep, and the tears fell freely. It all felt like a nightmare, and I thought I'd wake up and exhale a sigh of relief, but something told me this was no dream.‎

Welcome to the real world, Lyra.‎

I looked at Matilda, her smug grin, her hand possessively stroking his chest like she’d won some prize. She was supposed to be my best friend.

I had suspected from the onset. The warning signs were there, but I chose to ignore them. And now here I was, watching the two people I trusted most rip me apart and laugh while they did it.‎

I couldn’t breathe. My chest burned as I rose to my feet, placing my hand against the wall for support.‎

“You’re wrong,” I whispered, though my voice trembled. “Someone will love me. Someone will want me, and I’ll prove it.”‎

Killian’s laugh followed me as I stormed out of the room, blinding my tears. “Good luck with that, cursed girl.”‎

The hallway outside was cold, but not as cold as the hollow inside me. Every step felt like walking on shattered vows, and the air was suffocating the hell out of me.‎

I pressed my palm to the wall, steadying myself. His words echoed in my head like a curse I couldn’t shake.‎

No one will ever want you, cursed omega.‎

I clenched my jaw, tasting salt and blood from biting my lip too hard. Maybe he was right. Maybe I was cursed, and that was why every good thing that entered my life was being taken away.

‎"You're not cursed, Lyra." A tiny voice echoed in my head, going on and on about how I was strong and should prove to that shithead that I was desirable.‎

"He says no one will want me, right?" I wiped my tears with the back of my palm. "Well, I'll show him."