Chapter 4

Lyra

It's been a week since we moved into the royal estate, and I have officially concluded that hell is real.

If I thought the people back at my old pack were cruel, the people here had clearly attended a masterclass on how to make someone feel like absolute shit. Everywhere I went, I could feel their eyes on me. The maids whispered whenever I walked past, the guards tried to hide their laughter, and the noble ladies looked at me as though obesity was contagious.

Then there was the Alpha King's mother, she was worse.

Tonight, both families were having dinner together to celebrate our move into the estate and help everyone "get acquainted." And also to talk about preparations for Kyon and Selena’s wedding.

I sat quietly at the long dining table, wishing I could disappear into my chair. The dining hall was grand enough to fit half my old pack house. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, expensive paintings decorated the walls, and servants moved around silently, refilling glasses before anyone even had to ask.

I barely touched my food, hoping that if I made myself invisible enough, everyone would simply forget I existed. No such luck, the Alpha King's mother looked directly at me, her gaze slowly traveling from my face to the rest of my body.

"You should start exercising," she said with a pleasant smile that somehow made the insult even worse. "If you ever hope to find a mate, you will have to lose some weight."

I tightened my grip around my fork, here we go. Before I could think of a response, Theo chuckled. "That would require discipline," he said. "She eats far too much. Even if she starts working out, she will gain every pound back before the week is over."

A few people around the table laughed,I stared down at my plate.

The Alpha King's mother nodded thoughtfully before turning back to me. "Have you at least considered finding employment? A young woman should have something productive to do, work stress can help you lose weight too."

I opened my mouth, Selena beat me to it. "Actually," she said with a laugh, "she has this little dream of becoming a model."

I slowly turned to look at her. What? I had told Mom that in confidence months ago. How the hell did Selena even know?

The table fell silent for exactly two seconds, then laughter erupted.

"A model?" one of the elderly women repeated between laughs.

"Who wants to see an overweight model?" another asked, more laughter. Someone almost choked on their drink.

I sat there completely frozen, I wanted the floor to split open and swallow me whole. Against my better judgment, my eyes searched for Kyon. Maybe he would look uncomfortable, instead the corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly. He looked like he was enjoying this far more than he should have.

That hurt more than every insult combined, I lowered my eyes again. I wasn't going to give any of them the satisfaction of seeing me cry. The rest of dinner passed in a blur, I couldn't remember a single word anyone said after that.

The moment dinner finally ended, I stood up quietly before anyone could stop me, I simply walked out. The cool evening air hit my face the second I stepped outside the palace.

I walked back to the apartment building where my family had been assigned to stay. The stone pathway stretched ahead of me, illuminated by elegant garden lights. Fountains lined both sides of the road, and perfectly trimmed hedges surrounded colorful flowers. Beautiful, too bad the people living here ruined the view.

"Lyra." I looked up.

Rowan was jogging toward me.

He was the royal family's stylist and the person in charge of designing Selena's wedding looks. Over the past few days, we had gotten to know each other, and he was one of the few people in this estate who had always treated me like a human being.

He slowed to a stop once he reached me, studying my face for a moment. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." The lie rolled off my tongue so easily.

He didn't look convinced. "I am so sorry about all of that.” he said carefully. "Your sister mentioned that you wanted to become a model."

I let out a small, bitter laugh. "Yeah, she crossed a few boundaries tonight." I shrugged, pretending it didn't bother me. "It doesn't matter anyway. It was a stupid dream, it was never going to happen."

Rowan frowned. "Why do you say that?"

I looked at him as though the answer was obvious. "Did you miss the part where everyone laughed?"

"They don't know what they're talking about."

I blinked. "...What?"

"I'm serious," he said. "I scout models for different companies."

For a second, I thought he was joking but he wasn't smiling. "One of the agencies I'm working with is looking for plus-size models. The selection is in less than a week."

I stared at him. Unable to process what I'd just heard. "They are looking for plus-size models?"

He nodded. "If you are interested, I can get you an audition."

"I'm interested." The words left my mouth before I could overthink them.

Rowan smiled. "Then you are in."

I stared at him for a few seconds, making sure I had heard him correctly. "Just like that?"

He nodded. "Just like that."

I could barely believe it. For months, I had convinced myself that becoming a model was nothing more than a childish fantasy. Now someone is offering me a chance. "When do we leave?" I asked.

"In four days," Rowan replied. "The agency is in the city. We have to get there early because the selection starts the following morning."

Four days, that wasn't much time. "I will be ready."

He gave me an encouraging smile before heading back toward the palace, leaving me standing alone on the pathway.

*******************

The next four days passed painfully slowly, every morning, I acted like nothing had changed. I endured the whispers, the mocking stares, and the endless comments about my weight.

But inside, I was counting down, every chance I got, I quietly packed my belongings. A few clothes, the small amount of money I had managed to save over the years.

I told no one, not even Mom. Keeping it from her was the hardest part, I knew she loved me. I also knew she loved Theo, if I told her, she would feel guilty about hiding it from him. Even if she promised not to say anything, I couldn't risk it.

The night before I was supposed to leave, Rowan quietly helped me move my box into the trunk of his car after everyone had gone to bed.

The day finally arrived, I found Mom alone in the kitchen, making breakfast before everyone woke up. Without saying a word, I walked over and wrapped my arms around her.

She froze in surprise before hugging me back. "What was that for?" she asked with a small laugh.

I rested my head on her shoulder for a few more seconds. "I just felt like hugging you." She gently rubbed my back.

I held her a little tighter before finally letting go. I walked into the dining room, I quietly slipped a folded note onto the center of the dining table. By the time anyone noticed it, I'd be long gone.

Taking one last look around, I turned and walked away. I stepped out of the palace gates and kept walking until I reached the main road outside the estate.

Rowan was already waiting beside his car, he smiled the moment he saw me. "You made it." He opened the passenger door for me.

I climbed inside, a few moments later, the engine started. The royal estate slowly disappeared behind us. I watched it grow smaller through the window until it was nothing but a distant outline.

Then it vanished completely, a strange feeling settled in my chest, relief and freedom.I leaned back in my seat and smiled. "I'm actually free."

Rowan laughed softly. "I told you your life was about to change."

The road stretched endlessly ahead of us, every mile between us and the estate felt like another chain breaking, I couldn't stop smiling.

Then Rowan's phone rang, he glanced at the screen before answering. "Hello?"

His expression remained calm for only a few seconds, then the color drained from his face. He sat up straighter. "What?" Silence.

His grip tightened around the steering wheel. "Are you sure?"

Another pause. "How long ago?" He listened for a few more seconds before ending the call.

The smile on his face was gone, my stomach tightened. "What happened?"

Rowan slowly turned to look at me. "The Alpha King already knows you've left the estate."

Good for him, I don’t care about his stupid ass. "They found out much sooner than we expected."

Rowan's voice dropped. "He's already coming after us."