Chapter 1

Lyra’s POV

My hands shook uncontrollably, tears streaming down my face as I stared at the messages on my phone. This wasn't how I imagined the day before my wedding would be. My heart pounded in my chest, and a bad feeling settled in my stomach. I struggled to process the reality I was experiencing at that moment. 

“Why? Why me?” I whispered to myself, my voice cracking, but I couldn't find any answers. It all made no sense. I read the message again, hoping against hope that I had misunderstood, but the words remained the same, cutting like a knife: “I do not want you anymore. I am breaking this bond between us. Elise is the one for me, and I am going to be with her. She is having my child soon. Goodbye.”

I dropped the phone onto the bed, my hands going limp. My breath hitched as I clutched my chest, feeling as if the ground was slipping away beneath me. The room seemed to spin, and I sat down, burying my face in my hands, my shoulders shaking with sobs. 

That was all the message said. He didn’t even have the courage to do this in person; he decided to end it over text. My fiancé eloped with my best friend the night before our wedding. How long had they been having an affair behind my back, while I was blissfully unaware?

“Lyra!” I heard my father's voice faintly as he climbed the stairs. My heart raced, dread pooling in my stomach. He must have heard what Jacob had done. He was going to punish me. “Lyra!” he bellowed, kicking the door to my room open, his eyes blazing with fury.

“No, Father, please,” I begged, sobbing as he stomped towards me. He grabbed a handful of my hair and slapped me hard across the face, sending me to the floor. But he wasn’t finished with me.

He yanked me up by my hair again, my body trembling as I struggled against his grip, tears streaming down my cheeks. I pleaded for mercy, knowing it was futile; this wasn’t the first time he had done this, and it wouldn’t be the last. “You have finally succeeded in disgracing this family,” he snarled, slapping me again. I didn’t really know exactly why he was beating me this time, but I didn’t want to find out.

He shoved me forcefully against the wall, the impact going through my body as I slid down, tears flowing from my eyes. I was too afraid to look up, my body wracked with pain almost too intense to bear. “What the hell is this?” he demanded, throwing an envelope at me. Shaking, I picked it up and opened it, my hands shaking as I sifted through the contents, praying he wouldn't hit me again—but that hope felt like a dream.

My mouth fell open in shock as I scanned the document. To my despair, I realized I was six weeks pregnant, and the father was none other than Jacob. I knew at that moment I was doomed; this was the end of my life as I knew it, and my father would never forgive me.

“How dare you spread your legs before marriage, knowing how important my name is?” he spat, his voice filled with hatred. “What if people find out you are pregnant without being married? What would they say about me?” His voice grew cold and steady as he continued, “That’s right, tomorrow is your wedding. That good-for-nothing you are supposed to marry better take you away, or I swear, I could kill you tonight with the rage burning inside me.”

“Father...” I choked out, tears catching in my throat. How could I possibly break this news to him and still hope to escape with my life? It seemed almost impossible, but he was going to find out sooner or later.

Jacob had told me he loved me, whispering sweet nothings that made me believe we could be together. Despite my father's objections—my father never wanted me to marry Jacob because he was just an ordinary warrior and I was the daughter of the pack's Beta. I loved him so much that instead of ending things with him like my father had ordered me to, I decided to keep our relationship a secret. When I finally told my father I was still with him and I wanted to get married to him, my father didn't seem to care anymore as he only wanted me out of his life. He made it clear he wouldn't be attending the wedding.

“She’s not going to be getting married, apparently,” my stepmother said, her words making my heart leap in panic. I turned to see her entering the room with an evil grin, which quickly turned into a look of disgust. “This filth is useless; she couldn't even keep a man. I just got word that her fiancé ran away with her best friend,” she sneered. Pausing for effect, she added, “It seems she will have to raise a bastard child in the pack now. What an absolute disgrace.”

My father turned to me, his face contorted with anger as if he hadn't heard correctly. “What did she say?” he demanded. I shook my head, my eyes darting anxiously between my stepmother and father. Fear overtook me, and I curled into a ball, backing into the corner of the room, terrified of what they might do.

“I asked you a question!” my father shouted, making me let out a small scream as a full-blown panic attack set in. My breathing became labored, and my vision blurred. My father's silence took my silence as confirmation, and he spat, “You fucking whore.” He grabbed me by the hair and threw me against the dressing table. My head collided with the mirror in front of me shattering it, the glass tearing into my skin. “You are just like your whore mother, and you think I will let you bring shame to me? I will kill you just like I killed your mother before you can disgrace me,” he growled, continuing to hurt me.

I tried to shield my face and head, but my father's abuse was relentless. My stepmother just stood there, watching without intervening. I couldn't take it anymore; I knew there was no guarantee I would survive if this continued. “You wretch,” my father spat, raising his hand to slap me for what felt like the hundredth time. But this time, I caught him off guard as I pushed him with every bit of strength in me and bolted out of the house, running as fast as my legs could carry me.

“Somebody help me!” I screamed, even though I knew no one would come to my aid. But I couldn’t stay in that house any longer—my father would kill me, and I couldn't let that happen.

“Do not let her escape!” my father growled behind me as I ran down the stairs. Some guards blocked my path, but I quickly maneuvered around them, sprinting through the main exit without daring to look back.

I didn't know if it was the adrenaline coursing through me, but I ran faster than I ever had before. Whatever force was driving me forward, I was grateful for it. If I had known I was pregnant, I would have done everything in my power to prevent the family doctor from running tests on me after I fainted that day. But it was too late—the doctor had given my father the results, and now I was fleeing for my life and the life of my unborn child.

I heard the sound of wolves behind me but dared not look back as I ran barefoot on the road. The night was very silent, adding to the fear pounding in my chest. All this for a man who rejected me as his mate over the phone? A man who eloped with my best friend the night before our wedding because she was carrying his child? Just my luck.

I pushed through thick branches, desperate to reach the main road. I knew I was being chased, but I also knew that being caught meant certain death. I couldn't let that happen—not now, and not with a new life depending on me.

I ran onto the main road without looking, and a blinding light from the right caught my attention, accompanied by the loud sound of a car horn. In that split second, I realized a vehicle was barreling toward me at full speed, too close to avoid. All I could do was stare, frozen, as death approached.

The vehicle hit me with a painful force, sending me flying into the air before I crashed to the ground. My head hit the pavement, leaving me disoriented. I felt life slipping away, and through my blurry vision, I saw the car come to an abrupt stop. A figure, whose legs I only saw got down from the car and walked towards me frantically.

I struggled to keep my eyes open, my vision darkening as I began to surrender to the cold embrace of death. Soon, my sight faded into complete darkness, and the immense pain I had felt just moments ago disappeared. The last thing I heard was a voice saying, “You are not going to die, not yet.” But it was too late; death had already claimed me. And just like that, my life ended—all because I fell in love.