016: Defiance

Lyra’s POV

Ronon’s words echoed in my skull like jagged shards of glass. Every syLlable he’d spat tore another piece of me open. All this hate, this fury, because I didn’t thank him?

I should have said thank you, right? That’s what a good little mate does. Smile. Submit. Whisper gratitudE while he throws scraps at her feet like a beggar.

But I wasn’t a beggar. Not anymore. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to kneel for a man who twisted kindnesS into weapons.

I clenched my fists, the sting of his insults burning hotter than fire. I wouldn’t cry, not for him. Not for them. I’d swalLowed tears my whole life, from the moment I realized I was different… disposable.

If only Lira had stayed.

If only she’d forgiven our mother for hiding her existence, for  keeping us both alive while the world believed she’d had only one child. If only Lira had chosen peace instead of war. If she had just… been here with me.

But I couldn’t let them know there were two of us. I couldn’t risk them turning this hatred toward her. She wouldn’t survive it. Lira was sick, weaker in ways they couldn’t understand. She didn’t have my spine. And they would crush her without blinking.

No. Whatever happened, I’d carry this weight. For her. For both of us.

And maybe—just maybe—I’d make them pay for every bruise, every cruel word. The list had started forming in my head, a quiet tally of debts to settle. Ronon’s name was etched at the top, bold and unforgivable.

He’d spat his venom so easily, like I was nothing. Like I hadn’t survived the streets alone. Like I hadn’t clawed my way through life with bloodied hands and an empty stomach. Like I hadn’t earned my place to breathe the same air as him.

And I wished, gods, how I wished, he’d rejected me in that moment. That he’d said the words and snapped the bond, set me free from this hell.

But no. Dax had stopped him. Of course he had. Hope dangled in front of me like a cruel joke, only to be yanked away again.

Later that evening, the Omegas brought food. I ate in silence, swallowing everything even though my stomach curled. I needed the strength. For tomorrow. For the day after. For whatever new game they had in store.

When the dishes were cleared, I returned to the window. the only place that felt remotely mine. I stared out, not seeing anything, just willing myself to exist in a different world.

“Come and clear this table,” Ronon said suddenly.

His voice cut through the silence like a whip. Sharp. Cold. Commanding.

I turned to face him, calm despite the thrum of anger in my chest. “How much will you be paying me to work for you?” I asked simply.

Kael nearly choked on his drink.

Ronon blinked, as if I’d spoken a foreign language. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he finally said, disbelief dripping from every word.

“No, I’m dead serious,” I said. “Unless you want me out there ’stealing shit’ again, I expect to be paid for the labor you demand. Or stop asking.”

I didn’t wait for his response. I turned back to the window, letting my silence say the rest.

“You think you can demand anything?” Ronon snarled. “We won’t pay you, Lyra.”

I let the breath out slowly, turned slightly, and sat back down. “Then clear your own mess,” I said softly.

Footsteps thundered behind me. I didn’t flinch.

“Ronon! Stop!” Dax’s voice.

“Don’t, man!” Kael added, alarm rising.

But I didn’t turn. And a second later, a hand clamped down on my upper arm, yanking me up so violently that pain shot through my shoulder.

I bit down a scream. Not for him. Never for him.

“I’m going to teach that mouth of yours a lesson,” he growled. His breath was hot against my cheek. “You’re just like your stupid, foolish mother. A traitorous bitch who didn’t know her place.”

The fury inside me burned hotter.

“If I survived the streets alone, I can survive you,” I whispered. My voice didn’t shake. My body did—but my voice stayed strong.

His grip tightened until I saw stars.

Then hands were on him—Dax, pulling him back. Kael, wedging himself between us.

“Leave her alone!” Dax barked. “She’s wolfless, Ronon! What the hell are you doing?”

Kael stepped in, his face stony. “This ends now. She’s not just yours, Ronon. She’s ours. If you want to reject her, fine. But touch her again and you’ll answer to me.”

Ronon let go of me with a final shove. My sleeve tore at the seam. I said nothing, clutching the ripped fabric to my arm, my breathing steady even as my skin throbbed with pain.

“You’re being a coward,” Dax said harshly. “You want vengeance? Go after Malrevok. But unless you’ve got proof Lyra did anything, you’re just lashing out like a spoiled brute.”

Ronon turned to him, eyes blazing. “She acted like his second-in-command! She gave orders! She stood beside him while he murdered children! My sister’s babies!”

His voice broke.

But I was done with pity.

“Then what?” I said, my voice sharp. “Now you want to become him? You want to punish the innocent just because it’s easier?”

Silence.

Kael’s voice followed, quiet but steel. “You think you’re different from Malrevok, but you’re standing on the same path.”

Ronon lowered his head.

“I won’t let her talk to me like that,” he muttered. “I’m an Alpha. She has to obey.”

I almost laughed. Bitter, hollow. “Then good luck with that.”

Dax’s expression softened as he turned to me. “Lyra… please. Try to be respectful. For your own peace, if not for him.”

I nodded faintly, not for Ronon’s sake, but for Dax’s.

Kael stepped closer. “You’re not our maid. You’re our mate. From now on, you don’t need to do chores.”

“We’ll set up a room for you tomorrow,” Dax offered gently.

But Ronon’s voice sliced through the room like ice. “Never. That room belongs to Stasia. She arrives tomorrow. This Vladislav bitch can sleep on the floor.”

My chest tightened. Of course. Stasia.

“Then I’ll sleep here,” I said, cold and calm. “I prefer the floor to a room filled with your stench anyway.”

I could see the veins bulging in his neck.

“Reject me already,” I said, turning toward him. “Say it. Let me go. Or are you too much of a coward for that too?”

He didn’t answer. He stormed off.

I watched him go, exhaling slowly. The fire in my chest cooled to something heavier. Sadder.

I lowered myself onto the floor again, hugging my knees.

They thought they were breaking me.

But they were just sharpening my edges.