Chapter 6: Disowned

Lyra’s POV

I was taken aback by my father's harsh words, his departure leaving behind a void devoid of remorse.

"Don't worry, sister," Damian consoled. 

"He's just angry. I'm sure he'll come around."

"Where's mother?" I managed to ask through the turmoil of emotions.

"She must be inside. Let's go to her," Damian suggested in his presence, a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

As we entered, my eyes sought out my mother, and I rushed to her, seeking solace in her embrace. However, her response was not as warm as I had hoped.

"Sit, Lyra," she said calmly, her voice carrying a weight of disappointment.

"Damian, could you give us some space?" she requested. He nodded understandingly and retreated, leaving us alone in her chambers. 

"I'm so sorry, Mother," I pleaded, my words heavy with regret. 

"I didn't mean to bring you shame. Please forgive me.”

"Hmm," was her only response. 

"Father said some hurtful words to me. Please, help me plead on my behalf," I pressed on, desperate for her understanding.

"Do you know the impact of what you did?" she asked her tone grave with concern.

"Yes..." I began, but she cut me off.

"No, you don't! Maximus has now marked us as his enemies. The only way we can be allies again is if your father and I present you to him," she explained, her words heavy with the weight of our family's reputation.

"Mother, you still want me to marry him?" I questioned disbelief in my tone.

"Of course, especially after the damage you've caused," she replied, her gaze averted from mine. 

I could feel the weight of their disappointment as if my refusal to marry Maximus was solely to blame for our current predicament.

"Where did you run off to? We searched every nook and cranny," my mother voiced her curiosity.

"Over the mountains," I confessed, my voice barely a whisper, knowing the weight of my words would shatter the fragile peace between us.

"There are only hills around. Surely you're not speaking about the forbidden mountain, are you?" Her eyes widened in disbelief, a storm brewing within their depths.

"I am," I affirmed, steeling myself for the tempest of emotions that would follow.

"What...did you just say?" Her voice quivered, teetering on the edge of disbelief and dread.

"I met a human. They're not a myth, they exist. And they're not as bad as you paint them to be. The one I met was kind to me," I revealed. 

"Just when I thought you couldn't be more foolish, you proved me wrong," she spat. 

"Mother..." I reached out, desperate to bridge the chasm that had formed between us, but she recoiled as if my touch were poison.

"So you are refusing to go back to Maximus because of a human?". 

"No, yes, I mean... I don't love Maximus, and the human I met is a wonderful person. I'll choose him a thousand times over Maximus," I declared, my voice trembling with defiance, my heart pounding with the weight of my choice.

"You have chosen a forbidden being over us! Over your family! Go back to him and never return," she commanded, her voice thundering with authority, her eyes ablaze with fury.

"Mother..." I pleaded, but she silenced me with a look, a look that spoke volumes of the betrayal she felt in her heart as she stood up.

"I forbid you from calling me that. I only have one child. Mark my words on this day, those humans will betray you, and you will have no one by your side!" her words laced with venom, each syllable cutting deeper than the last. 

I stretched my hand to touch her but she pushed me and turned to leave. 

Damian approached me. With a gentle hand, he helped me rise from the floor, his expression betraying the fact that he had been listening to our conversation. He enfolded me in a comforting hug before we settled down. 

"What are humans like?" His curiosity broke through the tension. 

"They're just like us, but without wolves," I replied, a soft chuckle escaping me despite the gravity of our situation.

"So they never shift? That must be a hard life," he mused, his empathy evident in his words.

"I'll talk to Baba and Mama on your behalf," he offered.

"There will be no need for that. The only thing they'll accept is if I agree to be with Maximus, and I can't do that," I explained, resignation lacing my voice.

"So what will you do now?" Damian inquired, his concern mirrored in his furrowed brow.

"I have no idea," I admitted. 

Barely moments after our conversation, guards approached us, my father had ordered them to throw me out.

"What?" Damian exclaimed disbelief etched on his face.

"Has it gotten to that?" I mumbled, my heart sinking as the reality of my situation set in.

"We don't want to do that. We will suggest you come with us," one of the guards said to me, their tone surprisingly gentle despite the weight of their orders. 

"Please wait for me close to the mountain. Do not leave until I come!" Damian pleaded, his voice filled with sorrow. I nodded silently, my sadness mirroring his.

Surrounded by the guards, I felt like a prisoner in my own home as we began to walk. As we passed my parents standing on the balcony, their silent gazes spoke volumes, each glance a dagger to my already shattered heart. 

Unable to bear the weight of their disappointment, I turned away, tears streaming down my face as we made our way out of the castle. Once outside, I couldn't bear the thought of others witnessing my fall from grace. 

"For the sake of old times' sake, allow me to walk from here. I don't want others to see me like a criminal," I pleaded with the guards. 

"We were told to see you leave," they replied, their voices tinged with sympathy.

"Please," I implored, my voice cracking with emotion.

After a moment's hesitation, they relented and stopped, allowing me to continue alone. With each step, the weight of my exile pressed down upon me, the forest swallowing me whole as I sought solace in its depths.

Staggering through the woods, I could feel my wolf's pain echoing my own. Despite the ache in my limbs and the heaviness in my heart, I pressed on, driven by an instinctual need to escape my suffocating reality.

I walked until I could see the border looming before me, a stark reminder of the divide between the life I once knew and the uncertain future that awaited me beyond.

I sat beneath the sheltering branches of a towering tree, as I waited for Damian. Tears streamed down my cheeks unchecked, the fading light of evening casting long shadows around me, a stark reflection of the darkness that had enfolded my heart.

"Are you going back to the human?" My wolf's voice echoed in the depths of my mind. 

"I have no other place to go. But first, I must wait for Damian, even if it means spending the night here," I replied.

My wolf retreated to the back of my mind, silent but ever-present, a constant companion in my solitude.

"Sister," Damian's voice broke through the silence, and I turned to see him approaching, a bag clutched in his hands. 

At that moment, I remembered the bag George had given me, tucked away and forgotten in my moment of despair.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I had to make sure Baba and Mama didn't know about me coming to see you," he apologized. 

"It's okay," I replied, embracing him tightly. 

"Here, I got some of your things and some provisions," he offered, handing me the bag. As I opened it, I saw George's bag nestled within. 

"Thank you," I smiled through my tears, touched by his thoughtfulness.

"Are you sure you're safe with the humans?" Damian's concern was noticeable, etched on his face like a shadow cast by the fading light.

"Yes," I assured him. 

"If at all there's a problem, please come back. I know our parents are angry, but we are still family," he pleaded, his voice tinged with desperation.

"Of course," I promised, holding onto his embrace as if it were the only lifeline in a sea of uncertainty.

"I'll see you soon, right?" he asked, his voice wavering with emotion. 

I nodded in agreement, unable to find the words to express the depth of my gratitude for his unwavering support.

With a heavy heart, I shifted into my wolf form, and Damian placed the bag around my neck. My wolf began to climb the mountain, each step a painful reminder of the distance that now separated me from my brother and my pack.

When we reached the top, I paused, turning to take one last look at Damian, his silhouette etched against the fading light of dusk as he waved goodbye.

With a final, lingering glance, I crossed over, the weight of my decision heavy upon my heart as I surrendered to the uncertain fate that awaited me in the human world.