Chapter 1 – The Email She Read One Hundred Times

I pressed my shoulder against the cool stone wall of the narrow corridor behind the kitchen. The air back here always smelled faintly of damp earth and old wood, a sharp contrast to the suffocating perfume and roasted meats drifting from the main rooms. I kept my phone hidden between both hands, guarding it like a living flame. The cracked screen cast a faint, unsteady glow over my fingers.

I read the academy acceptance email for what had to be the hundredth time.

"We are pleased to offer you admission," I mouthed silently.

The words still felt too impossible to trust. I stared at the bold letters of the academy’s name, waiting for the screen to refresh and tell me it was a mistake. It didn't.

《Read it again,》 Nyra’s voice moved through my mind, carrying a fierce and quiet warmth. 《Memorize every single syllable if you have to. Whatever it takes to believe we’re finally leaving.》

"I know," I said back. "I just... I need to see it one more time."

《Look at it until it burns into your eyes,》 she insisted. 《Soon we'll be out of this horrible place. We'll be free to do whatever we want.》

She was right. I let out a breath I felt like I had been holding for years, and I actually smiled. It was a small, stunned, private thing, the kind of smile I never allowed myself to wear inside this house. Out there, a smile was just an invitation for someone to ruin my day.

Then the servant bell rang from the main hall.

The sound was sharp and metallic. It crashed through our little pocket of joy so violently I flinched. The smile vanished from my face. My heart kicked against my ribs, an automatic response I hated but could never quite control. I shoved the device deep into my uniform apron.

《Let them wait. You deserve a break.》

"We can't," I thought back, already smoothing my face flat. I wiped away any trace of emotion, leaving only the blank, obedient mask they expected. I had to start moving right away, or Maris would accuse me of hiding.

I pushed off the stone wall and hurried down the corridor. Every step carried me further from the quiet dark and closer to the noise.

The reception parlor didn't even look like a room in our house anymore. It had been completely transformed for Selene’s engagement announcement dinner. The air was thick with the scent of expensive lilies and heavily spiced wine. Glittering glasses caught the light, and massive floral centerpieces crowded the tables. Candlelight flickered over a cluster of girls from the local school. They sat draped over the velvet chairs, acting like they already belonged to the highest rank in the pack.

Selene lounged right at the center of it all. She wore pale silk and diamonds, accepting their admiration as if it were the natural state of the world. She looked flawless. She always made sure she did.

I walked in carrying a heavy tray of champagne. The crystal flutes clinked softly against each other.

"Well, look at that," Maris announced to the room. She didn’t even bother to lower her voice. She stood near the fireplace, a glass of dark red wine in her hand. "The servant has finally decided to stop skulking and be useful."

The conversation in the room paused. A dozen pairs of eyes turned toward me.

Selene’s friends immediately latched onto the cue.

"Oh, good. I need a refill," Cassia called out, waving an empty glass in my direction.

"Bring some napkins over here," Rhea demanded from the opposite side of the room.

"Actually, do you have anything sweeter?" a third girl asked, leaning back in her chair and eyeing my tray with distaste. "This vintage is entirely too dry for me."

I altered my path, stepping toward Cassia first. Before I reached her, someone else snapped their fingers.

"Wait, I asked for napkins first," Rhea said.

I stopped, adjusted my course again, and headed toward her.

A ripple of laughter moved through the chairs. They treated me like some animal they had trained to react to sound.

《Look at them. Pathetic,》 Nyra muttered in my head. 《A room full of empty heads trying to pretend they matter just because they're wearing expensive fabric. I could snap half their necks before the guards even reached the door.》

"Stop it," I warned her silently. "Don't even start."

I kept my chin lowered. I watched my footing on the polished floors.

"Careful with those glasses, Lyra," Selene said smoothly, tracing the rim of her own flute. "We wouldn't want you to break anything we actually care about."

《I’d love to break something she cares about,》 Nyra said. 《Starting with her teeth.》

"Of course," I said quietly.

"Don't just stand there, fill this," Cassia said. She thrust her glass so close to my tray I had to lean back to avoid knocking it over.

I poured the champagne. I didn't look at her face. I moved to the next girl, and then the next, letting their chatter wash over me.

"I still can't believe Kael picked out the ring himself," Cassia was saying, holding her fresh drink up to the light. "It’s massive. Did you see the clarity on it?"

"Well, he knows what I expect," Selene replied. Her voice practically dripped with satisfaction. "And the future Luna doesn't wear small stones. It sets a bad precedent for the pack."

《She wouldn't know what to do with a real stone if she choked on it,》 Nyra observed.

I shifted the tray to my other hand. The weight of the crystal and liquid strained my wrist, but I kept my grip steady.

"Are you going to serve the rest of us, or just stand there dreaming?" Maris snapped from across the room. "The tray isn't going to empty itself."

"Coming," I murmured.

"Speak up when you address me," Maris said sharply.

"I am coming, Maris," I said, lifting my voice just enough to satisfy her without sounding defiant.

I kept my steps careful. I could survive another hour of this humiliation. Every step I took, every command I followed, I reminded myself that the acceptance email in my pocket was real. It was mine, and they couldn't touch it. I just needed to survive the night.

"Bring the rest of those to the center," Selene instructed.

I walked toward the low marble table near the center, where Selene and her closest friends sat. I needed to set down the final glasses.

"Make sure you use a coaster," Cassia added. "You scratched the wood last time."

"It's marble," I said softly, almost to myself.

"Excuse me?" Cassia asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Nothing. I have coasters right here."

I stepped close to the table. I kept my eyes on the surface, calculating the space between the floral arrangement and Selene's arm.

Selene shifted in her chair. She stretched out one jeweled heel. The movement was lazy, but it was executed with practiced precision. Her shoe caught the heavy fabric at the hem of my skirt.

The fabric pulled tight. My momentum carried me forward, but my feet were pinned.

I pitched forward hard.

My knee slammed into the marble floor with a loud, sickening crack. The pain flared instantly, hot and sharp, shooting all the way up my thigh. The tray tilted violently out of my hands.

Cold bubbles and broken crystal showered across the table. The champagne splashed directly onto Cassia and Rhea's dresses in a messy wave.

The room erupted into shocked shrieks.

"My dress!" Cassia screamed, jumping up so fast her chair scraped against the floor.

"What is wrong with you?" Rhea yelled, brushing frantically at her wet skirt.

The shrieks turned into laughter from the girls sitting further back. I stayed on the floor for a second. The pain in my knee throbbed. I took a short, tight breath and looked up.

Selene leaned back in her chair with a hand over her mouth, pretending she had been startled. "Oh my goodness, Lyra, are you entirely incapable of walking?"

The satisfaction in her eyes was bright and poisonous. She didn't even try to hide it from me.

"Kneel down and clean that up immediately," Maris snapped, stepping forward. "Before anyone gets hurt."

She looked at me like I was the danger in the room, completely ignoring the fact that I was the one bleeding.

"Look at my shoes," Cassia whined, pointing a finger at me. "They're ruined. She did that on purpose."

"I'm sorry," I said. My voice was completely flat.

《Do not apologize to them,》 Nyra snarled, her anger spiking so hard it gave me a headache. 《She tripped us. They all saw it. Get up. Get up and make her clean it.》

"I can't," I told her. "Just let me handle this."

"Stop sitting there useless and pick up the glass," Maris ordered.

I didn't argue. I leaned forward, putting my bare hands on the wet marble, and reached for the broken shards. The champagne soaked into the knees of my skirt, cold and sticky. I moved too fast, trying to clear the mess before Maris yelled again.

My apron shifted, gaping open at the pocket.

Cassia bent down, ostensibly to check her ruined shoes. Her hand darted out and plucked my phone right from the fabric.

"Hey," I said, my hand freezing over the broken crystal. "Give that back."

"Well, what do we have here?" Cassia announced in a delighted voice. "The servant has been hiding a secret phone."

She held the phone up. The screen was still glowing brightly. The email was still open.

My stomach dropped so fast and so hard that for one awful second I thought I might throw up right there on the floor.

"Give it to me," I said, pushing myself up slightly, ignoring the stinging cut on my palm.

Cassia stepped back, holding it entirely out of my reach. She looked at the screen, her eyes scanning the first few lines.

《Take it from her,》 Nyra demanded. 《Take it now.》

"What does it say?" Rhea asked, leaning in.

"Cassia, please," I said. The panic in my voice was real now. I couldn't hide it. "It's nothing. Just give it back."

Cassia’s smile widened into something terrible. She cleared her throat.