Chapter 5

Lyra's POV

“Killing you will be too merciful,” he breathed against my lips, his grip still firm around my chin.

He studied every flicker of emotion across my face for a few seconds before finally releasing me and taking a step backward.

“Leave,” he ordered, his voice cold and final.

I remained against the wall, staring at him in stunned silence. He was really letting me go unpunished?

“Don't make me repeat myself,” he stated calmly, his gaze hardening.

Without another word, I simply obeyed.

As I walked through the corridor back to my room, I couldn't help but wonder why he had decided to spare me.

“I see you already have his attention. That worries me, Lyra.” Elena's voice suddenly cut through my thoughts. There, I saw her leaning against a door a few feet away, her arms loosely folded.

I stopped in front of her. "Why? You care that he might kill me soon like the rest of his mistresses, or are you just jealous?”

She chuckled softly, shaking her head.

I frowned, my confused expression making her chuckle again.

"Well, for your information, he didn't kill them, and I'm definitely not jealous,” she murmured.

My brows furrowed. "Then who—or what—did?"

"They all thought they could survive him by being special. That was what killed them," she explained with a small shrug.

I studied her face. "You must be good at surviving him in your own way then."

She looked directly into my eyes before giving me a faint smile. "I only play by the rules. I'm not trying to survive."

"His rules?" I asked.

"And mine," she replied simply. "Now I have to get ready for work. We'll talk later."

Before I could ask what she really meant, she turned and went inside, leaving me with more questions than answers.

I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to make sense of her words before continuing down the corridor.

When I reached my room, I realized the plates from earlier had already been cleared. Taking a deep breath, I approached the bed and settled onto it.

My eyes fell on my phone where it lay on the nightstand, and I picked it up. Opening my gallery, I instinctively continued my usual routine of looking through my mother's pictures. Ever since she had been buried a month ago, I had spent most of my time in her room, clinging to anything that could still make me feel her presence.

But now I was in this strange place, and the loss of her seemed so much greater. I missed her so much, and all I wanted was to hear her voice and be wrapped in her arms once again.

Next thing I knew, my vision was blurred, and a tear ran down my cheek.

Then came a gentle knock on the door. Quickly wiping my tears, I stood.

“Good morning, ma'am. I'm here to collect your used clothes,” an unfamiliar woman said from outside, holding a laundry basket.

“Uh... You can come in,” I said, stepping aside.

As she gathered the few pieces I had worn since arriving, I remained near the door, watching her. Just as she picked up the maid-like outfit Sarah had forced me into, she bent down.

"Ma'am, this fell from the outfit," she said, holding up a tiny piece of paper that looked freshly folded.

My brows furrowed and I walked straight over to her.

"I'm leaving now, ma'am," she added, dropping the last piece of clothing in her basket and headed for the door.

I looked down at the small piece of paper in my hand, wondering what it could be. Carefully, I unfolded it, and the moment I saw the handwriting, my breath caught.

It was a letter. And I knew the handwriting—it belonged to my mother.

My fingers tightened around the paper as my eyes fell on the first line.

To my precious daughter, Lyra,

I'm deeply sorry I knew too late what your father had allowed himself to become.

Perhaps if I had known sooner, I could have saved us from being apart.

I couldn't tell you the truth even while I lay sick in my bed. It was my only way to protect you from Sarah and her cruel schemes. She threatened to kill you if I refused to take the poison. She claimed that you and I were both threats to her children's right to inherit the pack, and with either you or me gone, her children would finally become the official heirs.

I made her promise she would never hurt you if I took the poison. She agreed, and I kept my part of the bargain.

If you're reading this now, I don't want you to tell your father about any of this. If you're somehow still in the pack, don't trust him. Jake is Sarah's puppet. He never believed any of my words regarding her.

The pack’s council leader is my only hope of keeping you safe. Confide in her. She has always been loyal to me, and I trust her completely to protect you in my absence.

I love you always,

Mom.

For several seconds, I couldn't move. The letter trembled between my fingers as I read the words again and again.

My mother hadn't died from an illness. She had been poisoned. By Sarah.

As the truth crashed over me, my chest heaved, making it difficult for me to breathe. Tears streamed down my face, and this time, I didn't wipe them away.

I clutched the letter against my chest, pressing it over my heart.

Sarah had taken everything my mother had, including her place beside Jake. And now, even after killing her, she had taken mine too.

"I will avenge you, Mother," I whispered, my voice breaking.

I should go back to Crescent Pack on the spot and demand their heads.

But even with the letter and the support of Crescent Pack's council leader, it would be almost impossible to avenge my mother's death in my current state.

I was no longer the heir of Crescent Pack. My wolf was weak. And I had no superior status anywhere, or even here.

To return, I needed something more. I needed to be something more than Valdren's mistress or the rejected daughter of an Alpha.

Gently wiping my face, my mind settled on him, the only person who could give me what I needed.

Valdren had been feared across the territories, and his influence reached far beyond Crescent Pack. My rejected father was even desperate enough to offer me to him just to settle a territorial transgression.

If I wanted Sarah and Jake to pay tenfold, Valdren would be the strongest weapon I had left.

But I knew Valdren wouldn't just hand me what I needed. He had never been known to give anything away for free.

But for that, I would disclose to him the only secret that would surely bring Jake and Sarah, including their newly announced heirs, to their knees, even if it cost me to be bound to him.

Determined, I wiped the tears on my cheeks and carefully re-folded my mother's letter. With hurt and revenge burning through my veins, I marched out of my room and headed straight to Valdren's private quarters.

"You're not allowed here, Miss," the two guards standing watch said in unison.

"I need to see him urgently," I demanded firmly, looking each of them directly in the eyes.

The guards exchanged an amused glance. "Stay here while I inform him first," one of them said and turned toward Valdren's door.

A short while later, he returned and stepped aside. "You can go in now."

Without another word, I marched toward the door and opened it.

Upon entering, I found him standing in front of the mirror, adjusting the collar of his blazer.

"Don't waste my time. I have a board meeting to attend in the next few minutes," he said coldly, without sparing me a glance.

"I know you barely get along with Jake," I seethed, then marched forward to stand an inch away from him. "What I'm about to ask for is absurd. But it will only last for as long as I have my revenge."

His eyes twitched as he studied me in silence.

Looking into his glowing eyes, I pressed my palm against his dark heart. "Mark me. Make me your Luna," I demanded firmly. "I know a sure way to bring Jake and his pack to their knees. Together, we will burn them to ash."

His brow lifted in surprise, but the expression that followed was impossible to read.

"Say," he breathed calmly.

"His council isn't as united as you think," I began in a steady voice despite the weight of what I was about to offer. "They might have approved his new heirs, but his council leader is fiercely loyal to my late mother. With her support, we will strip Jake of his Alpha title, and I shall take my personal revenge on him and his evil Luna for what they did to my mother."

His expression turned intrigued. Then, he lifted his hand to pin mine tightly against his chest, a lethal smile touching his lips. "I'll give you their ashes, little wolf," he whispered, staring deeply into my blue eyes. "But an Alpha's mark is earned. What else do you give me in return?"