Chapter One: The Price of a Daughter

Lyra's POV

“Lyra, where the hell are you?"

It never ended well when my step mother screamed my name like that.

I had just pulled the tray of bread from the oven, the heat seeping through the mittens and slightly burning my fingers. I carefully placed the tray on the table and was pulling off the mittens when the kitchen door slammed open.

I froze.

Not because I was surprised but because I could tell what would happen next.

Lydia Thorne stood in the doorway, her silk robe falling perfectly around her frame, her eyes narrowed like she'd walked in expecting to find a reason to hurt me.

Her gaze fell on the bread and the look in her eyes indicated that she had found one.

Behind her stood Celeste and Calvin. Watching in amused expectancy of the drama that was about to unfold.

“You made bread?"

I looked down at it. “Yes ma’am. Father likes….

The slap came fast.

My head snapped to the side, the pain knocking me off balance as my hip hit the table. Pain radiated across my cheeks along with a metallic taste.

"Did I give you permission to use the flour?”

Her voice didn't match what she had just done.

I pressed my palm against my face, trying to steady myself.

"I thought…"

Lydia took one step forward. “You thought?" She repeated, letting out a small laugh. “Do you hear her?"

Behind her Calvin snorted.

“She thought."

Celeste pushed off the doorway. "I'm surprised she can even think at all"

My fist balled as I suppressed the urge to throw my fist at both my step siblings' faces.

I lowered my eyes.

“I was making breakfast," I said quietly. “For father."

Calvin suddenly laughed loudly. “For father?" He echoed. “You really still believe that he's your father?"

Celeste stepped forward crowding me but I didn't let myself feel intimidated. “You still think he cares about you?"

My chest tightened.

I knew my father didn't love me as much as he loved his new family but he was still my father.

“I bet she does," Calvin said with a grin. "That's why she acts like she belongs here."

“Using our things, our kitchen, our food”

Our.

That word again.

I had lived in the house eighteen years of my life and yet nothing here had ever been mine.

"You should be grateful we let you stay at all," Lydia said, folding her arms. "After everything you've done.”

"I didn't do...” I started to say but was cut off.

“You killed your mother." She cut in with the same words she'd always used against me. "You bled her dry the moment you were born."

“That's why father can barely stand the sight of you." Calvin said.

“You're cursed.” Celeste added.

“I am NOT cursed" I said to Celeste right before Lydia reached for my arm, grabbing it tightly.

"You still don't get it, do you?” She whispered, taunting me. "You are the beginning of his sorrow. Killing your mother and also turning out to be a girl child."

"You're right ‘mother’” I retorted, using the term because I knew how disgusted she felt each time I called her mother "perhaps if I was a boy, he never would have gone to take another wife with her children"

“How dare you" Celeste roared as she tried to claw at me but Lydia released me immediately, the force sent me back against the table.

“Not the face honey” Lydia coaxed "we should let her run her mouth however she chooses…. After all, it won't matter tomorrow.” she smiled.

The kind that made my skin burn.

"What does that mean?” my brow arched in confusion and curiosity.

I watched Celeste's grin widen. "Oh,” she said. "She doesn't know.”

"This is even better than I thought.” Calvin grinned.

I pushed down the feeling of dread that arose in me as I locked eyes with my step mother "What are you talking about?”

Lydia's fingers reached for my hair and tucked some brown strands behind my ear "You're leaving tomorrow morning, Lyra.”

I searched her face for any sign of bluff.

"The Alpha king of Crimson Fang pack arrives here tomorrow morning, for the inspection of the treaty the Alpha of Ironclaw pack will offer"

Each word she uttered made my insides go still as I processed it.

“And you can already tell who the treaty is”

My skin prickled.

Everyone knew about the Crimson Fang pack and who ruled it.

The only pack who had never lost a war, whose Alpha was rumoured to be even more brutal than another as he had spent his years ruling over savage wolves.

I felt my stomach sink as realization hit me.

“Mother is just trying to make it sound better. They just needed a servant," Calvin put in casually.

“A slave, really." Celeste chirped in.

I shook my head as disbelief clouded my eyes. “No, you're saying this to scare me"

Lydia's smile grew. “Oh Lyra. How dumb you are"

“My father would never do this to me…” I reasoned.

“He already did." She replied.

“You liar!" I snapped, trying to twist my arm out of her grip.

“He didn't even negotiate much, said you are a small price to pay to keep the peace between both packs"

“You're not valuable enough to bargain over, Lyra."

‘I’m his daughter’ I tried to say but the words were logged in the back of my throat.

“You're just a problem," she continued. “One we've finally found a use for."

"Please…” I whispered. “You can't do this."

But her expression didn't flinch.

“Get plenty of rest,” she said as she turned away from me. “You'll need it"

“Wouldn't want you collapsing before they inspect you." Calvin remarked.

“Or worse... Rejecting the offer.” As she spoke, she nudged the tray off the kitchen counter. The bread fell to the floor and the steel tray clattered loudly.

Lydia paused at the door. “Try not to embarrass us," she added. “Celeste is worth marrying and would even catch the eyes of the Alpha since he hasn't found his Luna."

The door shut behind them and just like that, the kitchen felt more suffocating than ever.

My cheeks throbbed and my flour coated hands trembled.

Sold!.

I was being traded off. Their words repeatedly echoed in my head.

Tomorrow, I will be transported from one cage to another and I had absolutely no say in the matter.