Chapter 4

Lyra’s POV

I was ten when the world lost its color.

Alpha Julian was the man who became my father after he found me shivering in the Whispering Woods. I was five, but he didn’t see a stray orphan. He saw a daughter. He gave me a name, a home, and fierce, protective love that felt like armor against the entire world.

Then the Great Northern Skirmish took him from me. I was ten. The light in our house dimmed forever.

The triplets : Caspian, Silas, and Soren — were only sixteen back then, but they stepped up without hesitation. They called me their Little Star. They promised to protect me from every shadow. For years, they kept that promise. Caspian’s quiet strength made me feel safe. Silas’s steady presence grounded me. Soren’s warm laughter and playful affection made me feel truly alive.

I loved them with every piece of my young heart. They weren’t just my guardians — they were my world. And for a while, I believed I was theirs too.

Then came my eighteenth birthday… and Genevieve.

She arrived as a foundling, shivering at the border, and quickly became the new jewel of the Sterling Estate. What started as kindness slowly became replacement. She took my place inch by inch, like ivy strangling a sapling. And the three men who once swore to protect me began to pull away.

A sharp thud pulled me from my thoughts. My bedroom door swung open without a knock.

Genevieve leaned against the frame, golden hair perfectly arranged, a triumphant glint in her eyes. She looked every bit the delicate, beloved orphan she pretended to be.

“You know, I almost pity you,” she drawled, voice sweet as poisoned honey. She stepped inside and perched on the edge of my writing desk like she owned it. “Almost.”

I kept my expression calm and neutral, even as old memories burned. In my past life, this kind of visit would have left me in tears. Not anymore.

She traced lazy circles on the wooden desk. “You should have seen the gift Caspian brought me from the capital last month. Enchanted silk robes and jewelry from the Gilded District. Only the best for the new jewel of the house.”

I said nothing.

Genevieve’s smile sharpened. “And remember when you were punished for stealing my research papers? Soren was so disappointed in you. He said he never expected dishonesty from his Little Star.”

The memory flashed painfully. I had stayed up three nights running her experiments because she claimed she was too frail. She swapped the notes and played the victim. When I tried to explain, the hurt and disappointment in their eyes had crushed me. Caspian’s silence. Silas’s quiet withdrawal. Soren’s angry words before they locked me in the dark cellar for two days.

While I shivered in the damp cold, Genevieve enjoyed a celebratory dinner in Soren’s lap.

I let out a soft, dry laugh. “Yes, I remember. The day you wept so convincingly that Soren held you for hours. You must have been truly heartbroken for me.”

Genevieve’s smirk faltered. “I was distraught—”

“Of course you were,” I said, voice dripping with mock sweetness. “So distraught that you spent the evening being comforted by all three of them. How heavy that burden must have been for you.”

Her face flushed with anger. She stood up, fists clenched at her sides. “It doesn’t matter what you think you remember. At the end of the day, I’m the one they love. I’m the one who stays. You’re nothing but a ghost in this house.”

I rose from the bed slowly, meeting her gaze without flinching. “You’re right about one thing. In my old life, I let you win. I cried. I begged them to believe me. I defended myself until my voice gave out, and every tear only made them doubt me more.”

Genevieve’s eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?”

I stepped closer. “You turned the men I loved against me with whispers, tears, and clever little lies. You made them see a monster when they looked at me. And they believed you. Caspian’s strap. Julian—no, the others’ cold eyes. Soren forcing that frost down my throat while calling it mercy. They chose you… and I died for it.”

For the first time, real unease flickered across her face. “You’ve gone mad.”

“No,” I said quietly. “I’ve woken up. The Great Mother gave me another chance. And this time, I see everything clearly.”

I could still feel the phantom warmth of Soren’s arm around my shoulders yesterday, the way he ruffled my hair and called me cute. Caspian’s tired but fond sigh. The teasing heat in Julian’s — no, the analytical one’s — whisper against my ear. Their affection felt real. And that terrified me more than any beating ever had.

Because if they still loved me, how was I supposed to walk away cleanly? How could I escape before they destroyed me again?

Genevieve laughed, but it sounded forced. “You really think you can change anything? They’ve already started looking at me the way they used to look at you. Caspian brings me gifts. Soren comforts me when I cry. Soon they’ll forget you ever mattered.”

The words stung, because I knew how easily it had happened before. I remembered nights when Soren would sneak into my room after everyone slept, pulling me into his arms and murmuring promises against my hair. Caspian’s rare, quiet smiles reserved only for me. The way one of them — the analytical one — would read to me late into the night, his voice soft and intimate.

Those memories clashed violently with the future I remembered: their betrayal, their hands binding me, their voices calling me a murderer.

“I won’t fight you the way I did before,” I told Genevieve. My voice stayed steady. “I won’t give them reasons to doubt me. If they want to love you, let them. But I won’t make it easy this time.”

Genevieve’s pretty mask cracked completely. “You think shoving me into a pond changes anything? They’ll tire of your little tantrums. And when they do, I’ll be right here — the one who never causes trouble. The one who deserves their love.”

She stepped closer, voice low and venomous. “You’re an orphan who was lucky enough to be taken in. I’m the one who makes them feel needed, and wanted. I’m the only one who fits in with their world…”