15: I Need To Leave

Omar lifted his head slowly. I could see the barely concealed annoyance and irritation in his eyes. He looked at me longer again, like he was trying to make sense of something that didn’t add up. He shifted his gaze to Raguel. “She doesn’t look like Charlotte,” he muttered. “Not even close.”

He attempted to push himself up from the gravel, but Raguel’s hand stayed on his shoulder, a heavy, unyielding anchor. The pressure must have been intense because Omar’s face contorted as he was forced back onto his knees.

“Apologize, Omar,” Raguel said. It wasn’t a request. It was a command.

“For what?” Omar lashed out, his voice cracking with a desperate sort of defiance. “For pointing out the obvious? Look at her, Alpha. She’s human. You can’t possibly expect anyone to accept—”

“Finish that sentence,” Raguel said with a deadly calm.

Omar hesitated, just for a second but continued anyway.

“You can’t make a human your Luna,” he said. “That’s not how this works. That’s not how it’s ever worked.”

“I am not asking for your opinion, Omar,” Raguel stopped him. “I am telling you to apologize to her. Now.”

The tension was a physical weight. Finally, Omar’s shoulders slumped. He didn’t look at me, but I sensed his resistance cracking.

“…I apologize,” he said through clenched teeth. “For what I said.”

Raguel didn’t acknowledge it. He turned toward the entrance as a woman stepped out. She was tall, with honey-blonde hair pulled back into a tight bun. She looked composed.

“Emily,” Raguel called.

She stepped forward. “Yes, Alpha.”

He reached out, his hand guiding me toward her. “Take her inside. Get her settled in.”

Her eyes softened slightly when they met mine. “Yes, Alpha.”

Raguel turned away.

Just like that?

Emily stepped closer to me. “Come with me,” she said gently.

I didn’t argue. I just followed her dumbly. My legs felt like lead, and my mind was a mess of images and thoughts. As we stepped through the doors, the grandeur hit me just as it had the first time, but it felt worse now. This wasn’t a guest visit. This was a relocation. I felt like an impostor in a life that didn’t belong to me.

“I’m Emily,” the woman said as we climbed the sweeping staircase. Her voice was soft-spoken, carrying a warmth that felt disturbing in this powerful house. “I’m Raguel’s Beta. In your world, I suppose you’d call me a personal assistant, though the role is… more encompassing here.”

She led me down a wide hallway and opened a door. It was the same room I had slept in that first night, but it had changed. The vanity was no longer half-empty; it was stocked with my favorite skincare brands, the exact shades of lipstick I preferred, even the specific hair oil I used to buy as a treat when Aaron gave me a larger allowance.

“The seamstress will be here later this afternoon to take your measurements for a new wardrobe,” Emily said, smoothing a wrinkle in the duvet. “Is there anything else you need immediately?”

I stood in the center of the rug, my arms wrapped around myself. “What is going on here, Emily?”

She paused, looking at me with a faint, confused tilt of her head. “What do you mean?”

“Everything!” I burst out, my voice rising as I gestured vaguely around me. “Raguel… he told me he’s a werewolf. And that all of you are too. That you’re the government, that…” I let out a shaky breath. “I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore.”

“I followed him here,” I added, my voice tightening. “I don’t even know why. I followed him here because I was dazed and cornered, and I think I had a temporary lapse in judgment, but I want to leave. I don’t want to be a part of this. I don’t even understand why I’m a part of this.”

Emily stepped toward me, her expression softening into something like pity. “You need to calm down, Lyra. It isn’t in my place to explain the depths of our world to you. That is for the Alpha. But you must learn to trust Raguel. He has your best intentions at heart.”

I let out a short, disbelieving laugh. “My best intentions?” I repeated. “The same man who cornered my husband into divorcing me and bought me like a piece of livestock.”

Her lips pressed together. “I’m sure—”

“Don’t,” I cut in sharply. “Don’t try to justify it. That is not someone who has my best interests at heart.”

She hesitated, then leaned in slightly and lowered her voice.

“You should be grateful he didn’t kill him.”

My heart stopped. “I beg your pardon?”

Emily blinked as she pulled back. “I apologize. That was… uncalled for. Please, just try to settle in. Take a shower. The maids will prepare something for you to eat.”

“I don’t want a meal,” I insisted, my voice trembling. “I need to leave, Emily.”

She sighed, realizing she couldn’t calm me. “I will get Raguel,” she promised. “Stay here.”

She walked out, the heavy door clicking shut behind her.

Alone, the silence of the room rushed in to meet me.

I walked further into the room slowly.

Everything looked perfect, like someone had been expecting me.

I sank onto the edge of the bed and let myself fall back completely, staring up at the ceiling. My thoughts didn’t make sense anymore. I didn’t even recognize myself anymore.

My chest tightened and I just lay there.