LOGINLyraThe door of Raguel’s room clicked shut behind us softly, the sound echoing in the sudden silence. My heart hammered against my ribs and I could feel Raguel’s eyes on me, burning into my back as I walked to the centre of his room.“What the hell were you thinking when you invited Miguel over?” His voice was low and dangerous.My throat tightened and swallowed hard. “I just—”“Don’t.” He took a step toward me, the sound of his footsteps muffled by the thick rug. “Don’t lie to me, Lyra. Don’t do that.”My pussy clenched involuntarily, a traitorous response to his murderous tone. I watched him approach, my body frozen to my spot in the centre of the room. His dark eyes glinted with mild anger and beneath it, there was a hint of possession.“You invited him here.” It wasn’t a question. “Without my permission.”I shrugged, trying to come off more confident than I felt. “I didn’t think you’d mind. After all, he saved our lives…”“Exactly.” He closed the distance between us, his free han
Lyra“I still think you’re doing too much.” Habeela didn’t even glance up from the tray she was arranging as she spoke.“It’s called celebrating, my love,” I grinned. “These past weeks have been a whole lot. You survived a terrible husband and I survived a psychopath. I think that’s enough reason to celebrate.”“Well, I can’t argue with that.”The dining room buzzed with activity.Servants hurried around us carrying platters while Habeela insisted on helping despite everyone’s attempts to stop her. She looked… lighter than she did before. She smiled more and laughed easier.Everywhere smelled of roasted turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, casserole and every other spread that we’ve made. Habeela adjusted the table cloth, a flush of color returning to her cheeks. She was wearing a simple lavender dress that hid the fading bruises around her body. Seeing her walk without a limp filled my chest with a relief that made the last month of terror feel like a distant bad dream.“So,” she nudge
LyraIt had already been two weeks since everything that had happened and Habeela was yet to wake up from her coma. By a stroke of luck, she had managed to survive the poisoned knife. Since then, she had been in my room with the in-house doctors monitoring her condition. All of them were hopeful that she’d actually wake up from the coma, despite the fact that she was unresponsive.I sat in the armchair beside the bed, a book resting forgotten on my lap. My fingers traced the mark on my collarbone—where Aaron’s knife had drawn blood.A low gasp cut through the silence of the room and I snapped my head up immediately, my heart doing an ecstatic leap against my ribs. On the bed, Habeela’s dark eyelashes fluttered and her fingers twitched against the sheets as her head rolled slowly to the side. Her brow furrowed before her eyes finally opened.They wandered around the room in confusion, blinking against the sunlight before settling on me.“Lyra,” she muttered.“Habeela,” I gasped, a wave
RaguelThe metallic collar burned against the skin of my throat, suppressing my powers gradually and leaving me weak by the minute. As if the power shield wasn’t enough, Heath had bound my hands behind my back.I sat on my knees on the floor, looking up at the man who had been my closest ally in the Council. “Your plan is flawed, Heath,” I said, my voice coming out in weak mutters. “You have spent months planning this yet you didn’t think to take time out to study the woman you have tied to that pillar.” I shook my head and looked at Lyra. “She will never stay still for you. She will never comply with your atrocities, and she will never sit on a throne you stole. The moment you untie her, she will rather die than take a single command from you.”Heath stopped his slow pacing, turning his head to look down at me. An unsettling smile spread on his lips, that made my blood run cold.“She won’t be able to do anything, Raguel,” Heath countered mockingly. “You think I’m a dumb fool? Why wo
LyraOnce the doors of the room clicked shut as Raguel left, the silence of the room began to suffocate me. I stood frozen at the foot of the bed, my heart beating frantically. As much as I hated to admit it, I was worried about Raguel going to confront Heath and Aaron all alone.On the mattress, Habeela laid down perfectly still, her breathing uneven.I took a deep breath to calm my racing heart, and that was when I caught it.An odd scent drifted through my nose. It wasn’t offensive—no, it didn’t smell of rot like when the rogues attacked or the metallic tang of the blood drying on Habeela’s dress—but it was noticeable. I had actually been perceiving it since the guards had brought Habeela to Raguel’s study, but I had been more concerned about the seriousness of her wounds that I hadn’t paid any attention to it. Now that my head was a little bit settled, the smell was stronger.“Habeela,” I frowned, sitting beside her and sniffing the air again. “Do you smell that? There’s something
RaguelThe room fell silent after Habeela spoke.Once that place is destroyed… you won’t have anything left to rule.I replayed the sentence in my head, trying to figure out what place he was talking about. In all honesty, there were dozens of places that could cripple my reign but none of them fit into what Heath would do.Heath wasn’t reckless enough to confuse any of those places with power. He’d strike at the source. But what source exactly?I closed my eyes.Think, Raguel… What could it be? What place would end my reign once it was destroyed?My heart skipped as a thought formed in my head.“No.” The word escaped before I realized I’d spoken aloud.Lyra looked at me. “What is it?”I turned toward her slowly and muttered. “The chamber of the first Alpha.” My head was already spinning but I forced myself to stay calm.Lyra’s head snapped up, her eyes wide with confusion as she kept her hands wrapped securely around Habeela’s trembling fingers. “What do you mean, the First Alpha?”“
LyraBy the fifth shower, even the freezing water failed to quench the heat raging within. It only made me more hypersensitive, turning every drop of icy cold water into an agonizing tease against my flesh.I stepped back into the silver-bathed bedroom, my silk nightgown clinging to my damp body li
For a second, I couldn’t breathe. I just stared at the pictures scattered across the floor.“That’s…” My voice came out weak. “That’s not—”“One time wasn’t enough?” Aaron cut in, his voice sharp with disgust. He paced the living room, his bloodshot eyes darting from me to the pictures on the floor
LYRAI woke up feeling like I had been dragged through something I couldn’t remember. My body felt heavy and weak, with an aching, unfamiliar soreness. I lay still, trying to piece together fragments of the night before. Flashes—red eyes, a voice, a hand around my neck, the words, “Your husband sold
LYRAThe color completely drained from Aaron's face. His palms tightened into fists, and his Adam's apple bubbled up and down. His lips thinned into furious lines, and I expected him to wake up and put an end to this. I expected him to call the deal off, drag me protectively to his side, and annou







