CHAPTER FOUR

{Dominic}

I couldn’t believe my ears. I understood the fact that he wasn’t her father, but to sell your stepdaughter at an auction was insanity.

Now I regretted not biting his head off when I had the chance.

My eyes raked over her, making sure to capture every detail of the human before me. She looked so small, and for someone who had been dragged across an auction stage and displayed like livestock, you’d expect her to be trembling.

But her beautiful blue eyes burned like ice-cold fire, and even though I smelled her fear and panic, she stood her ground against me, an Alpha, when most would be cowering in fear.

She was strong, but only the Moon goddess knew what she had to go through to become that strong.

“What of your mother?” I asked calmly, before bluntly adding, “Is she dead?”

She hesitated for a brief moment, and I watched as pain clouded her pretty features. “She might as well be.”

I frowned, “What does that mean?”

The pain became more noticeable, and she had to look away before answering. “A few years ago, she was attacked by witch hunters. She fought them off, but… she disappeared after that.” She lifted her head, and as her eyes met mine, I noticed the dampness in them. “I don’t know if she’s dead.”

My heart ached for her, and so did my wolf, but there was something she said that caused a chill to run through me.

“Did you say witch hunters?”

“Yeah.” she nodded.

Then I remembered Victor had mentioned her mage lineage.

A strange feeling coursed through me immediately. I had come to Ravenshire in search of a witch doctor. Could it be—

Lyra’s stomach let out a loud growl, and her entire body went still. A flush crept up her cheeks, spreading to the tip of her ears.

I couldn’t hold it, a deep chuckle rumbled from my chest before I could stop it. Lyra squinted her eyes and glared at me, clearly mortified, but it only made the moment funnier.

“Take a shower. I’ll have someone bring over some warm clothes, like I promised.” I slid my hands into my pockets as I prepared to leave. “And after that, I want you to join me in the dining hall for dinner.”

“I’m not hungry,” she muttered, but from the sound of her voice, and her traitorous stomach, she wasn’t as convincing as I’m sure she thought.

“Maybe I didn’t make myself clear,” I leaned slightly forward and released only a small amount of my Alpha aura, but not enough to hurt her. “That wasn’t a request.”

She sucked in a breath, and her entire body stilled instantly.

“So she’s not immune to my Alpha aura, but for some reason I can’t outrightly command her. What a fascinating human.”

I withdrew my aura, allowing her to catch her breath. Then I turned around and walked out, “I’ll see you at dinner.” I shut the door firmly behind me.

****

{Lyra}

Dominic sat at the head of the table, with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a fork in his hand.

The moment I walked into the dining hall, the rich scent of the exquisite meal his chef had cooked up made my mouth water against my will.

“I would eat, but I wouldn’t enjoy it”

As I approached, Dominic’s eyes flicked up to meet me, but before he could say anything, I noticed someone sitting by Dominic’s right.

He wasn’t an Alpha, I could tell that much, but he was strong.

His green eyes locked onto me, and his eyebrows drew together, but all he did was stare at me. His eyes scanned me like I was a fish out of water.

“Stop staring. It’s not nice.” Dominic said to the man.

The man snapped out of his daze and blinked, finally looking away. But then his lips curled into a smirk, and he turned to Dominic.

”Dominic, you not gonna introduce us?” he asked with a humorous edge in his voice.

“This is Lyra. She’s my guest.” Dominic didn’t even glance up from his plate.

The man’s eyes danced with mischief, and he chuckled softly. “Your guest?” he dragged the word guest as he spoke. “Since when do you entertain guests? Especially women?”

“Since now.” Dominic lifted his face up and glared at him. “Lyra this is—”

“Ryker. A pleasure to meet you, Lyra.” Ryker interrupted, and Dominic’s jaw ticked. “I’m the Beta of this pack and, more importantly, the brains behind this whole operation.”

Dominic shot him a look, but Ryker only smirked, and I found my lips twitching. He was quirky and amusing, nothing like Dominic’s cold and distant demeanor.

I hesitated for a second before taking his hand. “You must be special,” he mused as he pulled back. “Dominic doesn’t even like me, much less a human.”

“Thank you?” I blurted out, unsure of what to say. My eyes flickered to Dominic, but he had stopped paying attention.

I sat down to dinner, and through conversation, I learned that Ryker was Dominic’s beta, his best friend, and from what I could tell, the only one who could speak to Dominic without fear of getting his throat ripped out.

Ryker and I got along surprisingly well. He had a natural way of disarming people with his charm, but just as we were finishing up, Ryker wiped his mouth with a napkin and turned to Dominic, “So, about this witch we’re supposed to catch.”

I immediately froze, and my fingers grabbed onto the tablecloth. My heartbeat suddenly came up to my ears, and I struggled to hear anything else.

Dominic glanced at me, and forced my face into remaining blank.

“Ryker.” Dominic called his name in a voice that sent shivers down my spine.

“Shit—”

“Follow me to my office,” Dominic stood abruptly, but before he walked away, he looked at me once again. “You should go back to your room. Have a good night’s rest.”

I nodded slowly, and he didn’t even wait for a response. He and Ryker left the dining hall, and soon enough, I was alone.

I waited a few minutes before getting up and leaving the dining hall, trying to recall the way back to my room, but the villa was huge, and before I knew it, I was lost.

I stuck to the walls, hoping to see someone who could point me in the right direction, and as I turned a corner, I noticed a door was slightly ajar, and I could hear muffled voices.

I went closer and heard Dominic’s voice. I should have gotten out of there immediately, but I couldn’t help but be curious about the witch Ryker had mentioned.

I edged even closer, pressing myself against the wall and placing my ear on the cold brick.

“You need to be careful and keep your mouth shut.” I heard Dominic say, and I pressed my ears harder. “If anyone finds out why we’re really here, there could be grave consequences.”

“I understand, Alpha.” Ryker sounded more serious now, and his usual playful edge was completely gone.

“Tomorrow morning we resume our search for the witch doctor. And no one will get in my way.”

I gasped, I had to get away from there before I was caught. All of a sudden, Dominic’s sudden appearance in Ravenshire started to make a lot of sense. 

Dominic was after my mother