Chapter 4

—LYSANDRA

-

I stare into the vile eyes of the child I gave birth to on this day six years ago, bright blue eyes that once looked at me with adoration, are now glaring at me with fury and disgust. It looks like he’s about to spit on me.

“I’m sorry.” I apologize, like I always do. It’s his birthday, I shouldn’t be mean. “I actually only wanted to give you this,” I rush my words. My fingers tremble around the little wooden horse.

Henry’s furious breathing fills the corridor while my own chest struggles painfully for air.

Slowly, I lift the gift toward him.

“I made this for you,” I whisper.

The anger on Henry’s face falters slightly in confusion.

“It’s a horse,” I continue softly, forcing warmth into my voice despite the tightness in my throat. “You said one day, when you become Alpha, you would ask for a black war horse. So I carved one for you myself.”

Hope flickers weakly inside me as he listens.

“It took a while but—

Henry shuts me up by snatching the wooden horse and smashing it on the marble floor violently.

Its legs snap apart instantly.

I stare at the broken pieces scattered at my feet. Startled.

“I don’t want your stupid gift!” he yells, looking like he wants to cry.

My mouth parts soundlessly.

“Why can’t you ever listen?” he snaps. “You ruin everything!”

“But I ma—

“Oh my goodness…” Eliza’s salty voice drifts into the hallway cutting mine off.

I look up slowly.

She walks toward us gracefully, still wearing a shadow of my red dress like she was born for it. Henry’s entire expression changes the moment he sees her.

“Eliza!” He runs to her immediately.

“Well,” she says playfully, gently ruffling his hair. “I think a certain birthday boy deserves his real present.”

Henry gasps.

“A gift?!”

She opens the box carefully.

Inside rests a small gold dagger covered in tiny jewels. It’s expensive and completely impractical for a child.

Henry’s eyes light up instantly.

“Whoa…” He grabs it eagerly. “I love it!” The excitement in his voice nearly destroys me.

Because that is the reaction I wanted.

Eliza laughs softly while Henry hugs her tightly. “Thank you!” He beams.

She kisses the top of his head lovingly.

“You deserve only the best.”

Then her eyes flick toward me briefly, and I see it immediately. That victory sneer.

Henry barely spares me another glance before running back toward the party excitedly with the dagger clutched in his hands.

“Well,” Eliza murmurs behind me lightly, “that was embarrassing.”

I close my eyes briefly.

Not now..

“You really should learn when you’re unwanted, Lysandra.”

I steady myself. My body feels weak enough to collapse, but I force my spine straight anyway.

Eliza folds her arms, smiling cruelly.

“You saw how happy Henry was with me.” Her lips curl slightly. “Honestly, you should be grateful someone else stepped in to be the mother he actually deserves.”

I clutch the broken horse pieces tighter and lift my chin.

“Listen carefully, Eliza.” I begin, standing my ground. “As long as I am Luna,” I say quietly, “you will always be just a mistress, the one he released his stress into, you’re nothing but his mistress..”

The smile vanishes from Eliza’s face instantly.

“How dare you?” She snarls.

Eliza’s face twists with rage; she raises her hand to slap me before I can process a thought, but as her hand swings toward me viciously, Instinct makes me step sideways immediately, making her miss completely.

Her heel catches against the marble floor and she slips. A sharp gasp leaves her lips as her body crashes downward hard, hitting her buttocks on the cold floor.

“Oww!” She whines so loudly that it resonates everywhere. She instantly starts to wail.

I freeze.

“Lysandra!!”

Edric’s furious voice thunders behind me.

My blood turns cold instantly.

I turn slowly.

Edric storms toward us with terrifying fury darkening his face. His eyes immediately land on Eliza sprawled across the floor. Then it turns to me.

Rage explodes across his features. “What have you fuckin done!”

Before I can start explaining the actual event. Eliza cries worsen as she takes over with her loud voice.

“I was only trying to greet her,” she says, touching her cheek as if in pain. “And she suddenly slapped me and pushed me. I didn’t expect it.” Her tears have caused her makeup to smear.

I stare at her in disbelief.

The lie is so effortless it almost feels rehearsed.

I didn’t even touch her properly. My body barely has strength left to lift itself some days, let alone shove a healthy woman to the ground. Edric doesn’t care to look at me. Just the woman he has stepped forward to help up.

“That’s a lie!” I say defensively, my voice shaking.

“Eliza wouldn’t lie,” Edric says coldly.

Something inside me tightens, but I don’t argue. There is no point anymore. There never is.

Two guards appear behind him.

“Lock this woman up in the storage room,” he orders.

This woman? Wow.

I don’t resist when they take my arms. I don’t have the strength to, even if I wanted to. The hallway blurs slightly as they drag me away, and Eliza’s soft sigh of relief follows me.

The storage closet is small, dark, and smells of old wood and dust.

And immediately the door closes, I bury my head in my angled knee and shut the world out.

Time stops making sense after a while.

I don’t know how long I stayed in the storage room, but I believe hours passed until I heard footsteps and clanking.

After a lot of creaks and cracks, the door to the storage opens and Lyeon steps in.

No way.

He is indeed my only friend.

He looks around once, then immediately crouches beside me.

“This is insane,” he mutters, unlocking the restraints without asking anything else. “Come on.”

I don’t speak. I can’t.

He helps me up slowly, steadying me when my knees almost give out, and leads me out through the back corridors of the packhouse.

The party is over when I return.

The mansion is quiet now, lights dimmed, servants gone.

I pass Henry’s room without meaning to. The door is slightly open.

I stop to see if he’s asleep yet. He’s not.

Inside, the light is on and warm. Henry is in bed, but not alone.

Edric is sitting beside him, and Eliza is there too, relaxed, almost too natural, as if she has always been part of this family. A complete picture I was quietly erased from.

I should go. I really should. But I don’t.

Henry’s voice breaks the stillness and keeps me as I peek at them from the opening. .

“Why isn’t Eliza my mother?” Henry asks and though the question is innocent, it destroys me on the inside.

Eliza smiles gently, brushing his hair back.

“You want me to be your mother that badly?” she says softly, almost teasing. Then her tone lowers just enough to sting. “But your father is still married to Lysandra. So I can’t.”

Henry turns immediately to Edric. “Then divorce her,” he says simply.

Edric doesn’t even look surprised, he just replies sternly. “An alpha cannot reject his fated mate unless she dies,” he replies flatly.

Henry pauses before speaking again, quieter this time, but clearer than anything before.

“Then I hope Mom dies soon.”

My body turns to stone and my jaw almost collides with the floor.

“She already looks like a ghost,” Henry adds, almost irritated. “And she’s so annoying to look at.”

Something in me breaks so quietly it doesn’t even feel real.

I step back from the door before anyone notices me. I can hear Eliza laughing hysterically and Henry happily laughing with her.

I sprint back to my room, holding my chest like it’s about to fall. .

I can’t do this anymore. I really can’t. If he can’t let me go, then I’ll just save him the trouble and leave, so he and Eliza and that traitor I call a son can have their happily ever after.

I find a piece of paper and write without thinking too long, hand shaking too much to make it neat, tears spilling on the paper..

A simple rejection letter that clearly states that I.. Lysander Blackthorne, reject Edric Ian Blackthorne as my fated mate. And let all the moon goddess has bestowed upon us find calamity if pain is all it’ll bring.