The Public Debut

Lyra

The shadows wrapped around my throat like cold, iron fingers. I couldn't breathe. My feet left the floor as the man who looked like a nightmare version of Zade lifted me into the air with a flick of his wrist.

"Father, stop!" Zade’s voice was a roar. He lunged forward, but the older man simply raised his other hand, and a wall of black spikes erupted from the ground, pinning Zade against the stone wall.

"You’ve grown weak, Zade," the man hissed. His eyes were leaking black ink that stained his face. "You brought a human-scented stray into our sacred halls. You think she is your cure? She is a parasite."

I gasped for air, my vision starting to blur. Not like this, I thought. I didn't survive the kitchen just to die in a castle. I reached for my Void power. I didn't try to fight the shadows; I tried to delete them. I imagined the darkness around my neck simply ceasing to exist.

Gone, I whispered in my mind.

The pressure vanished instantly. I hit the floor, coughing and gasping. The older man staggered back, his eyes widening in shock as his own magic dissolved into thin air.

"What... what are you?" he breathed, his voice trembling with a mix of fear and wonder.

"I’m the girl who is going to save your son," I snapped, pushing myself up. I looked at Zade, who was shaking off the spikes. "And I’m the girl you’re going to stop touching."

Zade was on his feet in a second. He stepped in front of me, his shadows flaring like a massive, protective cape. "Leave, Father. Before I forget you’re the one who gave me this crown."

The man looked at me one last time, a dark, knowing smile creeping onto his face. "Enjoy your little miracle, Zade. But the Council is coming. And they don't care about miracles. They care about blood."

He vanished into a cloud of smoke, leaving the room silent.

Zade turned to me. He didn't say a word. He just grabbed me and pulled me into his chest. He held me so tight I could hear his heart racing against my ear.

"We're leaving," he whispered. "The Winter Gala is tonight. We aren't waiting for the Council to find us. We're going to show the world exactly who you are."

Three hours later, I stood in front of a mirror, and I didn't recognize the girl staring back.

I was wearing an obsidian gown that felt like a second skin. It was high-collared but had no back, showing the smooth, strong line of my spine. My hair was pulled up, and for the first time in my life, I wasn't wearing a maid’s cap. I was wearing a crown of black diamonds.

"You look like a queen," Zade said, standing behind me. He was dressed in formal military leathers that made him look lethal and impossibly handsome.

"I feel like a target," I admitted, my hands trembling.

"You’re both," Zade said. He took my hand and kissed my knuckles. "But you’re my target. No one else gets a shot."

We arrived at the Gala in a black car that looked like a tank. The moment we stepped onto the red carpet, the cameras started flashing. The world’s supernatural leaders were all there, Alphas, Elders, and lords of every kind.

The silence that followed our entrance was deafening.

I scanned the room and found them immediately. Caleb and Sasha.

Caleb was wearing a gold suit, looking every bit the "Golden Boy" he thought he was. Sasha was clinging to his arm, wearing a white dress that looked like a cheap wedding gown. When Caleb saw me, he dropped his glass. It shattered on the marble floor, but he didn't even notice.

"Lyra?" he whispered, his voice carrying through the quiet room.

I didn't answer. I just leaned into Zade’s side. Zade wrapped a heavy, possessive arm around my waist, pulling me so close our hips touched.

"Close your mouth, Caleb," Zade drawled, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear. "You’re catching flies."

Caleb stepped forward, his face turning a bright, angry red. "What is she doing here? She’s a servant. She’s a criminal who stole from my pack!"

"She’s my fated Luna," Zade barked. The power in his voice made the chandeliers shake. "And if you call her a servant again, I’ll take your tongue."

Sasha let out a high-pitched, fake laugh. "Fated? Zade, please. She’s a rankless nobody. She’s probably using some cheap human spell to trick you."

"Is that so?" I said, stepping away from Zade. I walked straight up to Sasha. I didn't stop until I was inches from her face. "You think I’m weak because I don’t howl at the moon like a dog?"

Sasha’s eyes flared gold. She tried to use her Alpha Command on me. "Kneel, maid!" she screamed.

The command hit me like a soft breeze. I didn't even blink.

I reached out and grabbed Sasha’s wrist. I let the Void flood out of my fingertips. Sasha’s eyes went dim. She gasped, her knees buckling as her power was sucked away into nothingness. She fell to the floor, gasping for air, looking exactly like I had when Caleb rejected me.

"That's for the wine you spilled on my shoes," I whispered.

Caleb looked at me with a mix of horror and sudden, disgusting desire. "Lyra... I didn't know. If I had known you had this power"

"You would have used me," I finished for him. "But you missed your chance."

Zade stepped up behind me, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "The dance is starting. And I believe I owe my Luna a turn."

We walked onto the dance floor, leaving Caleb and Sasha in the dust. The music was slow and dark. Zade pulled me into his arms, his hand resting on my bare back.

"You did well, Little Ghost," he murmured.

"I’m not a ghost anymore," I said, looking into his emerald eyes.

But as we spun, I saw something in the crowd that made my blood run cold. A man in a red cloak was standing near the exit, holding a silver crossbow. He wasn't looking at Zade.

He was aiming straight at me.

"Zade, move!" I screamed, pushing him as hard as I could.

The bolt whistled through the air, but it didn't hit me. It hit Zade right in the chest.

He let out a choked sound and stumbled back, the silver bolt sticking out of his heart. His shadows flickered and died. He fell to his knees, his eyes turning gray.

"Zade!" I shrieked, falling to the floor beside him.

The man in the red cloak stepped forward, pulling back his hood. It was the Beta from my old pack Robbie. He was smiling.

"Caleb sends his regards," Robbie said. "If he can't have you, no one can."

He raised a second crossbow, aiming it right between my eyes.