Chapter 4: Intrigues and Punishments

**Mikail**

The night air was cold when I stepped out of the room, but no colder than the indifference with which I had treated Lyra.

I had no reason to doubt my own words; I had already rejected her, and what I said was no lie. Her reputation was tarnished, and I couldn’t afford to have a Moon like her in the Silverbane pack.

Still, something in her eyes had unsettled me. It wasn’t the pleading, nor the indignation, but the way she clung to her pride despite everything.

As if she truly believed she was innocent.

But I couldn’t afford to fall into that trap. There were too many things surrounding her, too many shadows in her story for me to get involved in her life.

It wasn’t my problem. It couldn’t be.

“Alpha,” the voice of Krimson, my beta, snapped me out of my thoughts. His expression was serious, which meant he had important information.

“What did you find out?”

Krimson crossed his arms and lowered his voice slightly, as if he didn’t want anyone else to hear.

“I spoke with several people in the pack, and there’s something strange about the death of Alpha Hilbert, Lyra’s father. No one dares to say much, as if they’re afraid,” he paused, watching my reaction before continuing. “But there’s something else.”

“What is it?” My brow furrowed at his cautious tone.

“Calista’s mother, Joana, doesn’t have a very clear past. No one knows exactly how she came to the Moonfang pack, only that Alpha Hilbert took her in along with her daughter when Calista was still very young.”

“What else?” I murmured thoughtfully, noticing he had fallen silent.

“They didn’t suspect her, since… after the Alpha’s death, she fell ill.”

That wasn’t information I’d expected. I fell silent, processing Krimson’s words.

“Do you think Joana had something to do with Hilbert’s death?”

“I don’t know,” Krimson shook his head. But the way people avoid talking about it isn’t normal.

That made me frown even more. Something didn’t add up.

Lyra’s story was a puzzle full of missing pieces, but if her father had died under suspicious circumstances, what did that mean for her?

I sighed, feeling the need for fresh air.

“I’m going out for a few hours,” I told Krimson. “Keep an eye on Lyra every now and then, without her noticing.”

Krimson nodded, and without another word, I walked away from the Alpha’s house, feeling like I was getting tangled up in something I didn’t want to be a part of.

---

**Lyra**

The cold of the dungeon seeped into my bones, but it was nothing compared to the pain of the lashes.

Each blow of the whip had torn my skin, leaving burning lines that were still bleeding slowly. Without my wolf, my body couldn’t regenerate like it used to.

My wrists were bound with thick chains, my arms suspended above my head.

I barely had the strength to stand, but I knew that if I let myself fall, the pressure on my shoulders would be unbearable.

Calista had smiled as the guards dragged me here. I didn’t need words to know she was enjoying every second of my suffering.

“You won’t last long down here, little sister,” she whispered before turning and disappearing into the shadows.

I had tried to bite my lip to keep from screaming when the first blow landed on my back. But after the first five, I no longer had the strength to suppress the pain.

I had lost count of how many times they hit me. I only knew that, when they finally stopped, my skin was burning and blood was running down my legs, dripping onto the stone floor.

My eyelids were heavy. Exhaustion and pain were pushing me toward unconsciousness, but I forced myself to stay awake.

I couldn’t afford to be vulnerable. Not now.

---

**Mikail**

Returning to the Alpha’s house was more unsettling than I’d expected. From the moment I walked in, I sensed that something wasn’t right.

I looked for Lyra in the room where I’d left her, but it was empty. The unmade bed and rumpled sheets were the only evidence that she had been there.

I frowned and stepped out into the hallway, running into Krimson.

“Where’s Lyra?”

Krimson blinked, confused.

“I thought she was in her room.”

“She’s not,” I said firmly.

Something in my voice made Krimson adopt a more alert posture.

We both hurried down the stairs. I didn’t like the feeling tightening in my chest. Something wasn’t right.

That’s when we heard two guards whispering near the entrance.

“Did you see how she ended up? The former Luna must have done something really bad for the Alpha to send her to the dungeon…”

“They say it was the new Luna who convinced Alpha Rowan to do it.”

My footsteps stopped abruptly.

“What did you say?” My voice sounded dangerous.

The two guards tensed, realizing too late that I had heard them.

“A-Alpha Mikail…” one of them swallowed. “We didn’t know that…”

“Answer me,” I growled, stepping closer until I was face to face with the one who had spoken.

Rage was overwhelming me, and I couldn’t understand it. Why did I feel this way about someone with whom I no longer had any bow?