Chapter 1

LYRA POV

On the day I discover that Lucien Draven, the future Alpha of Shadow Lake Pack, is my fated mate, I think the Goddess has finally decided to reward me for everything I have endured.

I never imagine that, in under a year, I will stand in the middle of his Alpha Ceremony and watch him claim another woman as his mate while my heart shatters at his feet.

And I certainly don’t expect to be packless and under the radar of the ruthless Lycan King, a predator even more dangerous than my fated mate, only a few days later.

***

Almost a year ago, when I turned eighteen and connected with my wolf, I was terrified to discover that Lucien was my mate.

He was the son of our Alpha, the strongest and most admired male in Shadow Lake Pack, and the future leader. I was an Omega who had spent most of my life cleaning the packhouse.

After losing my parents to a rogue attack when I was young, I had been raised by the other Omegas. They taught me how to cook, clean, serve the higher ranks, and keep my head down. I knew my place.

So when I realized Lucien was my mate, I kept the discovery to myself. I was too afraid he would reject me.

Instead, when his wolf finally awakened and caught my scent, he cornered me in a janitor's closet and claimed me for the first time.

It should have been the happiest moment of my life.

It wasn't.

Lucien was rough. Far rougher than I'd expected my mate to be on my first time.

When I admitted that he was hurting me, he barely slowed down. After it was over, he didn't hold me or ask if I was all right. He simply told me to leave through the servants' path, wash his scent off my body, and make sure no one saw me.

I felt as though a bucket of cold water had been dropped over my head.

The second Lucien noticed it, his expression softened.

“I love you, Lyra,” he promised, cupping my cheek tenderly. “And I want you. But if you want to be with me, we need to take it slow. If we don’t handle this correctly, our relationship will be doomed before it even begins.”

His explanation sounded reasonable. He was the future Alpha, and I was an Omega. Of course the pack would object to him presenting someone like me as his Luna.

Still, I wasn’t entirely sure I should believe him.

“Lucien is our mate,” my wolf, Moonveil, reassured me. “We have to trust him.”

I love Moon. The pack has always ostracized me, so when she awakened on my eighteenth birthday, she became my first friend. Unlike other wolves, however, mine is too weak for me to shift. That only gave everyone another reason to shun me. Still, I never cared. Having her was enough. 

So when she insisted I should trust our mate despite the signs I thought I’d seen, I did.

For the next week, Lucien continues to summon me whenever he wants, always somewhere private, away from unwanted eyes. Afterward, he gives me the same order: Go back to the Omega's wing and wash my scent off. Don't let anyone see you.

After seven days of this, I’d had enough.

However, when Lucien summons me to the shed behind the packhouse in the afternoon, promising he has a surprise for me, hope immediately sparks inside my chest.

Maybe he has finally decided to stop hiding me. Maybe tonight, he will prove that all my patience has been worth it.

Instead, he tears my clothes off and gets ready to use me again..

“Ah! Lucien, wait!” I cry out, hesitant and worried.

But he doesn’t let go of me.

“Quiet,” he snaps back, snaking one arm around my waist and using his other hand to bend me forward over a wooden surface.

The next second, I let out a gasp as I feel his tip press against my entrance.

“I wanna have some fun with you. Be an obedient Omega and let me,” he growls.

This time, his intrusion is so sudden and forceful that not even the amplified emotions caused by our bond can get me ready for him on time. I’m not wet enough when he pushes inside me, and it hurts. It gets even worse when he continues to thrust in and out painfully fast despite the friction.

I want to tell him to stop. That it hurts. That I’m not enjoying this. But I can’t find the words.

When it’s over, I stand trembling as he wraps a nearby rug around my body.

“You know the drill by now, don't you, my little Omega?” he sneers against my ear.

I can't answer. Tears blur my vision. This time, not even my wolf tries to make excuses for him. She’s just as shaken as I am.

A hint of anger surfaces, and I finally feel ready to tell him I will not keep hiding around corners and let our only moments together be reduced to quick fucks.

Lucien seems to notice the defiance in my eyes, and before I can speak, his expression softens.

“What's wrong, my mate? Is your Alpha too rough for your liking?” he asks.

I swallow. “I—”

Before I can finish, he chuckles. “Don't worry. I promise I won't break you. But you're my mate—you need to be able to handle me.”

The words make something inside me twist.

Yet before I can think, he leans closer and presses his lips to my forehead.

“I’ll tell you what,” he says huskily, tucking a strand of my hair behind my ear. “Because you've been so good lately, I'll give you a reward in two days. Something you've been asking for,” he promised.

“That’s it, Lyra,” Moon exclaims, a flicker of hope slipping into her faint voice as she wags her tail excitedly. “In two days, mate will finally claim us!”

One last time, I shove my doubts aside and decide to trust her.