Chapter 2

LYRA POV

When I return to the Omega's wing, Maribeth, the head of the Omegas, is waiting for me.

“Lyra! Where the hell have you been!” she yells, and before I can answer, her eyes scan me from head to toe. “Why are you wearing a rag? And where did all those bruises come from?”

I take a quick look at my body and realize there are purple marks scattered across my skin where Lucien had gripped me too tight earlier. The sight scares me, but I shake it off before Maribeth notices.

“I… fell,” I blurt out.

She huffs. “Be more careful. You will be working at Alpha Lucien’s Ceremony in two days, and you can’t make any mistakes there.”

My eyes widen. “I… I will?”

“Yes. The young Alpha has personally demanded your presence,” she reveals.

Moon immediately starts dancing inside my head.

“I told you!” she squeals happily. “Mate will claim us as his Luna in front of the pack during his Alpha Ceremony!”

Suddenly, that foolish spark of hope burns brighter inside of me.

For once, I actually believe that my wolf might be right.

However, throughout the next two days, my hope starts to waver again.

Strangely, Lucien stops summoning me. Though I feel slightly relieved that I don’t have to sneak around to meet him, his sudden silence leaves me confused. And confusion quickly turns to worry.

“He's busy,” Moon reassures me, though her voice doesn’t sound as confident anymore. “His Alpha Ceremony is approaching. There must be a lot to prepare.”

Despite my uncertainty, I brush it off.

Because there’s something else happening lately that I can’t shake.

Since I stopped seeing Lucien, a strange pain I never experienced before began attacking me. It started as a dull ache beneath my ribs, but more recently, it comes in sharp waves that seize my chest so hard it makes me double over.

I need to figure out what’s happening before my mate’s Alpha Ceremony.

In the afternoon, I finally find the courage to go to the pack doctor.

He narrows his eyes, barely glancing up from his clipboard to ask, “Where does it hurt?”

“My chest. Sometimes my stomach. It comes and goes,” I explain.

“Have you been eating properly?” he asks.

I nod.

“Sleeping?”

I grimace. “As much as an Omega can.”

He shrugs, already turning his back to me. “Then there's probably nothing wrong with you.”

Desperate, I press, “But it hurts.”

When he spins back around, there’s a frown on his forehead. I still, expecting a scolding, but he simply approaches me. As he finally starts examining me, his movements are brisk and impatient. After a few minutes, he steps back.

“Your vitals are normal. Your wolf is healthy. There's no fever, no injury, and nothing obvious that requires treatment,” he impatiently declares.

“So you don't know what's causing it?” I murmur, worried.

“I just told you,” he rasps. “There’s nothing wrong with you. If you were hoping for a sick leave, I’m not giving you one. Go back to your duties and stop wasting the doctor's time over every little ache.”

I bite the inside of my cheek. This is how I’ve always been treated, like a weak Omega who’s nothing more than a burden to the pack.

I swallow the sadness, thanking him quietly before I leave.

By the time I return to the Omega's wing, I panic as I realize I only have one hour left to get ready. The Ceremony would begin soon, and I couldn’t be late.

Still, I dress more carefully than I ever had before. I tie my long, pale blonde hair into a neat ponytail, and accentuate my emerald eyes with a little makeup. Even though I still have to wear the mandatory waitress uniform, I do everything I can to look my best.

If Lucien is finally going to reveal me as his mate, I want to look worthy of standing beside him.

“You look beautiful,” Moon compliments me.

I smile faintly before rushing to the Grand Hall.

The venue is already filling with guests when I arrive. Alphas, Lunas, Betas, Gammas, and important members of Shadow Lake's allied packs crowd the expansive room.

I try to focus on my work, but the moment Lucien enters the hall, the mate bond pulses beneath my skin.

My heart jumps as I follow the pull until I find him standing among the guests.

Lucien looks the most handsome I’d ever seen him. His tall, broad-shouldered build is accentuated by his expensive black suit, and his usually tousled dark hair is neatly combed back. From his sharp jawline to his confident posture, he looks every bit the powerful Alpha he’s supposed to become tonight.

When our eyes meet, I see something familiar in them that fills me with warmth.

Then his expression hardens.

“You, Omega,” he calls coldly, his words hitting me like a bucket of ice.

Still, I force myself to smile and bow my head. “My Alpha.”

I anxiously wait for what he’ll do next. Will he pull me into his arms? Introduce me to the men he’s talking to?

Instead, he just stretches his glass towards me.

“My glass is empty,” he says casually. “Take it away for me, won't you?”

For a moment, I'm too flabbergasted to react. Automatically, I take the glass and turn away.

“It's too soon,” Moon whispers. “He has to keep pretending until the announcement.”

I cling to her words.

Maybe she's right. Maybe I only have to wait a few more minutes, then everything will change.

I return to the kitchen and grab another tray just as the guests begin taking their seats. The ceremony is about to begin. Alpha Ronan steps onto the raised dais with Luna Selene beside him.

“Ladies and gentlemen. Alphas, Lunas, Betas, and Gammas,” he addresses the crowd. “Thank you all so much for being here tonight for my son's Alpha Ceremony.”

Applause thunders through the hall, yet my eyes remain fixed on Lucien.

A smile plays on Ronan's face as he continues, “Before we begin, Lucien has a very important announcement to make.”

My heart nearly stops.

“This is it!” Moon squeals.

When Lucien steps forward, taking his parents' place at the center of the dais, excitement ripples through me.

“My dear friends,” he begins. “It is with great joy that I announce I have found the perfect she-wolf to become my Luna and aid me in my duties.”

My breath catches. Moon starts spinning excitedly inside my mind. Out of instinct, I take one step forward.

Lucien stretches his hand out. To me, I think, for one beautiful, foolish second.

Yet another female takes it before I can even close the distance between us.

I freeze as Lucien smiles at her, proudly announcing, “Please meet Liana Voss, my chosen mate and future Luna!”

When the hall erupts into cheers, I'm the only one who isn't celebrating.

Shock and betrayal hit me as the tray slips from my hands. Glass shatters against the floor, but I don't even hear it.

In that moment, the cruel truth dawns on me, merciless and undeniable.

Lucien never intended to claim me.