Chapter 6

LYRA POV

The night in the dungeon feels endless.

If the pain and humiliation of discovering my mate’s betrayal in the most heartbreaking way possible weren’t enough, I also have to deal with the physical pain of feeling him cheat by making love to another she-wolf all night. Although my mind knows better than to cry for such a shameless, cruel male, my body remains a victim of the magic bond that still exists between us. It causes my stomach to churn and my heart to tighten, making it hard to breathe.

That is when I realize, this is the same pain I had been feeling for the past couple of days. It was obvious Lucien had been fucking Liana ever after mating with me. If only I had connected the dots earlier… Maybe I wouldn’t be in this position now.

Besides the pain, I feel frustrated with myself. Though it’s beyond my control, it’s pathetic that Lucien’s cheating affects me so much. I’m angry at him, but I’m more angry at myself for being unable to completely cut ties with him. Damn the stupid mate bond.

All the time, Moon is writhing in agony inside my head. She seems to be even more affected than I am, to the point where I feel bad for her. Thankfully, hours into the night, the pain finally goes away, and so her suffering ends. Lucien and Liana must have finally gone to sleep.

“I’m… sorry… for putting you through this,” my wolf guiltily admits as she slowly recomposes herself.

“You’re not to blame here, Moon,” I reassure her for the second time. Anger burns inside of me as I conclude, “Lucien is.”

For the first time, I sense a shift in my wolf’s demeanor.

“We have to reject him and leave,” she whispers determinedly.

I have to do a double take, caught off guard. “Wait, what?”

Moon speaks again, louder this time. “It’s the only way, Lyra. If we stay, we won’t survive. Besides, I’d rather die than suffer for an unfaithful mate.”

“I agree with you, Moon, but… How are we going to survive in the wilds?” I have to consider. “We never left home before, and the wilds are dangerous. Even if we’re lucky enough not to run into any rogues, how am I going to hunt for food when I can’t shift? We won’t make it outside.”

“We have to try,” Moon insists. “As treacherous as the wilds are, at least we have a shot of surviving if we leave. Now that we know what a psychopath our mate is, he may very well kill us if we don’t do as he says.”

Flashes of my last encounter with Lucien flood my mind, and I swallow in fear as I realize my wolf is right. Still, I’m unsure.

“Where will we even go?” I ask her.

“We can figure that out later.” She brushes me off. “Right now, our priority is to escape. When Lucien wakes up, it will be too late.”

As reluctant as I am, I have to agree with her. I might not know what awaits me outside of Shadow Lake, but I know what my future will be here. And I will not settle for it, no matter the cost of my defiance.

I continue talking to my wolf, discussing the details of our plan, until faint sunlight starts bleeding through the cracks in the entrance door. That is when I realize I have a rough idea of what to do once I leave pack territory, but… I have no idea how to free myself of the chains that keep me imprisoned in the dungeons.

And before I can even try anything, I hear someone open the door.

Panic floods me at once, shooting shoots through my veins. I start twisting my wrists until it hurts, in a frantic attempt to get rid of the bindings, just like an injured animal caught in a trap. If this is Lucien, I’m done for.

But then, a feminine voice echoes through the dungeons. “Lyra, you useless brat! You’re late for your chores!”

Never in my life had I been more glad to receive a scolding from the Head of the Omegas.

Maribeth stomps across the stone floor until she reaches the cell I’m in. Her anger vanishes at once, replaced by confusion. She looks at me from head to toe, her eyes lingering on the chains securing my arms. Despite her bewilderment, she turns around, grabs the keys and starts walking toward me.

“How did you end up like that? Who chained you?” she asks as she unlocks the chains.

I start rubbing my sore wrists before I even consider her question. How could I answer her? Telling her the truth would only cause more commotion—the opposite of what I wanted. I had to get out of here fast and without drawing any attention.

In the end, I decide to blurt out, “I don’t know. It was dark. I couldn’t see who they were.”

She eyes me with suspicion, but ultimately decides to drop it. “Well, hurry up and go do your chores.”

I bow my head at her with too much excitement. “Of course, Maribeth. I’ll get to it right now,” I lie.

As I sprint toward the exit far too fast, I hope she’ll think it’s just me doing exactly what she said. Little does she know, my hurry has nothing to do with eagerness to fulfill my responsibilities, but to abandon them for once and for all.

Outside, I realize most of the pack is still asleep—just as expected. Only the Omegas are awake, but they’re all busy with their own tasks, so they barely notice me as I pass right through the packhouse, slipping between the trees until I reach the border of Shadow Lake. I stop before I cross it, stealing one last glance over my shoulder, just to confirm no one had followed me.

“This is it, Moon,” I call my wolf. “From now on, it’ll be just you and me.”

“We can do this, Lyra,” she reassures me one last time.

I close my eyes and inhale a deep, steadying breath. After gathering the courage I need, I reopen my eyes and straighten myself. I let one last exhale out, with it ridding myself of everything that could slow me down in the journey I had, before parting my lips.

“I, Lyra Lane, Omega of the Shadow Lake Pack, reject Lucien Draven as my fated mate and Alpha.”

The second I feel the matebond severe, I bolt into the unknown without hesitation.