Se connecterLyra is a weak Omega who has been forced into exile by her Alpha mate after her true identity of being a generational maid and courtesan (the fore-women/ancestors of her lineage were known to be maids) was put out. Unknown to her, she was already carrying the heirs of the Howl Valley Pack and sons of the wicked Alpha Maverick. Lyra finds shelter at an all rogue pack where she is constantly tormented by the leader of the group, Alerik. After having her twin sons, Arik, the ruthless rogue leader keeps forcing himself on her until she escaped with her pubs and into the arms of Alpha Viking, an old warrior with nothing left to his name after losing his only son and heir to a pegan war. Following the death of Alpha Viking, Lyra becomes the Viking Alpha, bestowing all powers into her. Years later, Alpha Maverick would come back seeking for Lyra after hearing rumors of her being a Viking Lord, and to claim his sons. But with his new interference in their lives, and the truth between reality and myth blurs, one thing is clear: a new future is uncertain.
Voir plusCeleste’s POV
The gold-plated revolving doors of the Harrington Flagship Hotel spun with a rhythmic whoosh, announcing the arrival of the elite. I didn't need to look up to know who it was, because I could smell the expensive, cloying scent of Chanel No. 5 from across the lobby.
I kept my head down, my hands gripped tightly around the handle of a gray mop. The marble floor beneath me had a muddy footprint from a hurried guest, and I cleaned it with steady, repeated movements. My black maid’s uniform was stiff and uncomfortable, and my white apron had a bleach stain on it. In this lobby, I felt invisible like a ghost.
"Oh, look, Ava. The trash is out early today."
The voice was high, sharp, and dripping with fake sweetness. I stopped scrubbing.
Vivienne Harrington stood a few steps away, wearing a silk dress that cost more than I would earn in a year of cleaning these floors. Beside her was Ava, her best friend, already holding up her phone like she was filming a documentary about something dirty and unpleasant.
"Is that a new stain on your dress, Celeste? Or is that just your personality leaking out?" Vivienne laughed, the sound echoing off the high ceilings.
I slowly straightened my back. My muscles ached, and my palms were calloused, but I didn't look down. I looked Vivienne straight in her perfectly made-up eyes.
"It’s bleach, Vivienne… It’s used to clean up filth. You should try some, it might help with that mouth of yours."
Ava gasped, her jaw dropping.
Vivienne’s smile faltered for a split second before she regained her composure. She stepped closer, her expensive heels clicking aggressively on the wet marble. "You should watch your tone, don't you know what today is? Or are you too busy sniffing floor wax to hear the news? Damien Chen is coming. And he’s coming for me."
She held up her left hand, though it was bare of a ring. "The merger. The marriage. The contract. I’m about to become the most powerful woman in the country while you spend the rest of your life cleaning the toilets I use."
I leaned against the mop handle, a small, cold smile touching my lips. "Is that what Dad told you? That you’re a prize?"
"I am the prize," Vivienne snapped.
"No," I countered, my voice dropping to a whisper that felt like a blade. "You’re a price tag. You’re the collateral for a debt Dad is too stupid to pay. Everyone in the staff room knows the truth, Vivienne. The Harrington hotels are bleeding money. The investments in the south failed. The bank is circling. You aren't getting married because you’re beautiful… you’re getting married because the family is broke and Damien Chen is the only man with a big enough check to keep you from being homeless."
Vivienne’s face turned a violent shade of red. "You lie! We are the Harringtons!"
"We are a sinking ship," I said, stepping toward her. I was taller than her, and without her heels, she would have looked small. "And you? You’re just the piece of wood Dad is throwing to the shark so he doesn't get eaten first. Tell me, does Damien Chen even know your name? Or did he just ask for the girl with the biggest dowry and the smallest brain?"
Ava looked like she wanted to run away. Vivienne was trembling, her hands balled into fists. "I’m going to have you fired for this! I’ll tell Mom!"
"Go ahead," I shrugged, turning back to my mop. "But then who would clean the lobby for the signing ceremony tonight? You? Ava? I don't think your manicures could handle the soap."
Vivienne let out a frustrated scream, spun on her heel, and marched toward the elevators. I watched her go, my heart thumping hard against my ribs. I had won this round, but the weight of the truth felt heavier than the mop.
The rest of the afternoon was a nightmare. Margaret, my stepmother, was in a frantic state of rage. She found me in the laundry room and piled ten more tasks onto my list.
"The library must be polished. The crystal glasses must be hand washed. The silver trays must shine like the sun!" she screamed, her face pale with stress. "If one thing is out of place when Mr. Chen arrives, I will personally throw you into the street, Celeste. Do you understand?"
"I understand," I said, keeping my eyes on the floor.
I worked until my fingers were raw. I polished the dark wood of the library where the signing would take place, I moved heavy furniture, and scrubbed the baseboards. I was the silent engine making sure the Harrington ‘perfection’ was ready for the Executioner.
By 6:00 PM, the hotel was humming with tension. The board members were arriving. The guards were stationed at the doors. I was sent to the executive floor to deliver a tray of black coffee to my father’s private study.
The hallway was quiet, the thick carpet muffling my footsteps. As I approached the door of the study, I heard a voice. It was my father, Howard. He sounded tired, but there was a sharp edge of anger in his tone.
The door was slightly opened. I stopped, the tray of coffee trembling in my hands.
"I don't care about the girl, Margaret!" Howard’s voice boomed from inside.
I froze, my breath caught in my throat.
"She is a constant reminder of the biggest mistake of my life," Howard continued. I could hear the clink of a glass… he was drinking. "Every time I see her face, I see Rose. I see that back-alley apartment. I see the scandal that almost ruined me years ago."
"We should have sent her away when the mother died," Margaret’s voice hissed. She was in there with him. "Keeping her here as a maid was your idea of charity, Howard. Now she’s a liability."
"I regret ever getting that woman pregnant," my father said, and his words felt like a physical blow to my chest. "I regret that Celeste was ever born. She is a shadow on my name. She is a servant, and that is all she will ever be… I’m ashamed to even breathe the same air as her."
The tray in my hands tilted. A spoon slid across the silver surface with a loud clink.
I couldn't stop myself, I pushed the door open.
My father was standing by the window, a glass of scotch in his hand. Margaret was sitting in the leather chair, her eyes sharp and cold. They both froze when they saw me.
The silence in the room was suffocating. My father didn't look guilty, he looked annoyed. He looked at me with the same disgust he would show a cockroach on his desk.
"Your coffee, sir," I whispered. My voice didn't sound like mine, It was hollow.
I stepped forward and set the tray on the desk. My hands didn't shake this time, the pain had turned into something else… something cold and hard as diamond.
"I heard you," I said, looking him directly in the eye.
Howard straightened his tie, his face hardening. "Then you heard the truth, Celeste. Don't act surprised. You’ve always known what you are to this family."
"I know exactly what I am," I mumbled.
I turned and walked out before he could respond. I didn't head back to the maid’s quarters, I headed toward the ballroom.
In my pocket, I felt the cold metal of a pendant… my mother’s pendant. I had found it in a box of trash Margaret had thrown out years ago.
The signing ceremony was about to begin. The Harringtons thought they were selling Vivienne to save themselves, they had no idea that the mistake they were so ashamed of was about to become the person who decided whether they lived or died.
Chapter 210 LyraUgh. My eyes flickered open, and everything was hazy. Like I’d slammed back one too much alcohol the night before, except I couldn’t even recall having a good time. My brain felt wrapped in cotton, all the edges dulled. I tried to sit up, but I couldn’t.My hands weren’t having it. Something cold and hard bit into my wrists. Metal. Chains? I jerked my arms, half-expecting it to be some nightmare, but all I got was the sound of metal clinking and my heart suddenly trying to punch its way out of my chest. I glanced down, and saw the chains ran all the way to my ankles. This wasn’t just a weird dream, I was actually in bound.The panic finally kicked in. Who put me here? What exactly did I do to deserve this? I yanked at the chains with as much strength as I could muster, but it was certain to me that there was zero chance those things would budge.I took deep breath and tried looking around. The room was as gloomy as a forgotten underground cell, shadows were everyw
Chapter 117Jamica.The sun was almost setting, still halfway on its journey to the west.It’s receding golden light made everything just kind of glowed. I wandered down this twisty old road, gravel crunching under my boots, birds yelling at each other in the trees, wind doing its dramatic howl thing through the leaves. It was real peaceful, Well, as peaceful as you can get when you’re skulking around in a cloak like some discount Grim Reaper.Honestly, no one was giving me the time of day. People glanced at me, then looked away so fast you'd think I was contagious. Guess that’s what happens when you’re rocking a mysterious-hooded-stranger vibe. It’s the cloak, really. Makes me invisible, which is exactly what I was going for. The last thing I needed was some nosy villager grilling me about why I looked like their Alpha.Although some of them might be able to differentiate due to my hair color, but regardless I wasn’t in the mood for the first degree curios glance.Anyway, back to
Chapter 118Jamica.I couldn’t speak, neither could I respond to the question that was asked, “Who’s there?” My hands was clasped over my as I moved towards the direction I had come with.I’m pretty sure they knew someone was eavesdropping.That’s if they don’t already know I was the one.Lyra might not have mastered my scent but Maverick definitely has.If I was feeling heavy and nervous before then this was a buster.What did I just overhear?So Lyra wasn’t who she was claiming to be?I just knew something was weird about her when my inner wolf didn’t warm up to her.I didn’t feel the instant spark and connection.So she was just playing me and acting like she really cared.How could she say that about me?The simple answer laid thick in my head.She’s still in love with Maverick…that snake.I couldn’t even string my thoughts together, neither could I do that with my bearing.I just kept tripping over my own damn feet.The ground was coming at me like it had a personal vendetta. W
Chapter 119Jamica.“But how can you know all that about her and still have me come here?” I asked Maverick with disbelief…Not towards him, but my so called sister and her sick intentions.“I’m sorry Jamica, but I just wanted you to be happy.She’s your sister and I couldn’t deny you the privilege of meeting her.”I sighed and leaned down my head feeling a headache creep in.Is this what I get for wanting a family?So Lyra was never really over Maverick and the only reason why she had desperately been searching for me was because she wanted Maverick all to herself.How diabolic could she be?“Let’s leave here then, we have no business been here again and I as much don’t want to have anything to do with her again.Let’s go back home.”I sounded desperate as I looked pleadingly into Maverick’s eyes.His eyes clouded with emotions and at that moment, I could see his pure love for me.If I had doubts about him before, what I heard today and how he has refused Lyra because of me has cleare
Thane.Sitting down in the cold with Cleo, and watching the dark creep upon us…It felt like the world had just tipped sideways. After journeying away from the rogues clan for ours, we were now camped outside to spend the night with whatever little shelter we could get.Cleo and I sat on an old log
Author’s POV.Thane and his army realized too late that they had indeed got into yet another trap.Defeating the rogue’s that came to attack them at the forefront wasn’t difficult.They broke the border and managed to enter into the clan.The entire clan was thrown into chaos.Villagers ran helter s
Chapter 118Jamica.I couldn’t speak, neither could I respond to the question that was asked, “Who’s there?” My hands was clasped over my as I moved towards the direction I had come with.I’m pretty sure they knew someone was eavesdropping.That’s if they don’t already know I was the one.Lyra mig
Chapter 116Lyra.It was in the early hours of the morning.I was alone in my room after I’d have breakfast with my kids and Thane when I got the report that she was waiting for me in the clan’s meeting room.My own sister!I was finally going to see her.I could contain my excitement as I jumped o
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