LOGIN"The Alpha would like to see you," a maid told me the next morning, "He says it's important and you should hurry,"
I waved my hand dismissively.
"Tell him I'm worn out from last night and I'll meet him once I'm properly rested,"
The maid's mouth fell open, shock spreading through her features.
"A-are you ill my Luna?"
I smiled but it didn't reach my eyes, Had I lowered myself so much that the only way I could refuse the alpha's summoning was If I was physically unable to move?
"I'm not ill," I told my maid,my head pressed back against the pillow. She stood rigidly for a whole minute before slipping out of my chambers.
Not long after I heard pounding footsteps approaching my room. I braced, sitting up just as the door was thrown open nearly flying off the hinges.
"What is the meaning of this, Lyra?"
He threw a document on my lap over the duvet.
I held it up with pretentious confusion before saying blandy, "It's the packs triannual budget review,"
His face flushed red.
"I know what it is!"he snapped digging his fingers through his hair. "But you were supposed to take care of this like you normally do.Was this because of last night? did you really get your feelings hurt because Of a silly game?"
The me of before would have exploded into a violent sobbing mess, but I had cried out all the tears I had left for him last night.
"You know exactly why I filed for this, clearly i'm in the way of you and your true love. Decided it was about time I stepped back And let your romance blossom, and that also means I won't be breaking my back for you anymore."
The veins in his forehead grew visible one after the other until he buried his face into his palms and took a deep breath.
"Alright, I'll accept that last night was too much for you to handle," he sat on the bed and I recoiled from him.
A flash of hurt passed his eyes before he cleared his throat.
"Our anniversary is a week from now isn't it? How about we go to the Alpha cabin to celebrate it? Just the two of us?"
I swept off the duvet and slid off the bed because my stomach had begun to churn.
That day wasn't our anniversary.
Rather it was Ravenna's wolf shifting day, he had mixed up the two.
Not that it made any difference because Ravenna was always the center of attention.
A week went by in the blink of an eye, and I was in the passenger seat completely disconnected from this man and just waiting for the chance to escape.
"Could you wait for a second?"Colt asked unlocking the car door.
"I forgot something inside the Packhouse, I'll be back in a moment."
I gave him a passive shrug of acknowledgment, he sighed but still exited the car.
All week he had been nothing but nice to me, almost to the points that's I was starting to second guess myself.
Was his relationship with Ravenna that bad? Or was I really as insecure as they all claimed?
Before the thought could even settle as though the moon goddess herself was trying to steer me right, I saw his phone light up hit with notification after notification and my instant yelled at me to check.
I'm glad I listened.
It was easy unlocking the phone, the password was written after Ravenna's favorite flower-lilies.
I had not forgotten the grin that went from here to ear when he first told me that he had used MY favorite flowers as his password when it was the one he usually gifted her.
My chest had caved in but I made no complaints.
I thought things would change.
And even though it was a little foolish I had hoped something changed this week.
The first text I saw was a message from a groupchat called 'Boys will be boys' coming from his beta Jaden.
It read; Bro, how can you even get it up when she eats like a whale?
And below it was a picture of me having a meal.
A chill ran from my fingers to my spine but I kept reading.
Another message from his Gamma Rake.
They say Omega women with differences and I thought they meant it positively guess I was wrong.
This time there was a picture of me changing and still half dressed.
And the worst of them all was a nude pic taken from the back. My face was covered but I couldn't say the same for my dignity.
She said; Colt as your brother, I'm willing to sacrifice myself so you'll know how it feels to touch a real woman.
And in all of this Colt never defended me, the best he would do was to tell them to 'cut it off' or 'tone it down' while he pumped the group chat with more vulnerable pictures of me.
If there had been any affection in my heart left for that man it was scalded to the ground.
"Did you miss me?"Colt said as he beamed at me so broadly I nearly punched him.
I didn't respond I just leaned against the windscreen, his scent of rain and musk that calmed me now stirred my wolf with discomfort and I counted the seconds until I would not have to be suffocated by it.
The car rolled into a stop in front of the cabin and no sooner had I stepped out before someone threw their hands over my neck.
"Oh my goddess would you look at that?"it was Ravenna and thankfully she backed away before I made her.
"It's such a coincidence where you guys are using the pack cabin too so were we."
I already knew she would be here, I had read it off from the group chat along with the other horrific messages.
"Really? Such a coincidence, guess there's no problem making the most of it right?"
He looked at me for approval, and I just shrugged from the corner of my eye I watched as his smile felt even as his 'brother' Ravenna embraced him but all I could think about was how the cabin seemed... Off?
Ugh, this is going to be a long weekend.
POV: JadenI could not sleep.After leaving Lyra by the creek, I returned to the cabin. Everyone was asleep. The fire had died. The air was cold.I lay on the pullout couch, staring at the ceiling. My mind raced. Lyra's words echoed in my head.You knew. You stayed silent. You lost everything anyway.She was right.I had been a coward. I had watched Ravenna destroy Lyra's marriage for years. I had watched Colt choose Ravenna again and again. I had said nothing.But that was over now.I was going to make it right.I reached for my phone. I needed to check something. Something had been nagging at me for weeks. Liliana had been distant. She was always on her phone. Always disappearing.I opened her location history.My blood ran cold.She had been at Rake's apartment. Multiple times. Late at night. Early in the morning.I scrolled through the dates. My hands trembled.Three months. For three months, she had been sneaking around with my best friend.I sat up slowly. My chest ached. My wol
POV: JadenI could not sleep.The cabin was quiet. Everyone else had retired to their rooms. But I lay on the pullout couch, staring at the ceiling, replaying everything in my mind.The truth or dare game. Ravenna's confession about the scar. Lyra's face when she realized the truth.I had seen it. I had seen the exact moment her heart broke.And I had said nothing.I sat up slowly. My hands were shaking. I pressed them against my knees, trying to steady myself.I had been Colt's best friend for over a decade. His Beta. His right hand. I had stood beside him through everything. The rebellion against his father. The struggles to keep the pack together. The rise to power.But I had also stood beside him while he destroyed his marriage.I had watched Ravenna cross boundaries for years. I had seen her touch him. Whisper to him. Make Lyra feel small. And I had said nothing.I told myself it was not my place. I told myself Lyra was strong enough to handle it. I told myself Colt would eventua
POV: ColtI found her in the hallway.She was leaning against the wall, her hands glowing with silver light.Her eyes were closed. Her breathing was shallow.For a moment, I couldn't move.She looked like a stranger.Like someone I had never truly met before."Lyra."Her eyes opened.Silver.Bright. Unnatural.My wolf recoiled inside me.That's not an Omega.I swallowed."Stay back," she said.I stepped closer anyway."What happened in there?"Her expression remained cold."What was that?""I don't know.""Don't lie to me."She pushed herself away from the wall.The glow disappeared from her hands. Her eyes slowly returned to normal."I'm not lying," she said. "I don't understand what's happening to me."I stared at her.Something was different.Her scent had changed.Not completely, but enough that my wolf couldn't settle.He was restless.Confused.Afraid.I reached for her wrist."Then we'll figure it out together."She pulled away immediately."Don't touch me.""Lyra—""I said don
POV: LyraThe pack house was suffocating.We had returned from the cabin two days ago. Colt had insisted.He said the pack needed their Alpha and Luna present.What he really meant was that he wanted to trap me somewhere I could not escape.I sat in the dining hall, surrounded by wolves who whispered behind my back. Their eyes followed me wherever I looked. Their lips curled with judgment.I had spent five years trying to earn their respect.Now I realized I had never needed it.Ravenna sat at the far end of the table, her father beside her.Elder Aldric.The man who had helped steal my assets.The man who had been quietly plotting against me for years.He watched me with cold, calculating eyes.I looked away.Colt sat beside me, his hand resting on my thigh.It was a performance.The doting Alpha.The loving husband.The man who wanted everyone to believe our marriage was perfect.He squeezed my leg gently and leaned closer."Smile," he whispered.I forced my lips into a curve.Insid
POV: LyraI walked until my legs burned.The forest swallowed me whole. Trees stretched toward the sky, their branches weaving together like a cage. I did not care where I was going. I just needed to move. To breathe. To escape.The cabin felt like a prison. Every room held a memory of humiliation. Every corner held Ravenna's laughter.I stopped at a small creek. The water rushed over smooth stones, clear and cold. I sat on a mossy rock and buried my face in my hands.My wolf stirred.She was restless, angry, hungry for release. I felt her claws scrape against the inside of my chest. She wanted out. She wanted to run. She wanted to tear something apart.I pushed her down.Not yet. I was not ready.Footsteps crunched behind me.I tensed. My body prepared to fight."Lyra?"Becca's voice was soft, hesitant.She stepped out from between the trees, her arms wrapped around herself. Her eyes were red. She had been crying.I relaxed slightly."How did you find me?""I followed your scent." Sh
POV: LyraThe couch was torture.Every spring dug into my back. The thin blanket did nothing against the cold. I stared at the ceiling, listening to the sounds of the cabin settling around me.Colt's snores drifted from the bedroom.Ravenna's soft breathing came from the spare room.Everyone else was asleep. Everyone except me.I sat up slowly. My body ached. My heart ached. Everything ached.I walked to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water. The moonlight spilled through the window, painting silver lines across the floor.I heard footsteps behind me.I turned.Colt stood in the doorway, shirtless, his hair messy. His eyes were heavy with sleep. He looked at me, and something crossed his face. Guilt? Longing? I could not tell."You should be sleeping," he said."I should be a lot of things."He walked toward me. His bare feet made no sound on the wooden floor. He stopped inches away. I could feel the heat radiating from his skin."Come back to bed," he said softly."No.""Lyr







