All Chapters of He Hated Me First: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Someone was shaking my shoulder."Miss Lyra. Miss Lyra, please wake up."The voice pulled me from sleep like a fish being yanked from deep water. I blinked against the morning light streaming through the windows, disoriented, my body still heavy with exhaustion.A young woman stood beside my bed, her hands clasped nervously in front of her. She couldn't have been more than sixteen, with wide hazel eyes and honey-colored hair pulled back in a practical braid."I'm sorry to wake you, Miss, but Alpha Larry said you need to be ready for breakfast by eight, and it's already seven-thirty."I sat up slowly, the silk nightgown sliding against the expensive sheets. "Who are you?""Oh!" She dipped into a quick curtsy. "I'm Emma. Emma Collins. I've been assigned as your personal maid.""My what?""Your maid, Miss. To help you dress and... and whatever else you need." Her cheeks flushed pink. "I know it's strange, but the Alpha insisted. He said a Luna needs proper attendance."I stared at her, t

"Stand still."Elder Catherine’s fingers were cold against my spine as she yanked the zipper upward. I wasn't sure if she was part of Larry's staff or his pack, did it even matter anymore? "I said stand still, girl.""I am standing still," I snapped, then immediately regretted it. Her eyes flashed yellow in the mirror's reflection. Another one. They were all around me. Watching. Waiting for me to break.The dress was gold. Not white Larry had been very clear about that. "White is for virgins and liars," he'd said this morning, standing in my doorway like he had every right to be there. "You're neither, are you, Lyra?"I hadn't answered. What was there to say?"There." Elder Catherine stepped back, surveying her work with the critical eye of someone inspecting livestock. "You'll do."I stared at my reflection. The dress was beautiful, I could admit that much. Gold silk that clung to every curve, intricate beading across the bodice that probably cost more than I'd make in a year. My ha

The bedchamber was a gilded cage, and I refused to be its songbird. Thick velvet drapes the color of spilled wine swallowed the last traces of daylight, leaving only flickering candlelight to carve shadows across the walls. The air smelled of beeswax and something darker, sweat, leather, the metallic tang of tension that made my wolf stir restlessly beneath my skin.I stood at the center of it all, naked, my skin pale as marble against the decadence around me. I didn't tremble. Didn't cover myself. My arms hung loose at my sides, my spine straight as a blade, my eyes fixed on the man who owned this room, and, by law, owned me.But he'll never own my wolf, I thought, feeling her pulse just beneath the surface, a constant reminder of what I truly was. What he could never know.Larry leaned against the footboard of the massive four-poster bed, his broad frame dwarfing the carved mahogany. The firelight caught the sharp angles of his face, the stubble darkening his jaw, the way his knuckl

Morning came cold and bright, the kind of light that makes everything look sharper than it should. I left the Luna’s chamber early, before the servants could arrive with their rehearsed smiles. The air outside tasted of iron and pine. Wolves were already training in the yard below, the thud of bodies and barked orders echoing through the courtyard.Eyes followed me down the corridor, some filled with curiosity, others with contempt. A few warriors bowed stiffly, out of duty, not respect. I didn’t need words to hear what they were thinking: The Alpha married the enemy’s blood.I kept my head high anyway. Let them stare. Let them wonder why the man they worshiped had chosen to shackle himself to the woman they loathed.“Luna.”The word dripped like venom behind me.Zara’s voice.I didn’t turn. “You should be careful, Zara. Snakes don’t usually announce themselves before they strike.”“Oh, but it’s so much more satisfying when the prey knows who’s coming,” she said, falling into step bes

The courtyard always smelled of metal and wet earth after training.For days I’d kept to the shadows, moving like a ghost between duties, speaking to no one. The pack’s gossip had found a rhythm, soft laughter at my expense, whispers that drifted through walls. I’d learned to breathe through it, to build calm where pride used to live.That afternoon I heard a cry.A small voice, sharp and frightened.When I rounded the archway, I saw a servant boy sprawled on the ground, a tray of fruit scattered at his feet. Nelly stood over him, one heel pressing against a bruised apple.“You clumsy little rat,” she said. “Do you know what these cost?”“I...I’m sorry, Lady Nelly, ”“Sorry doesn’t feed the Alpha’s guests.” She raised her hand.“Enough,” I said.The word wasn’t loud, but it stopped her. The courtyard hushed; even the wind seemed to pause.Nelly turned slowly. “Well. The Luna decides to speak.”The boy crawled backward, trembling. I moved between them and helped him up. “Go to the kitc