All Chapters of He Hated Me First: Chapter 31 - Chapter 34

The pup, whom I’d started calling “Ash”…slept curled beside my pillow, small chest rising and falling with delicate, uneven breaths. She was healing slowly, but she was healing.And somehow, taking care of her loosened something tight around my heart. I wasn’t whole, not even close, but the cracks didn’t feel as sharp when she was near.Still… I couldn’t stay locked in my room forever.I needed to breathe different air.I needed people who weren’t Larry or Zara.I needed something, anything to remind me that I wasn’t invisible here.So that afternoon, I made my way toward the servant quarters.Several maids were gathered near the laundry line, folding fresh linens. Their chatter ebbed the moment I approached, drifting off into awkward silence.A few bowed stiffly.A few looked at the ground.One walked away entirely, pretending she suddenly remembered a chore.I forced a gentle smile. “Good afternoon.”Two mumbled a quiet greeting.No one met my eyes.I stepped closer. “I wanted to ch

Dinner in the great hall always felt like a performance. Not a meal. Not a gathering. A stage built for power, politics, and silent wars. The long tables were already full when I entered. Warriors, elders, families. Eyes flicking up, pausing on me, then darting away as if looking too long would stain them. Zara sat beside Larry dressed like she owned the world, leaning close enough that her perfume clouded the air around him. She laughed at something he said, touching his arm with deliberate sweetness. He didn’t move away. He never moved away. I forced my lungs to work as I walked to my usual place further down, near the servants and lower-ranked wolves. It had become the only place where I could breathe. But I hadn’t even reached it when Larry’s voice cut across the hall. “Lyra.” Every conversation stilled. Every eye turned. Zara smiled like she’d been waiting for this exact moment. I lifted my chin. “Yes?” Larry gestured lazily to the empty spot in fron