Chapter 2 The severed bond and the broken prince
The technician glanced at the screen, then back at her. Whatever he saw made his eyes widen.
Lyra gave him a look that warned him not to ask questions.
He took the phone, and she returned to her seat, signalling the bartender to pour her a cup of wine.
She accepted the drink and settled into her chair, sipping slowly as she watched everyone hurry about with the final preparations.
By the time the orchestra finally swelled, the trap was already set.
The ballroom filled with the elite of the Dominions. Representatives from every pack crowded the hall, along with students from Lyra's school. Fine clothes, polished shoes and glittering jewellery filled the space beneath the vaulted ceilings.
Ava stood in the front row in her silver dress, wearing the same flawless smile she had been giving Lyra all evening.
Lyra smiled back.
Kaelen stood opposite Lyra at the altar, looking every bit the devoted mate. His expression was warm, his posture confident, his smile so convincing that anyone watching would have believed he was the luckiest man in the room.
And now, as he lay sprawled across the floor with blood running from his split lip, the moment she had been waiting for had finally arrived.
The hall erupted around them.
Lyra's mother stared at her in horror. Kaelen pushed himself up on one elbow, still looking more confused than angry.
Lyra ignored them all.
Her gaze lifted to the AV booth above the balcony.
The technician was already watching her.
She gave him a single nod.
“Play it.”
The screen flickered above the altar.
The glowing crest on the massive projector screens vanished. In its place, high-definition security footage illuminated the grand hall in a harsh white light.
There was no audio. Just the undeniable, crystal-clear image of Kaelen lying naked on the mattress in their suite, with Lyra's best friend straddling his hips.
A collective gasp rose from the crowd.
"Oh Goddess, no!"
Luna Elena, Lyra mother scream cut through the stunned silence. One hand flew to her mouth as she stared at the screens in disbelief.
Ava went pale. She tried to retreat into the crowd, but two pack warriors shoved her forward. She stumbled and hit the floor a few feet from Kaelen, her silver dress tangling around her legs.
The silent video continued playing on a loop above them, exposing their betrayal to everyone.
Faces twisted in shock and disgust beneath the harsh light. When Lyra signalled the technician to cut the feed, the silence that followed was almost suffocating.
Kaelen scrambled onto his knees, spitting blood onto the marble. His lip was already swelling from the blow Lyra had delivered.
"Lyra, I swear to you, it's not what you think."
"Even after everything we've all seen?" Lyra's voice dropped to a deadly whisper that carried across the frozen hall. "I stood outside that door, Kaelen. I heard exactly what you think of my bloodline. You said fate had handed you a ladder. You said I was nothing more than a stepping stone to the top."
"That was just talk. I didn't mean it." He begged.
Lyra stared at him.
She had trusted him. Loved him. Fought her father to keep him. And through it all, he had only ever seen her as a ladder to climb.
Tears streamed down Kaelen's face. He began crawling towards her, his hands outstretched.
"Lyra, please. We can fix this"
Lyra stepped backwards, refusing to let him touch her.
Her gaze hardened. The amber in her eyes began to glow with a predatory intensity.
"Kaelen Aldric!" she called. "I Lyra Thorne Chen find your blood dishonourable and your soul unworthy. From this day henceforth, I reject you as my mate." She declared.
The bond detonated.
Kaelen screamed. The sound tore through the hall like that of a slaughtered animal. He collapsed against the altar, clutching his chest as the bond was ripped from his soul. Dark blood spilled from his mouth, staining the ceremonial white carpet.
The backlash struck Lyra's chest as well.
Her lungs seized. Pain tore through her, and a trickle of blood escaped the corner of her mouth. She raised a finger and wiped it away.
She did not flinch.
Her gaze dropped to Ava.
The girl was trembling on the floor, her knees drawn tightly against her chest. She refused to meet Lyra's eyes.
"You wanted him?" Lyra asked coldly. "Have a broken Beta who will never be a Lord. If you ever step within an inch of me again, I will tear your throat out." Lyra said and to the utter dismay of everyone present, she seized the thick silk of her engagement gown and ripped it down the seam, freeing her legs.
There was no use for ceremony anymore.
Turning her back on the stunned Council and the boy she had once chosen, Lyra walked away. The crowd scattered to make room for her. No one spoke. No one dared touch her.
She walked out of Silver Moon Plaza and into the cold night air.
The chill struck her skin instantly. She reached her car, climbed inside and gripped the steering wheel. Her hands trembled.
Her chest ached where the bond had been severed. The sensation was strange, both lighter and unbearably hollow.
She slammed the door shut.
The engine roared to life, and she sped out of the plaza, heading towards the blinding fog of the mountain roads.
She drove without a clear destination, her foot pressing harder against the accelerator as the road disappeared into the mist.
She only knew one thing.
She couldn't stay there.
Not for another minute.
---
RAVNEHALL
MALAKAI VON VOSS
The heavy bass of the nightclub vibrated through the asphalt beneath Malakai's boots.
Silas scrambled out of the driver's seat and caught his arm before he could reach the entrance. His grip was tight, his expression clouded with fear.
"Lord Malakai, please. Do not do this."
As the driver assigned to him by Halloway, the academy's chief of security and his father's most loyal servant, Silas was paid to keep him out of precisely this kind of situation.
Malakai glanced at the hand gripping his arm.
"Let go, Silas."
"Dmitri Volkov is the Winter Sovereign's heir. If you go in there, this will not end with words. Please, let me call Halloway. Let him handle it."
"I'm not going to fight, Silas."
Silas hesitated.
"All right, then. Just get Sienna, and we leave."
"Noted. Wait by the car."
Malakai's voice was flat.
"Relax Silas, I'm only going in to negotiate."
He pulled his arm free and walked towards the neon-lit corridor.
Two vampires stood guard outside the VIP double doors. Dmitri Volkov was inside, and he was expecting him.
The larger guard stepped forward, uncoiling a heavy silver chain.
"Lord Dmitri ordered you brought in chains." One of them said. Malakai stare at him coldly.
"Tell Dmitri I'm here to talk. I don't want any problems." He replied.
The guard laughed.
" Who told this guy that he make the call here?" The guard asked his colleague. That one smiled but the smile quickly freezes as he lunged at Malakai.
Before he could touch Malakai shirt, the London prince caught his wrist and shattered the bone instantly. the guard did not even get a chance to scream as Malakai drove his palm beneath the guard's jaw. His neck snapped backwards with a sickening crack.
The second guard drew a gun, but Malakai crossed the distance before he could level the barrel. His hand closed around the vampire's throat, crushing his windpipe.
The guard crumpled without a sound.
Both bodies hit the floor.
Malakai ripped the keycard from the first guard's jacket, swiped it across the scanner and kicked the doors open to meet his girlfriend Sienna on the floor almost naked and Dmitri Volkov sat on the edge of the bed using her bend back as a stood to rest his legs.
