Chapter 2 Two

Chapter 2

Lyra POV

The air in the room was thick with magic.

I stood at a corner of the room, covered by the shadows as I watched the mating ceremony begin.

The faces of everyone, from werewolves about my age to their parents, were filled with joy.

But, I personally couldn't be more miserable.

The mating ceremony was in full swing.

Everyone laughing, drinking, and wasting away  like it was the happiest night of their lives.

Maybe for them, it was.

For me, it was just another reminder that I am different from the others.

I watched as each time a couple stepped into the circle to declare their bond, the pack howled in celebration.

And it pained my heart the more that I didn't have a mate, nor could I ever.

I didn't want to be here, not even for a second, but my step mom who is more concerned about image than anything else insisted that I should be here, atleast for an hour. And here I was.

When two werewolves are declared to be mates, the alpha of the pack, Alpha Zayne, would step foward, with those blue glinting eyes of his and would howl to the moon and bless the union of each couple and the crowd would cheer.

Another fated pair found and for them, their dream fulfilled.

I hugged my arms tighter around myself and took a step back into the shadows.

I didn't want to be seen, I never wanted to, but today felt more needful that I wasn't seen.

If Cersei sees me here, I won't hear the end of it.

“Hey Lyra!” I heard an elderly woman's voice.

Mrs. Yolanda. Of course.

“I didn't expect you to be here.”She said tugging a smile.

“Well, I had a change of heart.” I answered sharply, keeping my tone low.

“You look wonderful.” Her eyes drifted to the dress on my body.

“Thanks.” I said, my voice barely louder than a whisper.

Mrs. Yolanda nodded and then walked away.

I looked down at my dress, a pale blue gown, with silver thread to match the moon.

It was the only dress I had that didn't look like rag.

And also, the only possession of my mom I had. Or so I was told.

Dad refused to talk about her for some reason.

Maybe he never loved her. And that's why he never loved me too.

Three years since I’d come of age, since I was tagged an Omega wolf.

And for that three years I remained unmated, unmarked, and invisible.

An Omega without a mate or a wolf might as well be a ghost.

My eyes drifted back to the mating celebration.

Cersei was stepping forward now, her golden hair braided with crystal beads, her smile wide as Damon approached from the opposite side.

Damon, the son of Beta Igris, the Alpha’s right hand man and best friend. And the most powerful man in the pack beside the alpha and his Luna.

Damon and Cersei were always bound to be fated mate, their parents made sure of that.

Damon, wore a ceremonial black and gold, the Beta’s crest glittering at his chest. His blonde hair and dark green eyes, made him admired by all females in the pack.

And the both of them, they were the golden pair in the eyes of everyone in the pack, but not me.

They were just privileged to be born to the highest ranking werewolves of the pack.

My stomach twisted seeing Cersei’s smug face.

I turned away before I could see them join hands. I’d seen enough.

My footsteps were light as I moved through the woods back toward the servant quarters and to my room.

There was no use saying any longer. No one would notice I wasn’t there, just the same way no one even noticed I was there.

By the time I reached my small room, tucked into the far corner of the quarters.

I shut the door behind me and leaned against it, exhaling slowly.

The night wasn’t for me.

It never had been.

I sat in silence, curled in the corner of my small room at the edge of the servant quarters, away from the music, the celebration, the joy. The walls were thin, and I could hear the occasional howl of delight outside. But the night wasn’t for me. It never had been.

A sudden knock echoed against my door, it was sharp and impatient.

I froze.

“Lyra?”

I heard the voice, it was from a male and quite familiar. Damon.

My pulse spiked. He was the Beta’s son, heir to the second most powerful line in the pack, and the recently announced mate of Cersei, the Alpha’s daughter.

They were the golden pair as deemed by the pack members.

He had never spoken more than a few words to me. Never looked at me twice. What did he want now?

I hesitated. “Yes?”

The door opened before I could answer properly. Damon stepped in, still dressed in the ceremonial black and gold attire, but slightly disheveled. His eyes glowed faintly from the influence of the moon.

“You weren’t at the ceremony,” he said flatly, closing the door behind him.

I stood, keeping the bed between us. “I wasn’t invited.”

He stared at me, maybe for too long and too hard. “You don’t need an invitation to watch.”

“I didn’t want to.”

He walked closer, slowly and deliberately.

My chest tightened.

There was something wrong with the way he moved… it wasn't right.

"You don’t get to refuse things, Omega," he murmured, stepping around the bed.

My wolf stirred weakly inside me. A flicker of warning. My limbs felt frozen.

“Please leave,” I whispered.

He tilted his head. “I smelled something on you the other day. Something... interesting.”

His hand shot out before I could move, grabbing my wrist and yanking me forward. “I was curious. I wanted to know if I was right.”

I struggled, panic rising. “Stop… Damon, you’re mated—”

“Fate doesn’t choose for me,” he snarled. “I do.”

He shoved me onto the bed.

My heart thundered.

I kicked, clawed, screamed, but he was stronger.

All those years of him  training to get stronger had given him the upper hand over me by far.

Then, he leaned in closer to me, but just before anything could happen…

The door slammed wide open.

Cersei stood there.

Her golden hair was braided with crystals, her ceremonial gown flawless, but her face contorted with fury. Not at Damon.

At me.

“What are you doing?” she hissed. “You disgusting little—”

Damon stood and fixed his clothes quickly. “She tried to seduce me.”

I choked. “That’s not true!”

But Cersei’s lip curled. “I always knew you were pathetic, but this?” She strode into the room, her heels echoing like war drums. “Trying to take what’s mine?”

“I tried to fight,” Damon muttered, eyes avoiding hers. “But she was wearing perfume. She wanted attention.”

“I should kill you right here,” Cersei hissed, standing over me as I tried to rise. “But that’d be too easy.”

I looked up, shaking. “Please.. he tried to—”

The slap came fast. My head snapped sideways. Her voice dropped to a deadly whisper.

“You think your sob story matters? You think being weak is an excuse? You were born to serve this pack, and that includes the men in it. Don’t pretend you’re better than your rank.”

I crumpled inward.

Cersei stepped back, fixing her dress. “Let’s go,” she said coldly to Damon.

"And you, count yourself dead already. I'll make sure of that."

She warned me, her voice cold.

They left my room without another word-

I sat there for a long time after they were gone, my face bruised, my body shaking, the room still carrying the scent of violence. A sharp metallic taste filled my mouth.

I curled into myself.

Not even the moon spoke to me.