SEVERAL WEEKS AGO…
Lyra's POV
“Why are you here?!”
The voice of the leader of the first batch that went into war with the remaining unclaimed zone of the Western region occupied by rogues, tried to stop me. We were at war and I was too busy fighting wolves to answer.
“Lyra!” his voice thundered.
I held onto my sword, feet planted, as a wolf came for me. They thought I was an easy target because I was the only one in human form.
My blade waited, ready to strike. After years of learning to use the sword, I knew the right hit to make. One was enough to send the wolf to the earth, fated to a slow, painful death.
“Fucking rogues!” I spat.
I was focused on killing as many as possible today. That was the only way to prove to my father that I was worthy of becoming Beta of the Western region, after him. My grip on my sword tightened and so did my resolve. Ragnar’s cautionary voice to go home didn’t stop me. And I didn’t stop until the war was over, the entire region cleared of the revolting rogues, and over thirty of them dead by my sword.
I stood proudly over the bloody field, heaving.
Ragner, the second in command, after my father, walked up to me, shifting. In the past, it pricked my heart when I saw them shift at will, but now, it didn’t really bother me.
“Your father warned you not to come here!” he barked.
I dropped my blood stained sword to the ground and Korvus rushed to get it. He was always in a hurry to please me. I turned to face Ragnar, my hair dripping with blood that must have come from a scratch.
“We owe the success of this raid to me, don’t we?”
The frown of his face melted but his eyes still bore that scornful look it always had since the day I walked into camp declaring I wanted to be among the troops.
“You could have gotten killed,” he said, softly now. “The battle ground is no place for an Omega. What would I tell your father if something happened to you?”
I turned away, seething.
Tell my father?
Like he had ever cared.
Riven Wilder, my father, had expected a son. And he didn’t hide his disappointment when I was born. He refused to name me or look at me. And when I had come of age, my wolf never showed up. He flared up, claimed my mother had cheated while pregnant and had bore a curse.
A curse.
That was the first time he addressed me, and I was sixteen. And that was the last time I saw my mother.
So, it hurt me when everyone claimed my father cared about me. He didn’t!
I marched on, stepping on the dead wolves spread on the field, as I bit back my tears. I had taught myself never to cry. That was a weakness.
“Bring Aresia!” I barked at Korvus.
Aresia was a stead, gifted to me by my mother. Like myself, I had trained her for war. She neighed as Korvus brought her.
“Good girl.”
I climbed her back and kicked. “Hiyah!”
I was ready to return to the pack now, ready to look into the eyes of my father and let him bow in shame for all the years he thought I was useless.
And Prince Kaidos.
My love.
I couldn't wait to be in his arms again, to kiss him under the moonlight, and to feel wanted again. Aresia galloped like she understood my intention. She was like my own wolf spirit.
Darkness had swallowed the horizon when I arrived in the denhouse. It was the same. Filled up, bustling with activities, but never a place I belonged to. I set Aresia in her stable and kissed her mane. “Good job today,” I said. “That's a double meal tomorrow.”
My boots squelched against the muddy path that led to the camp. Never did I expect that my father would be waiting right in front of my door.
At that moment, I thought he had realized his faults after hearing about my victory in conquering the remaining part of the West region. But when I saw the frown on his face, I realized that I had judged him wrongly.
“Where have you been, Lyra?” he demanded, his brows lowered and his growl didn’t miss my ear.
I stood my ground unflinchingly. “I was at the Rogue’s land-”
His growl increased and he shifted to his wolf form, a black, daunting wolf. His teeth glittered under the moon light, reminding me of the last time it had bit into my thigh when I disobeyed him.
But this time, I was ready.
He launched towards me and I didn’t stand afraid or run away, I ran towards him, unsheathing my sword, ready to execute the deathly strike I had learnt. If this was the night he died, so be it.
He must have caught my intentions because he flung the sword off my hand and gripped my neck with his claws, raising me above ground. I choked for air and my eyes threatened to bulge out, but I didn’t beg. If I was going to die, I would, with enough dignity that would haunt him. His growl was deafening, and when he was done, he set me to the ground, much to my amusement.
A crowd of other troop members were now gathering.
My father shifted back to his human form. “You have disobeyed me as Beta of this pack,” he announced, raising his voice loud enough for everyone to hear. “Lyra Wilder, you have therefore, been stripped off all your ranks.”
He expected me to fall on my knees and beg. But I stood there, facing him, battling him with my silence.
It must have angered him more.
“As daughter,” he continued. “I have decided that it is time for you to get a mate. You’ll be leaving by dawn and traveling to the Eastern pack to be mated to Alpha Thakros Vaughn!”
I shook my head reflexly.
Thakros, the beast, was what he was called. Everyone knew how cruel he was. And no way was I getting mated to him.
My defiance fell. “Punish me however you want,” I pleaded. “But don’t take me to Thakros.”
“It’s final,” he said. “Thakros is the only one capable of handling your obstinacy.”
He raised his hand and five enforcers appeared, walking towards me.
“Please, father. Please,” I begged.
All pleas fell on deaf ears.
“Keep her securely locked in the dungeon and have her out of this pack before dawn.”
The enforcers seized me when I should have been celebrated, and tossed me into the cold dungeon. My back hit the wall but it wasn’t the pain that made me cry, it was the fact that I would never be good enough for Riven Wilder.