OWNED BY THE UNDERWORLD KING

~Lyra's POV~

"Go back, Lyra. We don't want to see what's behind that door," Lauren warned in my mind as I walked down the dark hallway.

"I have to know why he's been avoiding me," I whispered back to my wolf.

"We've been feeling the pain for weeks. You know what it means," Lauren's voice was full of dread. "The bond is weakening. He's pulling away from us."

The full moon cast pale light through the tall windows, making shadows dance on the walls. My heart pounded as I moved closer to our bedroom.

Lewis had been different lately, cold, distant. He barely touched me anymore. When I tried to talk to him, he'd make excuses and leave.

"Maybe he's just stressed about pack business," I told myself, but even I didn't believe it. I knew I was lying to myself.

The door to our bedroom was opened halfway, as if left on purpose. A strange scent wafted out, not just Lewis's familiar pine and earth smell, but something else.

It was the smell of sweat and sex. My stomach twisted with that familiar pain, I'd been ignoring for days.

"No. It can't be. Not him," I whispered to myself, but my wolf was already whimpering in my mind.

I pushed the door open and my world shattered.

Lewis, my mate, my husband, the man who swore to love me forever, was buried between another woman's legs.

His muscular back moved as he thrust into her, low groans escaping his throat. And it was not just any woman. But my stepsister, Allora.

Her long blonde hair was spread across our pillow. Her legs were wrapped around his waist. The same legs that used to kick me when we were children. The same hands that used to pull my hair were now clawing at his back.

"Oh Goddess!" The words tore from my throat.

Lewis's head snapped up, his golden eyes wide with shock. Sweat dripped down his face as he stared at me. Allora screamed and grabbed for the sheets, but it was too late. I had seen everything.

"Lyra..." Lewis started, rushing off the bed. His naked body was flushed, his hair messy. "This isn't... I can explain..."

"Don't!" I stepped back, my hands shaking. Tears burned my eyes but I refused to let them fall. "You said you hated her! You said she was weak, a disgrace to the pack. You told me to kick her out!"

It was true. Just last month, Lewis had complained about Allora living in the pack house. He'd called her useless, said she was taking up space. He'd even suggested I send her away to another pack.

Allora wrapped the sheet around herself, but not before I saw the bite marks on her neck. Fresh marks. Recent ones. This wasn't the first time.

A twisted smile played on her lips. "Oh, sister, you were always so stupid. Did you really think he could resist me forever?"

"How long?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper.

"Does it matter?" Allora laughed, tossing her hair. "Face it, Lyra. You're boring and uneventful. Lewis needs a real woman, not some pathetic little mouse."

"How could you do this to us?" Lauren howled in my mind, her pain mixing with mine. The betrayal cut deeper knowing it was someone I trusted. This was my sister. My blood. The person I'd protected and cared for my entire life.

Lewis took a step toward me, still naked, still smelling like her. "Lyra, please. Let me explain. This was a mistake. It meant nothing."

"Nothing?" I laughed, but it sounded broken even to my own ears. "You were inside her, Lewis. In our bed. In our room. How is that nothing?"

"It just happened," he said weakly. "She came to me when you were at the border patrol. She was crying, said she felt unwanted. I was just trying to comfort her."

"Comfort her?" My voice rose. "By fucking her?"

Allora giggled from the bed. "Oh, he did more than that. He told me he loved me. Said he'd been fighting his feelings for months."

Lewis's face went pale. "Allora, shut up."

"Why? She needs to know the truth." Allora's eyes sparkled with malice. "He said the goddess made a mistake. That he wished it was me instead of you."

Those words and her unremorseful eyes made me stumbled backward, my chest felt tight with pain.

"Is that true?" I whispered.

Lewis couldn't meet my eyes. "Lyra..."

That was all the answer I needed.

A cold laugh bubbled up from my chest. The pain was so intense I could barely breathe, but I forced the words out anyway.

"I, Lyra Ellis, reject you, Alpha Lewis Jake, as my mate."

Intense, burning pain lodged in my chest as the bond began to tear apart. It felt like my heart was being pulled from my body.

Lewis groaned and doubled over, clutching his chest. The rejection hurt him too, but not as much as it hurt me. I was the one severing the connection.

But he didn't fight it. He didn't beg me to take it back. He didn't reach for me.

He had already made his choice.

I spun around and ran. Past shocked pack members who had heard the commotion. Past the kitchen where the night shift workers stared at me with wide eyes. Past the tall gates that protected our territory.

Into the dark forest where my wolf's cries rang through the trees.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'd been hiding in an old hunting cabin at the edge of our territory. Too hurt to go far, too proud to go back. My wolf was weak from the rejection, barely able to shift. I'd been living on berries and stream water, my body getting thinner each day.

"Run, Lyra! Run now!" Lauren screamed in my mind.

I bolted upright from where I'd been sleeping on the wooden floor. Dark shapes moved through the trees around the cabin.

Strange scents filled the air, not wolf scent, something else.

"There she is!" a rough voice called out.

I kicked open the cabin door and ran, branches tearing at my clothes. Behind me, footsteps echoed. There were at least three of them, maybe more, I didn't care to count.

"You can't escape, little wolf!" another voice taunted. "We've been tracking you for hours."

My legs burned as I pushed through the forest. Thorns caught my skin, leaving bloody scratches on my arms. But I kept running. I had to get away.

A sharp pain stabbed my neck and the world spun. My legs gave out and I hit the ground, leaves and dirt filling my mouth.

"Got her," someone said as darkness swallowed me.