Chapter 3 3

“Come on... It's the only thing we have, Lyra. Miriam will kill us if you don't go out to serve, and you're the one who knows the protocol best. Put it on!”

With no other choice, I put it on. As soon as I zipped it up, I wanted to disappear.

The dress was short, highlighting my rounded buttocks and squeezing my thighs in a provocative way. The neckline barely contained my breasts, which seemed about to escape with every heavy breath.

“You look amazing, Lyra. Now go out there and show them that you're no longer a fool who lets herself be manipulated by their alpha auras!” Isla encouraged me.

I looked at myself in the mirror. I hated the dress, I hated those men, and most of all, I hated that Silas was only a few feet away, waiting for me to serve him.

However, a smirk formed on my lips. Why did I care what Wyatt or Silas said? I no longer belonged to their kingdom.

“It's time, Lyra. Don't let those bastards intimidate you,” I told myself.

With that in mind, I forced a steely smile and stepped out into the hall. As I crossed the threshold into the main hall, the noise of conversation and clattering cutlery stopped for a second at the nearby tables.

I walked toward the Golden Mountains Pack table, feeling the fabric cling to my buttocks and my breasts rise and fall with my heavy breathing.

Damn, I could feel the Alphas' eyes running over me as if I were fresh meat on display.

When I reached Silas' table, he was talking to his Beta, but he fell silent mid-sentence. His eyes, which had previously been overflowing with contempt, now fixed on my cleavage and then slowly moved up to my face, his pupils dilating until his irises were almost black.

“Here is the specialty menu... gentlemen,” I said, trying not to let my voice tremble as I leaned slightly to place the menu on the table.

As I leaned over, the dress gave way a little more, revealing the curve of my breasts right in front of their eyes.

At that moment, I heard a low, almost imperceptible growl come from Silas' throat.

On the other hand, Wyatt, sitting next to Silas, let out a low, mocking whistle. "Well, well... it looks like the traitor learned how to sell herself well in these five years,“ Wyatt sneered, staring at my breasts. ”Tell us, Lyra, is this your special Valentine's Day outfit, or did you just put that on to see if some Alpha would pick you up from the trash?”

His words made me clench my fists, while Silas didn't say a word. He sat with his back stiff, his fists clenched on the table so tightly that his knuckles were white. His eyes, dark as coal, were fixed on my cleavage with an intensity that burned my skin. He wasn't laughing. He looked like he was about to explode with rage.

At that, Silas turned his head toward Wyatt with lethal speed, his eyes flashing with an Alpha warning that made Wyatt shut his mouth immediately. Then he looked back at me, and for a second, time stood still.

“Bring the specialty. Now,” he ordered.

I didn't even hesitate as I nodded and ran out. I couldn't even go back to the kitchen, my body was shaking.

I just ran back to the bathroom and turned on the sink faucet, splashing cold water on my face. Damn, I felt like my heart was about to fly out of my chest.

Anger and shame suffocated me. “Why did I let them see me like that?” I berated myself, pressing my forehead against the cold tile.

I needed a second to breathe, to stop feeling Silas' possessive gaze engraved on my body.

But the peace was short-lived. A loud noise made me jump in fright. The bathroom door was kicked open, almost knocking it off its hinges.

“What the hell? You can't be here! This is the women's bathroom...” I managed to say, backing up until I bumped into the sink.

Silas let out a loud growl and, ignoring my words, entered the bathroom and slammed the door shut with a loud bang that echoed in my ears.

“What the hell do you think you're wearing?” he growled through clenched teeth.

The veins in his neck were bulging, and his eyes scanned every inch of my body with animalistic fury.

“What? It's... it's all I had. Remember, Wyatt ruined my shirt,” I replied, panic setting in.

Silas didn't listen. Instead, he moved closer until he was inches away from my body. I felt his heat radiating, an Alpha vibration that made my knees buckle.

Before I could react, his muscular arms braced against the wall on either side of me, trapping me.

With a gentle movement, he tilted his head toward my neck and let out a deep sigh, sniffing me with a desperation that made me shudder.

“Get away from me!” I shouted, pushing his solid chest.

But my strength was nothing compared to his, and he didn't move an inch.

“Why the hell are you wearing that? You can't go back out there dressed like a slut, looking for every male to stare at you!” he scolded me.

His gaze was on my cleavage, where the button on my dress was about to give way under the pressure of my breasts.

I was speechless, not knowing what to say or think. But without warning, Silas began to take off his suit jacket.

“What are you doing?” I asked, but my words died when his hands went straight to my dress.

With lethal speed and without a hint of delicacy, Silas pulled the zipper and unbuttoned the top of my dress. I froze as the man who had banished me stripped me naked in a public bathroom. In one swift motion, he pulled the fabric down to my waist, leaving me standing in front of him in just my bra.

“How dare you? Stop it!” I screamed, trying to cover myself, but the dress was stuck on my hips.

My tears began to fall along with the despair and fear this was causing me.

However, Silas remained silent as he placed his Alpha jacket over my shoulders.

The weight of the fabric was enormous, and the heat of his body impregnated in it enveloped me like a chain. It smelled intensely of him, of his power, of a connection that my mind denied but my body remembered.

“Let go of me! I can do it myself!” I shouted as he tugged at the skirt of the dress to finish adjusting it into a long skirt.

“Shut up! I'm just helping you fix this rag,” he roared, frustrated.

In the end, he left me wrapped in his giant jacket, which reached almost to my knees, covering my underwear and the dress tied in a knot at my waist. He held me by the waist with a possessive hand, his heavy breathing hitting my face.

“Why did you do this? What's wrong with you?” I shouted, furious.