Chapter 2 Sanctuary
Lyra
I wish this was a nightmare. A cruel joke made by the moon goddess. I wish this wasn’t real but it is. I’m about to lose everything. Everything. All because I couldn’t transform into my wolf form. All of them are staring at me with either pity or mockery.
“I always knew she was not fit to be the alpha’s daughter," someone murmured.
“All she knows how to do is read those novels of hers.”
“She’s useless." “A waste of space.”
“I’ll rather be dead than be wolfless. Such a shame.”
Every one of their words feels like a sharp knife tearing through my skin. I drop to my knees, feeling defeated and helpless.
“Wait.”
I freeze as I hear my Uncle Cassian’s voice. He is my father’s Beta and younger brother, and usually, he stays out of family drama. Everyone pauses midway, turning to look at him. I look up to see Alpha Rafa and Luna Sarah glaring at him, annoyed that their "justice" has been interrupted.
"Alpha Rafa, Luna Sarah," Uncle Cassian says, stepping forward. "We shouldn't demote her to an Omega just yet."
"She is eighteen and wolf-less, Cassian," my mother snaps. "There is no more time."
"She still has a future mate," Cassian argues, pointing a finger toward the crowd. "Ryan Kent comes from a strong Alpha line. If he marks and claims her, she won't be an Omega, she will be the mate of a high-ranking wolf. Our pack laws respect the mate bond above all else."
My father and mother go quiet. They know he is right. If Ryan claims me, I am safe. I am still someone.
Hope suddenly blooms in my chest, warm and desperate. I scramble to my feet, ignoring the dirt on my pants, and hurry toward where Ryan is standing. He is positioned right between Daisy and Jackson. My heart is beating so fast I can barely breathe.
I remember the day Ryan arrived at our pack two years ago. His father, an Alpha from a distant territory, had been killed in a takeover, and Ryan had run here seeking protection. The moment I saw him, I felt an unmistakable pull in my soul. I knew right then that he was my fated mate.
He used to tell me he didn't care if I was wolfless. He told me he loved me for who I was. Just a few weeks ago, we finally took the next step and had sex. It was a night filled with promises. He told me he couldn’t wait to claim me on my eighteenth birthday so the whole world would know I belonged to him.
I reach him and grab his arms, holding on as tightly as I can.
"Ryan," I whisper, my eyes searching his. "Please. Claim me. Mark me publicly as your fated mate right now. Tell them."
If he marks me now, the ridicule will stop. The humiliation will end. My father looks at Ryan, his arms crossed over his chest. "Well, boy? What is your choice?"
I look at Ryan, waiting for him to pull me into his arms and defend me. I wait for him to say the words that will save me from impending doom.
Instead, Ryan stays quiet for a long, agonizing moment. His eyes are cold, colder than I’ve ever seen them. Slowly, he reaches down and pulls my hands off his arms, dropping them as if they are trash.
"No," Ryan says, his voice loud and clear for everyone to hear. "I won't claim her. I don't want Lyra as my mate. I’ve already found my true mate."
A sharp, agonizing pain flares in my chest as the words leave his mouth. No. This has to be a joke.
"But Ryan... I’m supposed to be your mate," I whisper, my voice trembling.
"You're wrong, Ly," he says coldly. He doesn't even look at me. Instead, he reaches out and pulls my sister, Daisy, to his side. He tucks her against him and looks at my father. "Daisy is my mate. She is the gifted to me by the goddess."
I feel like I’m going to throw up. I look at Luna Sarah and see her smiling triumphantly, her eyes gleaming with pride.
"Why?" I choke out, looking at Ryan. "Why would you betray me like this? You said you loved me."
"Ly, I need a strong Luna to help me take back my pack after I graduate from Krypton Academy," Ryan says, his face showing no remorse. "I can't do that with a mate who is weak and wolfless. You would be a liability, Lyra. I’m sorry. I, Ryan of the Silver-Moon pack, reject you as my fated mate."
The rejection hits me like a physical punch. I stumble back, tears streaming down my face. Daisy looks at me and says, "I'm so sorry, Lyra," but the smirk on her lips tells a different story. She is glowing with victory.
"Enough drama," my mother says, her voice dismissive. "Get ready to start working, daughter. You have floors to scrub."
Uncle Cassian gives me one last sad look before walking away with the Alpha and Luna. One by one, the pack members follow, leaving me standing completely alone in the middle of the field.
I can’t breathe. The pain and betrayal are too much to handle. Without a word, I turn and bolt. I run out of the arena and into the open woods, my feet hitting the dirt hard. I run until my lungs burn and my legs ache, ignoring the branches that scratch at my skin.
I just need to get to my sanctuary.
It is a small, private oasis hidden deep in the forest, a place the rest of the pack doesn't know about. As soon as I reach the clearing, I feel the familiar peace of the area. My tears begin to dry, and my tense muscles finally loosen. I usually only come here in the mornings, but tonight, I need the silence to drown out the heartbreak.
In the center of the oasis sits a wide, beautiful bathtub made of stone and covered in wild flowers. It is filled with overflowing spring water that always feels soothing against my skin.
Everywhere is completely dark, so I don't think twice. I quickly strip off my jacket, pants, and underwear until I am completely naked. I step into the water, the scent of the flowers filling my senses as I sink in.
But as I rest my weight, I realize the tub isn't empty. I freeze. There is a hard, muscled body beneath mine. My eyes go wide as I feel a firm, masculine heat pressed against my back and a hard cock curving between my thighs.
"Goddess!" I shriek, scrambling to jump out of the tub.
Before I can move, a large, firm hand clamps over my naked breast, and another grabs my neck, pulling me back down hard against a solid chest.
"Are you lost, little flower?" a deep, silk-smooth voice whispers directly into my ear. "Or did you come here to offer yourself to me?"
