Chapter 4 Alexander Darkheart

Nyra’s POV

I was being dragged through corridors I had once walked as the Alpha’s daughter.I didn’t even remember walking out of the dungeon.

Funny how fast a home turns into a prison—into nothing at all.I didn’t fight.Didn’t speak.Didn’t even look up.My body just…moved as they kept hauling.

Like a puppet with its strings pulled too tight.

“Stand still.” Someone snapped near my ear as rough hands shoved me forward into a chamber.

I blinked slowly.My vision took a second to focus.

I saw fabric,mirrors,and perfumes.

“Make her presentable,” Iora’s voice rang out, very satisfied, followed by a mild doze of laughter. “After all, we’re sending a gift, not discarded trash.”

A few more chuckles followed.I said nothing.Did nothing.

I let them strip away the dirt-stained clothes.Let them scrub my skin raw.Let them handle me like I wasn’t even there.

“Miss HawkStone…” That voice.I turned my head slightly.Shila was there.

Her hands trembled as she held up a piece of fabric.No… not fabric.A dress.

Fabric was barely there in that dress.The silk was super thin, cut too low, too high, revealing more than it hid. Slits ran along both sides, the neckline dipped dangerously, and the back…there was barely any of it.

Humiliation carefully crafted—Iora’s style.

“I’m… I’m so sorry,” Shila whispered, her eyes glossy. “They told me to—” The poor girl absolutely broke down! “—but I won't do it!” She added, whimpering.“I am not going to dress you up to send you to your sure doom!”

“It’s fine,” I cut in quietly.She froze.Probably because I didn’t sound angry.“The rumors are probably overrated. He is a King after all, not a mindless monster.I am willing to take my chances with him.” I took Shila's hands and met her gaze.“I don't have any dignity left in this pack,besides they let you live,” I added. “That’s enough for me.”

Her lips trembled. “I am sorry. I tried to get you out—”

“I know.” It was more than anyone else had done.“And now I am ready to go!”

She hesitated again but my nod made her hands move. Her hands were gentle as she helped me into the dress.Careful.Respectful.Like she was dressing a wound, not a person.

“They want you to break…,” she murmured, voice shaking.

I huffed faintly. “I know. I don't care about their wants anymore.That’s why this time the choice is going to be mine.”

A weak, broken smile flickered across her face.

Then she picked up the brushes.Made me up, layer after layer.Softening bruises.Highlighting lips.Darkening eyes.Turning pain into something… consumable.

When she was done, she looked around,then quietly pressed something into my palm.I glanced down.It was a small piece of cloth,wrapped tight.

“What is this?” I asked.

“Just…” her voice dropped lower, urgent. “Keep it. Don’t open it now.We are going to find another way to get you out!”

I studied her for a second.Then nodded once.I didn’t ask for more.

“Done?” Iora’s voice cut in…sharp.

Shila stepped back immediately.“Yes, Luna.”

Iora approached slowly.Her eyes dragged over me from head to toe.Assessing.Calculating.Then—she smiled.

“Oh, perfect,” she murmured. “You clean up well, Omega. Who would’ve thought?”

I didn’t respond.

She leaned closer, her breath brushing my ear.“Try not to enjoy your new life too much.”

I turned my head slightly.“Don’t worry,” I said flatly. “I won’t be forgetting any of it any time soon.”

Her smile stiffened.Just a little.Good!

—

They didn’t even give me dignity on the journey.I was chained and then thrown in a cage.I sat inside, back straight, hands resting loosely in my lap.

Like a display piece.

Exactly what they wanted.

The caravan moved.Wheels creaked.Hooves struck earth.And just like that—I was no longer part of my pack.Nyra Hawkstone, eldest daughter of Alpha Patrick Hawkstone was no more. And it had been thus for a while.

“Comfortable?” Iora’s voice drifted over from her carriage.

I lifted my gaze.

She was watching me, chin resting lazily on her hand.Smug.Radiant.

“Extremely,” I replied dryly. “Thank you,sister.Father would be so proud of you.”

Her lips twitched. “Still biting. I wonder how long that will last.”

I didn’t answer.My eyes shifted to Theodore,riding alongside the caravan.

His expression looked complicated.Conflicted?

I almost laughed at that nuance. Almost! Then, I just stared at him.And all I felt was—Nothing.

The same as two years ago.

—

I knew he had come to reject me.I knew since I had seen him with Iora.

I didn’t need words.Didn’t need explanations.I already knew that we were over.So I ended it first.

I felt his pain through the bond as it tore.I stood there,unaffected,almost detached, because it meant nothing any more.

“Well done.” I froze.There was a voice inside my head.

“What the hell…”

“I said, well done Nyra! He is not worthy of you,” the voice continued,too calm. “Not yet. Perhaps not ever.”

My breath hitched.Was I losing my mind over this heartbreak?! “Who…who are you?”

A pause.

Then came the voice again. “I am you, Nyra!” Something stirred deep inside my chest.“I am your wolf! I need to go back to sleep but we will meet again,” the voice murmured. “I will return when the time is right.”

And just like that it was gone.Leaving behind only silence…and a strange, steady strength I couldn’t explain.

—

The caravan slowed then stopped.

I blinked, pulled back to the present.Orders were barked, voices echoed. Gates creaked open.

I lifted my head and saw the castle of the infamous Alpha King, for the first time.

It was massive.Dark stones rose into the sky like a challenge to the heavens. The towers were carved with intricate designs.Black and golden banners snapped in the wind.Guards lined the entrance like statues of war.

This place reeked of power.

“Bring her out.”

The cage door opened.Hands grabbed me again.Pulled me forward.Dragged me across polished stone floors that reflected my bare feet.

They shoved me down hard.My knees hit the ground.Pain flared.I didn’t react.

“Lift your head.” The voice was too deep.It commanded effortless authority.It wasn't forced or performative.

Slowly I raised my gaze.And saw the notorious Alexander Darkheart.

He was impossibly tall.His broad shoulders were draped in dark fabric that seemed to drink in the light,reflecting the same colour palette preference,like I had noticed in the banners outside. His presence filled the room without effort, like gravity bent at his will.

His hair too was black, slightly disheveled, like he didn’t care enough to tame it.His jaws were sharp—razor sharp.His lips were set in a fine line.

But his eyes—fuck! His eyes were molten gold, burning, locked onto me with an intensity that felt like being seen… stripped… claimed—without a single touch.

The air shifted.Something inside me snapped awake.“There you are—” The voice exploded in my mind.I heard my wolf again but it was not calm this time.It was wild– too thrilled, too alive as it exclaimed, “Mate!”