Lyra’s POV

“I’ve accepted Alpha Thoren Dravenwood’s proposal.”

The admission felt like frost cutting through my throat.

My father—Alpha Mike Solari—froze mid-stride by the war table, where the air smelled of ink and burning cedarwood. His head lifted slowly, his eyes widening as if the words themselves defied reason.

“You can’t be serious,” he said at last, voice tight, suspicion darkening his gaze.

But I was. More than ever.

Alpha Thoren Dravenwood—the illustrious heir of the Dravenwood Pack. Revered, formidable, feared. Until the night he was poisoned by vampire blood tainted with shadowroot. He’d fallen mid-hunt and never opened his eyes again.

No spell, no healer, no priest had stirred him from that living death. Only the royal blood of his wolf kept his heart beating, his body preserved—trapped in a cruel parody of life.

No woman volunteered to become his Luna. Who would? To bind your soul to a man locked in unending sleep was worse than widowhood.

Except I stepped forward. And I had my motives.

“The Dravenwood Pack is pressing for the ceremony,” I said, my tone measured. “You know they won’t tolerate delay.”

“They asked for Elowen,” he said stiffly.

“I know,” I replied, my voice cool and even. “But Elowen can’t stomach being Luna to a cursed man. So I’ll take her place.”

He exhaled sharply, then the sharp lines of calculation began to soften his face. “It could work,” he murmured. “Their demand is met, the alliance holds, our northern border stays secure. I’ll have the council begin preparations—”

“I expect payment.”

His head snapped up. “What did you just say?”

I met his gaze without flinching. “You’re bartering me off for convenience, not affection. So if I’m to be chained to a man who may never wake—all to protect your precious bastard daughter—I want something in return.”

His jaw tightened. “Lyra, don’t start with theatrics—”

“I want half of the treasury,” I cut in, stepping forward. “Not a ceremonial dowry. Half of the pack’s gold. Including your private reserves.”

He bristled. “That would ruin me.”

“Perfect.”

He looked at me as though I were a stranger—perhaps realizing that he had never really known me at all.

“And,” I added, turning for the door, “I want Kael reassigned.”

His brows lifted. “To whom?”

“To Elowen. He’ll be her guard now.”

“You’re giving him up?” he asked, stunned. “You once said you meant to claim him as your mate.”

“I don’t anymore.” I didn’t look back.

He didn’t stop me—not when my heels echoed down the marble hall, not when the heavy door closed behind me. But I knew he’d comply. He always did when it came to Elowen.

Let him. For once, I wanted something too.

My mother had died of madness the night she learned he’d taken another woman. The betrayal had shredded her mind, and she’d gone feral—howling, foaming, breaking until her heart simply stopped. I was there. I saw everything.

Since then, I had despised him. And Elowen most of all—the living proof of everything he’d stolen from us.

Maybe that’s why I’d clung to Kael. Because he’d been the one thing that still felt mine. Until tonight.

It was well past midnight when I reached my home on the edge of the Solari lands, the moon spilling silver light across the trees. Most wolves lived near the Pack Heart, close to the training fields and patrol stations. I preferred the outskirts. Distance was honest.

But as I neared the side hall, a sound stopped me—low, breathless, rhythmic.

Panting.

Then came the scent—raw desire, thick and undeniable.

Kael.

The door to the guest quarters was ajar. I should’ve walked past. I should’ve kept my dignity. But I didn’t.

I leaned closer. And my world broke.

He sat on the edge of the bed, bare-chested, skin slick with sweat, hand moving furiously. In his other hand—my breath hitched—was a photo.

Her photo. Elowen’s.

He whispered her name with a reverence that made my stomach twist.

For a heartbeat, I forgot how to breathe. My wolf whimpered, trembling beneath my skin.

Kael. My loyal knight. My chosen guardian. The man I’d hand-picked three years ago from a line of elite warriors.

I remembered that day. The others had stood proud and eager, eyes bright with hunger for glory. Kael, though—he was still as stone, silence wrapped around him like armor. Power radiated from him quietly, gravitational.

I’d tried everything to crack that composure—silks, perfume, staged “accidents,” even near-fatal ones. He never touched me. I thought it was restraint. It was disinterest.

Then his phone buzzed. He answered immediately, voice shifting—cold, commanding, unmistakably Alpha.

“I’ve been pretending to serve Lyra for years,” he said. “You think I’d quit now? I need to keep Elowen safe. Lyra’s just my access point.”

My blood froze.

“No, she doesn’t suspect a thing,” he continued. “She actually thinks she’s seducing me. Pathetic.”

My hands shook.

“She’s nothing compared to Elowen,” he said. “Elowen’s the one from the seer’s golden vision—you know that.”

That was the strike that finished me.

“I’ll stay until Elowen understands her role. Keep my pack running in my absence. Luminara holds until I return.”

Luminara. The name jolted through me. A phantom pack whispered about in the dark. Unmapped. Ruthless. And he was their Alpha?

The betrayal burned through me like acid.

I should’ve turned and walked away. Should’ve howled my grief into the forest. Should’ve become the mad thing my mother once was.

Instead, I kicked the door open.

Lyra’s POV

I didn’t move at first. Just stood there, the door half-splintered from my kick, staring at him as my pulse thundered and my wolf snarled beneath my skin.

His fingers still clutched the picture of Elowen as though it were a sacred charm. His other hand…

Goddess above.

The evidence of his arousal strained against his pants. He didn’t even look startled to see me standing there. Not a flicker of guilt, not a twitch of shame. He simply tucked the photograph out of sight, straightened, and faced me—expression calm, posture impeccable.

Like I hadn’t just caught him worshipping her in the dark.

I should’ve lunged for his throat. Should’ve ended it right there.

Instead, I smiled.

“Need a hand finishing that?” My voice dripped honey, every syllable lined with venom.

His gaze stayed steady. Empty. Professional. “That won’t be necessary, Young Miss,” he said evenly. “It’s a private affair.”

Of course it was.

Still Young Miss. As if I weren’t the woman who’d shared a home with him for years. As if he hadn’t sworn to protect me with his life. But then came her—Elowen, with her angel’s smile and poison-sweet scent—and suddenly, everything else vanished.

I turned away, forcing my wolf to heel even as fury trembled through me. I’d spent years begging to be chosen. That ended now.

Let Elowen play the darling bloom. I’d be the venom in its roots.

He broke the silence first. “What are you doing here?”

I gave him a thin smile. “Nothing,” I lied, voice smooth as glass. “But you’ll be accompanying me to the fashion gala tomorrow. Elowen will be there.”

A faint twitch rippled through him at her name. Barely visible—but I saw it. I always did.

The next night, he waited for me at the base of the stairs, dressed in black trimmed with silver. Hair neat, posture rigid, eyes unreadable.

For the first time in years, I walked past him without a word.

His expression faltered—just slightly—but I caught the flicker.

The drive was silent. Suffocating. The air thick with everything we didn’t say. My wolf prowled inside me, restless, furious. But I kept my face still.

When we arrived at the Limited Edition Fashion Gala, every head turned.

I entered not just as Lyra Solari—daughter of the Solari line—but as the betrothed Luna of the Dravenwood Pack. They didn’t know yet, but soon they would. Even if my future husband lay cursed in eternal sleep, I’d walk as his equal.

Then she arrived.

Elowen. Glowing in pale silk, her smile syrup-sweet and calculated. She approached with a tinkling laugh. “Sister,” she greeted.

I turned sharply, voice cold enough to frost the air. “Don’t call me that.”

Behind me, Kael stiffened. I didn’t need to look to know his eyes had softened for her. They always did.

Then I saw her gown.

A masterpiece—midnight blue melting into silver like the night sky bleeding into dawn. Moonstones scattered across the bodice, the neckline trimmed with delicate wolf-thread lace. It was exquisite.

I hadn’t come for the spectacle or the applause. I came for a single purpose: to claim the perfect dress for my wedding to Alpha Dravenwood. Even if the ceremony lay weeks away, I intended to look every bit the Luna of an ancient, revered pack.

And that dress was mine.

“I’ll take it,” I told the designer.

She smiled apologetically. “It’s one of a kind. We’ve had offers—gold, gems, even blood-oaths.”

“I’ll pay double in gold.”

Then came her voice.

“Oh, I adore this one too,” Elowen cooed, brushing the sleeve with her fingers.

My spine stiffened. “I’ve already claimed it.”

Her lips curved sweetly, but her eyes gleamed. “Surely the designer doesn’t mind a bit of competition.”

Before I could tear into her, a man stepped forward—tall, dark suit, confidence radiating in quiet waves. He gave Kael a brief look before addressing the designer.

“I’ll take the dress,” he said. “Whatever the cost.”

The designer blinked. “And you are?”

He offered a slight bow. “Kaelen. Beta of the Luminara Pack. Our Alpha commands that anything Miss Elowen Solari desires tonight is to be hers—at any price.”

The room erupted in whispers.

“The Luminara Pack?”

“Why her?”

“Has their Alpha chosen her?”

Elowen blinked innocently. “I don’t even know him…” Then turned to me with that saccharine smile. “Lyra, you’re not still bidding, are you? I’d hate for you to empty your vault.”

My nails dug into my palms.

Kael didn’t so much as glance at me. His eyes were fixed entirely on her.

And the evening descended into humiliation.

Each time a new gown appeared, or a jeweled necklace, or a rare moonstone ring—the Beta outbid everyone. Each time, the treasure went to Elowen.

At last, I faced him. “Tell me, does your Alpha intend to leave anything for the rest of us?”

He flicked a glance toward Kael. “Our Alpha only cares for the Second Miss’s happiness. The rest of you are irrelevant.”

The words struck harder than I expected.

Kael smiled—smiled—at Elowen like she was divinity incarnate. I had to fight the urge to bare my teeth.

When the gala ended, Elowen stood amid the glow of admiration, radiant and adored.

I slipped out quietly, invisible again.

I climbed into the car and snapped, “Bloodmoon Club. Now.”

I needed something to burn. Liquor. Music. Anything that drowned thought.

Before the driver could move, Elowen slid in beside me, still smiling. “Sister, I’m coming too! You always know how to have fun.”

I nearly shoved her out. But Kael appeared, hand on the door. “Drive,” he said calmly.

I clenched my jaw.

As the car moved, she filled the air with chatter. “Isn’t it strange? The Alpha of Luminara Pack keeps sending gifts. I’ve never even met him! They say he’s devastatingly handsome.”

Kael chuckled. “That’s because he’s taken a liking to you. You’re… different.”

Then came her coy little question. “Do you like me too, Kael?”

He hesitated, searching for an answer. I didn’t give him the chance.

“If you two plan to flirt,” I said, voice cold as steel, “get out. This is my car.”

Elowen pouted, murmuring a soft “sorry,” all innocence and feigned guilt.

I turned toward the window—and in the reflection, I saw it.

His gaze on her, warm and tender.

Then it shifted to me. Cold. Hollow. Disgusted.

I smiled bitterly. So this was what men wanted—fragile tones, trembling lashes, and the illusion of sweetness.

Nothing like me.

Lyra’s POV

The Bloodmoon Club throbbed with bass and heat—music pounding like a heartbeat gone feral. The air was thick with sweat, perfume, and lust, heavy enough to choke on. I’d drained three glasses of flaming whiskey, but nothing silenced the howl clawing its way up my chest. The room spun in streaks of crimson and silver, but through it all, I only saw them.

Kael. My knight. My ruin.

He stood in the VIP booth, posture rigid, expression unreadable—until she leaned close. Elowen. Her fingers brushed the edge of his jaw as she whispered something in his ear, and I saw it—his ears flushed red. A blush. Genuine.

My glass shattered in my hand.

I swallowed the rest of the burn and stalked toward the dance floor, letting the music devour my fury. My red dress clung to me like armor, a declaration of defiance. Wolves watched. Then they swarmed—young, drunk, entitled. One slid a hand down my hip.

“Back. Off.” My voice dropped to a growl.

They laughed. Another reached for me. I didn’t think—I bared my fangs. But the liquor dulled my reflexes.

“Kael!” I shouted, my voice slicing through the noise.

The response was instant.

The crowd broke apart as Kael approached, his aura flaring—raw, commanding, the kind that made lesser wolves instinctively bow. The boys scattered, terror lacing their drunken bravado.

“Oh, you do remember me,” I sneered, fury overriding any hint of gratitude. “For a moment, I thought you’d forgotten your actual duty. Or were you waiting for your real Luna to summon you first?”

His eyes darkened. “I didn’t see them—”

“No,” I cut him off, stepping close enough that he could feel my breath. “You didn’t want to.” I could smell Elowen’s scent on him, faint but undeniable. “You saw her. That’s all you ever see.”

He looked away, jaw tight. “You’ve had too much to drink.”

“Good,” I laughed bitterly. “It helps me think clearly.”

He said nothing, and I might’ve struck him then—but the air split with a scream.

Chaos detonated.

A shriek tore through the club, followed by panic and bloodlust. Wolves shifted mid-step, bones cracking, claws shredding fabric. Fangs gleamed. The scent of metal filled the air.

Vampires.

I caught a blur of movement—too fast, too deliberate. Kael shifted in an instant, his wolf a towering silver-gray streak cutting through the chaos. But not toward me.

Toward her.

Always her.

I turned, claws sliding free, just as a vampire lunged from the side. I caught his face with a swipe, tearing skin, but he was faster—stronger. His fangs sank deep into my shoulder.

The pain was incandescent. Poison burned through my veins like molten fire. I screamed, slamming my claws into him again and again until he released me, hissing before vanishing into the fray.

My knees hit the floor.

The club was a warzone—wolves clashing with vampires, blood slicking the floor beneath strobing lights. Through the haze, I saw Kael—his wolf tearing through three attackers to shield Elowen, his body between her and every strike.

Of course.

My vision blurred. My wolf surged, eyes glowing—something pulsing strange and wild beneath my skin. Then darkness swallowed me whole.

---

I woke to sterile light. The faint hum of machinery. Antiseptic in the air.

My shoulder throbbed. Bandaged. Mended. Alive.

Alive?

Vampire venom was a curse—it paralyzed, corrupted, dragged wolves into the same endless sleep that had claimed Alpha Thoren Dravenwood. So why wasn’t I fading? Why was I awake?

Before I could move, I heard them.

Through the glass wall, their silhouettes were unmistakable. Elowen—crying softly in his arms. Kael holding her like something fragile and sacred. His hand smoothed her hair, his voice gentle, soothing—the voice I’d never once heard directed at me.

“I shouldn’t have gone,” she whispered. “It’s my fault Lyra got hurt.”

“No,” he murmured. “You didn’t know. I should’ve protected you both.”

Her tearful eyes lifted to him. “Why… why did you protect me? Why not her?”

His voice broke. “Because… I lo—”

The crash was deafening. The vase by my bed shattered against the floor, glass skittering everywhere.

Kael’s head snapped toward me. Elowen gasped and rushed in.

“Lyra!” she cried, voice trembling, tears trembling on her lashes. “You’re awake! Oh, thank the Goddess, I—”

“Save it.” My voice came out a blade. “With you here, cluttering my air, how could I possibly heal?”

Her lip quivered. She ran from the room sobbing. Kael stayed.

“I didn’t have time—” he started.

“You had time for her,” I bit out. “You always do.”

He said nothing. The silence was worse than words.

---

Two days later, I walked into the study. Shoulder bandaged. Anger sharp enough to cut through bone.

He stood at attention.

“Kneel.”

Kael hesitated, then obeyed. Slowly.

“You failed your oath as my knight,” I said quietly. “You know the law—failure is repaid in blood.”

He didn’t flinch. “I know.”

“But I won’t kill you,” I continued. “Death’s too merciful. A punishment fits better, don’t you think?”

He looked up briefly, eyes weary but resolute. “If that’s what it takes.”

A laugh tore from my throat—bitter, hollow. “You’ll endure anything for her, won’t you?”

He didn’t deny it. He didn’t have to.

My claws slid free.

And just as I raised my hand—

“Stop!”

Elowen burst into the room, tears streaming, throwing herself between us. “Punish me! He did nothing wrong!”

“Move, Elowen.”

“No!”

Kael tried to pull her aside, but she clung to him, trembling.

“I said move!” I roared, fury spilling over.

She didn’t. And my wolf snapped.

My claws cut through the air before I could stop them. The scent of blood followed.

Elowen screamed, crumpling, her arms slashed open.

Kael caught her as she fell, his growl shaking the floor. His gaze lifted—cold, sharp, murderous.

He looked at me like I was something unholy.

Then he carried her out, wordless. The door slammed behind them.

And I stood there—claws dripping red, the pain in my hand nothing compared to the wound blooming in my chest.