Chapter 2

• Lyra’s POV
• “Lyra! Are you out of your damn mind?” he finally roared, disbelief dripping from every word.
• The master bedroom door slammed open, and Maya stormed out.
• She caught sight of the red mark on Kane’s face and let out a sharp scream.
• “Lyra! How dare you hit your Alpha!” She clutched her swollen belly, her voice shrill and cutting. “Do you even know how hard Kane works to keep this pack together?”
• Her smug, commanding presence made my stomach churn.
• “Who the hell asked for your opinion?” I stared coldly at her bulging belly. “You took over the Luna’s room and now you’re using your unborn child as a bargaining chip. Maya, did Shadowfen really raise you to crawl into someone else’s bed like a snake?”
• “Enough!” Kane barked.
• Maybe some flicker of guilt lingered from when I hit him earlier. But now, standing between Maya and me, his patience was gone.
• He shoved me hard. I slammed into the wall once more, pain shooting through my back.
• “Shut your mouth. Get the hell out!” He pointed at the door. “Get out of my place right now. Take your bad luck with you, and don’t ever come back.”
• Bad luck.
• He said I brought bad luck.
• I spent over a thousand dark, miserable days locked in a stone cell for him. I came back battered but still hopeful, and this was my reward. Branded as bad luck.
• Right then, Maya let out a pained moan.
• Her face turned ghostly pale. One hand clutched her belly as her body went limp and began to collapse.
• “Kane… my stomach… it hurts so bad…”
• Her voice was weak, tears streaming down her face in heavy drops.
• I watched Kane’s expression change instantly.
• All the rage vanished, replaced by pure panic.
• Without hesitation, he released me and spun toward Maya, scooping her into his arms.
• When he looked back at me, every trace of warmth in his eyes was gone.
• Only a cold warning remained.
• “Lyra, listen to me very carefully.”
• He spoke each word like a hammer striking stone.
• “If anything happens to Maya or the baby she’s carrying…”
• His jaw tightened as he ground his teeth.
• “I won’t hesitate to use my Alpha privileges to throw you into the coldest, most desolate prison in the Northern Territories. And this time, you’ll never come out.”
• With that, he didn’t spare me another glance. Carrying Maya, he strode back into the master bedroom.
• The door slammed shut in my face.
• My sacrifices over the past three years ended right there.
• I stood frozen, my back pressed against the cold wall, listening to the muffled sounds inside.
• Kane’s deep, soothing voice. Maya’s weak sobs.
• They were family.
• And I was just the outsider who brought “bad luck.”
• I suddenly remembered that night three years ago.
• Under the moonlight, he bit the back of my neck. When he finished marking me, he whispered, “This is your proof of waiting, Lyra. Wait for me. I swear I’ll give you a future.”
• Proof.
• Future.
• I lifted my hand and touched the mark at the back of my neck, the one that would never fade.
• It used to be the reason I survived each day. Now it felt like a cruel brand, a reminder of how foolish I had been.
• Footsteps sounded from inside the room.
• I instinctively stepped back, slipping into the shadows of the living room.
• Kane emerged from the master bedroom and gently closed the door behind him.
• He didn’t leave right away. Instead, he stood there with his back to me, shoulders slumped slightly.
• For a brief second, I actually saw a flicker of exhaustion in him.
• Then he walked to the window, poured himself a drink, and drained it in one gulp.
• He turned, scanning the empty living room. His gaze passed right over the shadows where I hid, as if I no longer existed.
• Maybe, to him, I didn’t.
• “Good riddance,” he muttered to himself. “Gone for good.”
• He poured another glass and held it loosely in his hand.
• “An Omega. An Omega who’s been to prison. What kind of future could I possibly give her?”
• His voice was quiet, but every word struck sharp and clear.
• “Letting her stay in the pack is the greatest mercy I could offer.”
• Mercy.
• I clapped a hand over my mouth, afraid I might laugh.
• So three years in prison had been charity. His mercy.
• From the master bedroom, Maya’s gentle voice called out, “Kane…”
• He immediately set the glass down. All irritation vanished, replaced by a softness I had never received from him.
• “I’m here.”
• He hurried back to the bedroom. Before closing the door, he glanced at the living room one last time.
• That look carried a storm of complicated emotions.
• Then the door shut.
• All the light, all the sound, vanished with it.
• I remained in the shadows, the ache in my back spreading, but the pain in my chest was far worse.
• I turned and walked out of the house without looking back.
• Only when I could no longer feel Kane’s presence did the tears finally come, bitter and delayed.
• I wiped them away roughly.
• Not worth crying over an Alpha like him.
• With the few bills left in my pocket and my body still aching, I made my way toward Greystone Haven, guided by memory alone.
• Hours later, when the familiar walls came into view, my legs gave out, and I nearly collapsed.
• “Lyra? Is… is that you?”
• A trembling, aged voice called out.
• It was Luna Elara, the head of Greystone Haven.
• She stumbled forward, shaking all over. When she saw me, her cloudy eyes filled instantly with tears. She didn’t ask a single question. She simply grabbed me with her thin, bony hands and pulled me inside.
• She brought me a bowl of warm water and told me to wash up.
• I was parched and gulped it down greedily. Then I froze.
• From the shadows in the corner, several pairs of small eyes glimmered faintly in the dim light, fixed on the bowl in my hands. I could hear the quiet, strained swallowing.
• I looked closer, and my heart clenched.
• The children looked terrible. Their hair was dull, ribs visible beneath their skin, clothes ragged and threadbare.
• A sick feeling hit me.
• “Elara,” my voice tightened, “Shadowfen promised money and food. Didn’t they send it this month?”