Chapter 8

• Lyra’s POV
• My Alpha, my mate, was standing there, chest puffed out with pride, guarding another woman who was carrying his child—accepting blessings that should’ve been mine.
• First, a cold chill ran through my veins, then my blood boiled like wildfire.
• Step by step, I walked toward the altar bathed in moonlight.
• The guards tried to stop me, but when they caught sight of my eyes, they hesitated.
• “Lyra?” Kane was the first to spot me.
• His face was a mix of panic and anger.
• “What are you doing here?”
• His voice dripped with warning.
• I ignored him.
• My gaze slid past him and locked onto Maya.
• She felt my stare, her lashes fluttering as she slowly opened her eyes.
• “Lyra… you…” She shrank back, one hand shielding her belly, the other gripping Kane’s arm tight.
• What a natural-born actress.
• The high priest officiating the ceremony frowned deeply.
• “Alpha Kane, what’s going on here? The blood blessing ritual doesn’t allow any unclean person near.”
• Unclean person.
• That was me.
• I smirked.
• “High Priest, may I ask—what kind of person counts as ‘unclean’?”
• The priest’s brow furrowed even deeper. “Those who betray the Moon Goddess’s teachings, those burdened with sin, those filled with hatred.”
• “Well then, I have a few questions for you.” I turned to Kane, locking eyes with his fiery glare.
• “Does a mate who took the fall and spent three years in prison for their Alpha’s mistakes count as unclean?”
• “Does a mate who gets out of prison only to find their Alpha holding another woman—and that woman’s pregnant with his child—does that betrayed mate count as unclean?”
• “Does a mate who’s been trying to survive on her own two hands, only to have her Alpha strip away every chance and cut off every escape route—doesn’t the hatred in her heart come from being forced into it?”
• With every question, I took a step forward.
• All eyes were glued to me and Kane.
• His face twisted ugly.
• “Enough, Lyra!” he growled.
• “Not enough.” I stared him down. “Kane, do you dare answer me—right here, in front of the Moon Goddess and everyone else?”
• “Do you dare say you didn’t betray the vows between us mates?”
• “Do you dare say having Maya stand here isn’t a slap in the face to me, to the Moon Goddess, and to our entire wolf pack tradition?”
• Kane’s chest heaved violently.
• He was left speechless by my words.
• Because every single one was the truth.
• Sensing the mood shift, Maya immediately started her act.
• “Lyra, please, don’t do this…” Tears spilled down her cheeks like a dam breaking.
• “I know you hate me. It’s all my fault… I shouldn’t have gotten pregnant with Kane’s kid… I shouldn’t have accepted that blessing…”
• “If you want him, I’ll give him to you… Just don’t hurt my baby. He’s still so little…”
• She was crying like her heart was being ripped apart.
• Whispers started buzzing all around.
• “Oh my God, she’s so pitiful…”
• “Lyra’s way too aggressive. Maya’s carrying the Alpha’s heir, you know.”
• “How can a sinner even have the face to come here and cause trouble?”
• I watched it all with cold eyes.
• Twisting the truth—that’s your specialty.
• Kane found a way to save face.
• He gently caught Maya, shielding her behind him, then turned to face me.
• “Lyra.” His voice was ice-cold. “Have you had enough?”
• “To you, is your own little grievance more important than the honor of the whole clan?”
• “To you, is your jealousy more important than the safety of the Alpha’s heir?”
• I looked at him and suddenly burst out laughing.
• “My grievance? My jealousy? Kane, have you ever even understood?”
• “I don’t give a damn about you, or your heir.”
• “What I care about is justice.”
• “The man who once promised me a future—how did he end up like this?”
• “The Alpha I thought I could trust with everything—how could he betray me so completely?”
• My voice trembled with anger.
• Kane’s eyes flickered for a moment.
• “I’ll say this one last time, Lyra—leave. Now.” His final warning cut through the air. “Or don’t blame me for having no mercy.”
• “Mercy?” I laughed bitterly. “Is there even any mercy left between us?”
• I raised my hand, pointing at Maya standing behind him.
• “If there was even a shred of mercy, you wouldn’t let her stand here!”
• “If there was even a shred of mercy, you wouldn’t force me to drink that Moonfire!”
• “If there was even a shred of mercy, you wouldn’t strip me of my right to be a priestess apprentice, cutting off my future!”
• Kane’s patience snapped.
• “Unrepentant!” he roared, his Alpha power crashing over me like a tidal wave.
• This time, he showed no mercy.
• That force hit me like a solid blow.
• My knees buckled, and I dropped to the ground, unable to control myself.
• The hard stone floor bit into my knees, sharp pain shooting through them.
• I tried to stand, but that power was like a mountain pressing me down, freezing me in place.
• I was forced to kneel before him.
• Kneel before his new love.
• In the most humiliating way possible.
• “Lyra.” Kane looked down at me from above, his eyes cold as ice, completely void of any warmth.
• “Since you’re so dead set on staying at the altar, fine—I’ll make it happen for you.”
• “Starting today, you’ll stay right here, confessing your sins to the ancient tree.”
• “Until you learn what it means to obey, what it means to be a proper partner.”
• He paused, his voice echoing across the whole altar.
• “You want to receive the Moon Goddess’s blessing, don’t you? Let me tell you something, Lyra.”
• “A woman like you, who doesn’t know her place, will never deserve the Moon Goddess’s blessing!”
• I lifted my head and stared at his cold, ruthless face.
• Then I glanced at Maya standing beside him, that barely hidden smirk plastered on her face.
• And at the crowd around us—some eyes full of pity, some dripping with contempt, others just waiting for me to fall flat on my face.
• I smiled.
• A silent smile.
• But the tears? They betrayed me, slipping down against my will.
• So this was the ending I got after three years behind bars.
• Kane.
• I won’t forget you.