Chapter 2
Apr 30, 2025
Lyra’s POV
I walked through the estate like a ghost, and still, they saw me.
They always saw me when it was convenient—to sneer, to whisper, to point. My steps echoed through the stone corridors, each one drawing more attention than the last. I held my hands together to stop them from trembling, but my heart was already pounding.
“ She’s going to Alpha Magnus’s office? ” someone hissed from behind a column.
“ No way. She must’ve messed something up, ” another voice joined.
“ Messed up? That girl is a mess. Probably broke something in Lucien’s room again.”
“ I bet she stole something. Rogues are thieves, everyone knows that.”
“ She’s bad luck. Should’ve thrown her back out the day they dragged her in from the border.”
“ She probably tried to seduce the Alpha’s son. That’s what those rogue whores do.”
I bit my tongue, held back the burn behind my eyes, and kept walking. Don’t cry. Not here. Not ever again.
The whispers followed me like shadows all the way across the estate. The further I went, the heavier the air became. The temperature hadn’t changed, but it felt thicker—like walking through fog. Like something terrible waited for me at the end of the hall.
I stopped in front of the carved wooden doors of Alpha Magnus’s office.
My stomach churned.
His guards stood to the side, silent. One of them opened the door for me, and I stepped in.
The office smelled like leather and firewood. A massive oak desk sat in the center, cluttered with scrolls, maps, and documents. The fire crackled low in the hearth. Magnus stood with his back to me, staring out the tall window overlooking the training yard.
He didn’t turn around when I entered.
But he did speak.
“Out,” he said.
Two betas who had been waiting inside immediately stood, bowed, and walked out, stealing glances at me on their way. The door clicked shut behind them.
And then it was just me and him. Alpha Magnus finally turned. His eyes weren’t cruel. They weren’t angry. They were sad.
Pitying.
I hated that look more than hatred itself. He knew. He knew everything. He was the only one who did.
“Alpha Magnus,” I whispered, bowing my head.
He nodded. “Lyra.”
He said my name. The real one. Not “rogue,” not “servant,” not “girl.”
Just Lyra.
“Sit,” he said.
I hesitated, then obeyed. My knees bent slow, legs trembling beneath me as I sat on the edge of the chair facing his desk.
Then he said it. “You need to go back.”
My breath caught in my throat. My hands curled into fists. My chest tightened. “What do you mean, Alpha?” I whispered. “I’m not going back there. You know what happened.”
He sighed, lowering himself into his chair. “It’s been two years, girl. And yes, I do know. Every word. Every wound. But… he needs you.”
I froze. My voice was barely a breath. “ He needs me?”
Alpha Magnus looked me in the eye. “ He is sick.”
And just like that, the name I refused to say, came flooding back. He . The reason I am in this pack. The reason I was beaten, branded, left with no name. The reason I became a servant.
My voice cracked. “What do you mean sick?”
Magnus folded his hands, resting them on the desk. “Really sick. His strength is fading. His wolf is—unstable. He’s… dying, Lyra. And he needs you by his side.”
A loud slam made me jump.
The door burst open. Lucien Asher stepped inside like a storm. Tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in black. His jaw was tense, eyes burning with fury. His dark hair fell just above his sharp brows. There was a wildness in him—untamed, angry, beautiful.
Even angry, he looked like he was carved from power itself. And all that power, all that fury—was aimed at me.
“Why is she here?” he snapped. “She’s not even done cleaning my room yet.”
My body shrank back, instinctively curling in on itself. Alpha Magnus slammed his hand on the desk. “Lucien! She’s a servant, not a slave. And I asked to speak with her.”
“There’s nothing to talk to the servant about, Dad!” Lucien growled. “Let her get back to work!”
My heart twisted. I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t. Instead, I turned to Alpha Magnus. My voice was soft. Humble. Defeated.
“Please… can I get back to work?” I whispered. “If I don’t… I won’t get dinner tonight.”
I knew Lucien heard me. I didn’t have to look to see the flicker of guilt that crossed his face before he turned away.
That was his punishment. Every time I showed up late. Every time the floor wasn’t perfect. Every time I dared to exist when he didn’t want me to—
He made sure I went to bed with nothing.
Just an empty stomach and a hurting heart.
Alpha Magnus clenched his jaw. The tension in the room was thick enough to choke me. He didn’t want to say it.
“ Fine .”
But in his eyes I could see it wasn’t ‘ fine ’ and he wasn’t done with me yet.
