Chapter 6
May 4, 2025
Lyra POV
“Don’t be ridiculous, Seraphina,” the Alpha King said, waving his hand in the air as if I’d said something silly. “It’s Dad for you. Always.”
The name made my chest ache. Seraphina. It felt like a crown I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to wear.
I kept my eyes on him—on the man who once carried me on his shoulders through the snow, who once told bedtime stories about moon goddesses and wolves with wings. But that was before.
Before I was taken. Before I disappeared. Before I became Lyra.
“Alpha Magnus said you were sick,” I said quietly. “That’s why I had to come back, right?”
I took a slow step forward. His face softened. His arms opened.
I walked into them, and for the first time in two years, I let myself be held.
“I am, my child,” he whispered into my hair. “My days are numbered.”
His arms were thinner, weaker than I remembered. But the warmth was still there. Familiar. Safe.
“I’m so sorry,” he said, pulling back to look at me. His eyes filled with regret, sharp and sudden. “For everything. For not finding you sooner.”
He looked down, his gaze scanning me, and then he froze. His jaw clenched. “You look so… famished.”
I tried to speak, but he wasn’t done.
His fingers traced the scar on my wrist, the one that had never fully faded.
“Oh my Goddess,” he whispered. “What did they do to you?”
I gently pulled my arm back.
“It’s okay, Father,” I said, forcing a smile. “You did what had to be done.”
But even as I said the words, the memory dragged itself to the surface like a storm cloud.
***
Flashback – Two Years Ago
Darkness. That was the first thing I remembered. Thick, heavy darkness and the bite of iron against my skin.
Chains.
My wrists were raw. My throat burned from screaming. “You’re wasting your time,” I spat, even though my voice shook. “I’m not telling you anything.”
The man in front of me smirked. His face was hidden by a hood, but his voice was deep and cruel.
“We don’t need much, girl,” he said, crouching beside me. “Just the location of the Alpha King. Then we’ll let you go.”
I laughed, dry and broken. “You’ll have to kill me first.”
He hit me. Hard. I tasted blood and kept my mouth shut.
“You’re loyal, I’ll give you that,” he hissed. “But that loyalty won’t save you when we’re done.”
I was chained in that cellar for two days. No food. Barely any water. Kicked. Beaten. Left in the cold. And still, I said nothing.
When they dumped me near Hawthorne’s borders, I was barely breathing. Just a broken girl, with no name, no memory—at least that’s what they were told.
It was Alpha Magnus who found me. He recognized me, I’m sure of it. But he didn’t say a word. He took me in. Hid me. Gave me a new name.
Lyra Thorne.
And I became invisible.
Until now.
***
The memory stung as I blinked back into the present.
I looked up at my father—my Alpha King—and saw the worry etched into every line of his face.
“I’m okay,” I whispered, though it wasn’t the truth. “I survived.”
His hand took mine gently, like I was made of glass.
“You didn’t just survive,” he said. “You endured. And now… I need you to lead.”
I blinked. “What?”
“You are my warrior,” he said firmly. “My strongest ever. My one and only heir.”
My heart skipped.
“You’re taking over after me.”
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I didn’t expect that. Not today. Not like this. But he kept going, his voice full of purpose.
“But of course,” he added, “You’ll need a mate.”
My eyes widened. “I do?”
“Yes, my child. You’re a future Alpha Queen. And the pack needs stability.”
He squeezed my hand.
“And that’s why… I’ve arranged a marriage for you.”
I pulled my hand back like he’d burned me.
“I’m sorry—excuse me?!” I nearly shouted.
