CASSIAN’S POV
Sabrina burst through the door.
“What the hell is this I’m hearing about you going to Moonveil?”
I kept my gaze on the new phone in my hand, my thumb hovering over Rowan’s contact.
I didn’t look up or even acknowledge her.
“Are you listening to me, Cassian?”
She snatched the phone out of my hand.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” I barked, lunging for it.
But she was faster.
She stepped back and glanced at the screen.
Her eyes widened.
“Rowan?” She held up the phone, disbelief dripping from her voice.
“You’re reaching out to Lyra’s brother now?
The same brother you claimed to despise?
The same brother you said would never speak to her again?”
“Give me back my phone, Sabrina.”
“Absolutely not.
You’re not going anywhere near—”
I pushed past her, grabbed a jacket from the hook, slung a backpack over my shoulder, and headed for the door.
“Cassian!” She followed me, her heels clicking against the floor.
“You’re not going anywhere.
I won’t let you—”
I pulled the door open, stepped through, and slammed it shut behind me.
She immediately started pounding on it.
“Cassian!
Let me out!
Cassian!”
I ignored her and locked the door from the outside.
Darius, my beta, approached from the hallway.
He glanced at the door behind me, then back at me.
“What’s that about?” he asked, gesturing toward it.
“Ignore it.” I waved him off and kept walking.
Darius fell into step beside me.
“And where exactly are you going?”
“Moonveil Pack.”
He stopped.
“You’re serious about this?”
I turned to face him, my expression flat.
“You know what I look like when I’m joking, Darius.
I’m not.”
He quickly caught up.
“And Rowan?
How are you going to handle him?
He’s not exactly known for giving warm welcomes, especially after the way you treated Lyra.”
I scoffed.
“The days when he cared about his little sister are long gone.
He hasn’t wanted anything to do with her since she threw everything away for a man.
He made that very clear.”
“But—”
“Besides,” I cut him off, “their little heiress is back home with them.
What could possibly go wrong?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A lot, apparently.
I barely made it into Moonveil territory before I was forced to my knees.
Five guards seemed to come out of nowhere, all massive wolves in human form, their eyes blazing with barely restrained fury.
They hit me from every side, and I was down before I could draw a full breath.
“Get off me!” I fought against their grip, but it was useless.
“I’m Alpha Cassian of the Silvercrest Pack—”
A fist slammed into my stomach.
I groaned and folded forward, clenching my teeth against the pain.
“I said,” one of the guards growled, “you don’t speak unless spoken to.”
I gritted my teeth.
“I need to see Rowan.
The Alpha heir.
I have to—”
Another punch landed hard against my ribs.
I crumpled, gasping for air.
“You don’t get to make demands here, Silvercrest scum.”
Then I heard footsteps, slow and measured—the kind that belonged to a wolf who had nothing to fear.
“And why exactly,” a deep voice cut through the air, “do you need to see me?”
I looked up.
Rowan Ravenwood stood before me with his arms crossed, his expression cold and unreadable.
Even without the Alpha title, he radiated authority.
He was everything I had always envied and everything I had always feared.
I tried to stand, but a guard kicked me back down.
“Lyra,” I managed, my voice strained.
“I know she’s here.
If you’d just let me see her…
we need to talk.”
Rowan blinked.
Confusion flickered across his face.
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
I stared at him, and something cold slid down my spine.
“I know she came home to you,” I said slowly.
“She left Silvercrest without a word, so I assumed she came here.”
Rowan’s confusion turned into something dangerous.
He crouched, grabbed me by the collar, and yanked me close.
His face was inches from mine, his voice low and deadly.
“Are you telling me,” he said, each word sharp with fury, “that my sister is not in Silvercrest?”
I blinked.
“How could she be?
She obviously came home.
It’s been two days, Rowan.
I haven’t been able to reach her.
I’ve called every number.
I’ve sent people to every place she might have gone.
She’s vanished.”
His grip tightened.
“You lost her?”
“I didn’t lose her—”
“You lost my sister.” His voice was ice-cold.
“And you came into my territory to ask me where she is?”
“Rowan, just let me explain—”
He shoved me to the ground and pulled out his phone.
I watched him dial and press the phone to his ear.
He tried three times and got no answer.
The silence stretched between us.
Then Rowan turned back to me, his eyes blazing.
His fist connected with my face before I could flinch.
“Fuck!” Pain exploded through my jaw, and I tasted blood.
“Lock him up,” Rowan snarled at the guards.
“Now.”
“Rowan—”
“I said now!”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LYRA’S POV
The car glided through the Hart estate.
I looked out the window at the sprawling grounds, the ancient oaks, and the imposing mansion rising against the bright sky.
This was my home now.
This was where I would start over.
Kael sat beside me, his presence impossible to ignore in the confined space.
He hadn’t said a word since we signed the documents, his attention fixed on his phone.
But as the car drove deeper into the estate, he finally turned to me.
“Now that we’re married,” he said, “there are a few rules you should know.”
I straightened in my seat.
“Rules?”
“Three important ones.” He raised a hand, counting them off on his fingers.
“First, now that you’re Mrs.
Hart, you need to speak and act like one.
Be mindful of your words and actions.
My grandmother will be watching.
She notices everything.”
I nodded.
“I understand.”
“Second.” His voice hardened.
“The Hart family is complicated.
Don’t ask questions that don’t concern you, and don’t meddle in things that aren’t your business.
If anyone gives you trouble, tell me.
I’ll handle it.”
I nodded again.
“Okay.”
He paused, then turned fully toward me.
His dark gaze moved slowly over my face, studying me so intently that I suddenly became aware of how close he was.
I leaned back against the seat.
“Third.” His voice dropped.
“Keep your private life clean.
I don’t care about your past, but from now on, I don’t want to see or hear anything that could compromise this marriage.”
There was nothing casual about the way he said it.
He wasn’t asking.
He was telling me.
I held his gaze.
“Rest assured, Alpha.
Since I agreed to this arrangement, I’ll follow the rules.
And I expect you to do the same.”
One of his eyebrows lifted.
Surprise flickered across his face for a moment.
He clearly wasn’t used to being challenged.
He studied me for a few seconds, his expression unreadable.
Then the corner of his mouth curved slightly, so quickly I almost thought I’d imagined it.
“Of course, Mrs.
Hart.”
Mrs.
Hart.
The name sounded strange and new.
But it was exactly what I needed: a weapon, a shield, a new identity.
I was no longer Lyra Voss, the broken Luna of Silvercrest.
I was Lyra Hart, wife of the most powerful Alpha in the territory.
And I would use that power to burn everything Cassian had built to the ground.
The driver’s voice broke the tension.
“Alpha, we’ve arrived.”
Kael’s gaze lingered on me for another second.
Then he opened his door and stepped out.
I followed him into the Hart family mansion.
Now I just had to win his grandmother over.