Lyra
I stormed down the cold stone corridor, raw fury and frantic energy propelling every single stride.
My footsteps struck the floorboards with violent precision, echoing off the high arches like an alarm that matched the frantic beating of my heart.
My mind was a chaotic storm, every single thought darker, louder, and more desperate than the last.
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow night would present the flawless window to escape.
The pack guards would be distracted and careless, half-blinded by heavy wine, pride, and celebration.
The entire territory would be gathered to honor Selene—the adored sister, the pristine bride, the newly chosen Luna.
No one would waste a single second scanning the shadows for the unwanted twin they preferred to pretend didn’t exist.
While they drowned themselves in laughter and toasts, I would slip past the outer gates unnoticed, erased—just the way they had always wanted me to be.
I was so consumed by the logistics of my flight that the corridor became a blur.
Rounding a sharp corner too fast, I slammed full-force into a solid, unyielding chest.
The air knocked out of my lungs.
My heart hammered against my ribcage like a trapped bird.
I dragged my head up slowly—far too slowly—and felt the blood freeze solid in my veins.
Standing right in front of me were the absolute last two people I ever expected to cross paths with.
The former rulers.
The Alphas’ parents.
Grand Alpha Kael and Grand Luna Caroline.
The very architects of the pack, the ones who had birthed the three monsters tearing my life apart.
The elders who, by sacred law and ancient tradition, were supposed to have abdicated their seats and departed the main estate weeks ago following the coronation.
Tradition demanded their absence.
The former rulers of a pack could never linger once the new trio took the mantle; their departure was mandatory to allow the new leadership absolute authority, untainted by the shadow of the past.
Yet here they were.
Standing directly in the residential wing.
And I had practically bowled them over like a blind fool.
My instincts overtook my brain before a single rational thought could form.
I instantly dropped my head, folding my shoulders inward in a deep, submissive bow of total submission.
“I…
I beg for your forgiveness, Grand Alpha.
Grand Luna,” I stammered out, my voice quivering as I prayed they wouldn’t view my clumsy mistake as an insult.
I braced my back for the sharp crack of a palm across my face, a harsh snarl, or an order to drop to my knees and explain why a disgraced mate dared to cross their path.
But the blow never came.
Instead…
a soft, warm hand settled gently onto my trembling shoulder.
My muscles went rigid as stone.
Then, to my complete disbelief, Grand Luna Caroline rested two fingers under my chin, lightly tilting my face upward.
Her expression wasn’t twisted with disgust or haughty arrogance; it was soft, quiet, and surprisingly gentle.
She offered me a smile.
A genuine, warm smile.
Am I losing my mind?
It wasn’t the cruel, mocking smirk I was used to receiving from Selene or the triplets.
It carried zero venom, zero condescension.
It startled me far more than a physical blow ever could have.
“Where might we find our boys, child?” Caroline asked, her tone calm, quiet, and strikingly polite.
The words barely managed to squeeze past the tight knot in my dry throat.
“In…
in the main suite, Grand Luna,” I answered hastily, pointing back down the hallway.
A sudden wave of relief washed over my chest.
They weren’t here to interrogate me, lay new accusations at my feet, or drag me into another one of their sons’ sadistic games.
They simply wanted to see their children.
Grand Alpha Kael, towering and formidable beside his mate, offered me a single, heavy nod.
When he spoke, his voice carried the natural, deep reverberation of a seasoned ruler, instinctively commanding absolute respect.
“Lead us,” he instructed plainly.
My feet moved before my brain could process the command.
I turned around, guiding the former Alphas down the very hall I had just fled.
Only now, every step was careful, measured, and perfectly composed.
Yet behind my ribs, the hidden fire burned brighter than ever.
Tomorrow, I will be free of all of you.
Reaching the doors of the Alpha suite, I stepped to the side, bowing my head low in silent, respectful deference.
Invisible.
Submissive.
Exactly as a servant was expected to behave.
The moment they stepped past the threshold, I turned sharply on my heel, quickening my pace into a brisk walk before anyone else could call my name or demand another task of me.
My heart thrummed with frantic urgency, my lungs burning for clean air even though the escape hadn’t officially begun.
I was just about to round the far bend when a violent burst of sound detonated through the closed doors behind me.
Not quiet conversation.
Not polite greetings.
Shouting.
Fierce, hostile shouting.
I stopped dead in my tracks, my boots freezing against the stone.
The triplets—my mates—were roaring at the top of their lungs.
And they were screaming at their parents.
Why?
A sharp needle of intense curiosity pricked at my mind, whispering a dangerous temptation.
What could possibly fracture the cool, unshakeable arrogance of the Alpha triplets?
They were normally so unified, so untouchable, so effortlessly dominant over everyone around them.
A small, foolish part of me urged my feet to turn around.
To creep back, press an ear against the carved wood, and listen.
Maybe the Goddess would finally grant me a single piece of the puzzle that made sense of this nightmare.
But I forced the impulse down.
It wasn’t my burden anymore.
They had made it devastatingly, violently clear that I was an outsider to their lives.
Blowing out a long, quiet breath, I forced my legs to move, turning my back on the muffled rage echoing down the corridor.
I took long, determined strides down the passage, not slowing down until I reached the heavy door of my private quarters.
This room had witnessed far more tears than joy, far more fear than peace.
But tonight, it felt different.
Tonight, it felt like a temporary fortress.
The moment I pushed the door shut and threw the deadbolt, the tight tension drained out of my spine.
I didn’t waste a second.
I dropped to my knees, reaching under the narrow bed to pull out the small wooden chest—the only container of possessions that truly belonged to me in this entire castle.
Flipping the rusted latch open, I began gathering the few things I needed.
Two simple tunics.
A wooden hair comb.
A thick wool blanket.
And the small, hand-carved stone pendant my mother had pressed into my palm before she passed away.
Items that wouldn’t slow me down on the road, but would serve as a quiet reminder that I was a living soul, no matter how desperately the pack tried to treat me like a ghost.
I packed with practiced speed, my hands shaking with a wild mix of adrenaline and quiet excitement as I stowed each item inside the box.
Once the chest was packed, I stood up and began systematically wiping down the room—smoothing the rough linen sheets, clearing the desk, picking up every tiny trace of my presence from the corners.
I moved with a light, silent rhythm, a frantic beat thrumming in my veins that made my shoulders relax and a faint, genuine smile touch my lips.
A private dance of anticipation.
A dance of imminent freedom.
When the room was spotless—when it no longer held the stain of my suffering—I finally let my exhausted body sink onto the mattress.
I lay flat on my back, staring up at the dark wooden beams of the ceiling.
My packed chest rested silently by the doorframe, waiting like a faithful companion.
“Tomorrow,” I whispered into the quiet dark, addressing the weary wolf inside my chest.
“Tomorrow night, the nightmare ends.”
My wolf gave a joyful leap behind my ribs, buzzing with a sudden rush of hope, relief, and peace—feelings we hadn’t shared in what felt like a hundred years.
I kept my eyes fixed on the ceiling, watching the shadows dance in the moonlight, until my eyelids grew heavy and the crushing exhaustion of the past weeks folded over me like a soft blanket.
Slowly, the darkness swallowed the room, deep and merciful…
and for the first time in memory, I allowed myself to drift off into a peaceful sleep.