It was her birthday, but nothing about that morning felt like it would be special. Soap foam slid between Lyra’s slender fingers as she scrubbed the rough floor of the pack’s main hall, on her knees, her hair pulled into a loose bun that kept coming undone, golden strands slipping out of the band holding them back. Beside her, Petra huffed, sweat beading on her face and her sleeves rolled up to her elbows."You ever notice the more we scrub, the dirtier this floor looks?" Petra muttered, wringing the cloth into the bucket for the third time.Lyra gave a faint smile but didn’t answer. She was focused on scrubbing a dark stain near the stone staircase. Everything had to be perfect so they could go to the party that night.The silence between them was broken by shrill laughter and the click of high heels echoing down the corridor. The two exchanged a glance before slowly standing, like people bracing for disaster.It wasn’t the first time someone had passed by while they were cleaning, b

"Accept it!" he barked again, trying to force her into submission. The bond could only be broken if the wolf rejected it too.But Lyra remained kneeling, sobbing, enduring the soul-tearing pain in silence. Determined to fight for the bond until the end.She just didn’t expect the end to come so fast."Guards!" he roared.Two wolves approached."Take this worthless thing out of the clearing. Mark her as rejected. Punish her for refusing to obey me. And once you’re done having your fun with her, throw her out like the trash she is.""Alpha, no!" Petra screamed, running to shield Lyra, but was stopped. "Please don’t do this to her! She’s your mate!"Kael didn’t blink. He didn’t hesitate. He felt no pity.But inside... the scent of roses and mint kept burning. Like a living memory. Like the scent of the woman who died for him. The scent of his mother. That weak she-wolf who didn’t even have the strength to stay alive.The night, once magical, was now poisoned by the weight of rejecti

She was waiting to die.Chapter 4: The Awakening of the SupremeShe was waiting to die. The growls grew closer, ripping through the night like thunder, and the omega had decided that waiting for her end was the best she could do. But she had already suffered so much… Did she not deserve at least a peaceful death? Hadn’t a shattered heart and a broken body been enough?Lyra tried to lift her head, but the weight of her own body crushed her against the cold, filthy forest floor. Every breath was a battle, every movement pure torment. The wolves were so close now… Terror gripped her mind, making her entire body tremble when she realized she didn’t want to die like this. Without thinking, only obeying the most primal instinct to survive, she forced herself to move. Her trembling, blood-soaked arms dug into the dirt. Her legs, deadened by pain, dragged uselessly behind her thin, exposed frame.“Just… a little more…” she whispered, her voice barely audible, as the metallic taste of blo

The silence between them was as thick as the fog rising from the depths of the cave. Lyra sat wrapped in the cloak he had given her, eyes fixed on the dying embers of the fire. River moved quietly, precise, disciplined. He adjusted his worn, torn pants, barely holding together, gathered the remaining fruit in a dark cloth, and smothered the fire with cold dirt until no trace was left. It was as if he were preparing to disappear from the world, and take her with him.When he was done, he turned to her. “It’s time. We need to leave.”Lyra lifted her gaze slowly. Her face still carried distrust, and exhaustion weighed on her bones. “I’m not going with you,” she said firmly, though her voice was hoarse. “I don’t even know you.”River stepped closer, his eyes like ice shattering beneath the gray dawn filtering through the cave’s entrance. “If you want to live, you’ll have to stay with me.”“I didn’t ask for help.” “But you needed it.”Lyra didn’t answer. Her eyes narrowed as if she want

The forest wind hissed through twisted branches, and even with the filtered morning sunlight, the air felt heavy. Lyra pulled River’s cloak tighter around her. The fabric still carried his scent, earth, wood, and faintly, blood. In no man’s land, someone always seemed to be dying.The walk had been silent. For hours she followed him, deciding it was the best option. But as the forest thickened and the growls of renegades grew more frequent, her trust began to falter. Wouldn’t it be safer to slip into human lands? They would never find her there. Kael would never know… would he? That had to be better than being torn apart on the path to a lost pack.“You really think it’s safe to head for a place cursed by the Elders?” Her voice was steady, though it trembled at the end. “The stories about the Blood Moon Alpha are anything but comforting. They say he’s a beast, a monster who feeds on other wolves. And the thought that I might actually be following him doesn’t make me feel safe at all…”