Rejection

"Lyra, I'm not buying that," her friend said. Something was clearly going on.

Lyra smiled bitterly but held her tongue. Her sister was spoiled rotten by their father, and unfortunately he gave in to her every demand. For a moment she wondered if Kiara wanted her fiance too, but she refused to accept that possibility.

"Be careful, Lyra. Kiara's a bad person, and once she awakens her wolf, I'm afraid she could hurt you."

Lyra didn't doubt it — not even about her father, the Alpha. But she couldn't understand why he treated her that way. For as long as she could remember, he'd always been cold and distant, as if he hated her.

That day, Damian sent her a message saying he had to leave on pack business. Apparently there was trouble with the rebels and he needed to handle it, so she didn't get to see him.

Mura could tell her friend was struggling, even if she wouldn't say it out loud.

"I'm heading to the waterfall," she announced, clearly hoping Lyra would tag along. "You should come with me. The walk will clear your head."

Lyra smiled, seeing through her friend's intentions.

"You're right," she agreed. "With all this ceremony preparation, I haven't made any time for myself. I need to think about something different."

To make matters worse, as they were leaving, the Alpha's companion arrived looking for him, visibly winded.

"The Elders want to see the Alpha. He was supposed to come to the meeting but never showed. They sent me to find him."

"I haven't seen him today," Lyra replied, a knot tightening in her stomach.

"I saw him leave over an hour ago," another local wolf added. "He was with your sister, in his truck."

Lyra felt the ground open beneath her feet. She steadied herself against the door. Then she looked at Damian's escort as if he were to blame and signaled the wolf to keep quiet. He slipped away without another word.

The Alpha's friend didn't know what to say or do.

"Well, Lyra, I'll go tell the Elders — maybe tomorrow." He left feeling awful about the situation. He'd already warned the Alpha that his closeness with his future Luna's sister could be misread.

Mura's face was tight with anger. Elves had fierce tempers and were quick to rage, and she was itching to use her powers to play a nasty trick on Lyra's sister.

"Don't even think about it." Lyra read her mood perfectly. "Leave this to me. I'll talk to Damian — he won't be able to dodge me this time, I promise."

"I'll go see the Elders," she told her friend. "Help me get in."

"Count on it."

No sanctuary or refuge ever turned Mura away — elves had a pact with the wolves and other species. But her parents had been killed shortly after she was born, and she'd been raised moving from pack to pack until Lyra's mother adopted her. After her death, the Alpha cast Mura out. Lyra fought against it, and out of gratitude, Mura would do anything for her.

ELDERS' SANCTUARY

Three elders in dark robes, each with a long white beard that spoke of their ancient age. The oldest among them bore the weight of all responsibility.

Lyra bowed her head as she stepped before them.

"There's no need for that, Lyra." The eldest took her hand. "You're as beautiful as your mother." The others nodded.

"Your mother was an extraordinary Alpha Luna. And you are her heir."

Lyra stared at him, caught off guard.

"My mother was an Alpha?" she asked, stunned.

"There's a great deal you don't know, child." He held her gaze.

He turned and walked toward a wooden door, then stopped before entering. "Wait here," he told her.

Lyra was bewildered, but she did as she was told and didn't move. The other elders were searching through ancient books, apparently paying no attention.

"Found it," one said while the other held up a hanging lantern to light his way.

The eldest finally returned carrying a small chest in his hands. They all gathered in a circle around her.

He set the chest in front of Lyra. She stared at it, speechless. "It's yours. Your mother wanted me to give it to you. But you'll only be able to open it when you come of age — which is next week."

"Along with her bond to her Alpha," another one said, nodding toward her.

"You haven't awakened your wolf yet. That's unusual." The eldest glanced sidelong at the other two.

"Tell me — have you experienced any symptoms?" the oldest one asked.

Lyra sighed.

"Honestly, yes," she said, sitting down. "But I don't know how — they suddenly disappear, and I wake up in bed feeling dizzy."

"What I suspected," one murmured.

"Yes, I was afraid of that," another agreed.

"We need to put a stop to this," the leader declared.

"Guard this chest with your life," he added, turning to Lyra. "Your position depends on it. You're the heir to a great power — pure lineage."

"Since we're on that subject..." She looked at him with interest, though she suspected she already knew what he meant.

"It's about my father." She sighed. "Why do I feel like he despises me? And I think you know the reason."

"Child, it's best you go. What I've given you will reveal everything one day, but you must be careful around your father and your sister. That's all you'll know for now." He sighed. "We'll see each other at the ceremony."

When she finally got home, she found her phone on the nightstand where she'd left it — nearly ten missed calls and a flood of messages from Damian. She didn't return a single one.

"Are you going to ignore me all day?" Damian appeared in her room.

"Damian, I've been here all morning and half the afternoon, and you disappeared." She wasn't going to confront him about what he'd been doing with her sister — she wanted him to tell her himself.

But instead, he hugged her.

She stiffened.

His clothes reeked of Kiara's perfume — cloyingly sweet, unmistakable, and nauseating.

"I was taking care of some pack business."

Lyra felt a crushing weight on her heart. He was lying to her face without a shred of shame.

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