The truth was written in the stiffness of her spine.
I saw it.
And so did he.
Chapter Five
Elara’s golden eyes shimmered with mock hurt. “Selene, surely you don’t think I withheld your coin, do you?”
She placed a hand over her heart, her voice dripping with wounded innocence. “I’ll have it looked into immediately. One of the Omega staff must’ve gotten greedy… a mutt with no respect for rank.”
With a swirl of her velvet cloak, she turned, her personal she-wolf attendant following like a shadow.
Moments later, two enforcers dragged a trembling young Omega into the training yard. The girl was barely more than skin and bones, her uniform threadbare, her eyes swollen and red.
Lyra followed behind them, her voice high and clear enough to draw a crowd. “This one,” she announced with regal disdain, “stole from the funds allocated for the former Luna and her child. Claimed she needed it for her dying mother.”
She scoffed. “A pretty excuse for a thief.”
Then, with a flick of her wrist, she commanded, “Break her legs. Let her screams remind the rest what happens when you take from the Alpha’s house.”
“No.”
The word cracked like thunder from my throat.
Even if I were a fool, I wasn’t blind enough to believe this scrawny Omega had acted alone. Lyra’s display was too convenient. Too polished.
I stepped forward, reaching instinctively for Ayla—but paused as Lyra signaled subtly behind her. A tilt of her fingers. Barely noticeable. But the intent was unmistakable.
Then they came.
Her two pups—no more than five winters old but already groomed in cruelty—charged forward, snarling.
“You’re trying to take our daddy away!” the girl howled, clutching a sharp stone from the path.
“Bad wolf!” the boy shrieked, his tiny claws unsheathed. “Hit her! Hit her like a rogue!”
The stones flew fast and mean. I turned my body to shield Ayla, but one sharp edge slipped past, catching her temple.
Her scream pierced me.
Blood ran down her face, bright and thin.
Lyra’s children only laughed and reached for more.
I spun, fury igniting beneath my skin. My wolf rose, brushing the surface.
“Touch another stone,” I growled, “and I’ll bury you both before the next moonrise.”
The twins froze, their small bodies sensing the shift in power. They stumbled backward, cowering behind Damien like pups behind a father they knew would defend them—no matter the truth.