"Needing me?" Lyra laughed—a sound hollow with grief and fury. Her nails dug into her palms hard enough to draw blood, though she didn't notice. "Selene, your reputation is precious, but mine is worthless? You're the one who cannot control your heats, tangling with rogue males and low-born wolves. When the scandal breaks, you shove me before the pack's judgment, and now you dare speak of needing me?"
She advanced step by step, her gaze cutting like a blade. "When you were doing all those shameful things, did you ever think of the consequences? Selene, you make my wolf sick."
"Lyra!" Selene's wail pitched higher, her body trembling as though she had suffered the world's greatest injustice.
"Lyra! Are you finished with this display?" A frigid male voice sliced through the air, carrying the unmistakable weight of Alpha dominance.
Fenris Blackmoor descended the stone stairs in swift strides, his eyes finding Selene first. The sight of her tear-streaked face made the corners of his dark eyes flash with protective fury. He crossed the hall in three strides, pulling her behind him before turning to Lyra. His gaze brimmed with disgust and cold rage. "Selene is your sister. How can you speak to her this way?"
Lyra's heart plummeted as if dropped into frozen waters. She stared at the Alpha before her—his scent once so comforting, now utterly foreign. Once, he had shielded her just like this, standing between her and every storm.
"What did I do to her?" Her voice shook, but she refused to lower her eyes. "She is the one who did those things. Why should I bear the shame? Fenris, can you please think clearly for once?"
"Think clearly?" Fenris's laugh was cold, his gaze contemptuous. "Selene is too pure to do something like that. Obviously you are the one with a venomous heart, slandering her on purpose. Lyra, I never imagined you would become this kind of wolf."
He looked down at Selene, his tone instantly melting into tenderness as he gently brushed away her tears. "Don't cry. I failed to protect you. You've been wanting that Starfire Fang set, haven't you? I'll have it delivered to your chambers by tomorrow's moon, alright?"
Selene sniffled, gazing up at him through glistening lashes. Her fingers twisted nervously at her silken wrap as she pushed further. "But... I also want Lyra's bonding circlet. You said that circlet was meant for the one you love most..."