Lyra's heart jumped into her mouth as she stepped into the grand, opulent ballroom. It was filled with Alphas and high-ranking Lords from different packs and their cohorts. The hall was alive with conversation and boisterous laughter from powerful men. The rest of the pack were outside the hall, in the arena, waiting for the ritual to begin, but inside, this was the real ceremony, the one of power, of alliances, and pride.
She took a deep breath and walked into the ballroom, just like the other omega girls who were serving drinks. She made sure to keep her eyes down, not wanting to meet the gaze of anyone who would recognize who she was. But even if she wanted to forget what she was or who her family was, the pack would never allow it.
She moved slowly between tables, balancing a tray lined with goblets. A hand reached out and grabbed her butt as she leaned to set down a goblet. She flinched, but she did not stop.
"Look at this one, gentlemen," one of the guest Alphas said, his voice heavy with too much wine and too little decency. "Is this not Thorne's sister? Did not her brother try to murder us Alphas by giving us all out to Kronos?"
"Come here, girl," another growled, his lip curling. "I thought they locked you up or sold you to the brothels. Still parading you about like a serving wench, eh?"
The wolves at the table snickered. One of them, probably no older than the triplets, leaned close, his hand sliding up the back of her thigh. He pinched, hard, just where the fabric grew tight.
"It is such a shame that such a beauty comes from traitorous blood."
Lyra blinked and did nothing, because if she did something, it would be worse. The triplets had taught her that lesson too well.
She saw them at the head table, perfectly arranged, as if someone had ordered their features from a catalog of nightmares and then made them flesh. Alpha Kade sat in the middle, every line of his face a ruler's edge, his eyes colder than iron and twice as unforgiving. His hand rested on the hilt of the ceremonial dagger beside his plate like he was itching for someone to earn it.
Alpha Knox sprawled to his left, his mouth always curled in the shadow of a sneer. He leaned back, his arms crossed, like a wolf bored of the hunt. He scowled at everything and watched the hall like a beast caged too long, just waiting for someone to make a mistake.
Alpha Kalem, the third, kept his eyes down, swirling his wine, but every so often, she caught his gaze looking up; and when he did, it felt like he was reading sins off her skin. He did not drink his wine. He studied it, like he was imagining how it was made, who crushed the grapes, or who bled for it.
They all watched her. They did not join the jest. They did not laugh or even smirk. But they did not interfere either. Her eyes drifted to Seraphina, who sat beside Alpha Knox like a jeweled blade. She was his self-acclaimed mistress. When she saw Lyra watching, her eyes burned with something cruel, and Lyra dropped her gaze fast and moved on.
By the time she was done serving the first tray, one of the Alphas beckoned to her. She walked over to him, using the tray as a shield as she moved.
"Thorne's little bïtch, right?" he drawled.
She nodded, trying to keep her face blank.
He grinned, all teeth and arrogance. "On your knees. I need you to pleasure me with your mouth," he said casually, like he was asking for more bread. His hand reached for the nearest goblet without ever breaking eye contact.
The other Alphas chuckled. Lyra's entire body trembled with dread, and she opened her mouth, but no words came out. She had not done it before, and any mistake she made, these men were going to punish her severely for it. She simply obeyed and lowered to her knees, and the room fell silent.
She glanced up, almost against her will. The triplets still watched. Alpha Kade's face was carved from stone. His face was always unreadable, and he watched with detachment. Alpha Knox's jaw twitched, but he did not move. Alpha Kalem watched the Alpha like he was dissecting him with his eyes.
"What are you waiting for?" the Alpha barked.
The room was deathly quiet now. Every noble, every lord, every mutt, every mistress. All of them were waiting to see her grovel. She took a deep breath and reached for his belt.
"Uh, uh," he clicked his tongue, shaking his head. That cruel smirk returned. "Your teeth, girl. Use your teeth to unbuckle me, Thorne."
The room erupted in laughter and then fell silent again as they waited patiently for her disgrace. She nodded and moved close, lowering her face to the Alpha's belt, eyes closed.
"That is enough, Igla!" someone snapped, stopping her movement.
Her eyes snapped open and she saw that it was Alpha Kade who had spoken. His face was still carved in stone, but every eye was on him now.
"Alpha Kade," Alpha Igla grunted. "Why spoil the merriment?"
"The Moon Rising is around the corner," Alpha Knox put in, his eyes fixed on Alpha Igla. "We cannot be here frolicking while the rest of the pack waits beneath the sky."
Murmurs rose in the air as a few Alphas grumbled, others chuckled, feeling disappointed.
"What do you care about a slave?" Alpha Igla huffed, annoyed that his show was stopped.
"She is not of age yet," Alpha Kade said, rising from his chair. "She is awakening tonight. By our law, no underage she-wolf should undergo any kind of mating or rutting until their awakening. We Alphas are not exempted from that law. We can wait for The Hollowing tomorrow and you all can have a fill of her."
Lyra's heart dropped at the mention of that. The Hollowing was a chilling term used by Alphas to describe the public breaking of a captor's spirit, body, and bloodline history. Packs believed hollowing someone purged their inherited sin and restored honor to wolves whose bloodlines once suffered humiliation or betrayal. Each affected bloodline would publicly use and mark the captor however they wanted. Most wolves did not survive this, especially she-wolves. It was horrifying.
She heard the resigned but unhappy sighs from the other Alphas as their entertainment was cut short. Everyone wanted to see her hurt. They all wanted to see her broken.
Alpha Igla scowled down at her like she had ruined his feast. "Get out of my sight," he spat.
She scrambled to her feet and started to hurry out of the ballroom as the ceremony resumed as if she had never been there. But a figure blocked her path. She looked up to see Seraphina. Her auburn curls caught the candlelight, making her look like a goddess of fire.
"Well, if it is not Blackwood's favorite floor mop," she said, her smile wide enough to show the tips of her canines.
Lyra kept her eyes down. "Can I help you, Lady Gareth?" It almost came out as a bite.
Seraphina laughed. "Goddess, you do have manners. You hear that, Maggie?" She turned to where Maggie waited in the doorway, stone-faced, pretending not to listen.
Maggie shrugged. "She tries, my Lady."
"How sweet." Seraphina leaned closer. "You must have pissed the triplets off that all they do is watch your every move. Knox is in a foul mood. You know what that means for all of us, do you not?"
Lyra did not answer. She was not there for answers.
"Run to the stables for me," Seraphina said. "I left my shawl there; azure velvet, you cannot miss it. If you hurry, you might get back before the moon rises."
It was not a request. It was an order. This was her way of showing her dominance, a reminder that even in that hall of powerful men, she still had the power to send Lyra scurrying into the night like a frightened mouse.
Lyra bit back the furious, defiant words that rose in her throat and bowed. "As you wish, my Lady." She set her tray down beside the wine table and walked out through the servants' exit into the cold.
She reached the lonely stables alone. Every other person was at the arena, reveling and waiting for the full moon. She searched the stables, but there was no shawl, of course. There had never been a shawl. But there was Jarek, and two others from the lower gamma. Stable guards. They had been drinking, judging by the flush in their cheeks and the way they laughed too loudly at nothing.
She stood up fast, backing into the corner between two stalls. Her heart hammered in her chest frantically. Jarek had been trying for the longest time to fûck her, but she had always avoided him and the stables altogether. Even when she was sent there, she made sure it was when others were around.
"I told you she would come," Jarek said, his eyes glittering. "They always do what Seraphina says. Like a good little mutt." His smile widened as he came closer. "You know, some of us bet you would not even show. But here you are. Obedient as ever."
Lyra's heart sank low into her abdomen. Had Seraphina sent her there alone, knowing Jarek was waiting for her? Why on the night of her awakening? There was only one answer, and it was not pleasant