Lyra flinched violently as two gamma warriors dragged her from her dark cell, the silver chains biting deeper into her raw wrists. The sunlight pierced her eyes like daggers after days in total darkness, and she could not help the pained whimper that escaped her cracked lips. Her legs trembled beneath her, too weak to support her weight, but the warriors did not slow their pace. They simply pulled her harder, forcing her to stagger beside them or be dragged across the stone floor.
"Move faster, traitor," one of them grunted, yanking the chain connected to the silver collar around her neck.
She tried to obey, but her body betrayed her. Days without food, with only sips of water, had left her hollow. The silver had drained what little strength remained. Every step was agony, every breath a struggle.
"Please," she whispered, though she knew it was useless. Their faces remained impassive, carved from stone. To them, she was not a person. She was not even a pack member. She was only the sister of the traitor, the abomination who dared to be mate-bonded to their Alphas.
They did not respond, dragging her through winding stone corridors. She heard whispers from the shadows as they passed, wolves gathering to witness her shame. Her shift hung in tatters around her body, stained with her blood where the silver had burned deepest.
"She will not survive the Hollowing." "Good. Traitor's blood should be purged."
She closed her eyes against their hatred, but she could not close her ears. Their words followed her, ghosts that would not rest.
The warriors stopped before an arched doorway. One of them knocked once, and the heavy wooden door swung open to reveal a stone chamber lit by candles. Inside, Maggie and three omega girls waited with solemn faces as they regarded her.
"Leave her," Maggie commanded, and the warriors released her without warning.
Her legs gave way entirely, and she collapsed onto the cold stone floor. The impact jarred every bone in her body, but she did not have the strength to cry out. She simply lay there, trembling, as Maggie approached.
"Get those chains off her," Maggie ordered the omegas.
They worked quickly, unlocking the silver that had bitten deep into her flesh. When the collar came away from her throat, she gasped as the relief felt almost as painful as the burning had been.
"Put her in the bath," Maggie ordered.
Two of the omegas lifted her by her arms, guiding her to a copper tub filled with steaming water. The herbs in it filled the air with a pungent scent that made her head swim. They stripped away what remained of her clothing and lowered her into the water.
She hissed as the heat met her wounds, but the herbs quickly numbed the worst of the pain.
Tears slid silently down her cheeks as the omegas washed her. She did not deserve this and she did not want to die. She had not yet cleared her family's name. She had not proven that Elias was not a traitor. There was so much she had not done.
"I did not do anything," she said, though no one had accused her of anything aloud. "My brother did not betray the packs."
None of them responded. Only Maggie looked at her, her stern expression unchanging as she supervised.
When the bathing was finished, they dressed her in skimpy clothes that barely covered her nakedness and painted her face. Lyra wondered why they bothered when she was going to face something harsher than death.
Just before Lyra was led out of the stone chamber, Maggie caught her wrist. When Lyra turned back to look at the woman, she saw something she had never seen before flash in the woman's eyes.
"The Last Howl," she said after a moment. "When the pain becomes too much, sing the song. It will help."
Lyra nodded as a tear trickled down her cheek. The gammas took hold of her and led her away. Soon, they reached a set of massive oak doors. Two guards stood beside it like statues.
"The Alphas await," one of them announced, and the doors swung open.
The gammas shoved her into the throne room, stepping back and closing the door behind her. At the far end, on raised daises, sat the three Alphas. Alpha Kade occupied the center throne while his brothers flanked him on either side. Their faces were unreadable masks of contempt as they watched her approach.
Despite her terror, the mate bond flared hot in her chest, sending unwanted images flashing through her mind— their hands on her body, their mouths claiming hers. She stifled a gasp at the intensity of it and stumbled slightly as her wolf purred inside her.
"Look when our queen chose to grace us with her very divine presence," Alpha Knox mocked through gritted teeth.
"I am no queen," Lyra whispered, fixing her gaze on the floor.
"Kneel," Alpha Kade commanded sharply when she stood before them.
Her legs buckled immediately and her knees hit the floor. She still kept her eyes down, unable to meet their gazes.
The Alphas rose as one and slowly descended from their thrones. Her heart hammered frantically in her chest as they circled her slowly, like predators examining their prey before the kill.
Alpha Kade spoke first. "The goddess must be really crazy, Lyra. Is she not?"
How did he expect her to answer that? She did not respond, only stared down at her fingers.
His fingers suddenly gripped her chin, forcing her face up to meet his gaze. His green eyes bored into hers, searching for something she could not tell. But his hands on her skin sent jolts of electricity through her and she fought the urge to nuzzle her nose against his palm. She hated it, but his touch sent liquid fire through her veins. It made her wolf surge forward, and she wondered if he felt it too.
But her wolf retreated with a whimper when his fingers tightened on her jaw.
"When I speak to you, I expect a reply. Understood?" His claws dug into her flesh.
"Yes, Alpha," Lyra whispered, trying hard to hold back her tears.
"Good," he hissed, releasing her chin with enough force that her head snapped back.
"Do you have something to say for yourself, Little Thorne?" Alpha Kalem asked. "You seem to have a lot on your mind. Speak up."
"I did not do anything. Why do I have to suffer for something I knew nothing about?" Lyra said in a hoarse voice.
Alpha Knox crouched to her level, his breath hot against her ear. "Do you know what they did to the first warriors your brother betrayed? They were tortured, skinned alive, and their mates and pups were forced to watch," he growled. "They watched them die, one by one, while Kronos and his men fed on them. We all watched. Children. Elders. Warriors."
His hand tangled painfully in her hair, yanking her head back to expose her throat. "Did any of them do something to go through such torture? Did Tana do something to become their feed thing? Tell me, Lyra!" he yelled.
"No, no," she gasped, tears rushing down her cheeks. "They did not."
His grip on her hair tightened. "The next time you ask such a question, I will personally rip you to shreds. You do not deserve to die, Lyra. Death is such a peaceful punishment. You deserve to rot in hell."
Her wolf whimpered and Lyra hiccuped. She had not really known the severity of the damage done by the vampires. Elias had fled with her, and they had stayed in hiding for long. Then, one day, he left and never came back, and Lyra had to fend for herself alone. Five years later, she was captured by Blackwood warriors and it was the beginning of her torture.
Alpha Kalem, who had been observing silently, approached her. Unlike his brothers, he did not touch her. His soft voice was somehow more terrifying than their aggression as he spoke.
"You are weak," he stated calmly. "Untrained, uneducated, without standing or skills, and unfit to carry an Alpha's heir. You have no value to this pack. You are a liability and an endless reminder of the hurt your family has brought upon us."
Each word cut deeper than any blade could.
"The Alphas have gathered for the Hollowing," Alpha Knox said, straightening to his full height. "They expect justice, and to see traitor's blood spilled."
"We have reached our decision," Alpha Kade announced. "We will reject you, Lyra Thorne. We cannot mate with traitor's blood."
Terror seized her. She knew what three rejections would mean. It was not just pain, but death. Her body, already weakened by imprisonment and silver, would not survive. Desperation overwhelmed her pride, her dignity, and everything except the will to live.
She lunged forward, clutching at Alpha Kade's leg. "Please," she begged, her voice breaking. "I will do anything. I will be anything you want—your servant, your sex slave. Use my body however you wish, but do not reject me. Please."