Chapter 5

Lyra

Our gaze locks, and I swallow hard, tears streaming down, blurring my vision. His sword ascends, landing firmly on my chin, and my breath catches in my throat. He tilts my head up, the blade digging into my flesh, and blood flows from the wound.

I question my decision to leave Moonpeak without a plan, and Sasha's voice echoes, "You can't stand your father’s killer." My uncle, a menacing figure who commands fear as an Alpha, took over after my father's death. My father and uncle were once close, and I couldn't comprehend why he changed abruptly after being brutally murdered by the Alpha king, Kessler. He had vowed vengeance, but it seemed my uncle wasn't a match for the feared Alpha King.

He circles me, a devious smirk playing on his face. "Is he your mate?" With a shaky breath, my heartbeat racing fast, I answer, "Yes, he is." Uncertain of his intentions, I can't shake the feeling that my uncle is up to no good. His sinister laughter echoes, and a chill runs down my spine. "He's up to no good, planning something to ruin my life, as he always does."

"I have many things for you to do, but I won't act on them because you're my ticket to a new level I crave, just like with Alpha Tristan." My jaw clenches, concealing the hatred coursing through me as I hold my hand in a fist behind me. "He doesn't desire a mate after losing his first," he asks calmly, "so what does he want with you now?"

My teeth clench as I lie, "He wants me as his mistress since he already has a chosen mate. He plans to make me suffer as his second-chance mate. I doubt he'd even glance at me." My wolf Sasha groans in pain, hearing me speak those words about Kessler. "Very good," he mutters with a devious smirk, revealing his understanding of the situation.

I stand there, frozen, observing his reactions. In a whispered plea, I question, "What do you want from me?" as all my energy seems to drain away. "Can't you just let me be?" I say in resignation. His eyes bore into mine, and a twisted satisfaction danced in his gaze. "You're my leverage, my dear," he replies coldly. "You'll do as I say."

His voice thundered, commanding, "Go back to him, do what he wants. Stay with him, seduce him, please him, do whatever you can, and bear his child in the next six months. You know what that entails." I am too stunned to speak. I stare at my uncle as if he has sprouted two heads, letting out a bitter laugh. I cease when he locks eyes with a piercing gaze, his wolf threatening to take control.

"I know your desire. You want an heir to secure control once the child is born, to gain more power as you've always yearned for. I see his intentions without him uttering a word." Summoning the courage to rebel for once, I scream, "I will not do it! I won't betray him like that. I'd rather reject him than follow your orders." My uncle remains silent. His expression is emotionless, but his eyes hold a knowing look.

His cold gaze lingers, and with a chilling calmness, he warns, "You're playing a dangerous game, my dear. Choose your moves wisely." As he turns to leave, he swiftly stops and looks at me. "Why don't you meet your mother before going back to Kessler?" My eyes widen, and my mouth hangs open in disbelief. My throat feels dry as I manage to ask, "My mother? What do you mean?" The unexpected turn of events leaves me confused.

I peer into his eyes, searching for any sign of deception, but there isn't a trace of falsehood. The truth hits me like a freight train – I had witnessed my mother's death. "I saw her dead, didn't I?" I ask myself, trying to reassure myself that it is all a scheme for me to do his bidding. My voice quivers.

I look up and see my mom walking with all grace and poise. She is a beauty to behold. She was a great Luna. I got her banging body and her blue eyes. She is blonde while I took my dad's dark hair. My breath hitches in my throat. The shock I feel is an understatement. With a trembling voice above a whisper, I mutter, "Mother."

Gathering my strength, I get off my knees, attempting to run to my mother so she can soothe me like she used to. As a child, I ran to my mother for comfort, but my uncle swiftly stopped me. The reunion I long for seems out of reach. She died, and a monument was raised in her honor. The revelation leaves me torn between joy at finding her alive and the anger and betrayal from the deception I feel from within.

I gaze at my mother, longing to touch her and confirm she isn't a ghost. There are no emotions on her face, and my heart breaks for her. Many questions run through my mind about how she is still alive. My uncle's voice shatters my thoughts. "Go against me, and I will kill your mother." His booming voice echoes, causing the entire woods to shake with the weight of his aura.

I can't bear the thought of losing my mother again. Stumbling back, I resolve to do his bidding, shifting into my wolf form as I flee into the woods, compelled by the desperate need to comply with my uncle's demands to protect her. Racing through the woods, my wolf senses are heightened by fear, and I grapple with conflicting emotions. The echoes of my uncle's threat reverberate in my mind.

With every pace on my paws, I race until I reach the Moonpeak pack border, but a heart-wrenching voice booms in anger, stopping me as he commands, "Seize her now." This adds another layer of dread to what I am already facing.