The moment Lyra uttered the words “shadow-binding curse,” the air in the great hall froze.
Jace was the first to snarl.
“Seris!” His voice echoed like thunder, his wolf aura flaring against the walls.
“I never imagined you’d sink so low. What has Lyra ever done to you that you’d try to curse her unborn heir with dark witchcraft?!”
My mother—once the proud Luna of the Highmoon bloodline—lifted her voice, trembling with theatrical outrage.
“Seris, you wicked little beast! I raised you, fed you, clothed you, and this is how you repay me—by using forbidden blood magic on your sister? Have you no conscience left?”
Father’s tone was colder, heavier.
“Enough deceit. Seris, you’ve disappointed me for the last time. Speak—what do you have to say for yourself?”
I laughed, the sound hollow. “Would you even believe me if I did?”
A flicker of fury darkened his eyes. In the next breath his silver-tipped cane shot forward, striking the back of my knees.
My body folded before I could stop it.
Glass shards bit through my skin; blood pooled instantly on the marble floor.
The pain was blinding.
Before I could rise, another hand forced my head down—hard.
My forehead met the ground with a brutal crack.
For a heartbeat there was nothing but ringing silence.
When my vision cleared, I saw him—Jace Thorn, my husband, my Alpha—calmly wiping his hand with a scented cloth, eyes as indifferent as winter stone.
“This,” he said coolly, “is how a Luna shows remorse. You should thank me. And you’ll undo whatever vile curse you cast on Lyra. If she or the pup suffers, I’ll end you myself.”
I clenched my fists until the claws beneath my skin scraped bone.
“I said—I did nothing.”
“Please, stop fighting.” Lyra’s voice quivered prettily as she leaned into him, eyes shimmering with tears.
“I’m sure she didn’t mean it, Alpha. She’s just… hurt. Let’s forgive her, yes?”
Her soft plea sounded merciful, but every word pushed me deeper into the pit she’d dug.
Even my wolf whimpered, bound and half-asleep beneath my skin.
---
I looked around the hall—at my parents, at the man I’d nearly died for—and realized I was nothing more than a convenient tool wrapped in flesh.
When Father was ill, it was I who fetched healers.
When Mother collapsed, it was I who offered my own blood for transfusion.
When Jace’s company faced ruin, it was I who brokered deals, drank till my stomach bled, smiled till my jaw locked.
And Lyra—she took and took, always smiling sweetly while stealing what was mine.
Something inside me cracked.
A stillness, colder than any rage, settled in its place.
This house… this pack… was never mine.
They all stared as though at a traitor, not a daughter, not a mate.
“Well?” I said softly, meeting Lyra’s gleaming eyes. “Are you satisfied now?”
Jace scowled. “Watch your tone. Lyra is pure-hearted. She’s done nothing to deserve this venom. You’ve become jealous, Seris—and our pack has no place for jealous women.”
My lips curved. “Then it’s a good thing I stopped caring about your pack.”
His jaw tightened. He hadn’t expected defiance; the obedient Luna he’d trained to heel had finally bared her teeth.
Father cleared his throat, trying to regain control. “Enough. This is a family matter, not a spectacle. Sit. Eat. Pretend to be civil.”
In other words: pretend none of this happened.
---
We moved to the dining hall.
Jace sat beside Lyra, their shoulders brushing as though it were natural.
I sat across from them, silent.
When Jace caught my gaze, guilt flickered in his eyes—but before he could speak, Lyra laughed lightly.
“Dear sister, my mate is abroad on business,” she said sweetly. “He and Jace are close friends, so Jace offered to look after me. You don’t mind, do you?”
There was no mate abroad; we all knew that.
It was just another dagger she wanted to twist.
Jace nodded in agreement. “Yes, Seris. I’m only fulfilling my duty as a brother in arms. Lyra’s still injured. She needs care.”
I smiled faintly, though my wolf’s growl echoed behind my ribs.
“So when you carried her in your arms, tended her wounds, whispered her name in our house—was that duty too?”
Before Jace could answer, Mother slammed her hand against the table.
“Shut your mouth! Insolent girl!”
Her claws extended as she yanked me by the collar, throwing me to the floor.
“If not for Lyra’s forgiving heart, you’d be exiled already!”
Blood filled my mouth.
I looked up—at the feast spread across the table. Every dish carried Lyra’s scent; not one bore the spices I loved.
Even here, I was erased.
---
Inside, something ancient stirred.
A pulse beneath my scars.
The scent of blood, the gleam of moonlight on glass—
my wolf’s voice rose again, whispering:
Enough.
The air thickened; the temperature dropped.
Mother’s voice wavered. “What—what’s happening to your eyes?”
I lifted my head slowly.
Reflections of silver fire danced across my vision.
For the first time in years, the chains around my wolf cracked.
