I couldn’t believe what I just heard.
The wolf inside me stirred instantly, hackles raised, releasing a thick wave of energy that filled the room like a threat. It wasn’t as overwhelming as Cyrus’s aura, but as a Luna, I still had the power to suppress others.
The men in black uniforms froze mid-step, caught under the weight of my dominance. But Esmeralda didn’t seem to notice. She mistook their hesitation for weakness.
“What are you waiting for?” she snapped, voice sharp. “Just take the child! How hard can it be?”
One of them tried to move forward, but before he could reach me, my wolf lashed out. He flew back, crashing against the wall with a grunt, blood streaking his face.
I didn’t flinch. I clutched Athena closer, grounding myself in the feel of her tiny body in my arms.
“Take another step,” I warned, my voice low and steady, “and I’ll rip you to pieces.”
Esmeralda looked stunned, like she couldn’t believe I was resisting. Her expression twisted with rage as she jabbed a finger at me.
“You’re seriously standing in the way of saving the heir?” she spat. “Hand over the heart of that useless child. This is your chance to prove you’re still worth something as Cyrus’s Luna.”
I let out a cold laugh. “If she’s so useless, why do you need her heart?”
Her mouth opened for a retort, but before she could speak, another figure entered the room.
It was Cyrus. He walked in with that usual quiet authority, eyes scanning the scene until they landed on Athena in my arms. Esmeralda turned to him immediately, as if reinforcements had just arrived.
“She refuses to give the child,” she said quickly. “It’s the only way she can still serve this pack, and yet she dares to disobey.”
Cyrus frowned. My heart pounded in my chest as I turned to face him.
“Are you really going to let them take your own daughter’s heart?” I asked, my voice trembling despite how hard I tried to hold it steady. I needed him to say no. Just one word.
But his face remained cold.
“Lyra,” he said, his tone emotionless, “listen to my mother. It’s just a heart. You can always have another child.”
I stared at him in disbelief. Then I laughed. Bitterly. Of course. He’d never chosen me. Why did I think he would choose her?
“If it’s just a heart,” I said sharply, “why not give yours? Isn’t that your son?”
Cyrus’s eyes narrowed. “That is our son—”
“He is not mine,” I snapped. “And I will not give my child’s heart to him.”
His gaze didn’t waver. My grief, my rage, it didn’t reach him. He was unmoved.
“If that’s your decision,” he said.
Then he raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Pain pierced my arm. I looked down in shock, a tranquilizer dart stuck out of my skin.
I gasped, my body reacting too fast. My limbs went heavy, muscles turning to jelly. I tried to fight it, to hold on tighter to Athena, but my strength was gone. My fingers slipped and Athena rolled slightly out of my grasp.
No.
I tried to reach for her, to gather one last shred of willpower, but my vision blurred. My lips moved soundlessly, mouthing her name again and again.
They pulled her from my arms.
She cried out, a raw, high-pitched scream. From the sound of it, Esmeralda had grabbed her too tightly. I wanted to shout. I wanted to claw my way across the floor, to protect her with my body but I couldn’t move.
I couldn’t even scream.
I lay there, paralyzed and useless, watching them walk away.
Cyrus said something to the man who tranquilized me. Then they all turned to leave. The door creaked shut behind them.
Athena’s last cry echoed in my ears.
Then silence. Only the sound of my heart breaking remained louder than the tears streaming down my face.
