Lysandra POV:
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
"I don't care how you feel," he said simply. "I just wanted you to understand. This isn't personal. You're just... insufficient. And no amount of hoping or wishing or trying will change that."
He walked away, leaving me alone with the books and the crushing weight of his words.
***
That evening, there was another formal dinner. I really, really didn't want to go, but apparently it was mandatory. Something about unity and showing the kingdom that everything was fine.
Which was hilarious considering we were all dying.
I wore a green dress this time, let Mira do something simple with my hair, and walked into that dining room like I was going to my execution.
Which, technically, I was. Just a slow one.
The five Alphas were already there, along with various nobles and council members. The moment I walked in, Darius looked up from his wine glass and said, loud enough for everyone to hear:
"Oh look. The walking corpse has arrived."
Laughter rippled through the room.
I kept my face blank and walked to my assigned seat at the far end of the table.
"I give her three months," Theron said to Kieran. "She's weak. She'll die faster than the rest of us."
"I give her two," Kieran replied. "She'll give up before the curse even finishes her."
"I'm taking bets," Darius announced. "Who wants to wager on when the orphan drops dead?"
Several nobles actually pulled out money.
I sat down and stared at my empty plate, trying to tune them out.
"No takers?" Darius continued. "Come on, this is easy money. She's obviously not going to last."
"Maybe she'll do us all a favor and die faster," Zane said from his corner. "Then we won't have to smell weak blood anymore."
"Agreed," Cassian said. "Her presence is... contaminating."
The dinner continued like that, with the five Alphas taking turns mocking me, insulting me, and generally treating me like garbage while everyone else laughed.
I ate my food mechanically, not tasting anything, just trying to get through the meal without crying or screaming or doing something stupid.
When it finally ended, I practically ran back to my rooms.
Mira was waiting, and she looked horrified. "I heard what they said. How they treated you. Miss Vane, this is..."
"Par for the course?" I finished. "Yeah. I'm getting used to it."
"You shouldn't have to get used to it! This is abuse!"
"It's reality," I said tiredly. "They hate me. I'm dying. Nothing's going to change that."
"But..."
"Mira, please. I'm exhausted. Can we talk about this tomorrow?"
She looked like she wanted to argue but finally nodded and left me alone.
I collapsed onto my bed and stared at the ceiling.
This was my life now. Being mocked and degraded by five Alphas who would rather die than accept me. Being laughed at by nobles who saw me as entertainment. Being treated like garbage by everyone in the palace.
And the worst part? I could stop it. I could reveal who I really was. Show them my power. Prove that I was stronger than all of them combined.
But I couldn't.
Not yet.
Not until I figured out who killed my pack. Not until I understood why the Moonblood line had been targeted. Not until I could trust someone.
And right now, I couldn't trust anyone.
Especially not five Alphas who'd made it crystal clear they wanted me dead.
So I'd keep pretending. Keep being the weak wolfless orphan. Keep letting them think they'd broken me.
And when the time came, when I'd figured out all my answers, I'd show them exactly what they'd rejected.
But until then, I just had to survive.
One insult at a time.
One day at a time.
One breath at a time.
Even if every breath hurt.
Even if every moment felt like dying slowly.
Even if I wasn't sure I'd make it to the end.
My wolf stirred inside me, angry and restless.
"Soon," I promised her. "Soon we'll show them."
But soon felt very far away.
And death felt very, very close.
