Lyra thought that after revealing so much, Fenris would at least question it—even if he didn't fully believe her.
Yet, he didn't.
"That's enough! Even now, you're still trying to frame her," Fenris snarled, his Alpha command voice pressing against her like a physical weight. "Back then, your brother forced himself on her. And now you keep throwing false scent-accusations at her."
"Lyra, I really misjudged you. I didn't expect your heart to be so cruel."
Lyra's heart turned completely cold. She slowly climbed up from the ground. Even though she was in a terrible state—her Omega submission instincts screaming at her to bare her throat—she stood straight.
"We were both wrong. Maybe we should never have been bonded," she said.
Her white ceremonial clothes were stained red with blood at that moment. But Fenris felt no pity and mocked her instead.
"Hah! Even now, you're still blaming others. Lyra, I've been too good to you."
"Since that's the case, you need to learn a lesson so you won't harass pack members. Summon the Pack Guards! Tell them that Lyra Stormvale had intentionally injured a fellow Omega."
Everyone around was shocked, their scents spiking with fear and disbelief.
Selene pretended to be kind and said softly, her voice trembling with practiced weakness, "Fenris, forget it. She is still your mate. I can suffer a little. Don't let my matter damage your bond."
But Fenris replied firmly, "Selene, you don't need to be so understanding. I promised you long ago that I would never let anyone harass you again."
Hearing his promise to Selene, Lyra felt sharp pain in her chest where the forced bond-mark burned. Those words... he once said the same things to her.
Lyra looked at him and spoke slowly, "Fenris, back then, to make me accept your claim, you promised you would never let me suffer. You said you would only love me in this life."
"You said I could do anything and you would always protect me." By the end, her voice grew weaker. She was exhausted. "You made too many Moon Oaths, but you kept none of them."
Fenris didn't care. "Every cause has its result. Your brother hurt Selene. Your whole bloodline should make up for it."
Lyra stared at him with red eyes. "What if everything was a lie she told you? What if the scent evidence was fabricated?"
Fenris sneered. "You're saying again that she framed your brother? I've heard this for years. You're not tired of saying it, but I'm tired of hearing it."
"Don't you always say the one in my heart is Selene?"
"Fine. I'll make it true. I'll let you see that without my protection, without my Alpha authority, you are nothing."
He turned to the Pack Guards and shouted, "What are you waiting for? Take the Mate to the Sanctuary Den. She'll calm down properly after that."
As the guards grabbed Lyra, her heat-suppressant medicine fell to the ground, the vials scattering across the stone floor.
Fenris reacted quickly. When he saw the medicine, he laughed coldly. "Suppressants? You're having heat instability? Lyra, what trick is this now?"
"You really love acting, don't you? Fine, I'll go along with it."
"Tell the Sanctuary Den that my mate is mentally unstable. No special treatment for her."
"Put her together with the other broken wolves. Let them 'discuss' their afflictions together."
Lyra already knew Fenris was heartless. But hearing such cruel words with her own ears still made her heart shake.
As she was dragged away, she laughed coldly. "Fenris, you will regret this."
For the next half month, Lyra was locked in the Sanctuary Den with wolves who had lost themselves to moon-madness and feral rage.
During the day, she received so-called "submission therapy." She was bound with silver-threaded restraints for forced compliance sessions. She was made to swallow unknown herbs that dulled her senses and suppressed her wolf entirely.
At night, she had to stay alert, afraid the feral wolves might attack her in their confusion.
For fifteen days, she was tortured until she was barely recognizable as the proud Stormvale Omega she had once been.
The only constant thing was this: Every day, Fenris sent pack members to force her to admit she was wrong—to sign a Moon Oath of submission and false confession.
At first, Lyra said nothing. Later, she was tortured until her mind began to fracture. She could barely speak through the haze of drugs.
In the end, she couldn't hold on anymore. She looked at the wolves Fenris sent and said in despair, "I did nothing wrong. If you're capable, then kill me."
If death meant escaping this horrible life forever, then maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
Finally, on the fifteenth day, Lyra was pushed to the edge of death. She was rushed to the Healer Den overnight, her wolf barely flickering within her broken body.
