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Rejected by the Alpha Advocate
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"I want to report Alpha Fenris Blackthorn for forced bond-claim. He violated me against my will during heat!" On their third mating anniversary, Lyra Stormvale gave Fenris Blackthorn a gift: a formal ...
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第1章
On their third mating anniversary, Lyra Stormvale gave Fenris Blackthorn a gift: a formal petition to the Pack Council.
"I want to report Alpha Fenris Blackthorn for forced bond-claim. He violated me against my will during heat!"
The Council scribes looked at each other in disbelief, their eyes darting between Lyra and the Alpha sitting calmly beside her—Fenris Blackthorn, the legendary "Living Yama" of Pack Law, the Enforcer-Lord whose command voice had broken stronger wolves than her. Then, their gazes turned cold as they stared Lyra down.
"Omega Stormvale, filing a petition requires evidence. If you're fabricating this, it's a false accusation. You could be bound in silver for this."
This time, Lyra was prepared. She produced the healer's ledger documenting the torn bonding marks on her neck, the scent bruising across her skin, and the heat-suppressant damage to her system. "This is the evidence."
Fenris sat to the side, his Alpha presence rolling off him in lazy waves as he held a lit cigarette between his fingers. He smiled, a look of casual indifference on his face. "Lyra, you've been planning this for a long time, haven't you?"
He then moved closer and spoke with false warmth, "We're bonded. Isn't this natural between mates? Please stop making things difficult for the Council scribes."
The moment Fenris tried pulling her away by the bond-mark, Lyra broke free and shouted at the scribes, "I have healer evidence! Why don't you bind him?"
Before the scribes could speak, Fenris activated a scry-stone.
It was Lyra's voice from last night in their den, the sounds she made when her heat overwhelmed her resistance.
Lyra's face turned pale. She grabbed the stone and shattered it. "Fenris, how shameless can you be?!"
Fenris smiled. "Destroy it if you want. I have echo-copies stored in the Central Den."
"Come on, Lyra, you responded to me last night. Now you pretend nothing happened. That really hurts me."
"I know you're angry because I didn't honor your boundaries. I promise to be gentler next time."
Fenris looked relaxed. He even spoke to the scribes politely, "Sorry for wasting Council resources. My mate gets emotional during post-heat. I need to comfort her."
The scribes nodded at Fenris's words.
After all, they were frequent visitors. Every few moons they came and every time it ended with "insufficient scent-trace—return to your den and resolve this privately."
Everyone thought that Fenris loved Lyra.
Yet, only Lyra knew the truth. The one in Fenris's heart was never her.
They were sent out of the Council Hall. Cold wind carried the scent of pine and frost into Lyra's lungs. She felt frozen inside.
She failed again. No matter what she did, Fenris always stayed calm.
In everything, he followed her wishes, except for their bond severance. But Lyra didn't want to give up that one goal she had: freedom from this mating.
They had been bonded three years. She had asked for bond severance for two of them and she failed every time.
At the beginning, Fenris said he would love her forever. They would grow old together, their scents intertwined until death.
Lyra believed him. In the second year of their bond, reality hit her hard.
Fenris's first scent-choice, Selene Nightbloom, returned to New Metro territory after her own bond was severed. She wanted to reclaim Fenris's heart.
Fenris refused her clearly. Yet, that night, Selene drank too much moon-wine at a pack gathering. Lyra's brother, Kael Stormvale, kindly escorted her to a guest den.
Out of the blue, Selene accused him of trying to force-claim her. She somehow obtained Kael's scent-essence as proof. In the end, the Pack Council had to cage him in silver.
Due to the incident, Lyra's father collapsed from the shock to his Alpha heart. Her mother fell into a wasting illness from grief.
Within three days, the Stormvale territory holdings were seized by creditors, and the crushing weight of lost hunting rights eventually destroyed Lyra.
Fenris stayed by her side. "Lyra, I'm here. I'll handle your brother's case and restore your family's territory."
Lyra believed him. She even thought she had gotten so lucky that she had bonded with a good Alpha. But on the Council Hearing day, Fenris destroyed her.
Fenris stood against her, as Selene's Pack Law advocate. In the Council Hall, he coldly accused Kael.
See, Fenris Blackthorn was a legend across the entire territory alliance. With him there, Kael had no chance and was sentenced to five years in an iron-silver holding den.
After the hearing, Lyra cried and screamed at Fenris, "That's my brother, Fenris! Do you know what you've done?!"
Fenris, neat and calm in his formal pack attire, frowned slightly. "Lyra, if your brother committed a violation, he must face pack justice. I presented scent evidence. I can't mix personal feelings with Pack Law."
Lyra knew her brother so well. "Kael doesn't even desire females! There's no way he'd force-claim Selene! You grew up with him too and you know about it!"
Fenris replied calmly, "I only believe in the evidence."
Lyra cried in despair, "Do you believe evidence... or do you believe Selene?"
Fenris tried to leave as a response.
However, Lyra stopped him. "Today, you must choose. Me or Selene."
Fenris said nothing but left with Selene instead.
That moment, Lyra knew: it was over for them. She kept petitioning for bond severance after that. Every time, it ended in failure.
Each time, Fenris brought her gifts and said gently, "Lyra, in our mating, you only leave in a burial shroud, not through severance."
Two moons later, Lyra found out she was carrying a pup. As revenge, she sought a healer to end the pregnancy and gave the remains to Fenris.
Fenris was heartbroken, but still comforted her, "If you don't want pups, then we won't have them. We're still young."
Lyra couldn't stand living beside her greatest enemy. So, she planned to escape across the territory border with her mother. But the night before leaving, her mother threw herself from the highest tower of their ancestral den to avoid burdening her.
Both parents were dead. Her brother was caged. Every pack avoided the Stormvale name.
Lyra lost all hope. So she tried to end her own life.
That night, she lost too much blood. Only Fenris had the matching blood-bond type. He nearly drained himself to save her.
When Lyra woke, the first thing she said was, "Let me go."
For the first time, Fenris looked truly pained.
But he threatened her, "If you try to flee again, if you try to harm yourself again, your brother will die in that cage."
The threat worked. After that, Lyra stopped resisting. She lived like a lifeless body. Her smile disappeared.
Later, Selene claimed she had developed a wasting sickness from the assault and stayed in Fenris's den every day. Fenris even appointed her as his personal Omega Scribe.
When Lyra burned with fever and handled her mother's burial rites alone, Fenris went running through distant territories with Selene. When Lyra hurt herself in their den, Fenris was hosting a grand moon-feast for Selene's naming day.
Fenris always said he loved Lyra, but everything he did clearly showed that Selene was the one he treasured most.
Lyra was tired. Fenris didn't know—she was quite ill. Each time he chose Selene and hurt Lyra, her sickness grew worse.
The healer said she had severe spirit-sickness and bond-rot. If things continued, she would either lose her mind or fade entirely.
Lyra wanted to live, however. She still hadn't taken revenge for her brother. The only way to do that was to leave this territory, seek healing, and completely forget Fenris and everything here.
So, Lyra planned another escape. Cold wind brushed her face through the carriage window as her tears fell quietly.
"Fenris, I'm exhausted. Let's sever the bond."
第2章
Suddenly, Fenris slammed his claws against the carriage brake, sending the bone-wheeled transport lurching to a halt.
Heat-suppressant vials on the dashboard rolled to Lyra's feet.
At some point, Fenris had started keeping heat-dampening medicine in his carriage every day, because Selene's cycles were unpredictable and her scent grew distressed during travel.
In recent years, Selene spent more time with him than Lyra did. So everything around him was prepared for Selene's comfort. There was even moon-sage incense burning in the carriage. Fenris forgot that Lyra was allergic to it—that it made her throat close and her omega instincts spiral into panic.
But none of that mattered anymore. She didn't want him anymore. How he lived had nothing to do with her.
Lyra looked at Fenris quietly, waiting for his answer. For the first time, the Alpha who always wore a mask of gentleness let his true coldness show through. His dominance pressed against her like ice water.
"Lyra, you've been fighting this bond for two years. Do you really want the severance?"
Her answer was firm, despite the way his Alpha voice tried to curl around her spine. "Absolutely."
Fenris suddenly smiled with sarcasm, his fangs catching the light. "Fine. I'll grant your wish."
Soon, Fenris took her to the Council Registry Hall. He presented their bond-marks to the Elder Scribe and emerged quickly from the stone building. Each of them was holding a Moon-Count Notice—the formal acknowledgment that bond severance had been requested.
The Elder Scribe had explained, "There is a thirty-day moon-count waiting period. After thirty days, the bond severance becomes recognized by pack law."
As soon as they walked outside into the territory's central square, Fenris said, "I've already gone through the process with you. Don't keep talking about severance. Even I get tired of hearing it."
Then his communication stone pulsed with Selene's scent-signature. She said she felt unwell. Her illness seemed to be acting up again—the mysterious weakness that had plagued her for years, that no healer could quite explain.
Fenris didn't hesitate to climb into his carriage and drive away. The dust from the bone-wheels snapped Lyra back to reality and made her laugh quietly.
In Fenris's eyes, she was just being emotional—an omega having a tantrum. He thought this bond could never end. But oh, he was so wrong. This severance was something Lyra was determined to get.
To avoid later trouble, Lyra didn't return to their shared den that night. She stayed at a neutral waystation and arranged passage out of New Metro territory for the next day—a border-crossing to Ironcrest, where different laws held sway.
Early the next morning, she went to the territory gate.
As soon as she arrived, she received a message through the pack-link from Fenris: [There's going to be a Moon-Market tonight. Get ready.]
She didn't reply. In thirty minutes, she could board the border caravan. She would finally leave this cruel territory.
Just as she boarded and the caravan was about to depart through the warded gates, the protective barriers suddenly shattered. A group of Pack Guards in black leather rushed in, their wolves half-shifted and snarling.
Fenris then walked in slowly, one clawed hand in his pocket, and stopped in front of Lyra. His Alpha presence flooded the enclosed space, making the other passengers whimper and bare their throats. "Lyra, come home with me. I'll forget what you did today."
Lyra's heart sank. She had underestimated him. She didn't expect him to come directly to the border gate, to make such a public display of dominance.
She said firmly, fighting against the instinct to submit, "Fenris, we are severing our bond. We are in the moon-count period, remember?"
Fenris smiled lightly, raising his eyebrows. "Lyra, you're so naïve. Do you have a severance mark? If not, we are still bound by pack law." He continued, his voice dropping into command register, "Before I get angry, come back with me."
Lyra didn't move. "No."
The caravan became completely silent. No one dared to speak. Even the border guards looked away, unwilling to interfere in what pack law deemed a mate-dispute.
At that moment, Selene walked in. She naturally helped Fenris adjust his rank-collar, her delicate omega fingers lingering on his throat. "Fen, you forgot to wear your Alpha sigil this morning. I brought it for you."
While doing this intimate gesture, she looked at Lyra with clear provocation, her scent deliberately mingling with his in a display of closeness.
Fenris's expression stiffened. He explained, "Selene was sick last night, so I stayed with her in the healer's den. Don't misunderstand."
Lyra showed no reaction at all.
In the past, she would have questioned him. She would have been hurt by the scent of another omega clinging to her mate. But now, she was too tired of it all. She didn't care anymore.
"It doesn't matter. It has nothing to do with me. If Alpha Blackthorn has nothing else to do, please leave the caravan. Don't waste other travelers' time."
Lyra's calm attitude made Fenris's dominance flare with anger. He lowered his voice and threatened her, his Alpha command bleeding through, "Lyra, I heard you're looking for an Elder Advocate to petition for your brother's case."
Lyra's face tightened. She looked up and stared at him.
Seeing her finally react, Fenris smiled faintly. "In New Metro territory, without my permission, no Elder dares to take your petition. No Council member will hear the Stormvale name."
It was clearly midsummer, but Lyra felt like her heart had fallen into an icy pit.
Her body trembled. Tears streamed down her face. "Fenris… are you threatening me?"
Fenris bent down and gently wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes, his touch possessive rather than tender. "Lyra, as long as you come home with me obediently, I'll handle your brother's case. I'll speak to the Council myself."
Hearing this, Lyra laughed coldly. Back then, Fenris had said the same thing. He promised to take care of her brother. He said everything was under his control—that his influence with the Pack Council would protect Kael. But things resulted with her brother caged in silver chains, his life and bloodline honor ruined on falsified scent testimony.
She was no longer the Lyra from two years ago. "Fenris, I won't believe a single word you say anymore."
Fenris sneered and turned to Selene behind him. "Spread the word to every Elder and Advocate in New Metro territory. Anyone who dares take the Stormvale bloodline's petition will never survive in this territory again. Their hunting rights will be stripped. Their dens will be seized."
Then he looked back at Lyra. "Lyra, I'm the only person you can trust now. Either come home with me and I'll pretend nothing happened, or keep fighting me."
He added, his Alpha voice wrapping around her like chains, "You choose."
第3章
Lyra felt as though she had fallen into an ice cave carved from silver.
Her fists clenched tightly, claws threatening to break through skin. Fenris controlled New Metro territory with absolute dominance. Once he spoke, no wolf in any den dared help her. His command voice echoed through every pack runner, every elder, every guard who might have offered sanctuary.
In the end, the path she had worked so hard to find was blocked again. The familiar darkness crept through her chest—the bond-sickness that came from a forced claiming, from years of having her will crushed beneath his Alpha authority. Her whole body shook, even her voice trembled.
"Fenris… if you keep forcing me like this, aren't you worried you'll be pushing me to death one day?"
Fenris's expression stiffened for a moment, his amber eyes flickering with something that might have been concern—or possession. Then he said softly, "Lyra, I love you so much. How could I ever push you to death? Since you're begging anyway, why beg outsiders instead of begging me?"
Lyra couldn't say a word. His love was too heavy. It crushed her until she couldn't breathe, until her wolf cowered in the depths of her soul, until her own scent turned bitter with submission she had never chosen.
She couldn't bear it anymore. "I'm begging you. Can you show me mercy?" She looked up at him in despair, letting him see the hollow emptiness in her eyes.
For the first time, the proud Omega of Stormvale blood lowered her head to Fenris Blackthorn. Everything was going exactly as he wanted, yet seeing Lyra give in still made Fenris uneasy. Something in his chest tightened—a warning he refused to acknowledge.
He lowered his eyes and pulled her up, his grip firm on her wrist. "Come back to the den with me first. I'll take care of your brother's case."
Lyra accepted her fate. As long as Kael could be cleared of his charges. As long as her brother could walk free from the iron-silver holding den where he'd been caged for crimes he never committed.
Her lips parted slightly. "Fenris, if you break your word again, our story will only end when one of us is in a grave."
But Fenris didn't hear her.
All of a sudden, Selene suddenly collapsed for no clear reason—her body going limp, her scent turning sharp with distress that seemed too perfectly timed. All of his attention went to her. He gathered Selene up in his arms and rushed out of the private chamber, his command voice booming for healers.
Watching how carefully he held Selene, how his entire being oriented toward protecting her, Lyra laughed softly. The sound was hollow.
She didn't understand. If he loved Selene so much, why wouldn't he let Lyra go? Why wouldn't he sever their bond and release her from this cage of teeth and territory?
Fenris, could you really see your own heart clearly?
That evening, Fenris didn't come to escort her to the Moon-Market rite. He sent word through a pack runner that she should go first.
Before Selene returned, Fenris never let Lyra be alone. His scent was always nearby, his guards always watching, his presence always pressing against her like a weight she couldn't shake. Right after Selene came back, everything changed.
As soon as Lyra entered the grand hall where the Moon-Market was held—a cavernous space lit by silver-touched lanterns and thick with the mingled scents of a dozen bloodlines—she saw Selene holding Fenris's arm as they walked in together.
So it wasn't that he had no time. He just had no time for her.
The market broker, Balthazar Gravesong, flattered Fenris eagerly, his oily voice carrying across the gathering. "This must be Selene Nightbloom. Seeing you in person is even better than rumors. You're beautiful and capable—your scent-weaving talents are spoken of in every den."
"Everyone says that if you hadn't left Alpha Blackthorn's side back then, the position of his bonded mate would surely have been yours."
"No wonder Alpha Blackthorn takes such good care of you. You two look perfect together—your scents practically sing in harmony."
Selene smiled proudly, her delicate features arranged in perfect humility that didn't reach her eyes. "You flatter me, Balthazar. I owe everything to Fenris for giving me a chance to serve his pack. If not, how could an Omega with a severed bond like me stand here today?"
The crowd stepped on Lyra to praise Selene. Every word was a blade, every glance a judgment. Fenris didn't say a single word to defend Lyra—didn't release even a hint of protective scent, didn't acknowledge her existence.
In their first year of forced bonding, someone once spoke badly about Lyra. Fenris had broken that wolf's jaw on the spot, his dominance crashing through the room like a storm. Now, these wolves mocked her word by word in front of him, and Fenris showed no reaction at all.
So this was the difference between love and no love.
Lyra took a deep breath, steadying her wolf, and turned to leave. But Selene deliberately stopped her, her voice pitched to carry.
"Lyra Stormvale, you're here. Why didn't you greet me properly?"
Everyone's eyes turned toward them. The broker, who had just insulted Lyra, looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole and bury himself beneath the stone floor.
Lyra couldn't leave now. So she walked over calmly, her cold eyes sweeping across everyone present. She let her noble bloodline show in her bearing—the ancient Stormvale dignity that no forced bond could strip away.
"Selene Nightbloom, I am Fenris's bonded mate. My Alpha is here. Why shouldn't I be here?"
"As for you—you left Fenris back then to chase after foreign Alphas with larger territories. After your bond was severed, you ran back to this territory to find him again."
"One thing you said is right. Fenris has patience. If I were him, I would stay far away from an Omega like you, not keep you by my side as a scribe."
"As an Omega, let me give you some advice, Selene. If you want to bond again, find an unmated Alpha."
"Stop clinging to a bonded male every day. It's embarrassing, and it only makes people think no Alpha wants your scent."
Every word cut sharply. Lyra showed Selene no mercy at all. The gathered wolves shifted uncomfortably, scent-pressure rising in the hall.
Before Selene could arrange her features into hurt submission, Fenris spoke first, his command voice crashing through the room as he angrily scolded Lyra, "That's enough!"
"Selene is my person. If you have a problem, take it up with me. Don't bully her."
第4章
The smile on Lyra's face looked worse than crying.
Bullying Selene? From beginning to end, the one being bullied was always Lyra.
But Fenris was blind to it. Clearly, he couldn't see it at all.
The pack members around looked at Lyra with pity. As the bonded mate treated like this, she was probably one of a kind.
Painful memories flooded back one by one. Her illness acted up again, the familiar trembling that came when her suppressed instincts warred against the forced bond.
"If I'm not welcome here, then I'll leave." She clenched her fists tightly.
Selene pretended to step forward to stop her, but Fenris stopped her instead. "Leave her alone. The entire Stormvale bloodline is finished. She still carries bad temper from that. I'm not going to spoil her."
After leaving the Moon-Market hall, Lyra went to the back garden of the Central Den.
The last time she came here with Fenris, the place was full of moonflower vines. His promises were just like those blossoms. Beautiful for a moment, then quickly withered.
She didn't want to cry, but because of her illness, tears kept falling. Her hands shook as she took out a vial of heat-stabilizers. Before she could take the medicine, Selene rushed over and snatched it away.
She was no longer weak like before. Now she was sharp and cruel.
"Oh? Is this medicine for your unstable condition? Huh, so you really are broken. Kael is a criminal in the holding den and now you're mentally scattered. You two really are perfect siblings."
Lyra could endure many things. But not insults about her brother. Her eyes filled with anger. "Selene, say one more bad word about my brother, and I'll tear your throat out!"
Selene laughed coldly. "Lyra, you're no longer the Stormvale heir. Your bloodline is disgraced. Fenris protects me everywhere now. What do you have to fight me with?"
"Just like back then. You knew Kael didn't force himself on me. But all I had to do was release distressed pheromones and act pitiful, and Fenris believed me."
"What I didn't expect was that Fenris would personally send his own bond-brother to the iron-silver holding den for me. But that proves how much he loves me."
"Lyra, I destroyed your pack once. Now I can turn you into a miserable omega dog again. If you don't believe me, we can try and find out."
Lyra completely lost control. She raised her hand and slapped Selene hard.
"Selene, you framed my brother. I will end your life!" She grabbed Selene by the neck, her eyes red with rage.
Just as she thought she could finally take revenge, Fenris rushed over. He pulled them apart with Alpha strength and threw Lyra several meters away.
Lyra's calf was cut by a sharp stone. A long wound opened, over ten centimeters. Blood stained the ground.
But Fenris only looked at Selene. "Selene, are you hurt? Are you okay?"
Selene hid in his arms, crying softly. "Fenris, I thought I was going to die just now. If you hadn't come, the Stormvale omega would have killed me."
Fenris turned to look at Lyra. His eyes were full of disappointment and hatred.
In the past, the way he looked at her was full of love. Now, after just a few words from Selene, only hatred remained.
Fenris... Fenris... You kept saying you love me. But everything you do hurts me.
"Is this what you call a mating bond?" Lyra muttered to herself.
Fenris spoke coldly. "Lyra. Apologize."
Even in this miserable state, Lyra still refused to lower her head.
"I did nothing wrong. I will not apologize." She continued, "Fenris, you're the one who's wrong. You trusted Selene. She admitted it herself just now. That she framed my brother and destroyed my pack."
"From beginning to end, she has been weaving false scents in front of you. She has been lying to you the whole time."
第5章
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.
第6章
When Fenris burst through the doors of the Healer Den, Lyra was so thin she was almost just bones.
For a brief moment, Fenris's heart ached. His wolf stirred with something that might have been concern. But his face stayed cold, his Alpha presence pressing down on the room. "I only sent you to the Sanctuary Den to learn some discipline. Was it necessary to torture yourself like this?"
Lyra didn't even have the strength to be angry. She looked at him numbly, her Omega scent so faded it was barely detectable.
Torture herself? Wasn't her current state all because of him? The forced heat suppressants, the isolation from pack bonds, the constant pressure to submit—all of it his doing.
But Lyra didn't want to argue anymore. She asked only one question, "You promised to help with my brother's Council petition. Does that still count?"
As long as her brother could be cleared of the false scent-testimony charges, nothing else mattered.
Fenris's throat tightened. After so long apart, that was the first thing she asked him.
In his memory, Lyra used to depend on him like a young wolf seeking her Alpha's protection. But at some point, she stopped relying on him.
When she was sick, she went to the Healer Den alone. She no longer sent for him through the pack bond. When debt-collectors from rival packs came, she quietly sold her bond-tokens and family relics to pay them. Even when she was humiliated at pack gatherings, she never complained when she came home to their den.
Thinking of this, Fenris felt a sudden pain in his chest. His wolf whined, confused.
When Fenris didn't answer, Lyra smiled as if she expected it.
"Forget it. I was naïve." She stood up to gather her things, her movements slow and deliberate.
Suddenly, Fenris grabbed her wrist, his grip firm but not bruising, and said with Alpha command threading through his voice, "I'll handle your brother's petition."
Fenris gave in. But Lyra wasn't happy as expected. She only said distantly, "Okay. Thank you."
Fenris frowned deeply. The old Lyra never said thank you—not to her mate. She truly had changed. The bond between them felt thin, stretched to breaking.
There were only two days left before the Council Hearing. After Fenris sent her back to their den last time, he never returned.
Every day, Fenris said he was too busy with pack matters.
But every day, Lyra saw Selene's messages spread through the pack's communication channels. Nine days in a row, a full display of images, all showing Fenris's devotion to Selene—bringing her prey, scenting her in public, his wolf hovering protectively near hers.
During that time, Selene kept sending Lyra provocative messages through the pack's mind-link.
She always withdrew them after two minutes, then claimed it was a mistake.
It looked innocent, but Lyra understood the game. Still, Lyra no longer felt pain. She only wanted her brother's second Council Hearing to end quickly.
So the day before the hearing, Lyra demanded that Fenris come home no matter what.
Fenris came back, but his heart wasn't there. Selene said she was scared to be alone in her quarters, so Fenris stayed connected to her through a scry-stone, her voice filling their den.
Selene said she had no appetite, so Fenris prepared a meal himself and sent it to her by pack runner.
Selene said she wanted to see him, so Fenris came to discuss it with Lyra.
"Lyra, Selene needs me. I'll go stay with her tonight. I promise I'll be on time for your brother's Council Hearing tomorrow."
A strong sense of unease rose in Lyra's heart, her wolf pacing anxiously. "Fenris, I'm begging you. Just stay here for one night. After tonight, you can do whatever you want. I won't interfere."
Fenris hesitated. This was the first time Lyra had begged him like this, her Omega submission genuine rather than coerced.
But the next second, Selene suddenly screamed through the scry-stone: [Fenris! I slipped coming out of the bathing pool! Come save me!]
Fenris immediately shook off Lyra's hand, his Alpha instincts responding to the distress call.
At the door, Lyra stopped him again. She cried and begged, "Fenris, if Selene fell, I can send a healer to her. I'm only asking you to stay with me today."
"Fenris, don't you want a bond severance? If you don't go, after tomorrow's hearing, I'll cancel the severance petition."
No matter how much Lyra begged, Fenris only said, "Lyra, we won't sever the bond. But I can't ignore Selene either."
"I promise you, I will be there for your brother's hearing tomorrow." Fenris walked out of the den quickly, his wolf form blurring as he shifted to run faster.
Lyra watched his retreating form and cried, her wolf howling silently within her. No matter how many times it happened, she could never keep him.
Lyra didn't sleep all night, her wolf restless and grieving. Early the next morning, she reached through their fading bond to contact Fenris. He responded that he would definitely arrive on time.
Lyra believed him. But even when Elder Thane Ironvein entered the Council Hall, Fenris still didn't come.
The Elder struck the ceremonial stone. "Since the petitioning Alpha-Sponsor is absent, the second hearing is now sealed. No further petition will be accepted under pack law."
Those words completely broke Lyra. She knelt beside her brother Kael in the prisoner's circle and apologized.
"Brother, I'm sorry. It's all my fault. I'm useless. I couldn't save you. I even harmed you. Strike me if you want. It's all my fault."
For two whole years, Lyra forced herself to be strong. She believed there was hope in the second hearing.
Fenris gave her hope and then crushed it again. Just like before.
Fenris… Fenris…
"If we had never met, how wonderful that would be?"
第7章
Lyra wept for a long time.
Kael said nothing. He only let her lean against him through the cold iron bars, his warmth seeping through despite the silver-threaded restraints that bound his wrists. In just two years, the once proud and brilliant Stormvale heir already had white streaking through his dark hair at the temples, and his scent—once vibrant with autumn forests and wild honey—had grown muted, suppressed by whatever they fed him in this iron-silver holding den.
Even after years of imprisonment, his voice to Lyra remained gentle. "Lyra, it's alright. Don't grieve because of me. Your life shouldn't be shackled to my fate."
He gently touched the scars on her wrist where she'd clawed at her own bonding mark in desperate moments, his amber eyes filling with pain. "Lyra, promise me. Don't hurt yourself anymore. Live well. I refuse to be the chain that drags you under."
"Three more moon-cycles. Wait for me three more moon-cycles. Don't beg anyone anymore because of me."
"You are the Stormvale's treasured daughter. If this territory brings you nothing but suffering, then leave it."
Lyra wept so hard she couldn't form a single word.
Fenris always claimed he loved her deeply. But her body was covered in wounds—torn bonding marks, bruises from forced claims, the lingering ache of heat-suppressant damage—and he never saw them. Yet if Selene had even the smallest complaint, he became consumed with anxiety, his Alpha instincts roaring to protect his precious Omega Scribe.
Lyra knew her brother spoke truth. She truly should leave. As she walked out through the holding den's gates, the sunlight was painfully bright against her tear-swollen eyes.
Selene sent her another message through the pack's communication stones. Since Selene had cut her hand slightly that morning—a theatrical accident during her scribe duties—Fenris had stayed by her side all day, his protective scent wrapped around her like a shield.
Lyra, do you see this? Someone who truly loves you will care even about the smallest things.
Fenris only feels guilt toward you—the obligation of a mate-bond he regrets. What he feels for me is true recognition. Our scents call to each other.
Lyra wept until her heart felt torn apart. So her brother's freedom was worth less than a shallow cut on Selene's palm.
"Fenris, you are truly cruel."
Today was the final day of the Moon-Count waiting period. Lyra went to the Council Hall and received the bond severance decree, the official seal burning cold against her fingertips.
She arranged passage through the border gates for that night. She would listen to her brother and leave completely. She would live her own life in Ironcrest, where Alaric had promised sanctuary.
That afternoon, just after she returned to the den they had shared, Fenris embraced her from behind, his Alpha scent flooding the room with false comfort.
"Lyra, I'm sorry about your brother. But Selene needs me. I cannot abandon her. She fell into a wasting despair because of your brother's crimes against her."
"If I reject her now, her condition will worsen. Lyra, everything I do is for the good of our bond. We are mated. Your brother committed a grave offense. I'll make amends for the Stormvale name."
Hearing his noble-sounding words, Lyra laughed with bitter scorn.
Make amends? The Stormvale bloodline was never at fault. What sin did they need to atone for? Her brother had never touched Selene—the scent evidence was fabricated, the testimony false.
Seeing Lyra's strange smile, Fenris continued, his voice dropping to that commanding Alpha register he used when he wanted compliance. "Lyra, I'll petition the Council again for your brother's case. In a few days, it will be your parents' memorial rite. I'll accompany you to honor them."
Lyra gently pushed him away. "No need."
When she needed him most—when she'd begged him to investigate, when she'd presented healer evidence of her own injuries, when she'd pleaded for him to simply listen—he wasn't there. Now, she didn't need him anymore.
Fenris's hand felt empty. So did the hollow place where their mate-bond should have resonated. Lyra was too calm after such devastating events. It frightened him in ways his Alpha pride refused to acknowledge.
Just as he moved to follow her, Selene's distress call echoed through their bond-link—the secondary connection he'd never severed despite his mating to Lyra. "Fenris, I dreamed of that night again. The attack. Can you come and stay with me? I need your scent to feel safe."
Fenris looked toward the stairs where Lyra's thin figure disappeared. Then he thought of Selene, trembling and alone. In the end, he chose Selene again.
"Lyra, something happened with Selene. I need to go. I'll return and stay with you after I settle her." Fenris left, his footsteps echoing through the empty den.
Lyra showed no reaction. She didn't need him anymore.
Before leaving, she wrote a letter on ceremonial pack-paper. She wrote about Selene's true nature—the manipulation, the lies, the way she'd orchestrated Kael's imprisonment to eliminate the Stormvale heir who'd rejected her advances. She didn't know if Fenris would believe it. She placed the bond severance decree on their bed.
Beside it, she laid the claim sigil Fenris had once commissioned at great cost—a moonstone ring carved with their intertwined house symbols.
Everything connected to him... she wanted none of it. So when Lyra departed, she took nothing except her identity tokens and the border-pass Alaric had secretly arranged.
When she reached the territory gate, Fenris sent her a message through the bond-echo: Lyra, you seemed unwell this afternoon. I promise, after tonight, I'll stay with you properly. We'll talk.
Lyra's lip curled. She no longer needed his presence. What she wanted was justice.
She severed the bond-echo connection with a sharp mental twist, feeling the last threads of their forced mating fray and snap. She erased the scent-memories she'd preserved, the ones she'd once treasured from their early days.
The border-runner's carriage rose into motion, carrying her toward Ironcrest's sanctuary.
Looking back at the territory that had once been her home—the Stormvale ancestral lands now controlled by Fenris's allies, the dens where she'd suffered in silence—she whispered to herself:
"Fenris, the pain you and Selene inflicted on me and my bloodline... I will repay it all."
"The next time we meet, we will be enemies."
As for her brother's case, she would find new evidence to prove his innocence—scent traces, healer ledgers, oath-echoes that would expose the lies. And then she would personally drag Selene before the Pack Council and watch her confess under a Truth-Howl!