LYRA'S POV
I am still looking at the door to my cell, but I can't see a thing. The air around is still, and I can tell the pack is silent. It must probably be because it is a full moon today. Then it suddenly hits me: the smell of the ocean breeze. I inhale deeply and let the smell envelope my senses. The feeling is so surreal, I almost feel whole and free. For a moment, I forget I am in a cell as a prisoner of war in another pack, I forget I have been bruised, used, tossed among men, ruined…
The indescribable feeling pulls me, and I find myself standing up and looking into the darkness with anticipation. Hope surges within me, and then it hits me. Mate
The shock of finding a mate here surprises me. Who would have thought? I suddenly stand up, rushing to the iron bars that were my prison, and I place my face in between them as I look on hopefully waiting.
I'm here, I whisper.
That's when I see him in his wolf form. A magnificent black wolf so huge, it was almost frightening, but I wasn't afraid. Although my heart beat raced faster, I was super excited because it only meant one thing: that my days of torture in this hellhole were over.
Then I brought out my hand to touch its face. My mate snarled and growled deeply, but he didn't back away. He's probably surprised as I am. My only wish is for him to accept me as I was…wolfless.
"Mate," I say out loud as I bend to wrap my arms around his neck and feel his fur; thankfully, the iron bars were spacious enough for my arm to go through them. Then in a flash, he retreats into the darkness so fast as though he was never there.
My mate leaving that way without revealing who he was felt like a sword was passed through my chest. It hurt so bad, I wept.
He would definitely reject me; he knows I don't have a wolf. Our kind could sense these things. I stayed, crawled up on the ground by the iron bars, and then darkness took me.
The next morning, the guards were at my door with the keys. I initially thought they were here to give me the shitty meals they usually fed me with but was surprised to see them dragging me up unceremoniously from the ground without regard. The sudden movement is sharp, and it jolts a painful sensation through my legs. I would have fallen if not for their arms holding me up.
Sleeping in that position, I was when I touched my mate had messed up my bones. The guard dragged me out of the dungeon without a word, and I did not bother to ask where I was being taken to. I was happy to be out, it only meant one thing that I get to see my mate.
Maybe he was among the guards on duty last night? I thought, but I could tell it wasn't the men who were with me currently.
"I would be taking her from here, Samuel." I hear a voice speak to one of the guards, so I look up. I had been looking down because the blinding light from the outside hurt my eyes the moment I came up the steps out of the dungeon.
The guards roughly let me go, and I do not know which one, but he spat at me, which caused me to flinch. Everyone here hated me for something that had nothing to do with me.
No matter what they said, it didn't change what I feel about my father. He was a good man.
"Hi, follow me. You've been assigned to laundry duties." She said to me with a smile, and we walked together to the pack house.
I simply nod and follow her. I remember her, it was Nessa, the only person who had shown me some level of kindness here.
We get to the pack house, and she takes me on a tour of the place. It was a three-story building with stairs, and I was so tired and weak.
"We need to change your outfit. Vera and her underdogs would throw a fit if they saw you like this." She turned to me, but I didn't say a word. My stomach rumbles, causing me to wince.
"You don't speak much?" She asked as she went through her wardrobe looking for an outfit.
She brings out a blue dress and ushers me to the bathroom, where she leaves me alone. The bathroom is small but neat. I take off my clothes and go under the shower. The cold water jolts me up, but I welcome the feeling. I haven't washed in days, so I scrub my body so hard that my skin hurts. By the time I was done, I felt better. My reflection in the mirror captures my attention. I still looked beautiful. Funny considering what I've been subjected to here…
"Lyra, you have to hurry up. We might miss breakfast at this rate." Nessa called out.
I hurriedly put on the blue dress Nessa gave me and stepped out of the bathroom.
"I'm sorry I took too long," I say as I step out while adjusting the neckline of the dress. It was a collared long-sleeved dress that was fitted to the hip and free-flowing down to my ankles.
"Wow, you are really beautiful, Lyra," She said, smiling.
I smile weakly. "Thank you, Nessa. You're beautiful too. Thank you for the dress. It's lovely."
"You're welcome. It was a gift, but it was too long for me. I'm glad it fits and it suits you perfectly." She replied and held my hand as we walked out.
"Let's have breakfast before I take you on a tour of the pack house. Today is usually our free day."
"So, how does it work? I've never had to do any chores in my life before." I say worriedly.
"Don't worry, I will show you how we do it. We are usually assigned to various sections. Some of us are assigned to handle the warriors' quarters, while others tend to the Alpha's quarters and his needs." Nessa replied as she turned back to look at me.
I nod and follow closely behind. She is quite a chatter and soon I find myself warming up to her.
She then says something funny, and we find ourselves laughing as we step into the dining hall.
By the time we stepped in, we were met with a lot of pack members, who all stopped to look at me openly, and I stopped in my tracks. I do not want any issues, but it looked like I would be having a lot of them.