Chapter 3 3

LYRA's Pov

My life hasn't been the same since the Annual Shifting Ceremony.

It got worse.

I curled my knees to my chest, my head resting between them. I couldn't even cry...I was completely broken.

I will never go there again...

Never.

I sighed deeply as the scene replayed itself in my head.

I was there, shivering, my feet glued to the ground.

I finally found the courage..the courage to move, the courage to step forward.

"Will I shift today?" I kept asking myself.

I took that step, that one step, ignoring the stares and murmurs.

I wish I hadn't.

I wish I didn't.

I stretched out my hands, drew an invisible circle, and groaned, trying to push a force from deep inside.

"Close your eyes, connect with your wolf." I did. But nothing... I only screamed out of desperation.

"Try harder!" his voice yelled again.

I groaned, trying to connect once more. But instead, my wolf stayed silent..just like every other year that passed.

"This is your fifth time here. Don't you think you're getting useless?" His words snapped my last thread of strength.

I opened my eyes to a crowd of people mocking me.

Laughter filled the air like I had just performed some ridiculous comedy.

I was humiliated.

I was ashamed of myself.

With my head bowed, I walked...no, dragged myself...away from the center, stepping outside the circle.

It was the worst day of my life.

I didn't even bother hiding the tears like I usually did.

I didn't. I let them fall freely as I ran out of the field.

"Moon Goddess, kill me. Just kill me!" I screamed to the sky as I entered the forest behind the Moon Field.

"Make me disappear." I broke down completely.

It's been a day now, and everyone has turned me into a joke.

"Lyra, come outside," my younger sister, Hazel, called from behind the door, her knock soft but persistent.

I rolled my eyes and turned to the other side of my mattress, praying that sleep would take me again.

"I'm coming in." She opened the wooden door slowly. It creaked as it moved.

"Dad and Mum want you downstairs. You haven't been eating," she said gently, her voice laced with worry...but I didn't care.

Hazel had gotten her wolf two years after my first attempt, which only made things more embarrassing for me.

How could my younger sister connect with her wolf when I couldn't?

"Everything is going to be fine, Lyra," she tried to reassure me, her hand now resting on my leg.

And that's what I didn't want to hear.Those words felt like insults.

I turned sharply to face her, sitting up. "Everything will be fine? Seriously?"

She sighed heavily and held my hand. "You're my best sister. Everything will be fine," her voice cracked.

Her touch was like a calming balm.

"Don't cry for me," I said softly, seeing the tears well up in her eyes.

She smiled weakly and rubbed my hand. "Let's go downstairs."

I nodded.

Hazel had always been my backbone. When others looked at me with contempt, she was always there to shield me.

She knew when I was angry, sad, or frustrated...and always found a way to make it better... even if just for a few seconds.

We walked down the creaky stairs to the dining room. A small round table sat at the center, with four chairs around it. My mother was there, dishing out food onto each plate. My father sat on one of the chairs, a scribe in his hand.

He was one of the officials in the Palace.

"Lyra," my mother said the moment she saw me. She quickly dropped the plate of porridge and peas and grabbed a chair behind her to sit.

I smiled faintly and walked over to the chair beside her, settling down slowly.

My father rolled up the scribe and set it aside on the table. He looked at me briefly before focusing back on his food, scooping a spoonful of porridge into his mouth.

"Training starts today," he said abruptly.

"Really?" Hazel squealed with excitement beside me.

"You're joining too," he added, eyes now locked on mine.

I froze.

"What? Why? I can't shift!" I protested.

"It's an order from the Alpha. All young wolves, including pups, must attend."

He dabbed his mouth with a napkin. "I just read the decree." He pointed to the scroll beside his plate.

My heart raced.

Sweat broke out across my forehead. I couldn't disobey the Alpha's orders.

All young wolves? Including pups?

Just when I thought I could hide my misery behind my bedroom door... now I'd be thrown back into public humiliation.

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I dragged my feet behind my father as we walked toward the training ground.

I closed my eyes for a moment, trying not to think about the crowd.

But as soon as we stepped onto the training field, just as I feared...

All eyes were on me.

"She's a damn failure."

"What's she even doing here?"

"Can't she just disappear?"

I should be used to it by now, but I wasn't...not after what happened at the Shifting Ceremony.

Hazel held my hand and smiled up at me, silently reminding me that she was still here. That I wasn't alone.

"You girls stay right here. I'll be back," my father said, walking toward the other officials.

The training was to prepare us for the next Blood Moon Curse...an attack that occurred every six months, where deadly monsters called Kanimas attacked our lands.

More reason I shouldn't be here.

I was useless.

"Look who decided to show up," Tasha sneered. A girl I'd known since childhood...who never missed a chance to rub salt in my wounds.

"Stop, Tasha," Hazel said, stepping in front of me.

But Tasha and her minions weren't easily stopped.

"You're stupid. Just like your loser sister," she growled and shoved Hazel, sending her crashing to the ground.

Her head hit the floor with a sickening thud.

I gasped, horrified, and rushed to her side. She tried to sit up, but pain held her down.

My fists clenched so tight, I felt my nails pierce my palm.

There was blood at the back of her head.

"How dare you?" I growled, the wind suddenly picking up like I had summoned it.

"You'll regret this," my voice echoed. It sounded like two voices speaking through me.

I didn't know what was happening. Rage consumed me.

I grabbed Tasha by the neck.

Veins popped across my skin. My eyes burned blood-red. My hair turned stark white, whipping behind me in the wind.

The ground trembled beneath my feet.

I raised her by the neck...she was gasping for air. People tried to rush me, but the wind knocked them back like feathers.

I glared at her, full of hatred.

With a flick of my wrist, I hurled her across the training ground.

She hit the ground hard. I heard her scream in pain.

Then...suddenly...a sharp headache struck me like a lightning bolt.

My legs gave out. My rage dissolved.

My hair returned to its original color.

Everything around me blurred.

I collapsed.

And just before everything faded into darkness, I heard someone whisper...

"She's a witch."