Chapter 2 A Vengeful Father

Lyra POV

The roar of my father's fury shook the entire packhouse.

"HE REJECTED MY DAUGHTER?!" Richard's voice thundered, shaking the walls. "IN FRONT OF THE ENTIRE KINGDOM?! I'll rip that arrogant Lycan apart with my bare hands!"

Warriors stood frozen by the entrance. My mother, Maddie, gripped his arm tightly, trying to hold him back, but there was fire in his eyes pure, unfiltered rage. He wasn't just Alpha of the Moonshade Pack tonight,he was a father,a wounded one.

"I won't let this stand," Richard growled, pulling away from Maddie. "He humiliated Lyra,spit on our alliance, crushed our honor! He wants war? I'll give it to him."

"You'll be walking into a death trap," Maddie warned. "Maximus is not like other Alphas. He's cold,calculating,He doesn't act unless he's already ten steps ahead."

Richard turned to the warriors lining the hall. "Ready the patrols,all of them,tonight, we ride to the Lycan border. If Maximus wants blood he'll get it."

I watched all of it unfold from the shadows of the corridor, my body still weak from the rejection, my heart still bleeding. But something in me stirred as my father barked orders and stormed toward the war chamber.

~~~~Hours Later – Midnight at Moonshade Border~~~~~

The wind was sharp and heavy,the Moonshade warriors stood lined up at the southern gate, swords drawn, armor strapped. I stood behind the lines, flanked by my mother and the healers.

My hands wouldn't stop shaking,the forest was quiet.

THUMB THUMB THUMB

sound of heavy paws of the beast approaching,dozens of them.

And from the shadows of the treeline, they emerged.

Massive,black-cloaked. Eyes glowing like embers. The Lycans.

At the front of the formation was the one man I prayed I'd never see again, Alpha Prince Maximus.

He shifted from wolf to man with terrifying ease, standing tall and bare-chested under the moonlight. His body was streaked with dirt,his expression unreadable, jaw clenched.

Behind him, hundreds of his warriors howled in unison.

"You dare come to my borders after what you did to my daughter?!" Richard spat, stepping forward, eyes blazing. "You bring war to my gates?"

Maximus's voice cut through the night like a blade. "You were preparing to strike,I simply moved faster."

"This is my land!"

"It was,now it belongs to the strong."

Richard growled and shifted, his wolf bursting from his skin in a flash of silver and fur. Maddie followed, her gray wolf glowing under the moonlight.

The lycans attacked.

Claws collided with claws. Screams tore through the sky. The battlefield became chaos,wolves biting, shifting, blood splattering across the grass. The scent of iron burned my nose.

I screamed as a warrior fell in front of me, throat torn open by a Lycan wolf.

"LYRA!" Maddie shouted, turning her head for just a moment.

A massive Lycan wolf rammed into her side, flinging her against a tree with a sickening crunch.

"No!" I shrieked, running toward her but another Lycan cut me off, snarling, teeth bared. I stumbled back, my legs refusing to move, my vision swimming.

And then I saw Maximus.

In his Lycan form towering, black as night, eyes glowing red.

He tore through warriors like they were nothing.

Then he faced my father.

They clashed in the center of the field, fangs clashing, growls echoing through the valley.

But Richard was no match. Maximus limped high above the sky,diving Richard,taking him by surprise.

One final blow Maximus's claws clamped down on Richard's throat.

The Alpha of Moonshade dropped to the ground,lifeless. I gasped,I couldn't breathe.

"Dad..." I muttered in disbelief.

Maximus shifted back into his human form, blood staining his chest and face. His eyes met mine across the battlefield.

he began walking toward me.

I wanted to run,but something struck me from behind.

A fist, heavy,I collapsed.

Dirt filled my mouth.

The last thing I saw was Maximus standing over me, his shadow covering my broken body.

"Take her," he ordered.

I heard chains,I felt cold metal clamp around my wrists.

Darkness,Silence,Movement.

When I woke up, I was dizzy. I was inside a wagon, chained, bruised, and surrounded by unfamiliar Lycans.

The air smelled different,the walls were darker.

I wasn't home anymore,I was a prisoner.

I gazed at the floor in disbelief,tears threatening to fall from my eyes.

And the man who held my heart,my mate,now held my life in his hands.