Chapter 1 The Night It All Fell Apart

Lyra POV

~~~~~~FLASHBACK~~~~~~~~~

It was the night of my eighteenth birthday ball party, the night was supposed to be magical.

The chandeliers sparkled like a thousand captured stars above my head. The scent of fresh roses floated through the grand ballroom. Laughter, music, and the rustling of silk gowns filled the air as werewolves from noble bloodlines danced, mingled, and waited for me.

Tonight was my 18th birthday ball. The night I would shift into my true self. The night I would meet my fated mate.

And I believed with every beat of my heart that he would be here,that he would choose me.

I stood near the fountain centerpiece in the middle of the ballroom, my fingers nervously clutching the sides of my sky-blue gown. It shimmered under the lights, hand-stitched by my mother herself. Maddie had spent weeks perfecting it. "You'll take everyone's breath away," she had said as she zipped it up just hours ago, eyes shining with pride.

My father, Richard, had kissed my forehead before we left the house. "Stay calm," he whispered in his deep voice. "Tonight, the moon will show you the path you were born to walk."

The only path I saw led me straight to him. Maximus, the alpha prince of the lycan pack

He wasn't just royalty, He was powerful,Feared, Respected. A man whose mere presence made grown warriors lower their heads. He was tall, broad, with shoulders that carried the weight of a kingdom. His hair was dark like midnight. And his eyes cold, his dark eyes looked like they belonged to a man who had seen too much and still refused to break.

I had loved him since I was a child.

And tonight... I thought he would love me too.

I scanned the crowd, heart thudding, searching for him,and then, I saw him standing by the grand staircase, his hands in his pockets, his black suit hugging his body like it had been tailored by the moon goddess

Our eyes met, I froze instantly

Something shifted in my chest. A warm, tight pull almost like my wolf inside me was reaching out, recognizing something,something real.

Prince Maximus didn't look away, neither did I.

I stepped forward, my heels clicking softly on the polished marble floor. The crowd seemed to part for me as if the universe wanted to make space for what was meant to be.

Maximus didn't move,he just stood there, watching me.

When I finally reached him, I smiled. "You feel it too," he whispered, his voice barely audible beneath the music. "Don't you?"

For a second his expression softened. I saw it,a flicker like he might take my hand like he might say he'd been waiting for me too.

But it disappeared with a blink of an eye.

His jaw tightened. His shoulders squared,his lips parted.

The ball party had begun,alpha king's,princes,beta's were all present to witness my turning of age ball party.

My father Richard made sure that my turning of age party was a big one.

I am in the middle of the ball room, all eyes on I and alpha prince Maximus.

I gazed at Maximus,his lips parted.

"I, Alpha prince Maximus Slade of the Lycan Pack," he said coldly, his voice sharp enough to slice through bone, "reject you, Lyra magnus, as my mate."

The ballroom fell silent,I forgot how to breathe.

I stood there, frozen, the weight of his words crashing into me like a landslide. My wolf whimpered inside me, retreating into herself, wounded and confused.

"No..." I choked out, voice cracking. "You're lying."

He didn't blink. "You're not what I want,You're not what I need."

My lip trembled. I took a shaky step closer. "Maximus, you know me,You've known me since we were children.

"That was a long time ago," he said, voice flat. "We're not children anymore."

I felt eyes on me,Whispers,Gasps. My heart was breaking right there in front of everyone.

"I thought I was your mate," I said, voice barely above a whisper.

"You were a mistake," he replied.

I saw an evil grin coming from Maximus' sister,Nina and Maximus' mother,Selene.

I felt myself stumbling back, the pain in my chest so sharp I thought I might collapse. My wolf was silent now, almost numb.

Before I could fall apart completely, I turned and ran out of the ballroom, through the long corridor, down the stone steps and into the gardens.

The cool air slapped against my skin. I collapsed by the edge of the fountain, gasping, shaking, heart shattered in pieces I didn't know how to hold.

I had waited for this night all my life.

And he destroyed it with three words.

I curled into myself, the memories crashing over me like waves. I remembered being ten years old, running after him in the training yard whenever he came to visit me at our pack, barefoot and breathless. I remembered when he gave me a wooden wolf charm, saying it would protect me. I remembered how he used to look at me with something like warmth,like I mattered.

Had I been wrong all along?

A soft crunch of grass pulled me out of my thoughts, I looked up.

It was my mother,Maddie knelt beside me, wrapping her arms around my trembling body. "Shh," she whispered, rocking me gently. "You're okay, baby. You're okay."

"No, I'm not," I cried. "He rejected me in front of everyone."

"I know." Her voice cracked. "I'm so sorry."

"Why?" I sobbed. "Why would he do that? I didn't do anything wrong."

My father, Richard, appeared behind her, jaw clenched, hands fisted. His usually calm face was stormy now. "That boy doesn't deserve you," he growled. "You hear me, Lyra? You are worth more than his title,More than his throne."

I let my tears fall.

Something broke in me that night.

And I would never be the same again.

As my parents helped me up and led me away from the garden, I turned one last time toward the palace, Toward the ballroom.

He was standing by the balcony, alone watching us as we moved.

But even from that distance, I could see his eyes were cold,and that's when I felt...

Something was wrong,I felt as though something terrible was about to happen.