Chapter 5

When his voice had gone hoarse from crying.

He looked at the bloodied blade on the floor, and his head snapped up.

"Where did that blade come from? Who killed my Lyra?"

He had barely finished speaking when my father came out of the inner chamber and dropped to his knees.

"My Alpha, your subject only meant to make this ungrateful daughter cut her blood-bond. I never imagined she would take her own life!"

Cain looked up, eyes black with rage.

The killing intent in his face was so thick it twisted his features.

"How dare you."

He kicked my father to the ground. "Lyra is my Luna. Who gave you permission to cut blood-bonds with her? You must have pushed her with your words until she chose to end her life. You deserve to die!"

Then Cain swept his hand.

"Guards! Drag this wretch out. Give him fifty lashes of the punishment whip!"

"My Alpha! Spare me!"

As my father was dragged out, still struggling.

Serena came hurrying from the inner chamber on my mother's arm. "Please show mercy, my Alpha! Father is a warrior, but he is old. Fifty lashes will kill him!"

Cain didn't even turn toward Serena's plea.

His gaze swept to my mother's face, his voice without a trace of warmth.

"And this viper — she insulted the Luna. Take her out and strike her jaws."

Once my mother was dragged out too.

Screams rose from the courtyard in waves.

Cain, eyes gone hollow, lifted me up and walked step by step back to his own chambers.

He laid me gently on the bed and took a silk cloth to carefully wipe the blood from my body.

"My Lyra is the most beautiful she-wolf in this world. If she wakes and sees herself filthy, she'll blame me again."

Cain forced a smile that was worse than weeping.

Like a man gone mad, he murmured to my body and forbade anyone to disturb them.

Serena sent messenger after messenger. Every one of them was turned away.

Until the final message.

"My Alpha, it's bad! The Consort is in unbearable pain — she has just delivered a stillborn pup!"

The servant stammered it out beyond the door.

Getting no answer, he fled back to report.

Something stirred in Cain's dead eyes.

After a long moment, whatever he was thinking decided him. He bent down, kissed my forehead, and whispered.

"Lyra, wait for me. I'll be back soon."

…

On the other side of the manor.

Serena, whose messengers had all been turned away, was screaming at her servants.

"Useless! You can't even do a simple thing! Get out!"

She smashed everything within reach.

When her rage had burned off, she remembered something and beckoned her personal maid.

"What I asked you to arrange — is it done?"

The maid nodded, terrified. "Yes, my lady. The Pack Healer who examined you has been handled. He'll never speak again."

At that, Serena's face finally eased.

She looked at the stillborn pup not far away, not with sorrow but with disgust.

"Useless thing. I carried it ten full moons and Lyra, that bitch, still pulls my Alpha's heart with her even in death. Letting her die so easily was mercy she didn't deserve!"

Then a smug smile tugged at her mouth.

"A Second Chance player, was she? A useless one."

"If I hadn't overheard her talking to her System all those years ago, she might actually have beaten me. She'll never know — my Second Chance player identity was a lie."

The smile hadn't fully formed on Serena's lips.

When a loud crash came from beyond the door.

Cain stood in the doorway without a word.

Snow dusted his shoulders. The darkness around him made his figure unreadable.

Serena twitched and snapped instantly back into her fragile performance.

"My Alpha, you've finally come to see me."

She pretended to struggle to sit up.

"I'm useless. I couldn't bear your firstborn heir safely."

Cain walked over, expressionless, and helped her up, his voice giving away nothing.

"Didn't you say that if you couldn't bear the firstborn heir, you would fail your mission and die?"

Serena's eyes flickered.

After a moment, she bit her lip as if what she had to say was difficult.

"The System took pity on me. It gave me one more chance. If my Alpha names me Luna, it still counts as completing the mission."

Cain said nothing.

Serena pressed her advantage. "My Alpha, I know I don't deserve it. I have no wish to steal my sister's place. Please, don't worry about me. Even if failing my mission means death, I have no complaint."

"Very well."

When Cain nodded.

Serena's eyes lit up with wild joy.

She was about to thank him when pain shot through her throat.

Cain's hand was closed hard around it, his eyes cold enough to kill.