CHAPTER 6 – THE ALPHA KING

Vivienne stared at Lyra's neck as though she could force the mark to reappear through sheer determination.

"No," she said, stepping closer. "There was a mark there."

She pushed Lyra's hair away from her shoulder and examined the skin beneath it. The basement was dimly lit, but there was enough light for everyone to see what she was seeing—or rather, what she wasn't seeing. The mark that had been there earlier was gone.

"I saw it myself," Vivienne insisted. "It was right here."

Lyra frowned and lifted a hand to her neck. Her fingertips brushed over the spot where the mark had been that morning. She remembered touching it in the forest clearing after waking up. She remembered the panic that had followed when she realized what it meant. Yet now the skin felt completely smooth.

"What mark?" she asked quietly, pretending not to understand what Vivienne was talking about.

Vivienne turned toward her so quickly that her dress swished around her ankles.

"The mark from that rogue," she snapped. "Tell them. Tell them you were marked."

Lyra looked toward the two strangers standing near the doorway. The older one watched the exchange with calm interest, but the taller man seemed unusually focused on every word she said. Something about the intensity of his attention unsettled her.

"Why should I?" she asked. "I have no idea who these people are."

Vivienne let out an exasperated sound and threw her hands into the air.

"I swear I'm not lying, Your Majesty. This morning she came home with a mate's mark on her neck."

The room fell quiet.

Dominic exchanged a glance with Adrian. Neither of them seemed particularly interested in the missing mark anymore. Instead, their attention remained fixed on Lyra, as though they had suddenly discovered something far more important.

Adrian studied her carefully before drawing in a slow breath.

"It's her."

His voice was low, but the certainty in it filled the room.

Lyra looked from one man to the other.

"Who are you people?" she asked. "And why are you talking about me as if I'm not standing right here?"

Neither answered immediately.

Dominic's gaze lingered on her face. The silver-gray eyes. The reddish-brown hair that seemed to glow beneath the weak basement light. Even sitting on a cold floor with dust on her dress and traces of tears still visible on her face, she matched every description the council had given him.

The strange pull he had felt the moment she looked up at him hadn't faded. If anything, it had grown stronger. The council had called it an aura, a feeling that would tell him when he finally stood before the Moon Goddess Heir.

Dominic slowly nodded.

"You're right."

Lyra stared at them in disbelief. She was tired, confused, and in no mood for riddles.

"Would someone please explain what you're talking about?"

Instead of answering, Dominic stepped forward. His shoes echoed softly against the basement floor as he stopped in front of her.

"You're coming with me."

For a second, Lyra thought she had misheard him.

"What?"

"You're coming with me to the capital."

She blinked up at him.

"Why would I go anywhere with you?"

Dominic folded his arms across his chest and answered as though the matter had already been decided.

"Because you'll be the next Luna."

A short laugh escaped her before she could stop it.

"Luna?" She looked around the room as if waiting for someone to explain the joke. "I think you've mistaken me for someone else."

"I haven't." His expression remained unchanged. "It's you I came here for."

Lyra looked at him, then at Adrian, then at Vivienne.

"I don't know what kind of game the three of you are playing, but I'm not in the mood for it."

She pushed herself to her feet and brushed the dust from her dress.

"If you'll excuse me, I have a ball to attend."

Dominic watched her take a step toward the door.

"I'm not talking about becoming my true Luna."

Lyra stopped.

The words caught her attention despite herself.

Slowly, she turned back.

"You'll serve as a replacement Luna while I continue searching for the woman I'm looking for."

The amusement vanished from her face.

She took a slow step back until she was standing directly in front of him. Even then, she still had to tilt her head slightly to meet his gaze.

"So let me understand this properly," she said. "You want me to leave my home, follow you to the capital, and pretend to be your Luna while you search for someone else?"

Her eyes narrowed.

"What kind of sick game are you people playing?"

"Face it, Lyra," Vivienne cut in before Dominic could answer. "You need him just as much as he needs you."

A satisfied smile tugged at her lips.

"Or maybe even more."

Lyra's jaw tightened.

"Remember what Father told you this morning?" Vivienne continued. "You have to leave tonight with a mate. Otherwise..."

She didn't need to finish the sentence.

Lyra already knew the rest.

She turned toward her sister.

"I know you enjoy my misery, Vivienne. That's why you locked me down here in the first place."

Her voice remained calm, but her eyes burned.

"If you hired these two men because you wanted to see me beg for a mate, you've wasted your money."

She said before turning to leave.

Before she could take another step, Dominic reached out and caught her wrist.

The contact made her freeze.

"I don't play games."

His voice was quiet, but it carried through the room.

"And your sister could never afford to pay me."

A faint smirk appeared on his face.

"I'm the Alpha King."

Lyra stared at him, then she burst into laughter.

"The Alpha King?"

She looked at Vivienne and then back at him.

"Is that what your script says? Then what am I, the desperate replacement bride?"

For the first time, genuine surprise crossed Dominic's face.

Beside him, Adrian pressed his lips together, clearly fighting back amusement.

"It's true," Adrian said at last.

He reached into his coat and pulled out the royal crest before handing it to her.

"The unfortunate man standing in front of you really is the Alpha King."

Lyra looked down at the crest. Then she looked back at Dominic and back at Adrian.

And to everyone's astonishment, she burst out laughing again.

This time, Dominic looked considerably less pleased.