The Alpha’s Rebellious Fiancee novel Chapter 5

The sky was still dark when I climbed into the black carriage waiting just beyond the Hawthorne gates. Mist clung to the ground like a blanket, and the only sounds were the soft rustle of leaves and the distant howl of wolves greeting the morning.

No one was awake.

Or maybe no one cared to be.

I pulled my worn shawl tighter around my shoulders. My dress was simple—dark blue cotton, frayed at the hem, mended more times than I could count. It was the only one I had that didn’t scream servant. Still, it felt too small for the weight of what I was about to do.

Alpha Magnus stood beside the carriage, his expression unreadable in the dawn light. He looked tired, older somehow. Maybe it was the silence. Maybe it was the secret he carried for two long years.

He handed me a wrapped bundle of food—bread, cheese, dried fruit. Enough to last the trip.

“It’s not much,” he said gruffly, eyes not quite meeting mine, “but you’ll need your strength.”

I nodded, clutching the food to my chest. “Thank you… Alpha Magnus. For everything.”

His gaze finally met mine. “You’re stronger than you know, Lyra.” A pause. “Or should I say… Seraphina.”

The name didn’t feel real. Like a distant melody from a song I’d forgotten the lyrics to.

“I don’t know how to be her,” I whispered.

A long silence passed between us.

He didn’t offer a hug. He didn’t say goodbye. But the look in his eyes was more than enough.

I stepped up into the carriage.

The driver nodded at me. He was tall, lean, with silver hair tied back at the nape and eyes that seemed to see through every layer I tried to hide behind.

“Should I call you Princess?” he asked softly, helping me settle onto the cushioned seat.

I stared out the window, heart aching with every breath. “No,” I murmured. “Just Lyra.”

He chuckled quietly. “As you wish, Lady Seraphina Drayne. Your journey begins.”

And then the carriage rolled forward.

Leaving Hawthorne behind.

Leaving Lucien behind.

Leaving her behind—the girl with a bucket in her hands and scars on her wrists.