The Alpha’s Rebellious Fiancee novel Chapter 6

Lyra POV

“Don’t be ridiculous, Seraphina,” the Alpha King said, waving his hand in the air as if I’d said something silly. “It’s Dad for you. Always.”

The name made my chest ache. Seraphina. It felt like a crown I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to wear.

I kept my eyes on him—on the man who once carried me on his shoulders through the snow, who once told bedtime stories about moon goddesses and wolves with wings. But that was before.

Before I was taken. Before I disappeared. Before I became Lyra.

“Alpha Magnus said you were sick,” I said quietly. “That’s why I had to come back, right?”

I took a slow step forward. His face softened. His arms opened.

I walked into them, and for the first time in two years, I let myself be held.

“I am, my child,” he whispered into my hair. “My days are numbered.”

His arms were thinner, weaker than I remembered. But the warmth was still there. Familiar. Safe.

“I’m so sorry,” he said, pulling back to look at me. His eyes filled with regret, sharp and sudden. “For everything. For not finding you sooner.”

He looked down, his gaze scanning me, and then he froze. His jaw clenched. “You look so… famished.”

I tried to speak, but he wasn’t done.

His fingers traced the scar on my wrist, the one that had never fully faded.

“Oh my Goddess,” he whispered. “What did they do to you?”

I gently pulled my arm back.

“It’s okay, Father,” I said, forcing a smile. “You did what had to be done.”

But even as I said the words, the memory dragged itself to the surface like a storm cloud.

***

Flashback – Two Years Ago

Darkness. That was the first thing I remembered. Thick, heavy darkness and the bite of iron against my skin.

Chains.

My wrists were raw. My throat burned from screaming. “You’re wasting your time,” I spat, even though my voice shook. “I’m not telling you anything.”

The man in front of me smirked. His face was hidden by a hood, but his voice was deep and cruel.