Chapter 1 THE HUMILIATION RITUAL

CHAPTER 1 | THE HUMILIATION RITUAL

LYRA

I knew what I was about to do was wrong. I could be punished severely because of it, especially since the person I was about to speak against was the Alpha of the Crescent pack, my pack. But I had no choice. Orion had denied everything, even going as far as threatening to end me if the truth ever came out.

He denied touching me, sleeping with me, impregnating me. He denied being my fated mate when the truth was as obvious as daylight. He denied his promise to end things with my sister, claiming he wouldn’t touch me even if his life depended on it.

Gathering every ounce of courage, I went wild in the middle of the pack’s meeting grounds. It was the place where everyone gathered whenever important news had to be shared. Right at the heart of the pack, it was the perfect spot to expose the true nature of Alpha Orion, my so-called mate.

“Orion, come out here, you coward!” I screamed, collapsing to the ground dramatically and pouring sand on my head like a widow mourning her husband.

And maybe I really was mourning…the death of the savior I thought would come in the form of my mate.

As expected, people began to gather, whispering curiously at the scene I was causing.

“Come out and face me, Orion! You can’t deny your mate and unborn child and get away with it. It’s an abomination in the Crescent Pack. You must take responsibility for your actions!”

Gasps and murmurs spread through the crowd. I couldn’t blame them for their shock.

Orion was my younger sister’s boyfriend, her betrothed. They had been “in love” since childhood, and everyone believed they were destined to be mates. As the golden child, Anika’s relationship with the Alpha was celebrated by my parents, who had always despised me. They pulled every string to make sure no one could take Anika’s place as the future Luna of the Pack.

Soon, Anika and Orion arrived. Horror flickered across his face, and he tried signaling at me to behave, to keep the secret. But I refused.

I was done letting everyone walk all over me, done living in the shadows of a sister adored by all while I was treated like a plague.

I would not leave this place until Orion accepted that he is the father of my unborn child. Even if he rejected me as his mate, I would not let him reject his heir.

“What’s going on here, Lyra? Why are you on the floor?” Anika asked in feigned concern, rushing to help me up.

I knew her tricks. She played the angel in front of others to protect her “good girl” image, while in private she bullied me mercilessly. On a normal day, I would have played along so our parents wouldn’t punish me. But today wasn’t a normal day. Today, I would show everyone who Orion truly was.

I shoved her hand away and stayed rooted to the ground. She let herself fall with a startled cry, pretending I had pushed her. Orion rushed to her side, glaring at me.

“Are you insane? Why would you push her when she was only trying to help you?”

I rolled my eyes. The trick was so overused it was pathetic, yet the pack always believed her.

Before I could speak again, a crushing blow landed on my stomach, knocking the air out of me and slamming my head against the ground.

I gasped in pain, clutching my swollen belly protectively. When I looked up, I was stunned…it was Orion. He hadn’t just attacked me; he had attacked his own unborn child.

Tears blurred my vision as I stared at him, betrayal tearing me apart. “How could you do this to me, Orion? To your child? Have you forgotten the promises you made that night? How you swore to love me while you made love to me? You told me you’d end things with my sister. What changed? Why did you abandon me the next morning? Why are you refusing to accept your heir?”

My voice cracked across the silent field.

For a moment, Orion faltered, his guilt showing. Hope sparked inside me. Maybe, just maybe, there was a chance.

But that hope died the instant Anika stepped forward, malice gleaming in her eyes. “Why are you telling lies, Lyra. You’ve always wanted Orion, but I never thought you’d stoop this low. First, you tried to seduce him, and now this?”

The shift in Orion was immediate. Whatever pity lingered vanished, replaced by something cruel and dark.

He stepped forward at last. “I’ve covered your mistakes for too long, Lyra. Out of pity, because you’re my girlfriend’s sister. But now, I won’t hold back.”

Turning to the crowd, he raised his voice. “Lyra Onyxvale is responsible for Amanda Coleman’s death. At first, we thought it was suicide, but the autopsy proved it was murder. Amanda was the only one who knew of Lyra’s obsession with me. She killed her to keep her secret.”

The crowd gasped again. They believed him instantly. Who could dare question the Alpha?

“That’s a lie!” I shouted. “You’re framing me to hide the truth that you’re abandoning me and your child. If you truly aren’t the father, then swear on the scarred cursed scroll.”

It was the only thing that could prove my innocence. If he lied, he’d die.

Orion hesitated, his hands shaking. I thought he would back out. But Anika stepped in smoothly, her voice cutting through the silence. “Fine. He’ll do it.”

She fetched the scroll, whispered something in his ear, and handed it over. Orion straightened, false confidence hardening his features.

“I, Orion Henderson, reject you, Lyra Onyxvale, as my mate and the future Luna of the Crescent Pack. I also reject the bastard in your stomach you claim is my child. I wouldn’t touch you if you were the last woman on earth. And if I truly am the one who impregnated you, may the Moon Goddess strike me dead right here, right now.”

He raised the scroll high as he declared it.

I looked up, waiting for the thunder that should have struck him down for his lies. Nothing happened. The Moon Goddess had turned her back on me. The pack erupted, certain now that I was nothing but a whore trying to trap the Alpha.

“Since my innocence is proven,” Orion declared, “I hereby sentence you and your unborn child to death by stoning.”

Just like that, I was dragged toward the borders, hate-filled pack members circling me with stones in hand.

Anika stepped forward first, smiling as she threw the opening stone. The rest followed, striking me mercilessly. I curled protectively around my stomach, pain exploding through my body.

When I lifted my head through the haze of agony, I saw Orion holding Anika by the waist, his hand resting possessively on her belly.

And it was then I understood. She was pregnant too.