Chapter 1: The Banquet
Lyra’s POV
"I, Alpha Kade, reject you..." He trailed off, not knowing my name.
What did I expect?
"Lyra," I said timidly.
"I, Alpha Kade, reject you, Lyra, as my mate. I shall not allow you, who is not of noble blood, to become my Luna."
A Few Hours Ago_
"Oh, for the love of the moon goddess," I swore, annoyance coursing into my veins. Someone had just bumped into me— intentionally, causing me to drop the tray of glassware I was carrying to arrange at the banquet hall.
This was the third time.
They crashed to the floor, glass splintering in all directions, its shards flying about.
I couldn't save myself from the assault as I slipped and fell, head hitting the marble floor painfully, some glass shards digging into my skin and palms, which I used to break my fall.
"If you wouldn't be so caught up in a daydream, perhaps you would have seen me," came a venomous voice. I thought I recognized the voice, but when I looked up, it was just another servant girl.
Their voices and faces were the same to me now, blurred into an almost non-existent state. It was a daily routine for me to encounter one or more of them who were anything but nice to me.
"Can't you do your job well for once?" she scoffed at me, looking down in disgust. One hand was on her waist. She tsked and then walked off.
Rolling my eyes, I adjusted my position so I could stand up without getting injured some more. I was already mentally preparing myself for the scolding that lay ahead. There were only a few hours left until the banquet, and everything had to be perfect, but somehow, I had broken a set of glassware thrice today because some servant girls kept bumping into me.
Did I expect to spend my eighteenth birthday doing servant duties?
Yes, this was the only thing I had to my name. No one ever had breaks except for a valid reason, and I did not have one.
No family to visit, nothing.
My days were always the same mundane routine with little to no excitement happening.
Did I expect to be assaulted thrice today?
Not necessarily, but then I was Lyra— the girl who was always at the receiving end of chaos.
I could swear on my ancestors that they had offended the moon goddess, and now, I was here, carrying the sins of my parents, grandparents and possibly my whole generation.
The floor was stained with the blood dripping from my palms. I looked around dejectedly and tried to shift away some of the glass to create space to stand up, but it only ended up pricking me some more.
"Are you okay there?" A deep, sultry voice asked me.
I gasped, looking up to behold the handsome face of the Alpha. I had seen him severally times from a distance to know he was good-looking, but with him up close...
The gods had carefully sculpted him into perfection. I swallowed hard, my cheeks turning red as he raised a questioning brow at me.
"You're bleeding, but you're ogling me?"
"No-uh-um, I..."
He let out a breath of laughter and easily pulled me up from the mess of glass on the floor. My blood stained his tunic slightly, but he didn't seem to mind.
"Thank you, Alpha," I said timidly.
"Hm," he scoffed and turned. I watched him walk away with long strides, only for him to pause in the middle of the hallway.
He turned slowly. "Your eyes..."
"What about Alpha?"
"Are you blind?"
I snorted in laughter. "I wouldn't be one of the servants handling glassware if I were—" I gasped, placing my hand on my mouth. It was going to be the end of me someday.
"You're a snarky little thing, aren't you?" He commented drily. "There's almost no colour in them... They are silver... Forgive me for thinking they do not work." He said sarcastically.
"Well, they do work," I told him with a smile. "And perfectly so. I wouldn't have been able to tell you were the Alpha, would I?"
"My presence is enough for that."
He left immediately, and I set to work, gathering up the glass shards in one spot. I got a broom and dustpan to gather it up and then trashed it.
"What exactly is your problem?" Daphne, the head matron, said, pulling my cheeks hard.
"This is the third time!" She yelled. "Don't frustrate me, child. The rotation has already been set, and you are to serve the Alpha's table tonight. Is that how you shall break things at the banquet?"
"I swear by the moon goddess, I was pushed."
"Three times?" She raised her brows disbelievingly.
"Yes, three times."
"Well, better hope no one pushes you when the banquet starts," she said. "Now off you go." She thrust another tray of glassware into my hand. "And don't break it this time!"
++++++*
The banquet was loud with musicians playing their respective instruments, a symphony of sounds which were pleasant, filling my ears. So far, things were going well, and I had only been pushed once, but I kept my stance firm and did not spill what I was holding, much to the dismay of the girl who targeted me.
Ha! Served her right.
I walked towards the Alpha's table for the third time today— each time, my heart was beating desperately fast, while I prayed to the moon goddess, I would not mess up. Those who had found their mates were in the middle of the hall, dancing with them.
Slowly and carefully, I began to pass around the wine glasses on my tray, starting from the Alpha first. I set it down carefully so that not even a drop would spill or splash. My sleeves lifted slightly because of the angle at which I did that, and the Alpha's eyes rested on the silver crescent moon-shaped birthmark on my wrist.
He looked at my face and then back at my wrist, touching it slightly. I swallowed hard, feeling heat creep up my body.
"That..."
"Birthmark," I chuckled nervously, moving to serve the next person a drink.
Then a warm feeling flooded my chest, followed by a prodding sensation. I locked eyes with Alpha Kade across the table, and my wolf screamed at me:
Mate.