Chapter 3 He Left Us Here
Lyra's POV
I stood frozen in the clinic's waiting room, still reeling from the accusation.
"We should go," Seraphina said. "Dorian asked me to take his card and help him pick out some furniture for the east wing renovation. He said you should find your own way home."
My wolf bristled beneath my skin. 'He's leaving us here? After this?'
"You're lying," I said automatically.
Seraphina's smile widened as she held up Dorian's black credit card between two manicured fingers. "Am I? Ask him yourself... oh wait, he isn't speaking to you, is he?"
She swept past me, the scent of her expensive perfume making my stomach turn. Through the window, I watched her slide into the passenger seat of Dorian's SUV. Moments later, he emerged from the clinic without a glance in my direction, got into the driver's seat, and drove away.
'He left us,' my wolf whimpered. 'He actually left us here.'
I tried finding Dr. Blackwood, but her office door was locked. The receptionist informed me she had already left through the back entrance, claiming an emergency at Moon Shadow Central Hospital. My calls to the hospital revealed she wasn't scheduled today, and her emergency line went unanswered. Even at her home, I was stonewalled by an indifferent housekeeper.
By mid-afternoon, I was sitting at a bus stop miles from the clinic, exhausted and defeated. My clothes were damp from rain, my hair a mess, and I had just missed my bus.
My wolf said miserably. 'I smelled the trap, but we walked right into it anyway.'
As the next bus arrived, I found myself pressing a hand to my still-flat stomach, a gesture that had become habit in the brief two days I'd believed myself pregnant. The hollow ache that followed was almost unbearable.
"I'm sorry," I whispered to the child that had never existed, yet somehow had already taken up space in my heart.
My wolf curled into a tight ball within me. 'We've lost everything. Our mother's necklace. Our mate's trust. Our phantom pup. Everything.'
The bus wound through the misty streets of Moon Shadow Bay, and I pressed my forehead against the cool window. Three and a half years ago, in the private garden of Beatrice Blackthorne's estate, Dorian had slipped a silver band onto my finger without ceremony or warmth. A business transaction, nothing more.
When I'd asked about what other wolves would think of me, he had simply said: "Focus on me. The opinions of the other wolves don't matter."
Yet now he cared deeply about what Seraphina thought. About her lies and manipulations.
Through the rain-streaked window, a flash of silver hair caught my eye. I straightened, pressing closer to the glass. Dr. Blackwood stood under the awning of an exclusive boutique, her distinctive silver bun unmistakable. And beside her stood Seraphina, her golden hair glinting in the muted afternoon light.
"Stop the bus!" I called, already on my feet.
By the time I reached the sidewalk, sprinting through puddles, they had moved to a more secluded corner. I ducked behind a decorative planter, my wolf's senses sharpening as I strained to hear.
"Oh, stop worrying," Seraphina continued, reaching into her designer purse. "No one will ever know. And this should ease your conscience."
I watched as Seraphina pressed something into the doctor's palm. Moon gold coins, rare and valuable currency in werewolf society, used only for the most significant transactions.
'She bought the doctor,' my wolf snarled. 'Paid her to destroy us.'
Dr. Blackwood glanced nervously over her shoulder, then hurried away, disappearing into a waiting car.
"Leaving town already, doctor?" I whispered, watching the car pull into traffic.
When I finally made it home to our penthouse apartment, night had fallen. I curled up on the sofa with my medical texts.
My wolf paced restlessly inside me. 'He won't come,' she said as midnight passed. 'He's with her now.'
"He'll come," I insisted.
It was nearly three in the morning when I heard the key in the lock. I jerked awake, my textbook still open on my lap. Dorian stood in the doorway.
"You're still up," he said.
"I need to talk to you about what happened today. About Dr. Blackwood and Seraphina."
"Enough. I'm not interested in more lies."
"They're not lies!" I insisted. "I saw them together today. Seraphina was paying her, Dorian. Gold coins. They set me up!"
"Don’t fuck with me! Don’t fuck use your little stories to trick me!"
"Why won't you believe me?" My voice broke. "I care about us. About what we could have been."
"There is no 'us,'" Dorian's tone final. "There never was. Almost four years of this arrangement has been more than enough. It's time to end it."
The words hit me like physical blows. "You want to perform the Reject ritual? Now?"
"Come with me." He turned and walked toward his study.
The study was dark save for a single desk lamp casting long shadows across his desk. Dorian moved behind the desk, his tall frame silhouetted against the rain-streaked windows.
"The trial period for our mating bond ends in four months," he said, his voice emotionless. "But I've decided not to pursue the complete bonding ritual."
We'd marked each other, yes, but we'd yet to undergo the full Mating Ceremony. By tradition, required both parties to stand beneath the full moon, press their palms together, and each slice open their palm with a claw, letting their blood mingle as a testament to their commitment before pressing foreheads, allowing fragments of their souls to take root and fuse within one another, becoming truly inseparable.
My heart stopped. "You mean..."
"I mean I will formally Reject you," he continued. "The process will sever our mate bond permanently, allowing me to pursue my true fated mate."
"You're throwing me out?" I whispered.
"The Blackthorne Foundation will continue to fund your education. But you'll need to find other accommodations by the end of the week."
I stepped back from his desk. "No. I won't accept this."
His eyes narrowed, and suddenly the room felt smaller, the air heavier. The unmistakable pressure of Alpha power radiated from him, crushing against my chest.
"You have no choice," he said. "You manipulated a doctor. You faked a pregnancy to extend our bond. You've brought shame to my family's name."
Each accusation landed like a physical blow. I gripped the edge of the desk, fighting against the Alpha command.
"I didn't," I gasped. "None of that is true."
The pressure intensified, forcing me to my knees. My wolf whimpered, submitting to the overwhelming dominance. This was Dorian as I'd never seen him, using his full Alpha power against me, breaking his promise that he would never force my submission.
"Accept it," he commanded. "The Reject ritual will happen whether you consent or not."
Tears blurred my vision as I realized I had no choice. Under his Alpha command, I would lose everything: my home, my security, my last connection to the only family I'd known for years.