No goodbyes were said, not even a warm hug or quiet apology.

Nobody from her pack cared enough to look back after they dropped her off at the edge of Shadowfang's borders. It felt like she was just a package they couldn’t wait to send out.

Lyra stood alone, rain soaking through the thin white dress they dressed her in as a symbol of her purity, they said, but it felt more like chains made for her to give up. She was standing in the wet ground, feeling the cold mud on her bare feet. The chilly air was biting at her skin.

A silver collar clung tightly around her neck. A reminder of who she was the unshifted, unwanted, and now… unclaimed.

She hadn’t spoken a word since they shoved her into the truck that morning. She did not need to. Everyone knew what she was the omega they were sacrificing to the Shadowfang Alpha to secure peace.

And this peace came with a price.

And her name, Lyra Vale.

She heard their voices before she saw them.

The crunch of boots, the silence that followed was unnatural, thick, as if the trees themselves refused to rustle in the presence of the devil approaching.

Then she felt him.

His presence was a force. Not a scent or sound to prepare her for the pressure that settled against her chest.

Her breath caught the second he stepped into view.

Ravik Draven.

He wasn’t like the myth, the stories made him sound like one carved from war, cloaked in violence, blood on his hands, and ice in his veins.

His presence was even more unsettling, instilling a sense of fear that was unlike anything you had ever experienced before.

He didn’t wear armour, he did not need it. He carried an air of power that seemed to wrap around him like a second skin. He stood tall and strong, his dark hair slicked to the back by the rain. His pale grey eyes looked cold and calculating, revealing no emotions,

He took one look at her and said nothing.

She didn’t dare move.

“She’s the offering,” her escort said stiffly. “Omega. Nineteen. Untouched. The Moonclaw pack offers her per the Council’s decree.”

Ravik didn’t look at the man. His eyes never left Lyra.

“Untouched?” he murmured. “She looks like she might break if I breathe on her.”

He took a step closer.

She tried not to flinch.

Another step.

She could feel her heart racing.

When he stopped in front of her, she realised just how tall he really was. He could crush her with his hand without blinking.

He reached out slowly, deliberately, and tilted her chin up with two fingers.

Her eyes met his.

And the world shifted.

A sudden spark, a pull It felt like a jolt of electricity racing through her body, making her heart race, and warmth spreading inside her.

Her wolf stirred beneath her skin for the first time in months weak, fragile, but wide awake.

She gasped.

Ravik’s eyes narrowed. “Hmph. So it’s real.”

“What is?” Her voice was barely a whisper.

“The bond,” he said simply.

“No,” she said quickly, too quickly. “That’s not possible. I don’t feel…”

“Liar.” The word was soft. Final. “Your pulse just spiked.”

She tried to pull away, but his grip tightened—firm but not cruel.

Then he looked at the collar.

And his jaw ticked.

“Who chained you?”

“My… former Alpha,” she said.

Without asking he snapped the collar with one twist of his wrist.

It cracked open and her knees buckling made her lose the strength in her legs as she tried to stand

She fell.

He didn’t catch her. He watched.

“Pathetic,” someone muttered behind him.

Ravik’s head turned slightly, his voice low. “Say that again, and I’ll remove your tongue.”

Silence.

Lyra struggled to stand. Ravik didn’t offer a hand. But he didn’t leave her in the mud either.

“You’ll ride with me,” he said. “You’ll sleep in my wing. And if anyone touches you” He turned his head slightly. “they die.”

She stared at him.

“I didn’t choose this,” she whispered.

“Neither did I,” he replied. “But the bond doesn’t ask. And I don’t ignore what’s mine.”

Then he turned, his coat sweeping behind him like shadow incarnate.

Lyra was led to a waiting black SUV with tinted windows and guards who never met her gaze.

Their drive was faster, and in about an hour they arrived at the Shadowfang mansion, the manor was brutal. All black stone, steel, and silence. It looked like a castle built for war, not comfort.

She was bathed again dried and dressed in black silk no undergarment she could feel the air kiss her skin.

The room they gave her had incredibly cold floors, sharp furniture, and no windows she could open.

A golden bell sat on a table.

“A maid will come when you ring it,” the housemaid said. “Do not leave this room until the Alpha allows it.”

Lyra didn’t touch the bell.

She didn’t move.

Not until the door opened again.

Ravik entered bare-chested, towel slung over his shoulder, eyes burning with something unreadable.

She stood quickly.

He stopped a few feet from her and stared.

“You’re smaller than I expected.”

She said nothing.

“Do you know why you’re here?” he asked.

“For the treaty.”

He let out a dry, humourless sound. “That’s what they told you?”

She hesitated. “Isn’t it true?”

He came closer. She didn’t back away.

“You’re here because I needed a mate on paper,” he said. “A pretty, quiet omega no one would miss.”

“And the bond?”

“That wasn’t part of the plan.”

She swallowed.

His eyes dropped to her lips. Then lower.

“You’re not ready for what I want,” he murmured. “And I’m not ready for what you are.” softly like a threat and a promise:

“But I’ll still take you when the time comes.”

Her breath caught.

“I don’t want you,” she whispered.

“Good,” he said. “Want makes things messy. Need is far worse.”

Without warning, he kissed her.

One hand wrapped around her waist, dragging her against his body. The other cradled the back of her head. His mouth was rough, claiming, full of frustration and something darker.

When he pulled back, her lips were bruised and her knees were weak.

He looked her over like a man on the edge of losing control.

“Sleep,” he said, already turning away. “You’ll need your strength.”

The door closed behind him with a soft click.

And Lyra stood in silence, trembling.