Desperation

Downstairs, the grand hall was filled with voices as Liam and Lucas descended the staircase. The echoes of anger and frustration bounced off the walls, drawing them toward the commotion. 

As they approached, they caught sight of Lexa, her eyes wild with fury. 

She stood in the middle of a small crowd of bodyguards yelling sharply.

“How could this happen?” Lexa’s voice increased, the pain and resentment in her tone evident. “The Moon Goddess was supposed to choose me. I was meant to be their mate, not her!” She clenched her fists, her expression twisting with bitterness.

Liam stepped forward, pushing through the crowd that had gathered to witness Lexa’s outburst. 

As he approached, Lexa’s gaze locked onto him, her face softening slightly, though the fire of rage still simmered.

“Lexa,” he said quietly, attempting to soothe her, “calm down. Let’s not do this here.”

Lexa scoffed, her voice laced with contempt. 

“Calm down? You want me to calm down when that girl is upstairs, preparing to take everything that’s rightfully mine? You expect me to stand by and watch her steal you from me?” Her voice trembled, betraying the hurt beneath her anger.

Taking a deep breath, Liam reached out, placing his hands gently on her shoulders. 

“Listen to me, Lexa,” he said softly, looking directly into her eyes. “I know you’re upset, and you have every right to be. But you need to understand—whatever the Moon Goddess says, I choose you. My heart belongs to you, Lexa, not her. You are the one I want.”

At his words, Lexa’s expression shifted, her anger giving way to hope. 

“You mean that?” she asked, her voice softer now.

Liam nodded, squeezing her shoulders reassuringly. 

“I mean it. Lily may be the one chosen by the Moon Goddess, but I don’t care about her. I want you, Lexa. Only you.”

For the first time that night, Lexa’s face brightened, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. 

She lifted her hands, touching Liam’s face with a gentleness that seemed out of place after her previous fury. 

“Thank you, Liam,” she murmured, her voice thick with emotion. “I was afraid… afraid that I’d lost you.”

“You’ll never lose me,” Liam assured her, pulling her close.

Just as Lexa seemed to relax, she glanced upward, her gaze catching on the shadowed figure in the upstairs window. 

There, watching them from behind the glass, was Lily. 

Lexa’s expression hardened, and with a smirk, she turned back to Liam. Without hesitation, she leaned in and pressed her lips to his in a slow, deliberate kiss, making sure Lily would see every second of it.

From her place at the window, Lily’s heart tightened as she watched the scene unfold. 

It was like a final confirmation of everything she’d feared—that this bond was nothing but a chain binding her to a life where her mate would never love her, where she would be tied to someone who had no desire to be with her.

If she could somehow render herself unfit for the ceremony, it might be enough to delay everything until she comes up with a good escape plan.

Steeling herself, Lily grabbed hold of the small mirror that hung on the wall. 

She knew it was reckless, dangerous even, but she was willing to do anything to escape this nightmare. 

Carefully, shd pressed the mirror against the edge of her desk until it broke completely.

With trembling fingers, she lifted one of the glass, the sharp edge glinting under the dim light. 

She knew it was a drastic choice, but it felt like her only option—the only way to make them realize how serious she was about rejecting this fate.

Just as she raised the glass, a large hand grabbed hold of her wrist, stopping her movement mid-air. 

She gasped, looking up to see the furious face of Liam and Lucas’s father, the pack’s Alpha. 

His eyes were dark, his jaw clenched with barely restrained fury.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he growled, his voice low and dangerous.

Lily’s breath caught in her throat, her gaze flicking between the glass in her hand and the Alpha’s steely expression. 

She tried to pull her wrist free, but his grip was unyielding, his fingers pressing into her skin with enough force to make her cry in pain.

“I…I can’t go through with this,” she stammered, her voice barely a whisper. “I don’t want to be bound to them. I never wanted any of this.”

The Alpha’s eyes flashed, a dangerous glint of anger flaring as he tightened his hold. 

“Enough,” he snarled. “You will not disgrace this pack any further. You will obey, or you will face the consequences.”

Lily’s heart pounded in her chest, fear surging through her as she felt the weight of his authority bearing down on her. 

This was a side of the Alpha she’d rarely seen, and it left her feeling small, powerless in the face of his wrath. 

“Do you understand me?” he demanded, his voice cold and unyielding.

Lily swallowed, nodding slightly as her defiance crumbled beneath the force of his gaze. 

She could feel her courage slipping away, replaced by a bone-deep weariness that left her feeling drained, defeated.

But even as she nodded, a small, defiant spark remained within her, buried deep but still alive. 

She didn’t know how, or when, but she vowed to herself that she would find a way out of this—somehow. She would not let them dictate her life, no matter how powerful they thought they were.

The Alpha released her wrist, his expression softening just enough to show a hint of disappointment beneath the anger. 

“You will not embarrass this pack again, Lily. You will fulfill your duty, and you will do so with the grace expected of a future Luna.”

With those final words, he turned and left the room, leaving her alone once more. 

The broken mirror glass lay on the floor, a silent reminder of her failed attempt to escape.

But she wasn't done yet.