CHAPTER 5

Lyra’s POV

I had crushed the doors of the room to find myself at the ceremony; how is that possible? I turned around to find the room where I had come from, surprisingly. It was the room where the chief maiden had almost beaten me to death. No way!! I was just running away from Sasha a minute ago. I had so many questions running through my mind.

I had to run away to get away from whatever Sasha had planned to execute on me. And some way or another, I ended up back at the palace after breaking through the door. Was it a dream? It felt like my mind was playing with me. I prayed it was just my mind playing with me as I decided not to think about what happened with Sasha and face the problem at hand.

I finally left my thoughts to find everyone looking at me. Everyone, including the main elders and the chief priest, It was very obvious that I had disturbed the ceremony, as everyone gave me that look. I never wanted this kind of attention. 

"I am really sorry, hehe. You can continue, she said, forcing a fake smile while rubbing the back of my head. The chief priest ignored me as he continued his speech. Using the opportunity I escaped through the back of the crowd, the door would take care of itself later.

I kept my head low to avoid eye contact as I made my way through the back of the crowd. As I walked, I could hear them talking about me.

"Which kind of dress is that? She looks like a mental patient."

"She looks like someone who just came from the gutters; how did she even get here? Does she even know how she smells?

"I can't sense any strong aura from her. She's one of those weak ones, for sure."

"How did someone like that get into the palace in the first place?"

"Someone should call the guards; omegas aren't allowed here."

"She looks like she's planning to get a mate today; who would want an omega? Haha, she's a complete fool. Those who heard laughed as I walked behind them. The humiliation!!

This sh*it is something I had to pass through every day of my life; it had become something I was already used to. Long gone were the days I cried because of the insults and abuse.

The bullying of the weak ones was something normal in the pack, even if they were to bully me right there. I passed through them. 

No one was going to save me.

I was hoping they hadn't started the "mate match" yet. I began walking faster as I could hear the chief priest preparing to finish his speech. I immediately stepped away from the crowd and ran towards the main room. There I would get a new dress—the main dress I was supposed to wear. They provided a dress for everyone who was getting their mates today, both men and women.

I had registered for the "mate match,' and that was where I was headed. The mate match was the main reason for the mating ceremony occurring. Every year, those who were of the required age in the pack where to register for the mate match. The mate match was the last event; here, the chief priest would announce everyone along with their mate through the holy book of gods, a book gifted to our ancestors by the moon goddess herself.

At the beginning of the ceremony, a sacrifice would be made to the moon goddess to thank her for taking the time to choose a mate for everyone. This included the killing of a werewolf from the pack—a weak werewolf or perhaps an omega. It was obvious that the pack didn't really care for the weak.

The sacrifice would then be placed in the middle of the palace, where the moon shined brighter than usual. The bright light would burn the corpse till only ashes remain, which would take two hours. During the burning of corpses, everyone would pray to the goddess for eternal life, peace, and more of her blessings for the pack.

When the sacrifice burns out, the mate match will then begin the announcement of mates. It was obvious that the chief priest would be ending his speech soon, which indicated that the sacrifice and the prayers had been done earlier before I came crashing in. The main event was happening soon.

I finally got into the main room. That was some strong courage I displayed there. Hehe. I opened the locker that had my name boldly written on it. Lyra Daxton, I would be getting my mate today—someone who is likely to change my life, someone who would protect me from the bullying and humiliation, someone who would take me away from here and put away my misery. My knight in shining armor. I wish my parents were here to see this.

I put on the black dress as I admired the quality of the fabric. It showed it was a very high-quality dress, thick with glitter at the front.

Walking up to the mirror, I admired the dress more as it displayed a little skin on the top of my breast, also bringing out all my curves. I never knew I had all these feminine features. I was always stuck in my maid's dress. The money I got from working at the palace was always being squandered by my uncle and his family, so I had nothing to wear except my maid's dress.

I reminded myself about the ceremony; I could admire the dress later. I took a deep inhalation as I accompanied it with a beautiful smile. I had been through a lot lately. I hoped for the best, as today would determine how my life would turn out. As I walked out of the room, I found myself face-to-face with a woman. She had the same gown as I had on, and her braided hair deciphered a combination of blue and black.

She had a familiar scent—a scent I knew too well.

"Athena ," I blurted out in shock.

"Well, well, look who we have here."