Chapter 3

As Lyla glided across the dance floor with Liam, she had a broad smile on her face. She had never danced at any of Kyrian's parties before. She was always seated at the podium, smiling at the guests because that is where Kyrian wanted her. According to him, that was her place. And out of fear of Kyrian, no one had ever offered her a dance or even so much as interacted with her for so long. Liam was different. Lyla glanced at Liam, she had a good impression of him. He was about 5 ft 3 tall, arched cheekbones, marble jaw, falcon nose and merry eyes. His eyes were round shaped and his eyebrows bristly. He had lean shoulders that gave off a soft masculine vibe. He was quite good looking with all these features but to Lyla, Kyrian would always be the most handsome man. Liam though wasn't bad and Lyla regarded him highly for he was the only one that had ever had guts to greet her in Kyrian's party. He even asked her for a dance and Kyrian had surprisingly agreed. And now as she glided across the dance floor she was in the best mood. Liam was very charming and he was quite the company.

"You are a wonderful dancer, my lady", Liam complimented as they danced.

Lyla smiled at him.

"Thank you. You are not so bad yourself", Lyla complimented him back and Liam smiled charmingly.

"Thank you. Although it does make me wonder why Kyrian hides you at events like this. He barely dances with you", Liam pointed out.

Lyla smiled uneasily.

Liam stared intently at her. He saw the smile on her face, he also noticed the uneasiness in her smile.

"Ahh. He must be jealous, he probably doesn't want anyone to steal you away from him", Liam answered himself.

"Well, I understand him. If you were my lady, I would hide you away too", Liam told her.

"Your beauty is quite enchanting", Liam complimented and Lyla's smile widened.

"You are too kind, Alpha Liam", she responded.

"Hardly", Liam replied with his charming smile as they continued to dance.

Lyla felt a sharp gaze on her. She glanced at the podium where Kyrian sat staring at her. Lyla shuddered at his gaze on her. He averted his eyes almost immediately her eyes caught his but Lyla had seen the look in his eyes and it had caused her to shiver. She wasn't a fool to think that Kyrian would just let her dance with Liam like that, she was almost sure that there would be a punishment later.

Lyla remembered when Kyrian had showed up at her house not more than two days after the annual moonlight festival. She had been completely shocked and terrified. She had not expected that Kyrian had actually taken notice of her at the moonlight festival. Her father and mother had been really scared and terrified of Kyrian and she shared in their fear. After all the rumors about Kyrian that was going around, their fears were completely understandable. So when Kyrian had informed her parents of his intention to marry her, her step father had immediately agreed out of fear. Her mother, though terrified as well, hesitated. Lyla on the other hand had been scared but a small part of her had also been thrilled. She had caught the eye of the great alpha Kyrian. The alpha whom most people said didn't have a care for women, had been intrigued by her, a part of her had been thrilled by this. While her step father had shown willingness to allow her to be married to Kyrian, her mother had protested despite her fear. Kyrian had left their house that day, telling them to consider his proposal. However before he left, he had glanced at Lyla. Staring intensely into her eyes, he had said these words,

"I can think of no woman more appropriate to bear my son than her"

He had said these words with all seriousness and intensity that Lyla's heart had involuntarily skipped a beat.

After Kyrian left, her step father and her mother had a bitter argument. Her step father wanted to give her to Kyrian.

"Why risk incurring his wrath and suffering for it when he will still get what he wants afterwards? Why not just give him what he wants calmly and even benefit from it?", her step father had stated his point.

"But you know how he is! You've heard the rumors about him", her mother had argued.

"Oh woman, there are just rumors. How are we to know that any of those things said about him are true?"

"You know they are true. You know what kind of person he is and you want to sell off my daughter to him?!"

"Yes, why not? What good has your daughter done to us, huh?!"

"All she does is remind me of her father!"

Her mother had cooled down a bit at this. She bit her lips nervously and glanced at her step father with nervous eyes.

"Pl... Please you can't really be considering this. They are not even each other's mates", her mother had pointed out but her step father had scoffed.

    "And so? What good is that? The alpha wants her is all that matters. And let's be honest, if she wants her, can we really stop him?", her step father had asked her mother and she could not argue back. It was the truth.

So that's how it was settled and Lyla was married to the alpha. All through the argument not once did anybody ask Lyla for her opinion on the matter. And Lyla wasn't exactly sure what she would have said if someone had. All she had thought about were Kyrian's words,

"I can think of no other woman more appropriate to bear my son than her", these words and the seriousness in his eyes when he had said them had been etched in Lyla's mind. It had been all she had thought about even as the car had carried her to the palace, to be wedded to Kyrian. She remembered thinking that maybe Kyrian wasn't as ruthless as people made him out to be. If he could say something seriously like that, that could only mean that he genuinely liked her and if he could genuinely like her enough to say something like that, then he couldn't be a monster as people made him out to be, Lyla had reasoned. Though she still feared Kyrian, she had found that a small part of her was looking forward to being married to him, a small part of her still had hope.

That hope had been brutally crushed on their first night together when Kyrian had told her explicitly that he didn't have any feelings for her of any kind and that he had only married her to bear him a son. Their first night together had been brutal for Lyla. Kyrian had been rough and uncaring and Lyla had been unhappy after that. She had found herself wishing for the day she would bear Kyrian a son and finally be free from him.

The dance with Liam soon came to an end and Lyla glanced at Kyrian who was still sitting on the podium. He wasn't looking at her and that gave Lyla the chance to stare at him for a few minutes. Lyla couldn't deny that he looked so handsome, sitting there like that.

Yes, she couldn't wait for the day she would bear Kyrian a son. But it wasn't so she could be set free from him, no that had no longer been the reason for her to bear Kyrian a son. Not since she had discovered that he was her mate.