Chapter 172

Lyra's POV

"Partly," he admitted. "But also because I saw what it did to you. What I did to you." He hesitated, forcing himself to meet my eyes. "And because every time I look at you, I'm reminded of everything I could have protected but didn't. I swore I would never follow such an order again—not when it comes to you."

I finished binding his wounds in silence, my hands continuing their work even as my mind struggled to process his words. Rovak's confession echoed in my head like thunder without meaning. When I finally spoke, I kept my voice carefully controlled, though I could feel it threatening to break apart with each syllable.

"I should go. The guards will be back soon." I packed my supplies with methodical precision, avoiding his eyes. "I've done what I can for your injuries. Try not to move too much."

As I stood to leave, I felt tears threatening to spill and something else building inside me—something harder and more determined than I'd ever felt before.

"Lyra," he called softly as I reached the cell door. "I'm sorry. For everything."

The cold stone walls of the dungeon corridor seemed to close in around me as I stumbled away from Rovak's cell. My hands trembled uncontrollably against the rough surface as I leaned against it for support, fighting to catch my breath.

Could it be true? Would Kassak really have ordered the death of his own child—our child?

I closed my eyes, memories of that terrible day flooding back. The training exercise that had gone horribly wrong. The blow that had caught me completely off guard. The agony as I felt my body betraying me, my child's life slipping away while I screamed for help.

And Kassak's face when he arrived at the medical ward—not grief-stricken as I'd expected, but cold, distant. Almost... relieved.

The medical staff, too. Their averted gazes. The way the healer had started to say something, then stopped herself when Kassak entered the room.

All this time, I'd believed it was a tragic accident. I'd grieved alone while Kassak returned to his duties the very next day, leaving me to drown in my sorrow.

A memory flashed through my mind—Theo's tiny hands reaching for my face this morning, his innocent laughter when I'd nuzzled his belly.

That little wolf cub had become my reason to live when I'd lost everything else. He'd healed parts of me I thought would stay broken forever.

The thought of Theo steadied me. "No more," I whispered, pushing myself away from the wall. Leona growled in agreement, her presence burning hot beneath my skin.

I needed the truth.

---

Kassak sat behind his massive desk, head bent over documents, when I pushed the doors open. He looked up, annoyance flashing across his face at the interruption.

"Lyra," he said, his tone clipped. "What are you doing here?"

I closed the door behind me, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Did you order the death of our child?"

The words hung in the air between us. For just a second—so brief I might have imagined it—shock registered on his face. Then his expression smoothed into that familiar mask of cold indifference.

"Where did you hear such a ridiculous accusation?" he asked, setting down his pen.

"Rovak told me," I said, taking a step closer to his desk. "He said it wasn't an accident. That you gave the order."

Kassak leaned back in his chair, his laugh mirthless. "And you believe the desperate lies of a traitor? A man who would say anything to save himself from punishment?"

"I don't know what to believe," I replied, my voice trembling slightly. "That's why I'm here. Tell me the truth, Kassak. I deserve at least that much."

He stood slowly, his considerable height allowing him to look down at me. "You were a soldier then, and you're a soldier now. You don't question your Alpha's decisions."

"This wasn't a military decision!" My voice rose despite my efforts to stay calm. "This was our child! Mine and yours!"

"Lower your voice," he warned, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"I have the right to know!" I shouted, Leona's fury bleeding into my words. "That was my child! My body! My future you destroyed!"

The air in the room suddenly grew heavy as Kassak released his Alpha power, the crushing pressure making my knees want to buckle. But I refused to bow, refused to submit.

The side door to the office swung open, and Riley glided in, dressed in a blood-red gown that complemented her porcelain skin.

She walked to Kassak's side, her movements graceful and deliberate. She placed a possessive hand on his arm. "Darling, you shouldn't waste your precious time on such... trivial matters."

Kassak's expression softened slightly at her touch, the harshness in his eyes melting away.

Riley turned to me, her eyes cold despite her smile. "You really thought you were worthy of carrying an Alpha's child? A common soldier like you?"

The cruelty of her words stole my breath. I looked to Kassak, waiting for him to deny it, to defend what we had once shared.

Kassak's expression wavered, conflict evident in the tightening of his jaw. For a moment, I thought he might deny it, might offer some explanation that would make this nightmare less horrific.

Riley pressed herself against his side, looking up at him with adoring eyes. "Tell her, my love," she cooed. "Tell her how only I am worthy to bear your children. Only I can give you the pure-blooded heirs you deserve."

Kassak placed his hand over hers, his thumb caressing her wrist. "You're right," he told her softly. "Only you."

He turned to me, his eyes hardening again. "You should be grateful for what you have, Lyra. You have Theo. Why dwell on the past?"

I stared at him, this man I had once respected, once followed loyally, and saw a stranger.

"You killed your own child," I whispered, horror and disgust turning my stomach. Leona howled inside me, a sound of pure anguish that threatened to tear my soul apart.

"Speaking of the child," Riley said suddenly, her head tilting curiously. "Where did this Theo come from? I don't recall any births in the pack recently."

The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly, tension crackling like electricity before a storm. Kassak's body stiffened, and I saw a flicker of something—uncertainty? Fear?—cross his face.

Riley moved closer to him, her movements somehow both intimate and dangerous. She traced her fingers along his neck, over the mate mark she'd left there. "You know you can't lie to me now," she murmured. "Not with our bond. Where did the child come from, my love?"

Kassak's eyes glazed slightly, as if the touch of her mark left him dazed. He struggled visibly, his mouth opening and closing once before he answered.

"He's... Freya's son," he admitted, the words seeming dragged from him unwillingly.

Riley froze, her body going rigid. "What?" Her voice was suddenly stripped of all pretense, raw with genuine shock. "Freya's son? That woman who stole my father's affection and had me thrown in prison for two months?"

"Riley, I can explain," Kassak said quickly, reaching for her. "It was strategic. Taking her child weakens Moonshade's Alpha—"

"I don't care about your strategy!" Riley snapped, her composure completely shattered. Her eyes blazed as she whirled to face him. "You brought that woman's spawn into our home? You let her blood live among us?"

Kassak's hands moved soothingly over her arms. "Calm yourself. It's just a child—"

"A child of our enemy!" Riley hissed, her expression hardened into something truly frightening. "Kill him."