chapter 81 Sacred ceremony
Lyra's POV
A few days later, the pack's ancestral ceremony arrived. This was a traditional ritual usually held to honor werewolf ancestors and pray for pack prosperity. In recent years, as friction between vampires and werewolves had intensified, this ceremony had taken on a protective function for the pack and was given special importance.
The ceremony was held in the sacred grove at the heart of Silver Moon territory. Nearly every member of the pack attended, from the highest-ranking Alphas to the youngest pups.
I stood at the edge of the gathering, knowing I no longer had the right to enter Dorian's private domain. But this was a public ceremony, and I had come for one desperate purpose: to plead with Clara and Owen to let me see that poor wolf pup one last time before I left.
The crowd was dressed in traditional ceremonial robes, silver and white fabric flowing in the evening breeze. Ancient wolf totems stood in a circle around the ceremonial fire.
I spotted Clara near the front of the gathering, her silver hair gleaming in the firelight. Our eyes met across the crowd.
Moving carefully through the crowd, I approached her during a lull in the ceremony.
"Clara," I whispered, "please. I need your help."
"Lyra, dear child. What are you doing here?"
"I'm leaving Moon Shadow Bay," I said quietly. "But before I go, I need to see my daughter. Just once. Please, can you ask Dorian to let me see her?"
Clara's eyes filled with tears. "Oh, sweetheart..."
"I know I have no right to ask, But she's innocent in all this. Whatever Dorian thinks of me, she doesn't deserve to be completely cut off from her mother."
Owen appeared beside his mate, having noticed our quiet conversation. His expression was grave but not unkind.
"Lyra, we've heard about your situation. This whole business has been... difficult for everyone."
"Please, I'm not asking to take her. I just want to see that she's alive and well. Then I'll leave and never bother any of you again."
Clara and Owen exchanged a meaningful look. Then Clara squeezed my hand.
"Wait here," she said. "I'll speak to Dorian."
As Clara moved through the crowd toward where Dorian stood with the other pack leaders, my mind churned with self-recrimination. How had everything gone so wrong? That child was clearly Dorian's. I had never been unfaithful to him, not once. Yes, I had almost terminated the pregnancy in a moment of desperation, but I hadn't gone through with it. I had chosen to protect the life growing inside me.
But somehow, all the evidence had been twisted against me. It all painted me as an unfaithful mate who had tried to deceive her Alpha.
I watched Clara approach Dorian, saw them speak in hushed tones. Dorian's expression grew thunderous as Clara gestured toward me. For a moment, I thought he might simply refuse and send me away.
Instead, he strode through the crowd directly toward me, his amber eyes blazing with fury.
"You couldn't leave well enough alone, could you?" he said in a low voice that only I could hear. "You had to drag my parents into this."
"Dorian, please..."
"Come with me. Now."
He gripped my arm firmly and led me away from the main gathering to a secluded area behind the ancient oak trees.
"Don't you dare manipulate my parents," he warned. "They care about you, and you're using that against them."
"I'm not manipulating anyone," I protested. "I just want to see my daughter."
"Your daughter?" He laughed harshly, pulling out a familiar manila folder. "These are the same documents I showed you before. Your secret meetings with Eric, your attempt to terminate the pregnancy, your request for paternity testing. If you continue this pathetic campaign, I'll make sure every wolf in Moon Shadow Bay sees exactly what kind of mate you really were."
The threat hit me like a physical blow. Public exposure of those fabricated documents would destroy any remaining shred of reputation I had left.
I reached into my bag with trembling hands, pulling out an envelope containing every dollar I had left. The money from selling my parents' belongings, my few remaining possessions.
"Here, It's everything I have. Please use it for her medical care. I don't need to see her if you don't want me to. Just... please make sure she's taken care of."
"You think I need your money to care for Eric's bastard? How touching that you can't bear to abandon the child you made with your lover."
His words were like daggers, each one designed to wound as deeply as possible.
"She's not Eric's child, She's yours, and deep down you know it."
"Get out of my sight! "
I turned to leave, my spirit completely shattered, but his voice stopped me.
"Actually, no," he said. "Stay. I want you to witness what comes next."
Before I could ask what he meant, the crowd in the ceremonial grove began to part, creating a clear pathway. Murmurs of curiosity rippled through the gathering.
Seraphina Crimson appeared at the end of the pathway. In her arms, she carried the silver-haired baby I had seen in Dorian's office.
My blood turned to ice as understanding crashed over me.
Dorian strode back toward the center of the ceremonial circle, his commanding presence immediately drawing every eye. When he spoke, his voice carried across the entire gathering.
"My pack brothers and sisters," he announced, "I have important news to share on this sacred night. This is Seraphina Crimson, my true fated mate. We will complete our bonding ceremony in the near future."
Gasps and murmurs rose from the crowd. I felt my knees buckle.
"And this," Dorian continued, gesturing toward the baby in Seraphina's arms, "is Elena Blackthorne, our daughter. The next generation of our bloodline."
The pack erupted in celebration, howls of joy, congratulations, the sound of a community welcoming new life and a new Luna.
I stood frozen in the shadows, watching my entire world crumble before my eyes. Not only had I lost Dorian, but I was being replaced in every possible way. Seraphina would be the new Luna, and her child would be the acknowledged Blackthorne heir.
Dorian's gaze found mine across the crowd. He approached me slowly, deliberately, until he was close enough that only I could hear his words.
"This is my gift to you, Nightfall, I want you to remember this moment forever. I want you to carry this shame with you wherever you go."
The ceremonial fires blazed higher, casting dancing shadows across his face as he delivered his final blow:
"You wanted to see a Blackthorne child? There she is. The legitimate heir you could never give me."
As the pack's celebration continued around us, I stood there in complete devastation, finally understanding that this had never been about proving paternity or seeking justice.
This had been about ensuring I was destroyed as completely as possible.