Chapter 1 A New Housemate
LYRA
“Alpha Prince Reid is arriving today to stay with us. I’ll be leaving for an important meeting, so make sure you welcome him properly.”
At my father’s words, I freeze mid-bite. The taste of breakfast turns sour on my tongue as I stare at him.
Maybe I’m hearing wrong. Maybe he means another Reid, not the Reid that I know.
“The Alpha King’s son?” I ask, silently praying in my heart that I’m wrong.
“Yes.” He answers, still focused on his meal. Like he hasn’t just dropped a bombshell.
A breath of disbelief escapes me, and I grip my fork tightly so it doesn’t slip from my trembling fingers.
So the rumors are true. Reid is really coming to our pack. To stay under our roof.
Which means the rest of the rumors are true. He’ll be serving community service punishment at the university.
It’s one thing for Father to let him attend the university because he’s the Alpha King’s son. But taking him into our home just sounds absurd.
I mean, this is the same cursed man who murdered his mother and nearly killed his father’s new Alpha Queen.
The same man who rejected me five years ago.
And Father is welcoming him here just because he’s friends with the Alpha King? I can’t believe it.
I scoff quietly to myself but remain silent. Father hates being questioned, and I’m not in the mood to handle his rage.
Still, I can’t stop the anger burning in my chest. He doesn’t even consider my feelings before making decisions that reopen old wounds.
“I, Alpha Prince Reid Hades, reject you, Lyra Durin, as my fated mate.” I flinch as those cruel words of his rejection replays itself in my head again. Five years have passed, and they still sting.
He’d rejected me in public, during the full moon festival at Middle Earth pack: our capital pack. On the night of my eighteenth birthday. The same night I was supposed to shift for the first time. The same night the moon goddess, in her sadistic humor, decided to reveal that Reid and I were fated mates.
I still remember my father’s disappointment when I couldn’t shift. The judgment in everyone’s eyes. The smirks when Reid rejected me. They couldn’t let their future Alpha Queen be weak, and I was exactly that.
I’ve hated Reid ever since then.
And now, Father is the reason our paths are about to cross again.
The rest of our breakfast drags on in tense silence. When Father finally leaves for his meeting, I storm upstairs, anger tight in my chest. I grab my phone and dial Roxanna’s number.
Roxanna’s my foster sister. Father adopted her when we were ten, and since then, we’ve been tied to the hips.
“Pick up. Come on, pick up,” I mutter as the phone rings.
No answer.
She didn’t come home last night, as she was sleeping over at her boyfriend’s place. I’d covered for her when Father asked, lying that she was at an all-girl sleepover.
Now, I really need her. I need to scream, rant, and pull out my hair about Reid until I stop shaking.
“Damn it,” I cuss under my breath, flopping onto my bed and trying again. Still nothing.
I text her instead:
ME: DON’T TELL ME YOU’RE TOO BUSY WITH YOUR BOYFRIEND, TO HAVE TIME FOR YOUR OWN SISTER!
Half a minute later, a middle finger emoji pops up. Despite the knot in my stomach, I let out a dry laugh.
ME: GUESS I’LL SEE YOU AT SCHOOL THEN. I HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU AND IT’S KILLING ME!!!
No reply.
With a resigned sigh, I toss my phone aside and drag myself into the bathroom where I have a quick shower. Then, I pull on a pair of baggy jeans and a plain top, tie my chestnut brown curls into a messy ponytail, and slip on my glasses. One glance in the mirror, and I look away again.
I don’t spend too much time in the mirror because there’s nothing to look at anyway.
I’m pale and average. I don’t have the kind of look that sticks to one’s mind for long. Honestly, it’s not insecurity, but a truth I’ve come to terms with.
Not like Roxanna. She’s everything I’m not. Tall, gorgeous, confident and with a body that can kill. Every girl at Northlands Crest University wants to be her, and every guy wants to date her.
And me? I’m just lucky she calls me sister.
Returning to my phone, I try my boyfriend Dean’s line. It goes unanswered. He’s supposed to pick me up for school, but he’s late, and that’s unlike him.
Dean’s the Alpha’s son and my chosen mate. While Reid’s father is the Alpha King ruling over Middle Earth pack and the entire realm, Dean’s father, Alpha Flame, is one of the Alphas ruling over the remaining four packs. He’s the Alpha of our pack: Northlands pack.
After Reid had rejected me, my father made a deal with Alpha Flame who is also his business ally. I am to be mated to Dean, in order to strengthen their business relationship and family bond.
At first, I’d hated the arrangement but after setting eyes on Dean, I’d fallen straight in love with him.
I dial Dean’s number again. It rings thrice before going silent again.
A groan tears from my throat. Why is everyone ignoring me today?
I rake my fingers through my hair, glancing at my wristwatch. Shit. I’m minutes away from running late.
With a grunt of frustration, I sling my bag over my shoulder and head out. Maybe Dean forgot his phone again. He does that more often than any sane person should.
I descend the stairs and step outside. Stopping by the front door, my gaze fixes on the driveway, waiting for his car to roll in.
Seconds tick by. I bite the inside of my cheek. I have a class presentation in less than thirty minutes, and I’m supposed to meet my swim coach before that.
Fuck.
Suddenly, the low, rumbling bass of an engine cuts through my messy mind. I look up.
A sleek, black motorcycle glides through the open gates. The rider is dressed head to toe in black: helmet, jacket and gloves.
My brows knit. Dean doesn’t ride bikes. He barely knows how to handle a scooter, let alone a beast like that.
So who—
The bike slows to a stop a few feet from me. The rider swings a long leg over the machine and straightens. He is tall as fuck. Easily over six feet.
I take a cautious step back as he strides toward me, confident and unhurried.
“Excuse me—” I begin, but the words die in my throat when he stops in front of me and removes his helmet.
I freeze.
Familiar cold, gray eyes lock on mine. Eyes that once watched me emotionlessly as the pain of rejection tore through me.
Reid.
My heart slams against my ribs.
“Long time, no see, Lyra.”