Chapter 46 The Truth

Chapter 46 The Truth


Lira’s POV: The Truth

The cold knife pressed against my cheek. Lyra’s eyes were wild with hate.

“Where did your mother hide the Moonstone, Selene?” she asked again.

My mind was fuzzy. Selene. That name… it sounded familiar. It felt like a memory from a dream. But it was my name. How did she know?

“I… I don’t know that name,” I whispered. It was the truth. The serum and the pain made him confused.

Lyra laughed, a harsh sound. “You don’t remember? Your own name? The great Selene, daughter of the Rogue Queen, reduced to this.” She gestured at my broken body.

Rogue Queen? My mother? No. My mother was a kind omega. She was not a queen. She died when I was young. This was all a lie.

“You’re lying,” I said, my voice shaking.

The knife pressed harder. I felt a sharp sting. A trickle of warm blood ran down my face.

“Am I?” Lyra hissed. “Why do you think you are so important? Why do you think the Alpha King wants you dead? Why do you think we want you? It’s not for your pretty face.”

My thoughts were spinning. Cael’s father. The execution. This rescue. It was all because of who my mother was?

“The Moonstone is rightfully mine,” Lyra continued. “My family served your mother. We were her guards. But she betrayed us. She hid the stone before she died. She thought she could keep its power from us.”

She moved the knife from my cheek to under my chin, tilting my head up.

“But you are going to tell me where it is. You are the only one who knows.”

“I don’t know!” I cried, tears mixing with the blood on my face. “I was a child! She never told me anything!”

Lyra’s face twisted. She believed me. I could see it in her eyes. And it made her even angrier. Because if I didn’t know, then her prize was gone.

“Then you are useless,” she snarled.

She pulled the knife back, ready to strike.

This was it. She was going to kill me.

I closed my eyes, waiting for the final blow.

But it never came.

A loud crash echoed through the room. The door to the gym flew open, splintering into pieces.

I opened my eyes.

A figure stood in the doorway, silhouetted by the light from the hall. He was huge. His chest was heaving. He smelled of blood, forest, and rage.

Riven.

His eyes were no longer yellow and wild. They were clear. They were burning with a fire I knew well. He was free of the serum. And he was here.

Lyra and her women froze, staring at him.

Riven’s eyes found me on the floor. He saw the blood. He saw the knife in Lyra’s hand. A low, dangerous growl rumbled in his chest. It was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard.

“Get away from her,” he said, his voice a deadly whisper.

Lyra recovered from her shock. She smiled, a nasty, confident smile. “The feral dog is here. Did you break your chains?”

Riven didn’t answer. He just started walking toward us. His steps were slow and heavy. Each one was a promise of violence.

The two big women let go of me and moved to block his path. They were strong, but they looked small next to Riven.

He didn’t stop. The first woman threw a punch. Riven caught her fist in his hand. I heard the crunch of bones. She screamed. He threw her across the room. She hit the wall and didn’t get up.

The second woman tried to kick him. Riven moved faster than I could see. He grabbed her leg and swung her around, slamming her into the other woman who was getting up. They both fell in a heap.

Lyra’s smile was gone. She took a step back, still holding the knife.

“This doesn’t change anything,” she said, but her voice was shaky. “You are too late.”

Riven was now only a few feet away. His eyes were locked on Lyra. “I said, get away from her.”

Lyra’s eyes darted around, looking for an escape. There was none. She was trapped.

In a desperate move, she grabbed my hair again and pulled me up, holding the knife to my throat.

“Stay back!” she screamed at Riven. “Or I’ll kill her right now!”

Riven stopped. His hands clenched into fists. I could feel the anger rolling off him.

I looked at Riven. His eyes met mine. In that look, I saw everything. His fear for me. His anger at them. His promise to keep me safe.

I also saw something else. A plan.

I gave him a tiny, almost invisible nod.

Then, using the last bit of my strength, I slammed my head back. I hit Lyra right in the face.

She cried out in surprise and pain. Her grip on me loosened for just a second.

It was all Riven needed.

He moved like lightning. He was on her before she could react. He ripped the knife from her hand and threw it across the room. Then he grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off the ground.

She kicked and struggled, but it was no use. Riven’s grip was like iron.

He looked at her, his face cold. “You should never have touched her.”

He threw her. She flew through the air and landed hard on the mats. She didn’t move.

Suddenly, the room was quiet.

Riven rushed to my side. He knelt down, his hands gentle as he touched my face. “Lira. I’m here. You’re safe now.”

Tears finally fell from my eyes. “Riven… you came.”

“I will always come for you,” he said softly. He looked at my broken arm, his face dark with anger. “We need to get you out of here. Can you walk?”

I shook my head. I had no strength left.

“It’s okay,” he said. “I’ll carry you.”

He started to lift me, but then we heard a sound. A slow, mocking clap.

We looked up.

A man stood in the broken doorway. He was tall and dressed in a fine black suit. He had a cruel, handsome face. And a scar cutting through his eyebrow.

It was the man from the security video. The real traitor.

He smiled at us. “What a touching reunion,” he said. His voice was smooth and cold. “But I’m afraid the show is over.”

He raised his hand. Behind him, a dozen armed men filed into the room, their weapons pointed at us.

Riven moved in front of me, shielding me with his body.

The man with the scar looked right at me, his eyes gleaming.

“Hello, Selene,” he said. “Your mother sends her regards.”