Crowned by the enemy Alpha

Surprised

CHAPTER 11

~LYRIA~•

I pace across my room for what feels like the hundredth time, my mind spinning with questions that have no answers.

What does Damon want? Why send guards now, after all this time? After everything he did to me?

And the question that terrifies me most: If Damon demands my return, will Kaelan give me back to him?

I’m just a tool, after all. A weapon in their rivalry. If returning me to Damon serves Kaelan’s purposes better than keeping me, would he hesitate?

My stomach twists at the thought.

A sharp knock interrupts my spiraling thoughts.

“Come in,” I call, expecting Clara.

Instead, Vera strides through the door, and despite my anxiety, I can’t help but notice how she commands the space. She’s dressed in her usual warrior attire—fitted leather pants, a tunic that allows for movement, boots made for combat. Her sword hangs at her hip like it’s part of her body. Her short black hair is pulled back from her face, showing off the strong lines of her jaw and the scar that cuts through her left eyebrow.

She looks every inch the deadly warrior she is.

But there’s something almost beautiful about her too, the confidence in her stride, the sharp intelligence in her dark eyes, the way she moves with grace. Pretty in the way a blade is pretty, dangerous and captivating.

“Vera,” I say, trying to calm my racing heart. “Are you here to correct my form again? Because I’m really not in the mood for training right now….”

She smiles. It’s not her usual training smile.

“No, Luna,” she says, her voice oddly cheerful. “I’m here to kill you.”

My blood turns to ice. “What?”

In one fluid motion, she draws her sword and closes the distance between us. Before I can react, the blade is at my throat, the cold steel pressing against my skin.

“Vera, what are you….”

“Fight back,” she says calmly. “Or die.”

My heart hammers against my ribs. Is this real? Has Vera actually turned on me? My eyes dart around the room, searching for anything I can use as a weapon. The fireplace poker. A heavy candlestick. Anything.

Vera’s eyes follow my gaze, and her smile widens. “Good. You’re thinking. Now move.”

She presses the blade harder against my throat, not enough to kill, but enough that I feel a sharp sting. Warm blood trickles down my neck.

Instinct takes over.

I duck under her arm, ignoring the burning pain as the sword cuts a shallow line across my throat. My hand finds the candlestick on the bedside table, and I swing it up to deflect her next strike. The impact reverberates up my arm, but I manage to knock her blade away.

Vera comes at me again, and I dodge, putting the bed between us. My mind races through everything she’s taught me over the past months. Use your size. Be quick. Think three moves ahead.

She feints left, and I almost fall for it, but catch the tell in her shoulders at the last second. I roll right instead, coming up near the fireplace. My fingers close around the poker just as she lunges.

I swing it up to block, and the clash of metal on metal rings through the room.

“Better,” Vera grunts, pressing forward.

The door bursts open. Clara stands there with a tea tray, her mouth falling open in horror. The tray crashes to the floor, and she screams.

“Guards! Help! The Luna is being attacked!”

Then she’s gone, running down the hallway, still screaming.

I expect Vera to be distracted by this, but she’s not. She disarms me with a quick twist of her wrist, sending the poker clattering across the floor. I’m weaponless again, backing toward the wall with my hands raised.

She’s going to kill me. After all these months of training, of becoming stronger, I’m going to die at the hands of the one person I thought was becoming my ally.

But instead of striking, Vera sheathes her sword.

Then she starts clapping.

“Excellent,” she says, genuine approval in her voice. “You’re finally thinking like a warrior instead of a victim.”

I stare at her, chest heaving, hand pressed against the cut on my neck. “What?”

“That was a test, Luna.” She crosses her arms, looking pleased with herself. “And you passed.”

“A test?” My voice comes out strangled. “You put a sword to my throat as a test?”

“How else was I supposed to see if all that training stuck?” She shrugs. “In a real fight, no one announces their intentions. They just attack. I needed to know you could defend yourself when it matters.”

Anger flares through my shock. “You could have warned me!”

“Then it wouldn’t have been a real test.” She moves toward me, examining the cut on my neck with a critical eye. “It’s shallow. Clean it and it’ll heal fine. But you’ll have a scar. Something to remember today by.”

“I’m going to remember today for other reasons,” I mutter, pressing my hand harder against the wound.

Vera grins, actually grins. “You threw me off guard. Literally. Used your environment. Adapted when disarmed. That’s good instinct, Luna. Keep developing it, and you might actually survive what’s coming.”

She turns to leave, apparently satisfied with her insane training method.

“Wait,” I call out, my voice still shaky but gaining strength. “Vera, I need to ask you something.”

She pauses at the door, glancing back over her shoulder.

“If I keep training like this, if I keep getting stronger…” I take a breath. “Will the pack fully accept me? The warriors, the guards, the elders? Will they see me as their Luna? Really see me?”

Vera studies me for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Then something softens in her sharp features.

“Maybe,” she says finally. “Especially since you’re slowly melting the Alpha’s heart.”

My breath catches. “What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said.” She leans against the doorframe, and for the first time since I’ve known her, she looks almost… gentle. “You didn’t see him when you got injured during training. The way he carried you. That’s not how a man treats a tool, Luna.”

“You think he cares about me? Actually cares?”

“I think he just locked up three guards from Moon Strike Pack in our dungeons, knowing full well it could start a war.” Vera’s eyes are serious now. “He’s never been reckless like that before. Not over anyone.”

My hand falls from my neck. “The guards… what happened with the guards?”

“You don’t know?” Vera straightens, surprise crossing her face. “Damon sent them. With a message demanding your return to Moon Strike Pack.”

The room tilts around me. “What?”

“Your former Alpha wants you back. Called you his rightful mate or some such nonsense. Demanded Alpha Kaelan return you within three days.” She watches my reaction carefully. “Alpha Kaelan’s response was… undiplomatic.”

“What did he do?”

“Threatened to use Damon’s flesh as a feast for the pack. Then threw the messengers in the dungeon when they insulted you.” Vera’s smile returns, sharp and approving. “The whole pack is talking about it. Our Alpha just risked everything to keep you here.”

I sink onto the edge of my bed, my legs suddenly unable to hold me up. “Damon wants me back?”