CHAPTER TWO: THE DISCOVERY
723 Words
The door creaked softly as Lyra pushed it open.
For a brief second, everything inside the room froze.
Then the world shattered.
Selene sat on the edge of Adrian’s bed.
Not casually.
Not innocently.
Her long dark hair spilled over Adrian’s shoulder as his hand rested on her waist, pulling her close. Their bodies were so near that there was barely space between them.
Lyra’s breath caught in her throat.
The scent that had filled the hallway was stronger now—overwhelming.
Adrian.
Selene.
Together.
Selene was the first to move.
She slowly lifted her head, her sharp eyes meeting Lyra’s across the room. Instead of surprise or shame, a small smile curved her lips.
Calm.
Almost amused.
As if she had expected this moment all along.
Adrian turned a second later.
His expression shifted from mild annoyance to something colder.
Not guilt.
Not panic.
Just irritation.
“Lyra,” he said flatly.
The sound of her name from his mouth felt wrong.
Lyra stood frozen in the doorway, her heart pounding violently against her ribs.
For five years, Adrian had been her world.
Her mate.
Her future.
But the scene before her felt like something from a nightmare she couldn’t wake from.
“What… is this?” she asked quietly.
Selene leaned back slightly, though Adrian’s hand still rested on her waist.
Possessively.
Her smile widened.
“Oh,” Selene said smoothly, “I didn’t realize we had an audience.”
Lyra’s wolf snarled beneath her skin.
Her nails dug into her palms.
Adrian sighed heavily, running a hand through his dark hair like the situation was merely inconvenient.
“You should have knocked,” he muttered.
The words struck Lyra harder than a slap.
Knocked?
Her voice trembled despite her effort to stay calm.
“I asked you a question.”
Adrian finally stood, though he didn’t move far from Selene. If anything, his body subtly blocked her, shielding her from Lyra’s gaze.
Protecting her.
That small action sent a sharp pain through Lyra’s chest.
Selene watched the exchange with quiet amusement, her eyes glittering with something dangerously close to triumph.
Adrian crossed his arms.
“You’re overreacting.”
Lyra blinked slowly.
“Overreacting?” she repeated.
“Yes.”
His tone carried a trace of impatience.
Selene tilted her head slightly, examining Lyra like someone studying an interesting animal.
“Adrian,” she said softly, “maybe you should just tell her.”
Lyra’s stomach tightened.
Tell her what?
Adrian shot Selene a brief glance, then looked back at Lyra.
His eyes were colder now.
Distant.
Almost unfamiliar.
And suddenly, Lyra realized something terrifying.
The man standing in front of her didn’t look like the man she loved.
That warmth she used to see in his gaze… was gone.
Completely gone.
“Lyra,” Adrian said slowly, “this situation isn’t what you think.”
A hollow laugh escaped her.
“Really?”
She gestured toward the bed.
“Because from where I’m standing, it looks pretty clear.”
Selene chuckled softly.
The sound scraped against Lyra’s nerves.
Adrian’s jaw tightened.
“You shouldn’t jump to conclusions.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Lyra replied, her voice shaking with anger and disbelief. “Should I wait until you finish kissing her?”
Silence filled the room.
For the first time, a flicker of annoyance crossed Adrian’s face.
Not guilt.
Annoyance.
Selene slid off the bed gracefully and walked toward Adrian, placing a delicate hand on his arm.
Her touch was intimate.
Familiar.
Like she had every right to be there.
Lyra felt something inside her chest crack.
Selene looked directly at her.
“Honestly, Lyra,” she said calmly, “you’re making this more dramatic than it needs to be.”
Lyra stared at her in disbelief.
“You’re in my mate’s room.”
Selene shrugged lightly.
“And?”
The word landed like a blade.
Lyra’s breathing became uneven.
Her wolf paced wildly inside her mind, anger burning through her veins.
But the worst part wasn’t Selene.
It was Adrian.
Because he wasn’t denying anything.
He wasn’t defending Lyra.
He wasn’t even trying.
He simply watched her with cold, calculating eyes.
And in that moment, Lyra understood something she had never imagined before.
The man she had trusted with her heart…
Might never have truly been hers at all.
- Writer
