Lyra’s POV

I woke up because of sunlight hitting my face.

My eyes hurt at first.

For a few seconds, I did not even know where I was.

I sat up slowly.

My body still felt sore. My throat was dry. Then I remembered.

Last night.

The attack.

The stranger who saved me.

I couldn't remember his name.

I looked around fast to see if he was here.

He wasn’t.

I stood up and searched the small hut. My hands shook as I opened a wooden door. Nothing inside. I looked in the corner. Nothing.

Then I saw a small leather clutch near where I slept.

I opened it.

I gasped.

There was money inside. A lot. More than I had ever held in my full life.

Why would he give me this?

There was also a small metal crest tied to a thin thread . The symbol was strange. A wolf was in the center and two stars around it.

I did not know what it meant.

I tied the thread around my wrist because I did not know what else to do with it.

I stood and walked out of the hut, maybe if I walked around I might see him and say a proper thank you.

I headed out everywhere seemed strange and it was obvious I didn't belong to the pack, anyone could spot that.

Two soldiers blocked me immediately.

“stop right there.” one said.

I froze.

“Who are you?” he asked.

“Lyra” I said, half expecting he would leave me alone.

“You’re not from our pack, are you?,” another guard asked. “Where did you get that crest?”

I “It was given to me,” I said.

“By who?”

I swallowed. Before I could answer, a voice cut in.

“There you are!”

I turned fast.

An old lady in a plain grey dress rushed in. She looked stressed.

“You disappeared for hours!” she said. “You were assigned to help with the preparations. How could you vanish like that?”

“Uh… I think you’re mistaking me…”

She grabbed my wrist and pulled.

“You have the service crest. That means you are working. No excuses. We are behind schedule already. Move!”

I looked at the guards. They just stepped away.

“Wait…” I tried to pull my hand back, but the woman didn’t stop.

“I’m not…”

“No talking,” she snapped. “We are already behind schedule. You can complain after.”

I lost my balance a little because she walked fast, and I was trying to catch up.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“To the hall,” she said. “The Alpha of the pack is choosing his Luna tonight. You people think I can do everything alone?”

We walked through the camp. People stared at me like I was an alien.

“Is she new?”

“Never seen her face.

I ignored it. I was used to being looked at like that.

The woman dragged me into a large hall. It was huge. There were long tables, candles, flowers, ribbons. People everywhere. It looked like a festival.

“Start with the candles,” she ordered. “Place them in a line. Straight. Not crooked. We need light for the night ceremony.”

I stared at the candles.

My fingers moved slow at first, but then faster. The simple task calmed me. It gave my mind something to focus on.

The woman came back and handed me ribbons.

“Put these on the chairs,” she said. “ Make sure it is tight.”

I walked from chair to chair. Tie. Pull. Tie. Pull.

People kept passing. Talking.

“Do you think he will pick Aurora?”

“He has to. She is the highest born.”

“No one else is fit.”

I blinked.

A servant came beside me to help hang flowers.

“You look new,” she said.

“I… kind of am.”

“Name?”

“Lyra”

“ Sam,” she said, we she assisted me.

We worked. I tied ribbons. I fixed chairs. I placed flowers. And I still could not get the strangers face off my head. His eyes when he held me.

When the hall was almost ready, music started outside.

The woman rushed back.

“Take your place in the back,” she said. “The ceremony begins.”

I moved back near the wall. Many servants gathered there.

The hall became quiet. Everyone faced the front.

Then he entered.

The alpha.

He wore a black clothes. His hair fell on his forehead. His eyes were darker than before. He looked like a man who could rule a nation.

My heart skipped so fast.

He was the stranger that saved me.

I staggered in shock. I grabbed a chair to steady myself.

He had saved me.

He had given me the crest.

He had given me money.

He was an Alpha.

“This ceremony,” an elderly man began to speak, “is for the Alpha to choose the Luna.”

People clapped once.

I swallowed hard, still in shock.

The elder continued.

“The Alpha has fought many battles. He has earned the right to choose any woman in this pack to stand by his side.”

Women in the hall stood straighter. Some smiled. Some looked nervous. Some tried to look calm even though their hands shook.

For some strange reason I wanted to run.

I looked around for the nearest exit. But the guards were everywhere. They blocked every path.

The elder raised his hand.

“We are ready.”

Silence.

The alpha took one step forward. His eyes scanned the room.

Then…

His eyes found me.

I froze.

People turned to see who he was staring at.

He lifted his hand and pointed at me.

My entire body went cold.

“I choose her,” he said.