Chapter 7

Lyra’s POV

As I sit up on the bed, a haze clouds my memory, making me struggle to piece together how I ended up here.

Images from last night flood my mind—confrontations with my uncle, Kessler confining me to a room, and the moment he angrily dragged me to his chamber.

The recollection makes me gasp, and I hurry to the mirror to check for the mark. I feel disgusted seeing it.

The intensity of Kessler's Lycan aura must have overwhelmed me, causing me to pass out.

In a daze, I rush to the bathroom. I look through the mirror, and the mark on my neck haunts me.

I can't escape the fact that I am now unmistakably tied to Kessler, the one person I never wanted to be connected with.

I undress, feeling vulnerable and exposed. I clutch the sponge tightly and scrub my neck vigorously, desperate to erase the mark that connects me to Kessler.

With each scrub, I feel pains I can't explain. It's like an attempt to rid myself of the unwanted tie, but the mark stays.

Overwhelmed with helplessness, I st