The Alpha's Forbidden Vow novel Chapter 53

POV: Selene

The fire of my newfound resolve was a cold, steady flame within me.

It did not make the pain go away, but it gave it a purpose.

I was no longer just surviving. I was waiting for an opportunity.

A few days later, I found an unlikely source of hope.

Lyra, Zane’s aunt, requested my presence for tea in her private sitting room.

It was a quiet, elegant space, filled with books and light, a stark contrast to the oppressive gloom of the rest of the manor.

She had dismissed the servants, and it was just the two of us.

She poured the tea, her movements graceful and calm.

Her kind, intelligent eyes studied my face as she poured the tea.

“You look unwell, child,” she said softly.

“I’m fine,” I replied automatically, the lie tasting like dust in my mouth.

Lyra gave a small, sad smile. “There is no need for pretense with me, Selene. I saw what happened at the equinox party. I have seen the way my nephew looks at you. And the way his fiancée looks at you.”

She took a slow sip of her tea.

“I also saw the announcement about Isabella’s… condition,” she said, her voice laced with a subtle but unmistakable note of skepticism.

My head snapped up, my eyes meeting hers.

“I do not know what truly happened that night in the hotel,” she said. “But my instincts, my wolf, tells me that something is deeply wrong with this situation. Sometimes, what our eyes see, or are made to see, is not the truth.”

Her words were a spark in my dark, hopeless world.

A seed of doubt.

“What can I do?” I asked, my voice trembling. “She has a medical report. The elders have made their decision.”

“Do not give up,” Lyra said, her grip on my hand tightening. “Do not let them break you. A mother fighting for her pup is the most formidable force in this world.”

She gave me a look of pure, unwavering support.

“You are not alone in this house, Selene,” she said. “If you need a friend, if you need an ally… you have one in me.”