Chapter 20
20
~Lira’s POV
It had been three days since the wedding. Three days of sitting in this room, locked away from the world, from anyone who dared look at me.
Three days of letting the anger, frustration, and heartbreak twist inside me like fire.
I slammed my hand against the door again, the sound echoing through the room. “I said leave me the hell alone!” I shouted, my voice raw, trembling with fury. I could feel my chest tightening, my tears burning, but I didn’t care. Not about anyone, not about anything.
A soft knock came from the other side. “Your highness, please Stella’s voice tried to be gentle, careful, but I rolled my eyes so hard it hurt. “You need to eat something. You can’t just p>
“Eat?” I shouted, cutting her off before she could finish. “Eat? You think I care about eating right now? Go and warn your crazy niece to leave my man alone! That’s what you should be doing, not standing at my door p>
I could hear her sigh on the other side. I knew she wanted to argue, wanted to reason with me, but I wasn’t having it. I slammed my fist against the doorframe again, the sound loud enough to shake the hallway.
“Your highness… you’re just going to make yourself worse,” Stella said softly. “Please… just take something p>
“I DON’T CARE!” I screamed, my voice cracking. “I don’t care what happens to me! I want Alpha Darlon, not your stupid food p>
The sound of something hitting the floor made me spin around. My arms flung books, papers, and clothes everywhere. The room was chaos, and I didn’t care. Every tear, every scream, every thrown object was a piece of me breaking.
The door creaked open slowly, and I froze. My mother, Luna Elena, stepped in. She didn’t rush. She didn’t yell. She just stood there, probably observing like she could measure the storm in my soul.
“Lira,” she said softly, voice steady like an anchor in a hurricane. “Please… open the door p>
“No!” I yelled, throwing another stack of clothes across the room. “Leave me alone, mother! You don’t understand! You don’t get it p>
She stepped closer, kneeling so she could look me in the eyes. “Sweetheart… I know this is hard. I know you feel like your world just shattered. But you have to calm down. Please. Come out of this room p>
I shook my head violently, tears streaming down my face. “I don’t care! I don’t care about rules! I don’t care! I want him! I was the one who was supposed to marry him! Not… not Elara! Not that… that p>
“Lira my mother’s voice was steady, soft, but firm. “There is nothing we can do. Alpha Darlon… Alpha Darlon… he makes his own choices. You cannot… You cannot cross him. You know what he is capable of. We dare not interfere p>
“I DON’T CARE!” I screamed, collapsing onto my knees. “I don’t care what he is capable of! Mother… please… You have to help me! There has to be a way! You have to p>
“Lira… please… open the door. Let me in p>
I shook my head violently, my hair falling over my face, and stumbled back a step. “No! I don’t want to see anyone! Leave me alone! Just… just leave me here p>
Her voice didn’t waver. “Sweetheart… I know you’re upset. I know you feel like the world has betrayed you. But I am your mother. I am here to help you, not fight you. Please… let me in p>
I sank to the floor, knees pulled to my chest, fists gripping the edge of the bed. My tears fell freely, smearing the mascara on my cheeks. “Help me? You can’t help me! Nobody can help me! He was supposed to be mine! I was supposed to marry him! Not… not that bitch! Not Elara p>
There was a pause, and then I felt the door push just slightly.
“Lira… I just want to be with you. To hold you. To help you breathe through this p>
I sniffled and wiped my nose roughly, staring at the door like it was some impossible barrier between me and everything I wanted. My sobs quieted slightly as a strange mixture of exhaustion and longing washed over me.
Finally, my hand moved, almost without my thinking, and I reached toward the doorknob. My fingers shook, my tears making the metal slick, but I gripped it tightly. I twisted. The lock clicked, and the door creaked open.
My mother stepped in immediately, arms outstretched. I finally let myself fall forward into her embrace, burying my face in her shoulder. “I want Alpha Darlon,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “I want him! He was mine! He was supposed to be mine p>
She held me tightly, her hand brushing my hair, letting me cry, letting me rage. “Sweetheart… listen to me. I know you feel that way. I know you think it should have been you. But you cannot force him. You cannot go against him. He is… Alpha Darlon. Strong, unbending, and… untouchable p>
I pulled back slightly, glaring at her. “I don’t care what he is! I don’t care about the untouchable! I want him! You have to help me find a way p>
Her hand rested on my cheek, gentle and steady, wiping away tears. “Lira… I cannot do that. All I can do is… be here for you. You must… You must find a way to calm your heart, at least until you figure out your next step p>
I shook my head again, frustrated, tears streaming. “I don’t want to calm down! I want him! I don’t care about rules! I don’t care about anything else! Just… please… help me p>
She held me again, quietly, letting me rage and weep in her arms. And as I rested against her, shaking and exhausted, I whispered once more, “I want him p>
“Mom!” I cried, my voice breaking. “You have to help me! You promised! This… this is my life! My future! And she’s stealing it p>
“We can tell him… Alpha Darlon… that she’s not right for him! That Elara… that she’s just a maid… she’s nothing compared to me p>
Her hands rubbed my back gently, trying to soothe me, but I barely noticed. My words spilled out faster than I could think. “We can make him see! He doesn’t know… he doesn’t see what she really is. He doesn’t know that she she’s not… not the one for him! Not his… not his wife! I can… I can be so much better! Please, mother! Please tell him p>
I paused, gulping for air, my body shaking with emotion. My chest heaved and my tears dripped onto her shoulder. “I… I can’t lose him… not to her… I can’t p>
My head fell onto her shoulder, exhausted. My arms wrapped around her tightly, and the room spun slightly from my tears, from my emotions, from the weight of everything I wanted and could not have. I whimpered softly, my body trembling with the release of three days of rage and despair.
I sniffled, my voice low and almost sleepy. “I… I just… I just want him, mother… just for him to see… that she… she’s not right for him… I… I p>
My words slowed. My eyelids drooped. My body sagged into her embrace. My sobs quieted into soft whimpers. “Mother… promise me… promise… you’ll help me… make him see p>
Her hand rested on my head, brushing my hair gently. “I will, my daughter. Rest now. Sleep. Gather your strength p>
My body relaxed into her arms, finally succumbing to the exhaustion of three days of crying, yelling, and desperate pleading. My hands loosened, my breathing evened, and my head sank deeper into her shoulder. “I… I can’t… lose him I whispered, barely audible.
And then, finally, I slept.