"Are you sad?" he whispered against my ear, his voice low and smooth.
My breath hitched, and my eyes fluttered shut on their own. His words melted into my skin, warm and dangerously gentle.
"You could have let me know," he murmured again, even closer this time. "It's a lot of work for just one person."
My fingers trembled on the keyboard. His hand brushed lightly against my hair, moving a loose strand behind my ear. That single touch sent shivers down my spine.
And then… he stepped away.
When I opened my eyes, he was standing in front of me, tall, cold, and unreadable. My heart was still racing. For a second, I questioned everything. Was I daydreaming again? Or did that actually just happen?
He wasn't supposed to treat me like that. Not him.
"You didn't hear me?I said you can continue tomorrow, it's late already" he said, his voice carrying that dangerous calm that made everyone obey.
I nodded quickly, snatched my bag and phone, and hurried out of the office.
As soon as I stepped outside, I let out a shaky breath I didn't know I'd been holding.
Is he the man in my dreams?
I took a cab home, my body heavy with exhaustion. In the kitchen, I grabbed the food Mum left for me and carried it upstairs.
I opened my laptop and dove into my personal project. Being an omega didn't define me. I wanted to build something great, something that would make the world hear my name one day and I will make it happen.
~~~
for the first time since my eighteen years birthday, I slept without seeing him in my dreams. No faceless man. No whispers. No touches. Just silence.
I opened my eyes, a strange emptiness lingered in my chest. A part of me felt relieved… but another part felt disappointed. Had he found someone else? Or maybe… he saw me the same way everyone else did. Weak. Forgettable.
I sighed deeply. "Another day of work. Please, Moon Goddess… let it be easy," I whispered to myself.
I got ready and made my outside Mum was already home, my breakfast already on the table and I walked over and hugged her tightly. She froze for a second, surprised.
"That's unlike you," she teased. "You're actually happy to see me?"
"Of course, Mum," I mumbled.
"Just sit and eat your food", she said and I obeyed immediately
She sat opposite me, her eyes fixed on me with a mischievous glint.
"What's wrong, Mum?" I asked carefully.
"You know I love you, Lyra," she began gently. "Everything I do is for your good. Not because I want to control you."
I narrowed my eyes suspiciously. There it is.
"What is it this time?"
She smiled sweetly, far too sweetly. "You'll need to dye your hair green."
I choked on my food. "What the heck, Mum?!"
"Yesterday's ritual revealed someone is after your life," Mum said, her voice trembling. "If you dye your hair green, it'll confuse them. They won't be able to find you."
I stared at her in disbelief. "No way, Mum. If they're really after me, then let them come. I'm done hiding. I'm tired of all this ritual nonsense."
She blinked, shocked at my outburst, but I didn't care. My chest burned with frustration.
"You're one of a kind, Lyra," she whispered, her voice almost breaking. "No one throughout my existence has ever been born with a crescent moon tattoo. You are unique… and that's why everyone is after you."
I scoffed and shook my head. "Funny, Mum. Do you hear yourself? I'm tired—tired of the rituals, tired of living like some kind of prophecy."
Her eyes watered instantly. Just like last time. The last time I saw those tears, I ended up dyeing my hair white to make her stop crying. Six months of being mocked as 'the white pigeon.'
But not this time.
"I'm not falling for that, Mum. Not today. Not ever," I said firmly.
Her lips quivered, but I didn't look back.
"Do you even know what my life is like at school?" My voice cracked despite my strength. "Do you know what I face every single day and night of my life?"
Silence. Just the sound of her quiet sobs behind me.
I grabbed my bag, turned away, and walked out. If the world really wanted to find me, then let it. I wasn't going to let her rituals cage me anymore.
The day dragged on like a storm cloud over my head. I couldn't think straight. My heart felt heavy, my chest tight. I had never spoken to my mum like that before, and the guilt was eating me alive.
I stared blankly at the screen in front of me, the words blurring together. Somehow, the document had been completed. My fingers didn't even remember typing the last part. I printed it out, my hands still a little shaky.
"I'll take it to him," Alina said, her sharp voice cutting through my thoughts as she snatched the file from my hands.
I didn't argue. I didn't even care. My mind was somewhere else—on the woman who had raised me alone. On the tears in her eyes when I turned my back on her.
I had hurt her.
And no matter how right I felt about standing my ground, a part of me ached to make things right. But dyeing my hair green? No way. That wasn't me. That would never be me.
I leaned back on the chair and exhaled shakily, my heart whispering a single thought over and over again.
Mum.
Suddenly, something slid across my desk, snapping me out of my thoughts. The file.
I blinked, lifting my gaze slowly. Alina stood there, one hand on her hip, her perfect lips curled in that same look of disdain she always wore when she saw me.
"Take it to him," she said sharply, her voice loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.
The room seemed to grow quieter for a second, like everyone was waiting to see what I'd do.
I clenched my fingers around the edge of the file, swallowing the lump in my throat. She didn't wait for a response. With a flick of her hair, she turned and sat back in her chair like some queen on her throne.
I stared down at the file, my heart pounding.
But I didn't have a choice.
I took a shaky breath and pushed the door open.
He was standing by the glass wall, hands buried in his pockets, his back facing me.
My grip tightened around the file as I forced the words out. "Here's the file," I said, my voice unsteady.
Silence
Then, without turning fully, his deep voice cut through the silence.
"Come here, Lyra."