Chapter 18 : The Smile That Doesn't Reach
LIORA POV
The east hall smelled faintly of cedar and hot iron from the hearth.
My family was waiting inside.
The doors opened.
For a second, I couldn't move.
They stood near the hearth like nothing had happened. Like I hadn't been sent here to die. Like my life hadn't been traded over tea and polite conversation.
My father was laughing at something the visiting Alpha said. My mother stood beside him, nodding in agreement, her hand resting lightly on his arm like the perfect Luna. Ivy stood a little behind them, hands folded in front of her, posture straight, composed.
My family. The people who sold me.
My fingers curled slowly into my palms, nails biting into skin. I forced them to relax before I stepped forward.
"Father," I said.
He turned, smiling the way he used to when guests were around. "Liora."
Not my daughter, not child, Just my name.
