The Forbidden Heiress At The All Male Alpha Academy-Chapter 171: Go out there!

Theo stayed pressed into the narrow space of the room, barely breathing.

She had her back pressed against the wall due to the cramped up space, and the silver fabric pooled around her feet like moonlight trapped with her, shimmering faintly every time she shifted. Her heart was loud. Too loud. It thudded against her ribs like it wanted out.

She had been out there with Zeke moments ago.

And it had felt nothing less than magical.

Her heart was thumping. She was more excited for this than she knew, and she couldn’t wait to get back on stage for their next scene.

Her fingers trembled as she curled them into the fabric of her dress. Then, Seraphina stirred inside her, low and tense, pacing in tight circles.

*They are alert,* Her wolf murmured, *Too alert,*

Theo swallowed. People were moving around the hall with purpose. The kind that wasn’t scripted.

Theo’s chest tightened. They were trying to find her. But as long as no one knew about this secret room, she would be alright. As long as the mask distorted her aura and scent, they would not be able to find her.

She was safe here.

She shifted carefully, inching deeper into the alcove, ignoring the bite of splinters against her shoulder. Her knee brushed the flat and she froze instantly, every muscle locked, ears straining.

Nothing.

Theo stayed perfectly still in the dark, listening to the hunt she could feel but could not see, and waiting for the moment the stage called her back.

.

.

.

Moments ago, back in Ava’s room.

"Ash of the First Howl," Ava said thoughtfully as she leaned closer, carefully applying makeup to Theo’s face, "Do you know what the play is really all about?"

Theo peeled one eye open, trying not to blink while Ava worked mascara onto the other, "Isn’t it just a replay of what happened in the early days?" she said. "Kael and Aeron lived thousands of years ago, right?"

"Yeah," Ava agreed easily, "But those weren’t their real names,"

Theo stilled.

"Kael’s real name was Alpha Killian. Lyra’s name was Yelena. And Aeron," Ava paused, glancing at Theo through the mirror, "His real name was Alcaeus,"

Theo froze completely.

"Did you just say Alcaeus?" Her voice dropped, "You mean... that Alpha? The Pendragon bloodline?"

"Bingo," Ava said with a quiet smile, finishing the first eye and moving to the second, "Just like in the play, when Aeron kills Kael and steals his Alpha blood, that’s exactly how it happened. Alcaeus killed Killian and took everything from him. Power, Title, and Legacy,"

Theo felt something cold coil in her stomach.

"So the Pendragon line," she murmured, "Was carved from betrayal."

"And blood," Ava added softly. "A lot of blood,"

Theo’s gaze drifted to the ceiling as Ava worked, her thoughts spiralling. Zeke’s name echoed faintly in her head, unbidden.

"Alcaeus was cunning right to the end," Ava continued, "And just like in the play, he manipulated Lyra. He made her believe she was choosing the lesser evil. He twisted her love, her grief, until she was the one who struck the final blow against her own mate. She thought she was saving her people. She thought that if Kael died, the war would end. That the bloodshed would stop. Alcaeus promised her peace."

Theo scoffed bitterly, "Men like that never keep their promises, "

"No," Ava agreed, "They don’t,"

There was a small pause,

"Lyra fell because she was grieving," Ava continued the story, "Because she was tired. Because she believed hope was better than resistance. And when she realised what she had done, it was too late. Alcaeus had already taken Kael’s blood, already crowned himself Alpha,"

Theo clenched her jaw, and then she sighed.

"And then," Ava went on, "He kept her. Made her his wife. His seer. His possession. He paraded her like a trophy and punished her like a traitor. And she let it happen,"

Theo felt something ache deep in her chest, "That’s... horrible," she said, "I can’t even imagine,"

"She never fought back," Ava said, "Not because she couldn’t. But because she believed she deserved it. She believed her weakness had destroyed everything, and that this was her penance,"

"That’s so sad," she murmured softly, "That’s just... devastating,"

"Anyone who knows their story wishes it hadn’t gone that way," Ava said, "They wish Lyra had stood up sooner. They wish she hadn’t let despair swallow her whole. If she hadn’t... things might be different now. Women might be treated less..." Ava hesitated, then sighed. "Less shitty,"

Theo nodded slowly, "Yeah."

The weight of the story pressed down on Theo’s shoulders, so heavy and uncomfortable. She suddenly didn’t want to play Lyra anymore.

Yes, she sympathised with her very deeply, but she didn’t want to become her.

"Legends say Lyra finally succumbed years later," Ava continued, now applying lipstick with careful precision, "She took her own life,"

"Oh God, "Theo cried.

"But," Ava added quietly, "They never found the body,"

"So... no one knows what really happened to her," Theo uttered as her eyes slowly flicked back to the mirror.

"Exactly,"

Theo stared at her reflection, at the woman staring back with silver on her skin and fire in her eyes. She thought of Lyra’s pain, Lyra’s pain and guilt. In the play, Lyra had portrayed a very strong character, and Theo wished she had kept up with that till the very end of her life.

"I wish she could have been stronger," Theo said softly.

"Her people were slaughtered. Her mate was murdered. And the man who did it forced himself into her life every day after. Strength doesn’t look the same in situations like that,"

Theo nodded. She knew that truth too well.

Still, she didn’t want to carry that ending forward.

"All my life," Theo said slowly, "People have tried to decide who I’m supposed to be. Cain. Packs. My father. My Brothers. Bloodlines. Alliances. Fate." She laughed softly, no humour in it whatsoever, "Everything has always been stacked against me,"

Ava listened, quiet and attentive.

"But everything I’ve done," Theo continued, "Every step I’ve taken, has been to escape a fate I never agreed to. That’s why I’m still free. That’s why I’m not in Cain’s hands,"

She met Ava’s gaze in the mirror.

"I don’t want women watching this play to think their lives are already written because Lyra gave up," Theo said. "I want them to see something else. I want them to believe they can choose. That they can fight. That they don’t have to accept suffering as destiny,"

Ava smiled then. A warm and prideful look in her eyes, "That," she said, "is exactly why you’re perfect for Lyra,"

Theo blinked.

"You can’t change what happened," Ava continued, "But you can change what it means. You can show them a Lyra who didn’t disappear because she was weak, but because her story wasn’t finished,"

She placed her hands on Theo’s shoulders, firm and steady, "Go out there," Ava said softly. "And show them that the past doesn’t own the future. Show them that fate isn’t a cage. Show them that Lyra could have been more,"

Theo inhaled deeply. That was the final push. Nothing was holding her back anymore.

"And Maybe..." Ava added with an even bigger smile, "She still can be,"

The memory faded as Theo stood hidden in the dark again, her fear burning beneath her resolve.

When the stage called her again, Lyra would answer. But it wouldn’t be the Lyra everyone would be expecting.