Chapter 3

Lyra's POV

We returned back to the rogue camp when it was almost nightfall. Rylan had managed to help me come awake minutes after I'd fainted.

 It was cold and I pulled my cloak tightly around me, the cold wind from the mountains biting through my skin as we walked. My heart pounded in my chest, even though I tried to act like I wasn’t affected by what had just happened in the woods.

But I had Rylan now. He had promised to help me—help me get the revenge I needed. I clung to that promise like a lifeline.

"I'd never let him get so close again," he said repeatedly.

"It wasn't your fault. I wanted some time alone in the woods. I didn't think he'd find me," I said.

"If I hadn't come there on time, he'd have forced you to go with him back to the Blood Nest pack."

The sincerity of the words made me shiver.

When we reached the camp, there was an open fire to warm ourselves against.

Rylan led me to the fire and helped me settle on the ground.

He pulled back, his hands cupping my face. His gaze searched mine, concern clear in the depths of his eyes.

"You've been too quiet and you've been defensive. Did he hurt you before I arrived? Tell me if he did. I'll—"

"No, Rylan. He didn’t hurt me," I said quickly.

"At least... not this time."

His grip tightened ever so slightly.

"You'll get the revenge you want, Lyra.  He had no right to humiliate you the way he had done. He made a mockery of your loyalty to him," he said.

I nodded. After Damian, then it should be Eloisa. She was my best friend, the one person who knew everything about me. Yet she was the one who had hurt me the most.

"Come on, you should rest," Rylan said, guiding me toward the tent that had been set up for me.

"It's been a hectic day for you."

I got into the tent.

"I’ll be outside if you need anything," Rylan said, his voice soft, almost tender. He looked at me with those intense eyes of his, and I could see the care there. He wasn’t just helping me for the sake of the cause.

He cared.

I gave him a small nod, trying to ignore the strange flutter in my chest that his presence always seemed to cause. Rylan was attractive, strong, and protective—everything I should want. But I couldn’t forget why I was here. I was with him because he was an enemy of Damian. He would help me carry out my revenge.

As soon as Rylan left, I felt the sudden urge to throw up. I got off the bed and vomited into the basin

"Lyra?" Rylan’s voice was suddenly outside the tent, filled with concern.

"I’m fine," I called back quickly, not wanting him to see me like this. "It’s nothing."

But it wasn’t nothing.

Before I could stop him, Rylan had pushed his way back into the tent, his eyes scanning me with worry.

"You're not fine," he said, his brow drawn together.

"I’m getting the doctor."

"No! Rylan, I don’t need a doctor," I protested, but he was already out the door, determined to see that I'm alright.

I sank down onto the cot, my heart racing. It wasn’t long before Rylan returned with the local healer, a grizzled old man who had been living with the rogues for as long as I could remember.

"She’s sick," Rylan explained, his voice tight with concern. "She threw up."

The healer didn’t waste any time. He came to my side, his hands gentle but firm as he examined me. I watched his face closely, trying to read his expression, but he gave nothing away.

"Open your mouth," he ordered, and I did as he said. He pressed his fingers against my stomach, his touch surprisingly light, but I winced all the same. There was a strange sensation there, like a pressure I hadn’t noticed before.

Finally, he stood back, his face solemn.

"She’s pregnant."

I blinked, my heart stopping for a moment. "What?"

"Pregnant," the healer repeated, looking at me with the same serious expression. "And it feels like there’s more than one child in there. Perhaps, she's carrying triplets."

"No," I whispered, shaking my head. "No, that’s not possible."

Rylan stood frozen beside me, his face pale as he looked between me and the healer.

"How... how far along?"

"Not far. A few weeks at most," the healer said.

Triplets.

I was carrying Damian’s triplets.

What cruel fate!

I had sworn to see the end of Damian but now I had found out I was carrying his babies?

When the healer left, Rylan stayed quiet for a long time. His jaw was tight, his fists clenched at his sides. I could see the storm of emotions brewing inside him, but when he finally spoke, his voice was calm, controlled.

"You're carrying the seeds of the man who had humiliated you before the world."

He paused and I looked up at him, my eyes wide with fear.

"Rylan, I don’t know what to do."

"You don’t have to know right now. But one thing is for sure, I won't let him lay claims on you nor let him come close to you again."

His words were reassuring, but before I could respond, there was a sudden shout from outside the tent. Rylan stood up immediately, his body tensing.

"Stay here," he ordered, his voice sharp with authority. "I’ll be right back."

I watched him disappear through the tent flap, my heart pounding in my chest. The sounds of raised voices grew louder, more urgent. Something was happening outside, and I had a sinking feeling that whatever it was, it wasn’t good.

I stood up, my body still trembling from the shock of the news. My hands instinctively went to my stomach, where my children—Damian’s children—were growing inside me.

What was I going to do now?

I took a deep breath and stepped toward the tent flap, needing to see what was happening outside.

The shouts grew louder.

And then, the sound of teeth snarling.