Chapter 4

Lyra's POV

I stayed in the tent for long as the fighting outside continued. There were shouting and then there were footsteps of running. And then there was snarling, but no one came to the tent where I was. I was safe inside.

After a while, I got tired of waiting inside. The fighting had stopped and I was sure it was safe outside.

I stepped out of the tent, pulling the cloak tighter around my shoulders. The camp was quieter now, save for the crackle of fire in the distance and the low murmurs of the rogues.

I didn’t know where I was going. Perhaps, to find Rylan, the one under whose protection I was.

There was a tent at the far edge of the camp, set apart from the others. It looked older, the fabric fraying at the edges and its entrance draped with beaded curtains that clinked together softly in the wind. I hadn’t noticed it before, but something about it now drew me. I was supposed to be looking for Rylan. Apparently, the camp had been attacked by another faction of rogues, but I suddenly wanted to see the tent now.

As I approached, a low voice drifted from inside, barely audible over the crickets.

"Come in, Lyra."

I froze. How did they know my name? Who was inside the tent?

The voice came again, softer, this time.

"You have nothing to be afraid of. Come inside."

 I pushed the beads aside and stepped inside. The interior was dimly lit by a single candle in the center of the room. The scent of herbs and smoke filled the air, earthy and ancient.

What was this place? Would Rylan be happy I'd come here?

Seated on the ground was an old woman, her back hunched and her hair silver, falling in long, tangled waves around her shoulders. Her eyes, though cloudy with age, seemed to pierce through me the moment they met mine.

"Sit, Lyra. Anyone ever told you of the dowager mother?" she asked, gesturing to the cushion across from her.

I sat down.

"No. I've never been told of the dowager mother. And this is the first time I've noticed this tent."

"You made no mistake, child. I am the dowager mother of this forsaken Pack that will rise again in due time."

"You know who I am," I said, more a statement than a question.

The woman nodded slowly, her hands resting in her lap, fingers adorned with rings of strange stones.

“I…I was going to find Rylan. The pack seemed to have been under an attack one hour ago,” I said.

She nodded.

“Things like that happen every now and again. But we always send back the enemies. They're gone now and you need not worry.”

I nodded.

“Thank you.”

 "I know why your heart is troubled,” she said.

“Oh. I was only worried about the…attack.”

“You carry the babies of the man you want to ruin. But I know the truth."

My throat tightened.

"What truth?"

Her gaze was unblinking as she spoke.

 "The bond you share with Damian is not natural. It was forged long ago, through an ancient curse placed upon your bloodline. It is a bond that cannot be broken."

I wanted to get up and leave. I wanted to tell her that I was here out of curiosity and needed to find Rylan, not to hear anything strange about me. But I couldn't. I needed to know this.

I stared at her, my chest tightening. "A curse?"

"Yes. A curse that binds you to him for all eternity. No matter where you go, no matter what you do, you will always be connected to Damian. You are his, and he is yours."

The weight of her words settled over me like a suffocating blanket. Bound to Damian. Forever?

"That’s impossible," I whispered, shaking my head. "There has to be a way to break it."

The woman’s expression remained unchanged, her voice steady. "There is no breaking this bond, Lyra. It is as old as your blood itself."

This couldn’t be happening. I was trapped, truly trapped, not just by Damian’s control but by something far older, far more powerful.

 "But why?" I asked, my voice barely audible. "Why would someone do this?"

She looked down, her hands brushing over the stones in her lap.

"The reasons are lost to time, but it was meant to ensure power. Control. Your bloodline was tied to Damian’s, fated to remain by his side, no matter the cost."

I felt sick. Every moment with Damian, every twisted interaction, had been sealed by something far out of my control. And now, I was pregnant with his children, carrying a piece of him inside me that I couldn’t escape.

I took a shuddering breath, trying to steady myself. "And what about Rylan? Why do I feel... drawn to him?"

At the mention of Rylan’s name, the old woman’s eyes sharpened. "Because he, too, is tied to you. Your fated mate."

My breath hitched.

 "Fated... mate?"

"Yes. Your soul is bound to his just as it is to Damian’s, though for different reasons. The bond between you and Rylan is natural, born from the threads of fate itself. But fate, it seems, has been cruel to you, Lyra. You are now bound to two enemies—two alphas who will stop at nothing to destroy each other."

I sat up. Why was I making these shocking discoveries all at once?

"But Rylan..." I swallowed hard. "He hates Damian. He tried to kill him before. He wants to destroy him."

The old woman nodded.

"He still does. Rylan was exiled from the werewolf community because he sought-after to claim Damian’s pack, the Blood Nest, for himself. That desire has not faded. If anything, it has only grown stronger. He will try again, and when he does, the bond you share with both of them will tear you apart."

"What am I supposed to do?" I asked, my voice shaking.

How can I not carry out my revenge on Damian?

The old woman sighed, her expression softening for the first time. "That is something only you can decide. But know this: whichever path you choose, there will be blood. And not all of it will be from your enemies."

I stood up, my legs weak beneath me. "I need to get out of here."

As I turned to leave, the old woman’s voice followed me.

 "Beware, Lyra. The bond between you and Rylan will grow stronger. But so, too, will the curse that ties you to Damian."

I pushed through the beads, my heart pounding in my chest. The cool night air hit me, but it did nothing to calm the storm inside me.

I was bound to both Damian and Rylan. Two alphas. Two enemies.

And I had no idea how to break free from either of them.

Just as I began to process everything, a shadow moved in the corner of my vision. I turned quickly, my heart jumping into my throat, but it was too late.

A figure loomed in the darkness, stepping forward into the moonlight.

"Lyra," the voice growled low, sending a shiver down my spine. It was Damian.

And behind him, Rylan appeared, his eyes burning with fury.