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Chapter 17 : A Dangerous Bargain
Last Updated:
2025-01-17 04:35:20
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Lyra, His Second Chance Mate Chapter 18 : A Name Spoken in Fear
Drevon POV Drevon struggled to his feet, his body aching from the relentless chase and the punishing collapse of his own magic. The figure stood before him, shrouded in shadow and authority, their presence suffocating the air around them. Every instinct in Drevon screamed to fight back, to seize control, but the strange power emanating from this being was unlike anything he had encountered."You’ll help me fix what you’ve broken," the figure repeated, their voice calm yet unwavering.Drevon straightened, masking his exhaustion behind a sneer. "You presume much. Who are you to command me?"The figure chuckled, the sound low and dangerous. "You’ve forgotten your place, Drevon. Or perhaps the loss of the stone has dulled your memory." They took a step closer, and the darkness around them seemed to pulse in tandem, closing the space between them in an unnerving rhythm.With a flourish of their hand, the figure cast aside their hood, revealing a face both human and otherworldly. Their ski
Last Updated : 2025-01-18Lyra, His Second Chance Mate Chapter 19: Echoes of the Stone
Lyra POVA Day Before The camp was quiet, the soft crackle of the fire the only sound in the still night. Lyra sat cross-legged outside her tent, her amber eyes fixed on the glowing embers. The night had a heavy stillness that clung to the air, making her fur prickle even in her human form. She had barely slept since the battle, haunted by the faces of those she had lost and the searing memory of her clash with Drevon.Inside her chest, the stone thrummed faintly, its power ever-present but quieter than before. It had grown stronger since the last encounter, almost as if it had absorbed some essence of the battle. But with its growing strength came a growing weight, pressing against her spirit like an unrelenting tide.Her wolf, Thalia, stirred within her mind."You can’t keep ignoring it, Lyra.""I’m not ignoring it," Lyra murmured aloud, her voice soft but edged with frustration. She glanced around, but no one was near enough to hear. Kane was patrolling the outskirts of the camp w
Last Updated : 2025-01-19Lyra, His Second Chance Mate Chapter 20 : Unleashing the Beast
The clearing hummed with the latent energy of the golem, its hulking form casting long shadows as it stood before Lyra. Its eyes glowed with an unnatural light, the essence of the stone pulsing within its core. The ground beneath it was blackened and cracked, as if the earth itself had recoiled from its creation.Lyra could feel the creature’s power coursing through the air, resonating with the stone embedded in her chest. Her fingers tingled, and Thalia’s voice growled softly in her mind."This isn’t just a creature. It’s a weapon."Lyra swallowed hard, stepping closer despite the tension rippling through the group behind her. Kane’s hand hovered near the hilt of his sword, and Killian’s sharp eyes never left the golem. But Lyra raised her hand, a silent command for them to stay back.The golem tilted its massive head, its glowing eyes narrowing as if studying her. It didn’t move to attack, but the weight of its presence pressed heavily on her chest.“What’s it waiting for?” Kane ask
Last Updated : 2025-01-21Lyra, His Second Chance Mate Chapter 21: Ashes of Creation
The night air was heavy, tinged with the distant scent of charred wood and scorched earth. The stillness was deceptive, wrapping the camp in an eerie quiet that only amplified the sudden, sharp pain tearing through Lyra's chest. She gasped, her amber eyes snapping open as though dragged from a deep, restless sleep.It wasn’t just a twinge of discomfort; it was a searing, violent sensation, like claws raking through her very soul. She clutched at her chest, her nails digging into the fabric of her tunic as though the pressure could stop the pain. The stone embedded within her pulsed faintly, its once vibrant energy now a shadow of itself, a weak and dying echo.Inside her mind, Thalia’s growl rumbled low and threatening, a sound thick with anger and grief."Something’s wrong," the wolf growled. "It’s gone. We’ve lost it."“Gone?” Lyra whispered, her voice cracking under the weight of the realization. Her breaths came shallow and quick as the connection - the delicate thread that had te
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The forest pressed in on them like a living thing, every tree a silent witness to the growing dread. The air was heavy, damp with the promise of danger. Each rustling leaf and snapping twig sent jolts of unease through the party as they moved in formation. The faint glow ahead - the unnatural light that twisted the edges of the valley in hues of sickly green - brightened with every step, its source hidden yet insistent.Kane raised a hand sharply, and the group halted. His voice was low, his tone uncharacteristically grim. “Something’s off. It’s too quiet.”Lyra adjusted her grip on her blade, the weight familiar but somehow less comforting. The forest felt wrong - thick with a presence that watched and waited.Thalia’s growl rumbled in her mind. "They’re near, Lyra. They’re watching. I can taste their malice."“Stay sharp,” Lyra whispered, barely audible, her words more for herself than the others.The moment stretched, the quiet pressing against their ears like a physical force.The
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Last Updated : 2025-01-26
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Lyra, His Second Chance Mate Chapter 114 : Dust and Gold
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Lyra, His Second Chance Mate Chapter 110 : The Ones Who Remain
Lyra POVThe embers still glowed behind her.Lyra didn’t look back.The scent of ash clung to her skin, tangled in her hair, curled in the back of her throat. Kane’s name lingered there, unspoken. His memory pulsed with every breath.But she did not allow it to take her. Not yet.Later, she told herself, jaw locked so tight it ached. I will mourn him later. When the war is done. When I am alone. When I am allowed to shatter.But not now.Now, there were still choices to be made. Kingdom to hold together. Monsters to face.And one of them waited for her in human form - standing beside another creature just as ancient, just as terrifying.She found them where the Hollow Grounds bled into the broken remnants of the forest - where the warded stones gave way to open earth and the burnt sky cracked with thin threads of gold.Ekreth stood with arms crossed, tall and impossibly still. The last rays of dusk caught the edges of him, casting long, sharp shadows at his feet.He had taken a human
Lyra, His Second Chance Mate Chapter 109 : Kane’s Pyre
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Lyra, His Second Chance Mate Chapter 108 : The Last Thread
Lyra POV The battlefield had gone silent. Smoke drifted in slow spirals, carrying the scent of charred magic and iron. The fires were still burning, but no one moved to put them out. The witches stood frozen in their circles, eyes wide. Warriors clutched weapons they would never raise. Because all eyes were on her and on him. Kane knelt at the heart of the broken ring, cracked stone glowing with sigils that no longer pulsed. His hands dug into the earth, breath coming in ragged gasps, and his back arched in pain as the Harbinger’s presence writhed inside him - like a second heartbeat made of shadows and fire. But it was still Kane’s face. Still his eyes. Lyra stepped forward slowly. She couldn’t feel her feet. Couldn’t feel her hands. Only the pulsing ache in her chest - the last thread of their bond, frayed and bleeding. Ekreth stood to her right, arms folded, waiting like a vulture made of smoke and starlight. His wings curled inward as if to shield her from what came
Lyra, His Second Chance Mate Chapter 107 : The Edge of Ruin
Lyra POV The air reeked of blood and burning wards. From the highest spire, Lyra watched shadow creatures pour through the eastern breach - just as planned. Their forms rippled with unnatural grace, bones wrong beneath stretching skin, eyes like coals. The trap was set. Glyphs flared to life in a massive ring around the breach, turning the battlefield into a burning cage. And still they came. The creatures weren’t slowed by fire. They thrived in it. “Fall back to second line!” Elara shouted, sword dripping with black ichor. “Protect the witches! Get the civilians below-” A bolt of shadow tore past her and struck the ground at Lyra’s feet. The stone cracked. The heat of it sizzled against her skin even as she raised a shield instinctively. She spun. And there he was. Kane. No mask. No armor. Just him - worn leathers and that familiar, twisted expression of grief and rage. His eyes, however, were not his own. They blazed with the Harbinger’s mark - red, ringed in black. Hi
Lyra, His Second Chance Mate Chapter 106 : Ash and Echoes
Harbinger POVThe darkness welcomed him like an old friend.It moved when he moved. Breathed when he breathed. Twined around his shoulders like a living mantle as he drifted through the ruins of the old forest temple, the shattered remnants of gods long forgotten crushed beneath his feet.Kane sat in the center of the stone circle, head bowed, sweat beading at his brow despite the cold. He hadn’t moved in hours.Still resisting.The Harbinger tilted his head, amused. He circled the boy slowly, boots making no sound on the broken marble. Kane’s energy flickered - unstable. Like a flame exposed to too much air.“You're unraveling,” the Harbinger said softly. His voice was silk over razors, ancient and echoing. “And still, you cling to her.”Kane’s jaw tightened. “I’m not yours.”The Harbinger crouched behind him, a whisper at his ear. “No. Not yet. But you will be.”A flick of power, and the circle of runes flared beneath them, casting everything in a red glow. Kane flinched but didn’t
