Lyra's POVI froze in my tracks. Time seemed to stand still, and my heart did the very same. My lungs seemed to have forgotten their function, the very purpose they were made for. My heart, now very excited, began to beat harder, banging against my ribcage so loudly that I feared everyone would hear.Taking the little bit of self-will I had left, I turned to face the one who held me.“Lyra…” Xavier called again. “You happen to be a very impatient woman…”“...and you are a very slow man,” I blurted out.That came out wrong, I was sure of it. But there was this urge to keep going; I felt powerful with that retort. He must have been surprised by the swift response and the cunning, as his eyes grew wide in surprise, but only for a short moment.“If this is about Rune and the court case, I can assure you…”This was never about the court case or Rune. Heck, I even forgot about him momentarily, thanks to the hot distraction that held me back. And I meant this literally.“I am not a bad perso
Lyra's POV“Lyra…” he called my name as he approached me slowly. “You don’t have to be alone. Enough of mingling with the trash in the pack. You’ve walked too long with them as your guide. Just recently, the court found Rune, who had been your guide, as a murderer. I am here, Lyra, for you, with you. Why can’t you see that?” His hands grazed my skin, the rough and masculine texture sending shivers up my spine. Grimoire made a slight movement from its hiding spot, which was enough to snap me back to my senses. How Lucas managed to make me freeze like this was still a mystery. And when I figured it out, it was all over for him.With my back to the bed and Lucas hovering over me, I knew I had to think fast.“Who’s the tease now?” I heard Selene ask.“Do something, or I’ll do you one better. Help me,” I pleaded.“Nah, you ventured into this on your own with no help from me. Why don’t you venture out of it by yourself…with no help from me?” Selene’s sassy tone was infuriating.“Thanks a
Lyra's POV“Knock knock.”I stopped in my tracks, my whole body freezing in place.Grimoire, who was still flipping through pages, stopped mid-flip.“Who is that?” I asked, giving Grimoire a sign to return to his hiding place. This time, he hid perfectly, so there was no need for covering any part of him sticking out.There was no response, only another knock.“Well, that’s one way to respond,” I said.With another knock, I approached the door and knew who it was almost instantly.“Nice job,” Selene commended. “At least you are using that nose of yours for something.”I hesitated for a while; I knew who was on the other side of the door. Probably the reason why he refused to speak until the door was opened.“You do know you can ignore him and continue with what you ought to do—save Rune!” Selene said.“I know, but—” I grabbed the door handle and pulled.There he stood, dressed in nothing but a pair of trousers made from a very beautiful material that was oddly satisfying to watch.“He
Lyra's POV I thought he was dead. He gave a slight movement and that sparked hope in me again. “Rune, it is me, Lyra!” “Lyra…” he mouthed as he turned slowly towards me. “Lyra, what are you doing here? How did you get past the guards?” he asked, his eyes wide with shock. I came closer to his cell and he was paranoid. “No, don’t!” he yelled. In a bid to prevent me from coming in contact with the metal bars, he brushed his arm against it and got burned. Then it hit me: these bars were made of silver, pure silver! “Ahhh, fuck!!!” “Oh my God!!!! Rune!!” “It’s nothing; it’s not too much, it will heal,” he said, showing me his arm. As if it was a staged play, the wounds began to cover up immediately, though slowly. “What are you doing here?” he asked, shifting the conversation. I thought of the best possible way to explain this to him and I did. “Remember when I found out Rune was dying?” “Yes…” “Same thing happened but this time with you being poisoned.” “The fuck?” “The
Lucas’s POV“How did it go?” was the first thing I was greeted with as soon as Nikolai saw me walk through the door.“You do know that you could have been a part of the jury, right?” I asked.“Yes, and with the way you are sounding, it seems something is wrong.”I ran to the shelf and grabbed a random bottle; I didn't actually care to know what it was.“He was convicted of the crime. He is supposed to die tomorrow.”“And why not now?” Nikolai asked.He was getting on my nerves, and he knew it.“What day is it?”“I don't know, Friday?”“You do know we count time here by the moon. So what's this dumb question you’ve been asking?”“It’s the blood moon,” he responded after rolling his eyes at me.The glass in front of me was already empty. I had no idea when I drank it, but I did.I poured another cup for myself and gulped it down immediately.“Good. And you know very well that we don't have wolves on that day, even the lowest ones.”“Yeah, yeah. I was hoping they would make an exception
Lucas' POV.“That's phase one,” I said.His looks were one of confusion.“Duh,” I groaned. “Can't you get the hint? Do I have to spell everything out for you?” I groaned.Rune might have outsmarted me with magic, but I was always one step higher.He was going to die one way or another, regardless of the cell he was kept in.The serenity and silence were a huge testament to him still being in check, unless he had escaped quietly.“Pfft,” I scoffed. “There was no way in hell he could escape the effects of the rowan that was planted in every cell.”Though I added more to the cell I wanted to lock him in.There was no way he could escape, especially without having the foreknowledge of the rowan.Long story on how I discovered the rowan plant.“Nikolai, what do you know about the rowan?” I asked with a smile spread across my face.Nikolai's face shrank in horror as he let out a loud gasp.“You've got to be kidding me,” he said. “There's no way you could have gotten that, let alone use it,”
Lyra's POV “Hey, get over here,” I heard a guard yell. “I see something over here,” another yelled. I was glad at how everything turned out, especially when Xavier decided to be a wolf and not a chicken about his decisions. I had done my part, and it was up to Rune to take over the baton. “Do you think you did the right thing?” Selene asked. “What?” I asked, feigning ignorance over the whole matter. “Oh, come on,” she growled. Of course, I did the right thing; I was present the whole time. He was with me, and if there should be alibis or witnesses, I would have stepped out for him. But it turns out that Rune decided not to call for that in court. I did have a job to commit to, no matter how much I hated it. It was a condition for my acceptance into the pack. I had learned the skill long before joining the pack. And I still had to go to the couture; Laila still had no idea of me being promoted. If that can be called a promotion in itself. “Oh, shit,” I mu
Lyra's POVI hated the interruption that Lucas caused, but that was far too little. It was nothing compared to the shock that lay in store for me.After Xavier helped me, I muttered, “What the fuck?”This was the most awkward, funny, and annoying situation I have ever found myself in.We walked all the way to the throne room, where the guests were kept waiting.The doors swung open, and a huge wave of familiarity hit me.I might have fought to forge a lot of things concerning my life before being one with the pack.I might have forgotten some things without even moving a muscle, but I could never forget that insignia.But that was not even the cause of my outburst. It was who came bearing that insignia.Apparently, all wolf packs have their insignia, their symbol that sets them apart from others.“The insignia for the Darkmoon Pack is a symbol of their unity and strength,” Lucas said when I was still studying up on the pack.I still remember the insignia. It features a crescent moon w
Lyra's POVThe ground rumbled for a few seconds and opened wide, taking a large part of the rogues inside it. I saw Nikolai's corpse falling in too, but there was nothing that I could do.“Where is he?” I asked without wasting any more time.I turned back and ran, leading Rune to where Xavier lay.The remaining rogues who were there still ran after us, but they were the least of my problems.I just wanted Xavier alive and well.We got to where he was. “Rune? Is that you?” Xavier asked.“Of course, it is me,” Rune called out to him, while his grimoire flew closely.“Lyra, there is a spell here, but the ingredients and the time for this spell are impossible to get and prepare.”“Well, not for me, but given the time and the availability of these materials, I am sorry; there is nothing that we can do!” he said to me.“Do something!”The rogues had already caught up to us and were coming closer and closer.“Hold!” Rune said to me.“That should be able to hold them.” A protective form of li
Lyra's POV“You bastard," I said, slapping him across the face. “You did this. This is all your fault. After all that I have done for you, this is how you decide to pay me back?”“By betraying me? I should take your life right here and now, and there would be nothing that would happen.”“Do that, please,” he said, bleeding seriously from his shoulder; he was not healing.“The poison has got to you badly, has it not?” I asked him, and he shook his head.I thought he had healed from the poison Lucas injected him with, but I was wrong.That bastard strikes and wins again, with Nikolai.“Akira asked me to protect you…”I saw the shock in his eyes. “And that, I swear, I am going to do!”He was teary; his eyes were saddled with regrets. I could see that he was willing to turn back the hands of time just to correct the mistakes he had made before.“That is too late. There is nothing that you can do now. I am still holding on to tell you some things.”“Even if you figure something out, that w
Lyra's POVThere was something uncomfortable on my face. I was too weak to open my eyes, and for some reason, I felt oddly comfortable where I lay. I didn’t want to move a muscle, but the crawling sensation grew worse, becoming unbearable.I tried to brush whatever it was away with my hands, but it was no use. I had to open my eyes. My heart leapt when they finally came into contact with the green leaves hanging and swinging freely above me.The tingling sensation I felt was from a spider trying to weave a web on my face. I remembered why I was here.I could hear thunder and sizzling sounds nearby, and I knew something was happening. Random screams and shouts echoed around me. I realized people were getting hit, and the moment I thought of who might be on the receiving end, I summoned every last bit of strength I had to stand and fight.As I made my way through the bushes, I began to wonder who was fighting. “Nikolai?” I thought in disbelief. There was no way he could have done this.
Xavier's POV“How?” he said, laughing. “I do my study. Not everyone has to tell you everything,” he added with a smirk.“It’s not every day you see a three-tailed wolf laying around at her initiation ceremony.”Pity filled me as I recalled all the times I should have been there for her. But it was too late to turn back now. If I had one wish, it would be to go back and support her then.“Of course, I knew what that meant,” he said, taking a step forward. “I and Lyra have history.”“Remember that one time you subjected me to the human realm, forcing me to live amongst them for over a century? Yes, that one time. I obeyed, and it turned out not to be as bad as I expected.”“It was wonderful. She was one of the reasons—I loved her dearly.”“She didn’t give me a chance anyway, and my punishment was nearing its completion. I was going to make my move until you cut me off.”“I mean, you brought her back to me…”He must have seen the confusion in my eyes. “Oh… I understand how confusing that
Xavier's POVI had heard enough from Rune. I could have found ways to shut him up if this were not true and if he had not just been to hell and back. His explanations gave logical reasons for everything I experienced the very first day I came in contact with Lyra. It could also explain why Ozed was skeptical about me touching her that night and why I felt attracted to her.But there was a catch: if all that Rune had said were true, I was yet to see her as my mate. She was still with her exes, as far as I knew, and I did not want to ruin whatever we had going on between us. I trusted Rune, but this was a significant risk to take. But first, I needed to get to Lyra.He was still speaking when I felt something strange. Whatever it was, I could feel it, and it felt familiar. I needed to get to her.I impulsively entered the bushy road without consulting Rune. This was one of those times I fully trusted my instincts and whatever I felt.“You feel that too?” I asked.He responded in the a
Rune's POVI had been through hell and back, and today felt like the worst of it. I was certain this was the least that could happen to me.I opened my eyes to see Xavier looming over me, his face a mix of concern and confusion. He was calling my name repeatedly, but I was just as lost as I had been moments ago. Where was I? What was happening?As my surroundings came into focus, I realized I was in Kayla's room. I struggled to piece together how I got there, my mind still foggy. Xavier's urgent voice was a constant in my ears, shaking me as if he could rattle the answers out of me.“Rune,” he called again, and I felt a surge of irritation. The pounding in my head was growing unbearable. Just as I was about to respond, an unexpected sneeze overtook me. It felt like a reset button—my heart kicked back to life, and memories flooded my mind.“I remember trying to...” I began, but the thoughts were jumbled, causing a splitting headache. I could barely differentiate between past and presen
Xavier's POVThane quickly noticed my sour mood. “Do not mind me…” I began, but the sounds returned, and this time I was sure something else was in the room with us. I turned to check on Rune and saw he was still asleep. I followed the movement behind the headrest. It was fast—definitely not a rat; they wouldn’t survive long in this meticulously clean manor.The sound moved to the closet. I opened the door and found it—Rune's grimoire. “You sneaky tome!” I chuckled, mentally exhausted. I fell back onto the bed, trying to catch my breath.“Wait…” A bright idea struck me. We didn’t actually need Lyra; I just needed the grimoire.“Your master is sick and not himself,” I told it. The book pulsed with a glow, responding, but I couldn’t understand its message.“Yeah, yeah,” I muttered, still unsure how to communicate. The one who could explain everything was unconscious, and I couldn’t risk waking him without facing repercussions.The grimoire pulsed again. I tore open the bag containin
Xavier's POVI needed to handle this matter wisely. Something was going on, and I had to get to the bottom of it. Rune had become audacious. I knew he was bold, but today felt different. He was embittered, fueled by every negative energy I could think of. This wasn’t the Rune who stood for the right things.I had no one to blame but myself. I left him to whatever had changed him. “Lyra was right,” I sighed. I needed to know what was wrong with Rune and, most importantly, if the one I held in my hands was truly him. This was a serious debate in my mind. Certain signs made me believe this was Rune, while others made me doubt. He had knowledge no one else could have about me. He was my right-hand man for a reason, privy to my deepest fears. He was a magic user, and the spells he cast were ones I had seen him use before. But the fact that he couldn’t heal as quickly as usual threw me off. He was a wolf, after all.“Why do I even bother?” I groaned. “Just don’t let him die. Whoever he
Nikolai's POV“You had better start talking!” Lyra said as she opened the door to her closet.It was a close call.She had been a good host to me all this while.Either she knew what she was up against and didn’t care, or she was just foolish to help me. Whatever the case, I was grateful.Luca came inside and saw me.I pleaded with him to spare my life. “What the hell do you want from me? I’m done with this,” I said.“I’m tired of your control and reign of terror. Have you done enough by taking my sister too?”“Just leave me alone. You have a lot of people under you, yet you cling to me like a plague.”He chuckled. “And there he goes, the little pup has begun to grow teeth and thinks it’s okay to nip at the elder wolf! The audacity,” he said, walking closer to the window.“You know Lyra is a lovely wolf,” he said. I knew he was watching her from the window. My heart skipped a beat.“Do what you want with me, but leave Lyra out of this.”“Really?” He laughed. “You think this is about