"He’s waiting for you."
The words echoed in Haelyn’s mind as she walked through the banquet hall, every step feeling like it carried the weight of the entire moon.
The mont she stepped back into the vast chamber, she felt it....the shift in the air. It wasn’t just anticipation anymore. It was predatory hunger.
Zareth stood at the far end, his presence commanding, his silver eyes burning into her with a storm of unreadable emotions.
Nyx stood beside him, arms folded, her smirk eerily calculated.
Arthur, Helen, Layla, and Malcolm were positioned like vultures....watching, waiting, itching for blood to be drawn.
On the other side, Cerius, Archer, Artemis, Rowena, Seraphis, Marlyil, and Erin flanked Haelyn like guardians of war.
Two sides.
Two forces.
And at the center of it all....her.
Zareth took a single step forward. The entire banquet seed to still.
"You’re bolder than I thought," he mused, voice smooth like a blade sliding from its sheath.
Haelyn held her ground. "I don’t fear you."
Zareth chuckled, low, dark. "That’s your first mistake."
She narrowed her eyes. "And your mistake is thinking you can intimidate ."
Nyx let out a sharp laugh. "This is amusing."
Zareth tilted his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over Haelyn as if he were assessing her worth. Then, his voice dropped, deadly and soft—a whisper that sliced through the air.
"Tell , Haelyn," he murmured. "Has Cerius told you the whole truth yet?"
Haelyn’s spine went rigid.
Cerius tensed beside her.
"Enough of this," Cerius growled.
Zareth smirked. "Ah, there it is. The hesitation. The things left unsaid."
Haelyn’s hands curled into fists. "Say whatever you ca to say, Zareth. Or shut up."
Zareth’s eyes flickered with sothing unreadable.
Then, he stepped even closer....too close.
"You carry her fire," he murmured, reaching out a hand. "But do you carry her strength?"
Haelyn barely had ti to react....
His fingers grazed her chin.
A snarl ripped through Archer’s throat as he lunged forward.
"Touch her again, and I’ll rip your goddamn hand off," Archer growled.
Cerius moved like a force of nature, stepping between them. "Back off, Zareth."
Zareth chuckled, but there was a flash of sothing else.
Amusent.
Curiosity.
Challenge.
And then....
A sharp voice rang out.
"Step away from her, Zareth."
Rowena.
But before anyone could react....
Arthur struck first.
His fist aid straight at Archer’s face, fast, calculated, and vicious.
Archer blocked effortlessly, but the clash of their strength sent a thunderous shockwave rippling through the hall.
The banquet erupted into chaos.
Growls, snarls, the sound of bodies colliding, chairs scraping, silverware crashing to the floor.....
Arthur lunged again, this ti for Haelyn.
But she was faster.
Her instincts flared, her wolf surged forward.
The mont his hands reached for her....
Haelyn shifted.
The sound of bones snapping, muscles stretching, fur bursting from flesh filled the air.
In an instant, she was no longer Haelyn.
She was the white wolf.
And she was furious.
The hall shook as her transformation unleashed a wave of raw energy.
A massive, blinding-white aura radiated from her, her wolf towering, glowing, wild.
Arthur stumbled back, his smug confidence shattered.
Layla and Helen gasped, staring in horror.
Nyx’s smirk vanished.
For the first ti, even Zareth’s expression shifted.
Not fear.
Not panic.
But calculated intrigue.
Arthur tried to regain control. He shifted into his wolf, lunging forward with claws bared, fangs aid for her throat.
But Haelyn was faster.
She dodged, her teeth sinking into his shoulder before throwing him across the banquet hall like he was nothing.
Arthur crashed through the wooden banquet table, splinters flying.
Haelyn’s blue eyes burned, and she howled.
It was a sound that sent shockwaves through the room.
A sound that shook the walls.
A sound that declared dominance.
Arthur staggered to his feet, blood dripping from his mouth.
He tried again....charging at her, aiming low.
Haelyn snarled, dodged, and....
Her claws raked across his side.
Blood splattered across the floor.
Arthur yelped, crumbling to the ground.
He tried to get up, but his body shook violently.
His breathing ragged, broken.
For the first ti in his life....Arthur was afraid.
The entire hall was silent.
And then....
Archer moved.
He shifted in an instant, his black wolf barreling forward, knocking Haelyn back.
Cerius, Artemis, Rowena, and Seraphis joined in, surrounding her, trying to bring her down gently.
"Haelyn!" Archer’s voice cut through the haze.
Her wolf snarled, resisting.
"You need to stop! This is what they want!" Artemis shouted.
Rowena’s voice was urgent. "They’re riling you up so they can use this against you!"
Haelyn shook violently.
Her wolf didn’t want to stop.
Didn’t want to retreat.
Didn’t want to be caged again.
But then....
Archer’s wolf nuzzled against her.
Not aggressively.
Not with force.
But gently.
"Co back to , little wolf."
His voice wasn’t an order.
It was a plea.
Haelyn’s wolf trembled.
The energy began to fade.
Her body shrank, bones snapping back into place.
And then
She collapsed.
Haelyn lay unconscious, her body convulsing.
Blood poured from her nose, her mouth.
Her fingers trembled, stained crimson.
Archer scooped her up, his heart pounding.
"Get her to the hospital!" Cerius barked.
Marlyil and Rowena rushed ahead, clearing a path.
Nyx’s lips parted slightly, her expression unreadable.
"She was never supposed to be this strong," Nyx whispered.
Zareth didn’t move, but his stormy eyes flickered with sothing dangerous, sothing unsettled.
For the first ti in centuries, Zareth was uncertain.
And he hated it.
The moon hung low in the sky, casting an eerie glow over the dense forest. The air was heavy, thick with tension, as Lyra moved swiftly through the trees, her breathing ragged. Every fiber of her being scread at her to run faster, to escape before it was too late.
She had made a terrible mistake.
She thought poisoning Archer was just a way to weaken him, to cloud his mind and distract him from Haelyn. But now... he was supposed to be dead.
Yet, he wasn’t.
Sothing had happened. Sothing unnatural.
Rumors spread fast in the pack. Archer survived by bonding souls with Haelyn.
Lyra had never heard of such a thing before, but it terrified her. It ant Haelyn wasn’t just another woman. She was sothing else....sothing dangerous.
And now, with Archer still alive and recovering, it wouldn’t be long before the truth about the poisoning ca to light.
"I have to get away before they figure it out."
The estate was too dangerous. With Cerius, Seraphis, Marlyil, and Rowena all present, it was only a matter of ti before soone traced the poison back to her.
Her fingers trembled as she adjusted her cloak and kept moving, her heart hamring in her chest. The shadows whispered around her, and she felt like she was being watched.
And then....
A sudden snap of a twig behind her.
Her blood froze.
Before she could react, a hand clamped over her mouth, yanking her backward into the darkness.
Lyra struggled, kicking, clawing, but the grip was too strong. A deep, cruel chuckle rumbled against her ear as a rough voice whispered.
"Now, where do you think you’re going, pretty little traitor?"
She recognized the voice.
Tiago Frost.
Her heart dropped.
They dragged her through the trees, deeper into the woods, until she was shoved onto the damp ground.
Lyra gasped, coughing as she struggled to push herself up, her eyes locking onto Tiago’s smug face.
He was standing before her, flanked by three rogue wolves, their eyes glowing with malice in the moonlight.
"You’ve been running, Lyra," Tiago murmured, crouching down to her level. "That’s not very smart."
She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to et his cold gaze. "What the hell do you want?"
Tiago chuckled, tilting his head. "You think we don’t know what you did?"
Her stomach twisted into knots.
"They know."
"Poisoning your precious Alpha," Tiago sneered. "That was bold. Reckless. But now you’re running? Like a coward?"
Lyra clenched her fists. "I didn’t sign up for this! They told it wouldn’t kill him!"
"Who?" Tiago smirked. "Layla? Helen? Arthur?" He clicked his tongue. "You’re so naive."
She tried to stand, but Tiago pressed a heavy boot against her shoulder, shoving her back down.
"You’re not going anywhere," he murmured, his voice like ice.
Her breath hitched. "What....what are you going to do?"
Tiago leaned in closer. "Oh, nothing much. Just send you right back where you ca from."
Lyra’s eyes widened.
"No," she whispered.
"Yes," he grinned. "You’re going to go back and finish what you started."
Her chest tightened. "I can’t...."
"You will," Tiago interrupted smoothly. "Because if you don’t, I’ll make sure Archer knows exactly what you did. And let’s be honest, Lyra. You won’t survive that."
She swallowed hard, her pulse racing.
"One more dose," Tiago whispered. "This ti, strong enough to take both Archer and Haelyn down. That’s the deal."
Lyra felt her body shaking.
"But he survived," she whispered. "How?"
Tiago’s grin faltered. "You still don’t get it, do you?"
He crouched lower, his breath warm against her ear.
"He survived because Haelyn saved him. They bonded souls."
Lyra’s breath hitched.
That wasn’t possible.
Soul bonding was a myth, a legend...sothing that hadn’t happened in centuries.
But if it were true...
That ant Haelyn was stronger than any of them realized.
And if Haelyn survived, she wouldn’t stop until she found out the truth.
Tiago saw the realization dawn on her face and smirked.
"Now you understand, don’t you?" he said. "You don’t just have to kill Archer this ti. You need to kill her too. Otherwise, she’ll rip you apart."
Lyra wanted to scream.
But she couldn’t.
She was trapped.
There was no way out.
When they reached Beckett Manor, Lyra felt sick.
Tiago’s n escorted her inside before disappearing into the shadows.
The house was too quiet.
Then....footsteps.
She turned sharply as Layla and Helen entered the room.
Layla was smirking.
Helen folded her arms, giving Lyra a once-over. "You look like you’ve been through hell."
Lyra’s jaw clenched. "You lied to ."
Layla raised a delicate brow. "Did I?"
"You said the poison wouldn’t kill him," Lyra snapped, stepping forward. "Now he’s alive because of Haelyn!"
Layla’s lips curled into a mocking pout. "Oh no, how tragic."
Helen sighed dramatically. "You’re being so emotional, Lyra. We gave you a simple task. It’s not our fault you weren’t careful."
Lyra’s fists clenched. "I won’t do it again."
Layla’s smile sharpened. "Oh, sweetie," she whispered, stepping closer, her perfu suffocating. "You don’t have a choice."
"You think you can just...."
Layla leaned in, voice like venom. "If you don’t do exactly what I say, I’ll make sure everyone knows it was you."
Lyra’s blood ran cold.
She swallowed hard, hating the way Layla’s smirk widened.
"You’re already guilty," Helen added, her tone casual. "You think anyone would believe you over us?"
Lyra felt trapped, suffocated.
Layla tilted her head. "You want Archer, don’t you?"
Lyra flinched.
"Poison Haelyn," Layla whispered. "Make her disappear. And Archer will be yours."
Lyra wanted to scream.
But she couldn’t.
She was trapped in a ga she never should have played.
And now, there was no escape.
As Lyra left the room, her legs felt weak, shaky.
Her mind was spinning.
She had one chance.
If she failed... she was dead.
And if she succeeded...
She’d beco sothing worse.
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