Chapter 143 Garden of Pleasure
Taking in the scenery quietly for a few seconds, Ryker was speechless.
"You're not saying anything," Lyra said softly behind him. "Don't you like it?"
He blinked, "Like it? I don't know what to think. It's beautiful," he quickly amended.
"But what's going on, Lyra?" He asked, his voice shaking. "What is all this?"
Lyra grabbed his hands and pulled him into the center of the clearing. She looked up at him, her eyes bright with unshed tears. "I can help you, Ryker. We don't need to ride to the witch town. We don't need to wait for a solution that might come too late. I want us to break the bond tonight. Right here."
Ryker shook his head, backing away a step. "No. Lyra, we talked about this. I would never forgive myself if I hurt you. I love you too much. I can't bear the thought of my wolf taking over and doing something mindless to you. The hunger, the rage... it’s too much when I’m shifted."
"That's why I brought this," Lyra said, reaching into the folds of her cloak and pulling out a small glass vial filled with a shimmering, amber liquid.
Ryker sniffed the air. “What's that?"
"Rex helped me get it from the apothecary. It’s a powerful aphrodisiac, but it has a sedative property for the wolf’s aggression. It will keep your wolf focused on the mating instinct and suppress the violent rage until we’re done. It will keep you busy with me, and only me."
Ryker looked at the vial, his chest heaving. "It’s too risky. What if it doesn't work? What if it just makes the wolf more frantic?"
"Will you deny me once again?”
Ryker hissed. "Don't do this, Lyra. Please. You know I'm trying to help you, I'm not rejecting you."
“Then make love to me. That's what I want. That's what we both want. I know you have been longing for me many nights now."
Before he could argue further, Lyra dropped to her knees. She bowed her head, her forehead touching the top of his boots.
She stayed there, her body trembling, offering him the ultimate sign of submission a mate could give.
It was an ancient gesture, one that stripped away her status as Luna and left her as only his mate.
Ryker gasped, his hands reaching down to grab her shoulders and pull her up.
He saw the tears streaming down her face and his heart shattered. "Lyra, why? Why are you doing this?"
"Because I feel so small, Ryker!" she sobbed, her voice breaking. "I feel so useless. I’m a hybrid a Luna and a mate, yet I can't even help my own husband. If I hadn't been reborn this way, if I were just a normal wolf, none of this would have happened. You wouldn't be cursed. You wouldn't be dying. It’s my fault."
Ryker pulled her into his arms, holding her so tight she could barely breathe. "Don't you ever say that," he growled into her hair. "It is not your fault. None of it. Those vampires did this. The Blood King did this. You are the best thing that ever happened to me, Lyra. Whatever life I have with you, even if it's short, even if it's painful, it is a hundred times better than a long life without you. You are my mate. You are my soul."
He kissed her then, a deep, desperate kiss.
She pulled away and poured the vial into her mouth, pulling him in for a kiss that tasted of salt and honey.
He tasted the vial and he drank it without hesitation, swallowing the amber liquid in one gulp.
He felt the heat of the potion hit his blood instantly, a wave of warmth that began to dull the pain of the curse.
He laid her down on the thick blankets, the furs soft beneath her back. He hovered over her, his hands trembling as he touched her neck and her shoulders.
"I will be gentle," he whispered, his eyes starting to glow faintly. "I promise you, Lyra. I will be gentle."
"I trust you," she whispered back. "I trust the wolf, and I trust the man."
The moon reached its peak, the silver light flooding the clearing. Ryker let out a low, guttural roar as the transformation took hold.
His bones snapped and grew, his skin bursting with thick, dark fur. Lyra didn't pull away. She leaned into the heat, her own body beginning to shift, her skin shimmering blue-grey as her hybrid form emerged.
Ryker nudged her and she didn't resist him, her fingers reached out, touching his soft fur and running her hands over his smooth paws.
He growled slowly as he nuzzled her neck, nibbling on the skin just enough to tickle her.
She chuckled and looked up at his face, seeing the love and gentleness in his eyes.
This was strange for both of them. But she wasn't going to pull away, not for any reason.
When she sighed deeply and moved closer, he lifted his head and then licked her face.
She giggled yet again, unable to help it.
Ryker's wolf frowned, or at least that's what it looked like.
It was frustrating that he couldn't talk in his wolf form but Lyra was fully capable of speaking. She was a hybrid but she didn't look much like a wolf, when you look past the colored skin, inhuman strength and fangs and claws.
“I'm sorry, but you're just like a really big dog," she laughed and this time, he nudged her until she fell back on the blanket, smiling as he hovered over her.
She grabbed him and nodded. “I'm ready."
He didn't need any more invitation as they both surrendered to the hunger and burning desire they had for each under.
Right there, under the moon, it felt electric. Like two universes coming together in a blissful symphony.
Ryker didn't stop until she screamed into the night, her body completely surrendering to him in every way possible.