Chapter 262 Truth in the Dust

Chapter 262 Truth in the Dust


Ryker, Wayne and three senior scouts have been riding all night, searching for Lyra.

Now, it was dawn and they still had found nothing to lead to where Dax had taken her.

The mating bond was getting weaker as they drove and that's the only indication Ryker had to lead them.

When he lost the bond, they had to change routes and go in another direction.

It was frustrating and almost neverending, but he kept riding and sniffing the air like some wild dog.

They reached the crossroads near the valley edge and Ryker knew he was already in another pack’s territory.

They'd barely gotten far when they saw the roadblock up ahead.

Wayne slowed down, “I don't think they're very happy to see us," he muttered.

“No wolf would be. We're trespassing without any official notice," Ryker groaned.

He knew he was breaking major protocols but he was desperate and he didn't have any choice.

"Alpha Ryker," a buff man on the road said as he looked at Ryker and the armed scouts. "You’re crossing the boundary lines without a notice.”

“I sincerely apologize, but it's an emergency."

"What's the emergency?" The man growled.

"My brother, Dax has gone rogue," Ryker stated. "He took my wife from the estate gates at night. We don't have any idea where he's going but we're trying to track him. If any of your scouts spot his bike or see where he's hiding, please reach out to my pack."

The leader looked at Wayne’s bandaged nose and Ryker and said. "He passed the creek pass an hour ago, Alpha. We didn't know he'd gone rogue. We didn't see any woman with him, but he was heading toward the ghost station supply depot."

"Thank you, we're in your debt,” he bowed.

"You better believe we'll take that debt sooner than later!”

Ryker didn't waste another second to reply. He kicked his bike into gear and blasted down the dirt trail, Wayne and the scouts accelerating right behind him.

Meanwhile, inside the dark warehouse, Lyra woke up to the first rays of the sun.

Her limbs were entirely stiff from being bound to the support beam all night, the rough ropes leaving deep, burning marks across her wrists.

She'd barely woken when she heard the loud screech of a bike outside and then the metal door of the warehouse groaned open.

Dax stepped inside the building, carrying a small duffel bag full of stolen supplies and some clothes.

He looked totally exhausted as he dropped the bag near his motorcycle.

"Good morning, my love," Dax said softly as he drew a hunting knife and quickly sliced through the ropes, letting her body slump forward into the dirt. "We are traveling today. I've grabbed everything we need from the stores. We’re heading past the southern valleys, and you're going to finally be happy together with me. No more Ryker and no more pack rules."

He knelt down in front of her, his large hands reaching out to grab her jaw as he bent his head down, trying to force a kiss onto her lips.

Lyra felt a wave of pure revulsion twist her stomach.

She wrenched her head to the side with everything she had, his lips hitting her cheek instead. "Get away from me, Dax! Don't touch me!"

Dax froze and kicked a broken glass bottle across the concrete, shouting at her. "You are just a little slut who is still in love with my brother, aren't you?!”

“Dax, please…”

“Shut up! I am tired of waiting around for you to finally come to your senses, Lyra! I’ve been patient, but we don't have time to wait anymore. I know that when we are alone and together in the south, you will have no choice but to start loving me for real!"

Lyra scrambled back against the iron beam, shaking her head. "Dax, please, just look at yourself. You need help."

"I don't need help, I need you!" Dax yelled, grabbing her by her shoulders and dragging her toward the bike.

Lyra began to struggle violently, twisting her torso and driving her heels into the concrete to break his hold.

Before she could even throw a punch to defend herself, Dax spun around and swung his hand, slapping her squarely across the face.

The force of the blow sent her crashing down onto the dirty floor, her lip splitting instantly.

"Listen to me!" Dax screamed, his hands shaking as he looked down at her. "I don't want to hurt you, Lyra! Don't make me hurt you, please! But we have to leave right now! You have to love me! I’ve been waiting my entire life for my turn, and I am not letting him keep you!"

Lyra wiped the blood from her mouth, staring up at him in horror. "You're insane. You can't force a bond with me, I am Ryker's mate and you can't change that."

"I can change whatever I want!" Dax laughed hysterically, pacing around the motorcycle. "You think Ryker is the only one who can secure this pack? I did everything to get you, Lyra. Everything! Including the fact that I’ve been working directly with the Blood King behind his back."

Lyra gasped, her eyes widening in shock. "What?!"

"Yes!" Dax yelled, laughing wildly. "I am the one who invited Cassian back into the pack! I knew he was your best friend before you were reborn and I thought perhaps if he got back inside the pack, he would somehow be able to steal you away from my brother's bed! I figured if he took you, it would break Ryker's spirit, and then I would get to kill Cassian myself and make you fall in love with me instead! I’ve never been afraid of someone else taking you, Lyra. The only person I know you cannot forget is my brother. So I just needed your marriage to break down completely. But I guess Cassian failed and now I have to do every single thing by myself."

Lyra sat on the cold floor, shocked at his confession. "Dax... you are truly insane. How could you do something so terrible to your own family? I am not a piece of property you can just force to love you! I love you as my brother-in-law, but that is all it will ever be!"

"Nonsense!" Dax shrieked and slammed his hands on his bike. "I met you first when we were just kids in the old pack house! I used to take care of you when the trainers were rough! I was there for you when you needed a shoulder to cry on after your family left! And suddenly, you just wake up one day and you take my brother as your mate? That is unfair!"

"Have you forgotten that we don't have the power to choose our own mates?" Lyra pleaded, tears of frustration spilling over her cheeks as she tried to make him reason. "The Moon Goddess made us to be together, Dax! It’s the ancient law of the bloodline!"

"Then the Goddess is unfair!" Dax roared back and reached down to pull her up by her arm. "I will change my own destiny! You belong to me, Lyra, for better or for worse!"

He hauled her up to her feet. "Get off the floor. I don't want to hurt you anymore, but if you insist on being stubborn right now, I am going to have to knock you out cold again and ride with your body. Then you won't get to enjoy the scenery when we cross the border."

Lyra looked at his clenched fist and his unhinged expression.

She realized she was fighting a losing battle. If she kept resisting, he would render her unconscious, and she would have no way to help Ryker track them down.

"Fine," Lyra whispered. "I'll get on the bike."

She walked over slowly, swinging her long leg over the back of the saddle. Dax smiled widely, looking incredibly pleased with himself as he hopped onto the front sea.

But just as his fingers touched the starter, Lyra could smell something.

She could smell Ryker’s familiar woodsy scent.

At the exact same time, Dax’s ears pointed up and he became rigid as he caught the exact same scent on the wind.

Ryker was close.

Dax snapped his head around and glared back at her over his shoulder. "How did you contact him to come get you?!"

"I didn't!" Lyra replied.

"Shut up! You did, didn't you?!" Dax yelled, "It’s that stupid mating bond bullshit! Get on tight, we’re going to outrun them before they even clear the trail!"

He slammed his boot down and sped off.

Behind them, Lyra looked back and saw the dark shapes of Ryker and Wayne’s bikes.

"Ryker!" Lyra screamed out, but her voice was swallowed by the wind.

Hearing her call his name made Dax lose what little sanity he had left.

He sped off towards the bridge crazily.

Lyra knew that if they crossed this ridge, Dax would take her into the deep southern caves that belonged to the rogue territory where Ryker would never find them.

She couldn't let him drive them there. Quickly, she lunged forward, grabbing Dax by his collar and yanking his shoulder backward with a violent pull.

"Let go of the steering!" she screamed.

"Get off me, you crazy bitch!" Dax shouted, his arms shaking as he tried to keep the bike steady.

He threw his elbow back, striking her ribs, but Lyra refused to relinquish her grip.

She shifted her weight violently to the side, throwing her entire body mass off the saddle.

Dax tried to correct the steering but it was pointless as the bike flipped completely over.

Lyra felt the terrifying sensation of weightlessness for a split second as both of them were launched through the air, before her body crashed heavily into the dirt and everything went black.