Chapter 184: The Rise of the Forgotten One

**Koffi's POV**

"Lyric… stop this."

My voice is barely above a whisper, yet it cuts through the eerie silence like a blade. She floats before me, her body wrapped in an unnatural glow, silver and black energy twisting around her like living smoke. Her eyes—no longer the warm, familiar pools I once lost myself in—are now voids of endless night, layered with an ancient power that does not belong to her.

Or maybe… it always has.

The assassin who tried to strike her down is frozen mid-air, his body suspended by an invisible force. His mouth is open in a silent scream, his veins darkening as if something is feeding off his very essence.

A warning instinct surges through me. This is not Lyric.

Not entirely.

"Lyric, listen to me!" My voice is sharp now, demanding. I take a cautious step forward, my hands raised in surrender, though every muscle in my body is screaming to act. To fight. To protect.

Her head tilts slightly, as if she’s hearing me from a great distance, and then—she smiles.

It’s the kind of smile that chills bone and marrow, the kind that promises ruin.

"Koffi," she murmurs, her voice layered with something more, something ancient. "You do not understand what is happening."

A tremor ripples through the gathered wolves, their eyes darting between Lyric and me. Some have already dropped to their knees, their heads bowed in submission, their instincts recognizing the presence of something far beyond their comprehension. Others clutch their weapons, ready to run or attack.

Fear is a living thing in the air, thick and suffocating.

"Then help me understand," I say, carefully closing the space between us. "Come back to me."

Her laughter is hollow, reverberating through the clearing like a death knell.

"Come back?" She repeats, mockingly. "Koffi, you still think this is about you?"

My heart clenches, but I don’t let it show.

"You are my mate." I remind her, my voice firm. "That means something. You’re fighting this—I know you are. Whatever this thing is, whatever it’s trying to turn you into, you’re stronger than it."

The assassin’s body jerks violently. A sickening crack echoes in the air. His limbs twist unnaturally before he is flung to the ground like a discarded puppet. He does not move again.

A collective gasp sweeps through the crowd.

"Stronger?" Lyric murmurs, descending slowly until her feet hover just inches above the earth. Her expression is unreadable. "Tell me, Koffi… do you even know who I am anymore?"

My pulse pounds against my skull.

"I know exactly who you are," I tell her, forcing steel into my tone. "You are Lyric, my mate. You are the future of our kind. You are—"

"I am The Forgotten One."

The wind howls around us, carrying whispers—no, voices—thousands of them, overlapping and speaking in tongues I don’t understand.

The shadows at Lyric’s feet stretch unnaturally.

I feel the pack’s panic now, a rising tide of terror.

Ronan takes a step forward, gripping his dagger. His eyes flick to mine. Say the word, his stance screams. I’ll do whatever needs to be done.

But I don’t give the order.

I can’t.

Not yet.

Lyric takes another step forward, and the wolves closest to us flinch back. Even the strongest of them can feel it now—the raw power radiating from her like a living storm.

"You fear me," she observes, almost thoughtfully. "As you should."

"They’re not afraid of you, Lyric," I counter. "They’re afraid of what’s controlling you."

Her eyes narrow, a glint of something sharp flashing within them.

"And what if I told you I am exactly who I was always meant to be?"

No.

That’s a lie.

It has to be.

"You are not a puppet," I push back, stepping forward again. My chest is nearly brushing hers now. "I don’t care what’s inside you, what’s trying to take over. You are still you. I know it. I feel it."

She studies me, her head tilting, and for a second—just a second—I see her.

A flicker of hesitation.

A battle waging behind those haunted eyes.

Then her lips part… and she speaks.

"You were never meant to be my mate."

My breath catches.

The world narrows to the space between us, to the words hanging between us like a blade at my throat.

"What?" I rasp, barely recognizing my own voice.

Lyric leans in, her voice softer now—deadlier.

"You were never meant for me, Koffi. I was always meant for something more."

The ground beneath me shifts.

It’s not possible.

Not after everything.

I search her face for a crack, for some sign that this is the influence of The Forgotten One—but what if it’s not?

What if this… is the truth?

Behind me, Ronan tightens his grip on his weapon.

The wolves stir, waiting for my command.

But I can’t move.

Can’t breathe.

Can’t process the reality of the words she just said.

Lyric’s eyes glow with something almost… pitying.

"You don’t belong here anymore."

The ground erupts beneath me.

A shockwave blasts through the air, sending me flying.

The last thing I see before darkness swallows me is Lyric’s silhouette, standing in the center of the storm, untouched, unshaken—a goddess reborn.