Chapter 18 018
~LYKA~
“So, what have you found?” I asked, turning to look at Amanda. She paused and gave me a rather confused look, her brows knitting together as though she wasn’t sure what I was referring to.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“I’m asking if you’ve found anything....like an escape route we can use…” I was still talking when she suddenly cut me off, raising a hand slightly.
“Are we still escaping?” she asked carefully. “I thought the Demon Alpha spared us.”
I sighed deeply, the memory of everything that had happened earlier that morning flashing vividly through my mind. My chest tightened as anger bubbled inside me, hot and bitter.
“Even though he’s sparing us now, we can’t be too sure what he’ll do in the near future,” I said firmly. “So we have to stay alert.”
I waited for her response, but she didn’t say anything. When I turned to look at her, I realized she was lost in thought, her eyes distant and unfocused.
“A penny for your thoughts, milady,” I said dramatically, trying to lighten the mood.
She chuckled softly, but the sound lacked humor.
“I just think…” she hesitated, then looked at me fully. “Do we really need to leave?”
I raised an eyebrow at her. “What do you mean?”
She sighed, running a hand through her hair in frustration.
“I know you feel like leaving is the best option,” she said slowly, choosing her words carefully, “but I don’t think it is. We don’t have a pack to return to, Lyka. Our pack was massacred… there’s nothing left. We’re rogues now....moving together, surviving together, and nothing more. So why don’t we stay here?”
Her words hit harder than I expected.
She wasn’t wrong.
We had no home. No land. No Alpha to protect us. Staying here....even under Derrick’s cold rule....was still safer than wandering the wilds endlessly. Yet the thought of remaining here made my chest feel tight and uneasy.
Was something wrong with me for wanting to leave anyway?
“Why do you think we should stay?” I asked quietly.
Instead of answering, Amanda grabbed my wrist and gently dragged me toward the open fields. The cool air brushed against my skin as my eyes landed on my pack members scattered across the grounds. They looked awkward among the others, unsure and cautious....but they were alive.
More than that… they looked content.
Relieved.
Those were expressions I hadn’t seen on them in a very long time.
“This,” Amanda said softly. “This is why I asked us not to leave.”
She turned me to face her, her grip firm but gentle.
“Instead of leaving,” she continued, “why don’t you make this place better for us? Safer.”
I stared at her, silently urging her to explain further.
“Become his Luna,” she said boldly. “I’m all for it.”
I looked at her as if she had completely lost her mind.
“What?” I asked sharply. “Are you crazy? Why should I do that? Just because I’m his mate doesn’t mean I have to be his Luna.”
She shook her head immediately.
“That’s exactly why you should be,” she insisted. “We need you. There’s no place for us out there, Lyka. We’re already lucky someone is looking out for us....even if his methods are questionable. Please… be his Luna.”
She held my hands tightly, her eyes pleading as my gaze drifted back to my pack members in the field.
If they were happy here… did I really have the right to drag them back into danger?
“I… I’ll think about it,” I finally said, pulling away gently.
I left the terrace and headed back to my room, my mind swirling with thoughts that refused to settle.
Could my pack truly belong here?
As soon as I entered my room, an odd, sharp scent hit my nose. I recoiled instantly, covering my face as my stomach churned.
My wolf stirred uneasily.
Something was wrong.
My sense of smell was keen....sharper than most....and I could recognize someone’s scent after the slightest contact. Beyond that, I could detect spells and poison with terrifying accuracy.
And the scent filling my room was poison.
Strong poison.
My eyes scanned the room frantically until they landed on the vanity table. An incense stick was burning quietly, smoke curling into the air.
I groaned softly.
That was it.
“Achoo!” I sneezed violently and rushed out of the room, my head spinning. Staying any longer would only worsen the effects.
“Which devil did this…” I muttered angrily.
Then I felt something warm trickle down my nose.
When I touched it, my fingers came away red.
Blood.
“What is this?” I yelled, panic creeping into my voice as I tried to stop the bleeding. But I already knew....it wouldn’t stop easily. I had barely inhaled the poison, yet it was already affecting me severely.
As I struggled to steady myself, a familiar cold aura swept through the hallway. My wolf growled anxiously, weakened by the poison but still alert.
I hissed in frustration.
‘What is he doing here?’ I wondered.
I leaned my back against the wall, waiting for the bleeding to slow. When I looked up, I saw him approaching....arrogant as ever. But then I noticed something unexpected.
Panic.
It flickered briefly in his eyes as they landed on me.
Why was he shocked?
“What's going on?” he asked sharply. “What happened to you?”
I slapped his hands away when he reached for me.
“Don’t you dare act like you care,” I snapped. “Not after....”
My words faltered as dizziness washed over me. The world spun violently and I shook my head, trying to stay conscious.
Which bitch did this? I cursed internally.
“Let me see,” he said again, gripping my hands firmly this time.
I tried to pull away, but my legs gave out beneath me. My body felt unbearably light as I fell backward, bracing myself for the impact.
It never came.
Instead, strong arms wrapped around my waist, holding me upright.
“What a stubborn woman,” someone muttered distantly.
The sound faded as darkness consumed me, and that was the last thing I heard before losing consciousness.