Chapter 167 Remembrance

Chapter 167 Last Stand
Lyra POV

I fought with everything I had, my claws tearing through fur and flesh as I tried desperately to reach Isabella. Blood clung to my white fur, some mine, most belonging to the wolves I'd managed to wound or kill. But for every enemy I took down, two more seemed to appear, blocking my path.

Five massive wolves surrounded me, their coordinated movements leaving me no opening. I could see Isabella through gaps in their formation, pinned beneath a black wolf twice her size, its jaws hovering above her throat. The sight sent a surge of primal terror through me.

"Isabella!" I howled, the sound more anguished than I'd intended.

I lunged at the nearest wolf, feinting left before darting right, but they anticipated my move. Teeth sank into my hind leg, dragging me backward. Another wolf's jaws clamped around my scruff, shaking violently. Pain exploded through my body as I was thrown to the ground, the weight of multiple attackers pinning me down.

Blood trickled into my eyes as I struggled, my strength fading. Through our pack link, I could feel Isabella's terror mixing with resignation.

"I'm sorry, Lyra," her voice whispered in my mind. "I was worried about you, so I rushed over here..."

Guilt crushed me more effectively than the wolves holding me down. I should be the sorry one. I couldn't do an alpha job, couldn't protect you, couldn't protect my people...

My chest tightened with regret. There was still so much I hadn't told Isabella, secrets about our father, about our shared heritage. Now it seemed I never would.

They want me! I thought bitterly. But my sister, my pack members are paying the price!

I scanned the battlefield through blood-blurred vision. Alistair was surrounded, fighting with the ferocity of a cornered predator but unable to break free. Gabriel was pinned beneath Kade's massive form, both locked in a death struggle. And I... I was helpless, watching as everything I cared about was about to be destroyed.

They would kill Isabella first, then Gabriel, then slaughter my pack members before finally taking me for whatever dark purpose they had planned.

The black wolf above Isabella raised its head for the killing strike. I screamed, a sound of pure anguish that tore through the battlefield.

Then, impossibly, a blur of auburn fur crashed into the wolf above Isabella, sending it tumbling away from her prone form. More wolves—dozens of them—poured from the tree line, engaging the council's forces with savage efficiency.

The wolves pinning me hesitated, their attention diverted by this unexpected threat. I seized the opportunity, twisting violently and sinking my teeth into the nearest attacker's throat. The taste of blood filled my mouth as I broke free, immediately racing toward Isabella.

The auburn wolf stood protectively over her, his posture aggressive but careful not to touch her injured form.

I nudged Isabella gently with my muzzle, relief flooding through me when she weakly patted my head. Her eyes fluttered open, meeting mine with exhausted recognition.

"It's Dominic," she whispered, confirming what I'd already begun to suspect.

Understanding crashed through me like a thunderbolt. Of course. His soldiers had said their alpha would be coming.

I met the auburn wolf's amber gaze, momentarily setting aside my hatred for him. Our eyes locked in silent communication, both understanding what needed to be done. I nudged Isabella again, urging her to retreat from the battlefield.

"Go," I commanded through our link. "Get to safety."

Isabella hesitated, but a fresh wave of enemy wolves approaching made the decision for her. She crawled toward the tree line, where one of Dominic's soldiers appeared to escort her away.

I turned back to the battle. The council's forces were formidable, but Dominic had brought enough warriors to create a stalemate. I fought alongside wolves I'd once considered enemies, our shared goal temporarily overriding old hatreds.

Through the chaos, I spotted Kade dragging Gabriel's human form across the clearing, a knife pressed to my alpha's throat. Gabriel's body was limp, covered in wounds, but his eyes burned with defiance.

"Surrender, White Wolf!" Kade shouted when he saw me. "Or watch your precious alpha die!"

I growled low in my throat, calculating options that didn't exist.

"Don't listen to him, Lyra," Gabriel called, his voice strained but determined. "Run!"

Before I could respond, a massive brown wolf burst from the trees behind me, followed by a wave of fresh enemies. The impact sent me and the warriors around me sprawling. Pain exploded through my side as claws raked across my ribs. My injuries finally overwhelmed me, forcing me back into human form.

Two wolves immediately pinned me down, their weight crushing against my naked body. I struggled weakly, but my strength was gone. Blood and dirt caked my skin as I twisted beneath them.

The brown wolf approached slowly, his movements graceful and predatory. As he neared, he shifted, bones cracking and reforming until a man stood before me. He bent down, unhurriedly retrieving a red robe from the ground and wrapping it around his shoulders.

Malcolm.

His eyes traveled over my exposed body with undisguised interest, lingering on the curves of my breasts and hips. "The White Wolf," he murmured, satisfaction dripping from his voice. "Finally."

I spat blood at his feet. "Go to hell."

His smile widened as he crouched beside me, one hand hovering just above my skin without touching. "Such spirit. You'll make a wonderful mate once we remove that unfortunate bond."

Horror washed through me as he withdrew a silver dagger from his robe. The blade gleamed in the fading light as he pressed its tip against my stomach, just hard enough to break the skin. I gasped as the silver burned into my flesh.

"This won't take long," Malcolm promised, beginning to trace some kind of symbol around my navel. "Just a simple ritual to sever your current bond, then you'll be free to accept mine."

Is this how it ends? After everything, I still couldn't change my fate?

"Lyra!" Gabriel's anguished cry drew my gaze. Our eyes met across the clearing, his filled with helpless rage and regret.

"Lyra!" Another voice called my name. Dominic's voice.

I turned my head, surprised to find his expression not triumphant but pained. There was something in his eyes—a warmth, a resignation, a strange familiarity that made no sense.

As I stared at him, something shifted in my mind. The scene before me overlapped with another—another time I'd lain bloody and exposed on the ground, surrounded by hostile wolves, with Dominic's eyes watching me...

A dam broke in my mind. Images flashed before me: my original pack being slaughtered, running through unfamiliar forests, being cornered by rogues, and then...

Dominic finding me. Dominic saving me. Dominic claiming me as his mate.

The pain, the fear, the desperate relief of that moment crashed over me in waves. The smell of pine and earth. The gentle touch of his hand on my face. The promise that I would be safe.

More memories followed: waking in his home, learning about Isabella, the gradual realization that he wanted me only as a surrogate, the terror of my escape...

I remembered everything now.