Chapter 78 Lyra Escapes
Vanessa
“Now, isn’t it considered rude for guests to leave without saying goodbye?” Lyra drawls the words like honey laced with poison.
The moon slips through the trees behind her, pale light catching on the edge of her hood as she lowers it fully. Her green eyes gleam, sharp and amused, as though this entire situation is nothing more than an entertaining inconvenience.
My stomach twists.
So it really is her. The woman who has sought me out all those months ago without fully explaining why; only, she had a score to settle with the MoonVeil pack and is willing to join forces with me to do that.
How she found out about my hunter status then is still beyond me...
Had this been the end goal after all?
For a split second, the forest falls silent. Even the night insects seem to pause, waiting with bated breaths, as if watching us.
Xander stiffens beside me, his arms tightening instinctively around my body where he still carries me. His chest vibrates with a low growl that crawls through the bond between us.
Max steps slightly ahead of us, placing himself between the cloaked figures and the narrow path leading deeper into the woods. Together, we create a protective formation.
My magic stirs beneath my skin, warm and restless now that the shackles are gone. It pulses in time with my heartbeat, eager and awake after days of suppression, ready to tear anything and everything into pieces.
I watch the other two figures with caution. The left one is obviously Melissa, and I roll my eyes, shifting my focus more to the third presence.
He stands behind, taller than the others, his figure cloaked in deeper shadow. The hood hides his face completely, and the darkness beneath it is thick enough that even the moonlight refuses to touch it. A cold shiver runs down my spine at the familiarity of his appearance.
The power rolling off him is unmistakable – ancient and controlled, but with something else - unhinged. My instincts scream for me to hightail it out of there but I shut it down, refusing to cower and my magic pulses brightly within me in agreement.
I murmur for Xander to put me down. He stiffens. His arms tightening around me. A subtle glare from me turns his lips downwards and he lets me go. Reluctantly.
Lyra chuckles softly after a tense silence. “Well,” she says, sweeping her gaze over the three of us, “this reunion is far more touching than I expected.”
My eyes narrow. “What'll be far more touching right now is your heart being ripped out,” I snap hoarsely.
The woman smiles like she enjoys the sarcasm.
“Oh, Vanessa,” she coos. “You should see the bigger picture.”
My gaze flicks past her again, and the third figure hasn’t moved or made a sound.
He simply stands there like a silent judge observing a performance, and for some reason, that unsettles me more than Lyra’s smug grin.
I crack my knuckles with a smirk. “Sorry, have to end the bigger problem first.”
In a flash, magic erupts through the clearing like a thunderstorm breaking open, signalling the end of the conversations.
Melissa launches forward first, dark energy spiraling violently around her hands, slicing through the air in jagged streaks of black and purple.
Xander moves next. One moment he’s beside me, the next, he’s across the clearing in his wolf form, claws colliding with Melissa’s magic in a violent burst of sparks that lights the forest like lightning.
The impact throws both of them apart.
My magic surges instinctively, I step forward before I even realize what I’m doing. Energy gathers in my palms like molten sunlight and I push, but Melissa twists away just in time.
Max lunges from the side, shifting mid-air, his wolf bursting forward with a snarl that shakes the trees, but Melissa's hand slashes outward and a wave of shadow magic slams into Max’s chest, sending him skidding several feet through the dirt.
She throws him a disgusted look before her gaze snaps to me, fury flashing. “Still breathing, I see.”
“Disappointed?” I shoot back, throwing my hair over my shoulders with a grin.
She laughs sardonically. “Oh, very.”
Suddenly, Xander slams into her from the side with the force of a freight train.
The sound of bone hitting stone echoes through the clearing as her body crashes against the ruined wall of the decadent building, cracks splintering through the ancient rock. Melissa gasps, the air exploding from her lungs, but she persists.
Dark energy flares violently around her again as she shoves Xander back with a burst of magic.
Max circles from the left, forcing Melissa to keep moving while Xander presses her from the front like an unstoppable storm.
She might be powerful but she’s clearly outnumbered. And my mate, is fucking furious.
In the distance, Lyra watches, and the third cloaked figure beside her remains perfectly still.
Hold up, what are those two doing leaving Melissa here all by herself?
I turn in time to see as Xander catches Melissa’s wrist mid-spell and slams her against the wall again, harder this time, I join him with my magic and she screams, stones fracture with a sharp crack.
I step forward slowly, my magic still humming around me. “You're the scapegoat,” I chuckle quietly.
Melissa’s eyes flick to mine. For a moment, something strange flickers in them, before a grin appears on her lips. “What?" she laughs.
"It's true," I continue. "Now why would two obviously powerful people like them leave you to fight us off all by yourself? Aren't you supposed to be a team?"
Her eyes darken with murderous intent and I smirk as the realization starts to dawn on her.
I lean down to whisper in her ear, "You're just the disposable one, aren't you?"
Her free hand lifts suddenly, dark energy gathers in her palm again—
But this time Xander doesn’t hesitate and I lift my head in time to watch him drive his claws straight through her chest.
The squelching sound is sickening.
Melissa’s body jerks violently, eyes open wide in shock.
For a heartbeat, everything goes still, then the magic around her collapses like a dying star.
Her body goes limp, crumpling to the ground when Xander pulls his hand free.
Silence falls over the clearing as Melissa dies.
Movement catches my eyes and my gaze lifts instantly toward Lyra, but she’s already moving.
The third cloaked figure steps forward slightly, just enough to block our view for a brief moment and when the space clears again, they're gone – completely like they were never there.
Max shifts back into human form beside us, his breathing heavy as he sniffs the air. "They're running away," he growls.
Xander takes a step forward but I grab his wrist, shaking my head. “Let her go.”
He turns toward me sharply. “Vanessa—”
“I want to go home." The words come out quieter than I expected, but they’re true.
The adrenaline is fading, and with it comes the crushing wave of exhaustion I’ve been holding back for days now.
My legs suddenly feel like they’re made of jelly and the forest tilts slightly around me.
Xander catches me before I fall, his strong arms wrap around my waist as my vision blurs.
“Easy, firecracker," he murmurs, brushing his lips slowly over my head. “I’ve got you.”
Max glances between us and the building, clearly torn.
“We'll find them again,” I reassure him, and he nods.
Xander lifts me fully into his arms, carrying me like I weigh nothing as we start back through the trees.
The forest air feels colder now, more free and clean, and for the first time in days, the sky stretches above me without stone walls blocking it.
My eyes drift closed as the steady rhythm of Xander’s heartbeat echoes through the bond.
Behind us, the ruined fortress disappears into the shadows.
Now, we prepare for a real war, because we're just getting started.