Chapter 96 He can't go there
~ Taren's POV ~
The sudden bolt of lightning that shot straight into my chest the moment Lyra’s fingers wrapped around my hand nearly sent me tumbling backward. The sensation was sharp and violent, as though invisible claws had pierced through my ribs and seized my heart without warning. For a split second, the world tilted beneath my feet and I struggled to steady myself. Then, just as abruptly as it had come, the pain vanished the instant she released me.
I inhaled sharply and forced myself to straighten, regaining my balance before she could notice how close I had been to falling. When I looked at her, I realized she had already retreated several steps away from me, placing distance between us as though proximity itself had become dangerous. Her eyes were wide, and I could see panic and guilt swirling within them in equal measure.
“Are you all right?” she asked quickly, her voice tight with concern.
I let out a soft sigh that barely made a sound. It wasn't just because of the way she was looking at me, as though she had just committed some unforgivable offense, but also because the incident had repeated itself without any logical explanation. There was nothing tangible to blame, no visible force to point at, yet it kept happening.
“I’m alright, my lady. Are you?” I asked instead, turning the question back on her.
She shook her head immediately. “You are the one who is hurt, not me. I’m so sorry. I didn't mean to do that,” she apologized again, her voice laced with distress.
The way she said it made something inside me tighten. It almost sounded as though a part of her had anticipated it, as though she had feared this outcome before it even occurred.
“Did you know it would happen?” I asked carefully, needing to be certain.
She shook her head again, more frantically this time. “I didn't know it would happen, and I don't know why it happened again. I am confused right now,” she admitted, dragging her fingers through her hair in frustration. She looked genuinely puzzled, her brows drawn together as though she were trying to solve a riddle that refused to make sense.
For a brief moment, I studied her, searching for any hint that she was withholding something, but all I saw was confusion and unease.
Then my gaze drifted past her, drawn once more to the strange formation in the sky. The unnatural cloud that had unsettled us earlier had grown noticeably larger, spreading outward like a dark stain across the horizon. The sight of it sent a cold ripple down my spine.
Whatever had just happened between us would have to wait. The pain in my chest was already fading into memory, but that cloud was not fading. It was expanding, and that was far more concerning.
Without another word, I shifted my focus entirely from the strange attack to the looming presence in the sky, knowing instinctively that whatever it was, it demanded our immediate attention.
“Why did you stop me from going to inform Alpha about the cloud?” I asked her, unable to keep the edge out of my voice.
It was as though a switch had been flipped inside her mind. She turned instantly toward the sky, her eyes locking onto the dark formation in the distance, and then she looked back at me. Worry had fully claimed her expression now, carving deep lines into her features.
“Because it's not a good idea. As I said earlier, that cloud is bad news,” she replied, but her answer only deepened my confusion instead of easing it.
“That is exactly why we should let him know,” I insisted, my tone firm. If there was danger looming over us, Alpha had every right to be informed. It was not something we could afford to handle carelessly.
She shook her head again, more vehemently this time, and I could see her distress growing rather than fading.
I knew what my duty required of me. I should have left immediately and gone straight to Alpha with the information about the cloud. That was my responsibility. Yet I stayed. I remained rooted where I stood because something about her reaction felt larger than simple fear. I needed to understand what was happening in her mind.
I waited, hoping she would elaborate after shaking her head so adamantly, hoping she would give me something concrete to work with. Instead, she remained silent.
She turned away from me and faced the cloud once more, her posture tense as though she were bracing herself for something only she could see.
“There is something on your mind. Please tell me,” I urged gently, my tone softening into something that bordered on pleading. “Don’t keep me in the dark, my lady. What exactly is going on?”
“That cloud means danger,” she finally said, her voice lower now. “Especially for your Alpha and anyone who goes in there with him.” She stopped there, leaving the explanation hanging, offering no reason for how she knew or why she was so certain.
I opened my mouth, prepared to press her further, determined to get clarity this time. Before I could speak, a sharp alarm pierced through the air, loud and jarring. The sudden sound startled her, and she spun around to face me at the exact same moment.
“What is that?” she asked quickly.
“It’s the house emergency alarm,” I explained, raising my voice slightly over the blaring sound. “It is only triggered when the house is going into temporary lockdown, especially if an invasion is suspected. I assume someone else has already informed Alpha about the cloud. He may already be on his way to investigate it. If there is something he needs to know, this is the time to say it.”
Her face drained of color.
“He can't go there,” she said urgently. “He will die there. It is a trap. We have to stop him.”
Without waiting for my response, she turned and began moving swiftly toward the garden exit, her steps quick and determined, leaving me no choice but to follow.