Chapter 104 An Unlikely Bait
For the rest of the hours, the tent was quiet except for Lyra’s uneven breathing and the slight snoring she clearly tried to deny the other night.
Ryker sat beside her, adjusting the blanket around her shoulders.
The world outside felt far away and in here was just the two of them, pressed together in the dark.
Ryker looked at her beautiful face and couldn't help leaning down to press a kiss on her soft lips.
She stirred and smiled as she slowly woke up to his touch.
He didn't say a word but simply kissed her again, this time more firm and a little hungry.
She pulled away and patted his cheeks with a smile.
Lyra broke the silence first.
“Ryker,” she whispered.
He answered immediately, arm tightening around her. “I’m awake.”
“I'm sorry for turning your pack against you. I always knew it would one day come to that."
“I am still the alpha of the IronFangs, so no, you haven't turned anyone against me. Dax was just being a child last night.”
“But still…”
He kissed her shoulders and replied. “Stop talking, baby. You're making me want to punish you for being disobedient."
She giggled at his words and told him she wouldn't mind being punished.
“I need to tell you something else."
“I’m here, baby."
She swallowed, fingers curling into his chest. “I don’t think the blood bond is broken.”
His body went still.
“What?” he asked carefully.
She lifted her head slightly, enough to see his face in the low light.
His eyes were focused entirely on her.
“I felt it,” she continued. “When I woke up in the arms right on the forest floor and the summon hit me. It felt the same like before. Like something was tugging at me from the inside and I couldn't resist it.”
Ryker exhaled slowly. “You’re saying he still has a hold on you.”
She nodded. “Not fully. Not like before, but somehow it was even more powerful.”
He cursed softly under his breath and pulled her closer, his chin resting on her hair. “Damn it.”
“I didn’t mean to leave you,” she said quickly, voice trembling. “I swear I didn’t. I just woke up and one moment I was lying there with you, listening to your heartbeat, and the next, everything went blurry. I didn’t walk, Ryker. I don’t remember standing up, I don’t remember leaving the outskirts of the camp.”
His jaw clenched. “The Blood King must’ve led you,” he said. “That bastard probably pulled you straight to the cave.”
Her fingers tightened. “You should’ve seen how scared I was when I came back. I didn’t even know where I was until I woke up in your arms again.”
Ryker hesitated, then said quietly, “Lyra, when I found you, you weren’t just just unconscious.”
She looked up at him. “What do you mean?”
“You were floating,” he said flatly. “I saw you suspended in the air like something was holding you up. You were stiff and unreachable. I couldn’t pull you down.”
Her breath caught. “Floating?”
He nodded. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It felt like some sort of dark magic.”
She went pale. “Was I doing something?”
“I think you were performing a ritual,” he admitted. “Or at least part of one.”
“Oh my goodness,” she whispered, panic flooding her eyes. “This is getting worse. Do I have to go back to him? Is that the only way to stop it?”
“No,” Ryker said firmly. “No. You’re not going back to him, ever.”
“But Ryker—”
He shifted so they were face to face, his hands cupping her cheeks.
“Listen to me. Everything will be fine. I don’t care how ancient or powerful this bond is, we’ll break it. I’ll drag every witch, priestess, and scholar across the lands if I have to.”
She searched his face, tears gathering. “You promise?”
“I swear it,” he said without hesitation.
Her shoulders sagged in relief and she leaned into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her like he could shield her from fate itself.
They stayed like that, tangled together, until the day brightened into the pale gray of morning.
It was barely first light when a voice called from outside the tent. “Ryker.”
He groaned faintly, half-asleep. “What?”
“The people are ready to move.”
He brushed Lyra’s hair back gently. “Get dressed,” he murmured. “I’ll go talk to the men.”
She nodded, slipping out of the blanket and pulling on her clothes just as Dax lingered at the door.
When she was decent, Dax stepped in.
“I wanted to apologize,” Dax said. “For last night.”
Ryker didn’t look up as he strapped on his gear. “I don’t need your apology.”
Dax frowned. “Ryker—”
“I need you to stop demeaning my leadership,” Ryker cut in coldly. “In front of the pack and in front of my mate.”
Dax stiffened. “I wasn’t—”
“Leave,” Ryker said sharply.
There was a long pause and Dax’s gaze turned to Lyra. “Are you okay?” he asked quietly.
She nodded, looking down. “I’m fine.”
That seemed to be enough. Dax nodded once and turned, disappearing back into the morning light.
Soon, they were prepared to move and they all cleared up the camp and confined their journey south.
They rode for hours, the desert stretching endlessly before them. The sun climbed higher and higher until the heat was almost unbearable, shimmering off the sand.
Lyra rode pressed against Ryker’s back, arms wrapped around him, her head resting between his shoulders.
Suddenly, she jerked.
Ryker slowed immediately, glancing back. “What is it?”
She winced. “The closer we get… the louder it gets.”
“The summon?” he asked.
“Yes,” she whispered. “It’s subdued, but I can feel it, like it’s coming from the vampire territories.”
He reached back, lacing his fingers with hers. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “Once this is over, I’ll get you help.”
She squeezed his hand. “I know.”
When the Titanium Pack’s fortress came into view, Lyra’s heart sank.
The massive stone walls blocked everything within out of view.
“I barely survived this place,” she whispered.
“And you won’t face it alone this time,” Ryker replied.
They dismounted, Ryker lifting her off the bike carefully and pulling up her hair.
Before they could move forward, one of the men stepped out.
“We’ve come up with a plan,” he said. “It was last night when you were with the Luna."
Ryker crossed his arms. “Let’s hear it.”
The man hesitated and looked a little shy. “You might not like it.”
Ryker’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”
He rubbed his hands on his head and looked away.
“We don't have all day, speak!" Ryker snapped impatiently.
The man glanced at Lyra, then back at him. “Luna Lyra would be used as bait.”
Ryker’s face darkened instantly. “Say that again and you'll lose your teeth.”