Chapter 37 The Fork in the Road
Far from the halls of the Titanium Pack, in a human town, were Ryker, Dax, and Rex.
Contrary to what Lyra thought, they were very much alive and very confused.
Rex was leaning against the edge of the tent, her arms crossed, one eyebrow raised at the two men beside her.
Dax had just stepped out of the tent after speaking with a healer who had patched up minor cuts and bruises for him. He didn’t need it because he was a werewolf, but it felt good to heal without the time constraints.
“What's up? Where to from here?” Rex asked.
“You tell me,” Dax replied.
“Home?”
He shook his head slightly, jaw tight, and turned to the others. “Are you going to start heading back home now, or what?”
Rex let out a snort. “Why not?” she repeated, her voice laced with sarcasm.
“Do you even hear yourself right now? Lyra is still out there.”
“We don't really know that for sure.”
Dax’s hands flexed at his sides. “Exactly. So why would I go home? Did I miss something?”
Rex shot him a look that could freeze fire. “You think I don’t know that? But what if she’s actually back at the IronFangs?”
Ryker, who had been sitting quietly, sighed, shaking his head. He doubted it very much. The IronFangs weren’t exactly a welcoming crowd to her, and Lyra wasn’t likely to return there on her own.
Dax leaned back, crossing his arms. “I don’t think that’s believable either. She wouldn’t let herself be cornered by some vampire boy and then just go back to a pack like it was nothing.”
Rex shrugged. “You’re underestimating her. She’s tricky. She could’ve thrown him off, faked her way through, and then returned to the pack when she came back to the tent in the forest and didn’t find us there.”
Ryker rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Rex isn’t entirely wrong,” he admitted reluctantly.
Dax’s eyes narrowed, frustration evident. “No. She’s barely been reborn. She’s vulnerable, and she’s in danger. I’m going to find her. You can either come with me or stay back.”
Ryker’s hands curled into fists, the anger rising in him. “Hey! Kid brother! I don’t know why you keep thinking you care about my wife more than I do, but you’re wrong. Lyra is my responsibility, and I’ll find her.”
Dax laughed bitterly, stepping closer. “Lyra isn’t really your wife anymore, is she? She’s dead. That means the vow is nullified.”
Ryker’s hand shot out in an instant, grabbing Dax by the collar and yanking him off the bike like he was ready to throw down right there.
“Hey! That’s enough!” Rex’s voice cut through the charged atmosphere. She stepped between them, hands on her hips. “This is getting out of hand! I know we’ve been out here for three days with no sign of her, but that doesn’t mean we start tearing each other apart before we even find her!”
Dax shook his head. “It’s all his fault! He prioritized some stupid vampire teenager over Lyra, and now we’re stuck in this human town, three days away from her! What if she’s in danger?”
Ryker’s grip on Dax’s collar loosened slightly, but his voice remained cold and filled with frustration. “You’re very selfish, Dax. But I don’t expect less from you. That little girl needed help, and we did the right thing. As for Lyra? We’ll find her.”
Dax shoved off Ryker, chest heaving. “I’m going off to find her. And this time, I won’t let any of you slow me down.”
Rex leaned back, arms crossed. “Maybe it’s better if we all go our separate ways,” she suggested. “At least then we won’t kill each other before we even get to her.”
Rex hissed. “I’m going back to the IronFangs, just in case she’s back there.”
“Impossible,” Dax muttered, shaking his head. “We need to check other werewolf packs, Bronx, and neighboring settlements close to the river.”
Ryker folded his arms and scoffed. “If Lyra went back to the Bronx Pack, they would have sent word to me. That isn’t the case. I’m going back to the river.”
Both Rex and Dax stared at him as if he’d lost his mind.
“You’re going back to vampire territory?” Rex asked, incredulous.
Ryker nodded, jaw tight. “Oscar is a vampire. If she disappeared with him, that means he took her across the river, to their vampire town. And I’m going after her.”
Rex shook her head. “Bloodsuckers are vicious in their own territory! A lone wolf would be dead before he even knew what hit him!”
“I won’t draw a crowd. I’ll sneak in, find her, and get out,” he replied stubbornly.
Rex folded her arms, lips pressed together, clearly trying not to argue further. “You think you can sneak in? They’ll smell you from miles away!”
“I'm coming with you,” Rex offered, already climbing on her bike.
Ryker shook his head firmly. “You're going to the IronFangs. Dax is going to comb through the forest. I’ll handle this one myself. No one else needs to get hurt.”
Rex’s shoulders relaxed slightly, but she nodded. “Be careful,” she warned.
Ryker nodded. “I will.”
The three shared a quiet moment, and Rex went to Ryker to give him a hug.
Dax didn’t bother with all the lovey-dovey stuff. He stepped back and got on his bike. “Try not to die down there. And if you do, remember, I told you so.”
Ryker’s lips quirked in a half-smile before he mounted his bike. The roar of the engine broke the silence, and he was gone, riding north toward the river. Dax rode eastward, and Rex was headed south, back home to the IronFangs.