Chapter 8 Brothers-in-arm
The night passed with Lyra determined to make sure Ryker didn't get any sleep. And of course, she too didn’t.
It was almost morning when she finally closed her eyes, and when she woke a few hours later, she could see chains wrapped around the door handles.
She blinked.
Had he just chained her in like she was some wild animal?
Maybe he truly thought she was dangerous.
Or maybe he feared she would escape again.
Right now, Lyra wasn’t sure which scared him more, the fact that she was a half-breed monster in their eyes, or the fear that he didn't want to let her go.
Too many thoughts swirled inside her, her old life, her new life, fragments of memories and emotions that didn’t feel entirely hers.
She had two souls in one body. Two lives, one heartbeat.
She didn’t know how she was supposed to make sense of it.
“Why do you keep glaring at the wall?” he asked quietly. “Are you wishing it was me?”
Lyra stiffened. He was right behind her.
She swallowed. “I don’t know why you want to hold me here.”
“Lyra,” he said. “None of this makes sense. You died. I know you were dead. Your body was never found, but I felt our bond sever. I almost went mad. How is it possible that you’re here in the flesh?”
Her lips parted, but no words came.
How could she explain something she didn’t understand?
Some moments, she felt like Irene Cross and other moments, she felt like Lyra Kael.
Old memories stirred inside her. It left her dizzy, unsure where one life ended and another began.
Finally, Ryker spoke again.
“What do you want me to call you?” he asked. “Irene or Lyra?”
The name hit her harder than she expected. She closed her eyes, letting the mixture of emotions inside her settle. Slowly, she breathed out.
“Lyra,” she whispered. “I feel like my old self and my new self all at once. I don’t know what to make of it.”
Ryker was quiet for a second, then he said, “I’ve never experienced this before, but I’ve heard about it. Stories of souls reborn in new bodies. I always thought it was a myth. They say it happens when someone has a bigger purpose to fulfill.”
She turned her head toward the wall. “I don’t know what that purpose is. But my name is Lyra. And for whatever reason the Moon Goddess gave me a new life, I will take it. My former life was stolen from me.”
Ryker hesitated, then asked softly, “Do you remember anything? About what happened that night? How you died?”
The question stabbed through her like a cold blade.
She opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again.
“I…”
But no words came. She could recall Cassian’s warning and that of the Blood King.
“I know it is a hard topic,” Ryker added gently. “But I need to know. I want to avenge you. Maybe you came back for justice.”
“If I wanted revenge,” she said quietly, rising from the bed, “you would be at the top of my list.”
“Ouch.”
Lyra walked to the door and pressed her palm against the wood.
“IronFangs MC deserves answers,” she said. “And I want to give them.”
“I guess you’re right. They’ve been waiting patiently since I brought you back last night. No one seems to understand why I’m keeping you here when you’re a bloodsucker.”
“Call me what you want, I’ll leave if it bothers you.”
Ryker sighed. “I didn’t mean it that way, Lyra. This is as much of a shock to me right now. But I’m sure we’ll figure it out.”
She folded her arms and looked away.
“Are you ready?” he asked, and she simply grabbed the door handle and twisted it.
The moment the pack saw them, everyone began to murmur.
Dozens of wolves were gathered outside the alpha’s chamber, waiting for explanations.
And standing at the center, scowling with her arms crossed, was Tessa.
The glare she shot Lyra was venomous.
Lyra immediately understood.
“They are a thing.”
Of course they were. Ryker was still the same philanderer she remembered. Some parts of him hadn’t changed at all.
Ryker stepped forward, pulling Lyra gently beside him, but she shoved him away, folding her hands defiantly. If he noticed, he didn’t react.
“IronFangs,” he called out. The pack fell silent instantly.
“Years ago, I lost my mate,” he began. “She disappeared under unknown circumstances. Her body was never recovered. I felt the bond break, and I believed she was dead.”
The pack murmured.
“We all saw it,” another agreed. “The alpha almost burned half the territory down.”
Ryker raised a hand, silencing them.
“A few days ago,” he continued, “we found a girl on the desert road. A stray and a half-breed, as you all know. But something in me recognized her.”
He looked at Lyra with a softness that made her chest tighten.
“I know this seems impossible,” he said to the crowd. “But the Moon Goddess does not make mistakes.”
He lifted Lyra’s hand gently.
“This is Lyra. My reborn mate.”
“That’s impossible,” someone whispered.
“She was dead,” another said. “We saw what you went through.”
“We all thought she was gone forever.”
Ryker shook his head slowly.
“So did I. But she lives, and while I can’t explain this yet, I have accepted her, and I want you to.”
While some of the men continued to murmur curiously, Tessa stepped forward.
“So we’re just going to ignore the fact that she’s a half-vampire abomination?”
Lyra turned her head slowly, her eyes locking onto Tessa’s. “Do you have a problem with that?”
“You don’t belong here!”
“Then make me leave,” Lyra dared.
Tessa recoiled. “Did this abomination just talk to me?”
Then she lunged.
Some of the men moved between them instantly, grabbing Tessa by the arms. Ryker caught Lyra around the waist, pulling her back as she growled.
But Lyra shoved him away. “I won’t think of the ways this pack betrayed me,” she growled. “I won’t think of the humiliation of that night when you all watched me beg and cry and grovel to be accepted. But don’t mistake me for the old Lyra Kael.”
Every wolf stared at her almost guiltily. They’d never been the nicest to her.
“I’m back as something new. And abomination or not, I will tear down anyone who stands in my way.”
There was silence as they all watched her, literally growling with her fangs elongated.
“That was all in the past, Lyra. We all realize our mistakes—”
“I don’t care!” she snapped.
Then, suddenly, the roar of motorcycles thundered from beyond the gates.
Everyone standing turned.
Lyra froze.
Dax rolled in first, grinning wildly, followed by several injured werewolves. Bloody, bruised, but dragging bags stuffed with cash and stolen goods behind them.
The prodigal alpha’s brother, Dax. Surely, things didn't really change around here.
Lyra knew exactly what this was. A victorious looting
by the IronFangs MC.
Dax hopped off his bike with his bloodied clothes and flashed a charming smile.
“HELLO, BROTHER!” he shouted at Ryker. “What did I miss?”