Chapter 84 A Mother’s Desperation
The day was getting dark, and the room was cold, damp, and smelled faintly of rust and old stone.
Lyra still sat bound to the heavy metal chair, her wrists tied behind her back, her ankles secured, and a gag still pulled tight between her teeth.
Her head still throbbed, but the fog from the poison had thinned enough for her to think and see clearly.
She was still staring blankly into the dark when Samson stood up from the stone slab behind her.
Samson stepped into the dim light and crouched in front of her, still looking angry and vengeful.
“Well,” he said quietly, tilting his head. “Look at you. The great Luna of IronFangs. Reduced to this.”
Lyra glared at him, resisting the urge to spit on his ugly face.
He chuckled. “Still glaring? You really think that look scares me?”
He rose and began to pace, hands clasped behind his back. “Tell me something,” he said casually. “Why are you playing with Ryker?”
Lyra stiffened.
Samson stopped and turned sharply. “Why?” he repeated. “You come crawling into this pack, flashing those pretty tits, pretending you belong here, and suddenly he takes you back.”
Samson scoffed and shook his head. “You’re nothing but a bloodsucker who came here to destroy IronFangs.”
She shook her head violently, trying to speak through the gag.
“Oh, don’t bother denying it,” he snapped. “I see it clearly. Ryker just doesn’t.”
He scoffed. “He’s weak and too soft. Too smitten by you to see the truth. An Alpha who lets his dick rule him will destroy his own pack without even realizing it.”
Lyra made a muffled sound, straining against the ropes.
“You think I don’t know what you’re doing?” Samson went on. “Wrapping yourself around him, distracting him, and turning him against his own people.”
He leaned closer, his voice dropping. “I don’t trust you. And neither should anyone else.”
Then he stopped at the entrance of the cell and placed his hands on both sides of the bars. “That is why I think the pack needs a new leader. And I’ll become that leader.”
She shook her head again, tears stinging her eyes, and immediately, he pulled the gag down.
“Ryker and Dax will kill you,” she snapped. “You’re ending your own life if you ever think of standing against them.”
Samson burst out laughing.
“Oh, that’s rich,” he said. “You really think I’m afraid of those two?”
He straightened. “You already have both brothers wrapped around your fingers like the whore you are.”
Lyra froze, panting with fear and shock.
“But don’t worry,” he continued smoothly. “I have a solution.”
Her heart pounded. “What solution?”
Samson smiled slowly, cruelly. “When I’m done killing you, I’ll plant your body in Dax’s chambers.”
Her eyes widened in horror.
“No one will know,” he went on. “Not until it’s far too late. And when Ryker finds you there,” he shrugged, “Tracy will confess.”
Lyra let out a strangled gasp.
“She’ll say Dax killed you out of jealousy,” Samson said calmly. “That you refused to leave Ryker for him.”
She shook her head frantically, tears spilling down her cheeks.
“No,” she managed to choke. “That’s a lie! Dax doesn’t even want me. No one will believe her!”
Samson smiled wider. “You underestimate how blind people become when they’re hurting.”
He leaned in again. “I see the way both brothers look at you. They’re competing for your love, and it’s pathetic!”
His voice hardened. “Once the chaos starts, I’ll confront them both and challenge them to battle. And when they fall by my dagger, I’ll take IronFangs.”
Lyra stared at him in disbelief.
“I’ll be a better ruler than Ryker ever was,” he said proudly. “Stronger, ruthless, and feared.”
Lyra was speechless as he stepped back and sighed. “Now get some sleep.”
She didn’t move. She was too shocked by his arrogant plans.
“It’ll be the last time you sleep, Lyra,” he added lightly. “Tomorrow is death.”
He moved forward and shoved the gag firmly back into place.
Lyra froze.
Samson turned and walked out, the cell door slamming shut behind him.
She sat there in the darkness, trembling, her heart pounding so loudly she was sure it would give her away. “Is this really how it ends?” she wondered. “Tied to a chair and killed by some obsessive madman?”
Minutes passed. Maybe longer.
She stayed still, forcing herself not to move, not to cry.
Then Samson’s voice drifted from the door to her again so suddenly that she jerked up.
“Sleeping already?” he asked lazily. “Or thinking of your lovers?”
She didn’t react.
Footsteps approached and a flashlight flicked on, the beam flashing across her face.
She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing her breathing to slow.
After a moment, Samson snorted. “Good. The little bloodsucker is asleep.”
He turned away. “No point waiting till morning,” he muttered. “I’ll get it done tonight.”
Lyra’s blood ran cold as she heard the cell door open and shut again.
The moment she was sure he was gone, she knew what would come next. She wasn’t dumb enough to tell herself otherwise.
Fueled by adrenaline and terror, Lyra began to move.
She twisted in the chair violently, wiggling, straining until her muscles burned. But still, the ropes didn’t budge.
She was so panicked that she knew she had to get out of the cell before Samson returned. His mind was made up, and he certainly wouldn’t spare her life.
The poison was fading; she could feel it now, and her strength was slowly returning, although not quite as fast as she’d wanted.
She rocked harder on the chair, growling into the gag, pulling with everything she had.
But still, the restraints wouldn’t budge.
Then she suddenly heard footsteps from the tunnel, and the door creaked open.
Lyra froze, thinking it was Samson.
But it was Tracy who stepped inside, carrying a small tray with food and a little cup.
She stopped short when she saw Lyra struggling and laughed.
“Oh, don’t bother,” Tracy said cheerfully. “Those ropes are fortified with silver. You won’t break them.”
Lyra ignored her.
She grunted against the pain that burned her muscles and continued the struggle.
Tracy frowned. “Stop it,” she snapped. “You’ll just hurt yourself.”
But Lyra wasn’t listening. She couldn’t feel anything but the need to survive. Her body trembled violently as she summoned her wolf side.
Then it happened.
Bones cracked, and suddenly her skin stretched and her fangs elongated as she transformed into her half-breed form.
Tracy stumbled back, eyes wide with horror as Lyra transformed fully, the ropes snapping under the sheer force.
The metal chair bent and snapped into two as it hit the floor.
She tore the gag from her mouth and flung it away as she roared.
Tracy screamed and spun to run, but Lyra lunged, slamming her into the wall and grabbing her by the neck.
“Please!” Tracy sobbed, clawing at Lyra’s arm. “Don’t kill me! I’m pregnant with his child!”