Chapter 22 New Predator

Chapter 22 New Predator
Ronan

The door slammed harder than it needed to.

The sound echoed through the chamber, sharp and violent, but it still didn’t quiet the storm in my head. The meeting replayed itself in fragments..Kael’s calm defiance, Darian’s rigid authority, Lucien’s cold calculations..and none of it sat right.

We were supposed to be stronger than this, instead, we were divided.

I dragged a hand through my hair and paced the room, the tension in my body refusing to settle. Two years on the battlefield, two years of blood and survival, and this was what I came back to? Arguments. Hesitation. A girl none of us understood dictating the direction of a war.

It was ridiculous and yet…I could feel it, that pull.

That strange, restless energy that had settled in my bones the moment I stepped into this place. It wasn’t just the academy. It wasn’t just Orion.

It was her, Lyra.

I exhaled sharply, stopping near the window as I stared out into the darkened grounds. “This is a mistake,” I muttered under my breath, though I wasn’t entirely sure who I was trying to convince.

“You don’t sound convinced.”

The voice slipped into the room like silk, I didn’t turn immediately.

I knew that voice, slowly, I glanced over my shoulder.

She stood near the door, already inside, as if she had always been there. Her presence didn’t announce itself the way ours did. It crept in, subtle and deliberate, the kind of danger that didn’t need force to be effective.

Her eyes held mine, dark and knowing, and the faint curve of her lips told me she was fully aware of the effect she had.

“Still slipping into rooms uninvited?” I said, my tone dry, though my body had already gone alert.

She tilted her head slightly, stepping closer. “You never complained before.”

“That was before you started bringing problems with you.”

A soft laugh escaped her, low and unbothered. “I bring solutions too. You just have to listen.”

I watched her carefully now, my irritation sharpening again. “If this is about the council’s decision...”

“It’s not,” she cut in gently.

That made me pause.

She took another step closer, and this time, I didn’t miss the shift in the air. It wasn’t just her presence. It was intentional. Controlled. Every movement measured, every glance deliberate.

“You’re angry,” she said, her voice softer now, almost thoughtful. “Not just at them. At him.”

“Careful,” I warned.

“At Kael,” she continued anyway, unfazed. “He’s changed the dynamic. You don’t like that.”

My jaw tightened slightly. “You didn’t come here to analyze me.”

“No,” she agreed, her gaze holding mine. “I came because you’re the only one willing to do what the others won’t.”

That caught my attention.

I let out a quiet breath. “And what exactly do you think that is?”

Her smile deepened just slightly, and she closed the remaining distance between us, stopping close enough that I could feel the warmth of her presence, the faint scent of something dangerous and distracting.

“Win,” she said simply.

I studied her, my irritation slowly shifting into something more focused. “We’re already planning that.”

“No,” she murmured, her eyes flickering with something darker now. “You’re preparing. There’s a difference.”

“And you think you can offer something better?”

“I know I can.”

Silence stretched between us, but it wasn’t empty, it was charged.

My gaze dropped briefly, then lifted again, and I caught the shift in her expression, subtle but intentional. She knew exactly what she was doing, and the worst part was, I didn’t stop it.

“Then talk,” I said.

Her fingers brushed lightly against my arm, not enough to be called anything, but enough to send a sharp awareness through my body. “I ran the test,” she said quietly.

My focus snapped back fully. “On the girl.”

“Yes.”

“And?”

Her lips curved again, slower this time, more deliberate. “She’s not just special.”

Something in her tone made my instincts sharpen.

“She’s rare,” she continued. “Ancient, even. Her blood carries something I haven’t seen in generations.”

I frowned slightly. “You’re being vague.”

“I’m being careful,” she corrected.

“Don’t.”

Her gaze held mine, and for a moment, the softness dropped completely, revealing something colder beneath. “Her blood amplifies power,” she said. “Not temporarily. Not artificially but permanently.”

The words settled heavily.

“That’s not possible,” I said.

“It is,” she replied. “And I’ve seen it.”

A quiet tension built in my chest, slow and dangerous. “Seen it how?”

Her expression shifted again, the softness returning, but it didn’t hide the truth anymore. “A small sample,” she said. “Just enough to confirm it.”

“And?”

Her eyes locked onto mine. "It worked.”

Silence followed, not the kind that fades.

The kind that grows.

“You’re telling me,” I said slowly, “that her blood can increase power… permanently.”

“Yes.”

“And you’re just bringing this to me now?”

“I needed to be sure,” she said calmly. “And now I am.”

I turned away slightly, running a hand over my jaw as the implications settled in.

My mind moved quickly now, faster than before, piecing together what this meant, what it could become. Not just for the war. Not just for Orion.

For everything.

“You’re thinking about it,” she said softly behind me.

I didn’t deny it.

“Kael won’t use it,” she added. “He’s too controlled. Too careful. Darian won’t either. He’ll see it as a risk.”

“And Lucien?” I asked.

A faint pause.

“He’ll study it,” she said. “But he won’t act until it’s too late.”

That left...

“You,” she finished quietly.

I turned back to her slowly.

Her gaze held mine, steady and certain, like she already knew the decision forming in my head.

“You’ve always been different,” she continued, her voice lowering slightly. “Less bound by rules. Less afraid of consequences.”

“That’s one way to put it.”

“It’s the right way.”

Silence stretched again, but this time, it felt different, sharper and closer to something irreversible.

“If what you’re saying is true,” I said, my voice quieter now, “then she’s not just the center of the war.”

“No,” she agreed.

“She’s the key to ending it.”

Her smile deepened, slow and satisfied. “Now you understand.”

I held her gaze for a moment longer, then looked past her, toward the door, toward the direction of the restricted wing.

My jaw tightened slightly. “Where is she?” I asked.

“Secured,” she replied. “Guarded and Watched.”

“Good.”

I moved toward the door.

Behind me, her voice followed, softer now but filled with something that felt dangerously close to anticipation.

“Ronan,” she said.

I paused, my hand resting against the door.

“Don’t hesitate,” she added. “Opportunities like this don’t come twice.”

I didn’t respond and I didn’t need to.

Because for the first time since I returned, everything felt clear.

The tension , the war and yhe conflict between us.

None of it mattered as much as this.

I opened the door and stepped into the corridor with one decision already made.

I wasn’t going to wait for Orion to take her.

I was going to get to Lyra first.