Chapter 42 Allies

Chapter 42 Allies
Lyra

The hall reeks of blood and traces of wolfsbane smoke. My claws ache, every muscle trembling from the strain, and my lungs burn with every ragged breath I pull in. The stone floor is slick beneath my paws, streaked with blood and clumps of torn fur. The coppery tang of it clings to the air. 

Bram crashes into the silver she-wolf again, his massive form colliding with hers in a blur of fur and snapping jaws. The impact rattles the ground, a savage tangle of fangs and claws. “Go!” his voice slices through the mind-link, rough with exertion, edged with urgency. “Kaelen’s yours, Lyra!”

I refuse to move, locking my muscles in defiance. Every instinct howls to finish Kaelen, yet leaving Bram here, entangled with an enemy who fights like death’s own shadow, feels like delivering him straight to the grave.

“Lyra!” he snarls through the mind-link, his golden eyes blazing as he forces the stranger back a pace. “Don’t waste this! I can hold her! Go!”

I hesitate, torn between vengeance and loyalty. Then, through the blur of blood and rage, I see Kaelen limping out the castle door. My chance is evaporating.

I lunge after him, tearing across the hall, but even as I begin to close the distance, his form is swallowed by the darkness of the courtyard.

I burst into the night, Kaelen’s scent still stinging my nose, and that’s when I see movement in the tree line.

The movement begins to bristle with dozens of sets of eyes gleaming indigo, catching the moonlight like shards of ice. The warriors of Blue Raven pack step forward, black coats striped with silver as if marked by the stars themselves. They fan out, forming a ring around the castle's edge, their low growls rolling like thunder across the courtyard.

I feel dizzy with fear. They’re here to protect Kaelen, and this is a slaughter waiting to happen. Then the realization hits me: the innocent people we’d dragged out of the castle before the fighting began must have woken, terrified, and run straight to Blue Raven for help. That’s how these warriors knew to come.

“Bram! Jorin!”  I shout frantically. “Serena, Asher, Mitch—Song Pack—retreat now! Opposite exit, scatter, run! Blue Raven’s here—go, go now!”

The bond hums with answering pulses. Song Pack’s shock, confusion, resistance all swirl together, but there’s no time to argue. A growl crescendos, a chorus of killers ready to descend. 

I whirl back toward Kaelen’s scent, but it’s already thinning, dissolving like smoke. He’s gone.

I sprint weaving through chaos as Song Pack warriors split off in every direction, vanishing into the cover of trees. Behind me, Blue Raven pours into the courtyard in a storm of teeth and silver-streaked shadows. 

Branches whip against my face as I plunge into the forest, my lungs burning, paws beating the dirt. Behind me, the castle is a twister of snarls and screams. Blue Raven tearing into anyone they can catch. The night is alive with chaos, the bond-thread of Song Pack streaming violently through my mind.

I have to force myself not to turn back and help the ones being dragged down. Yelps and snarls crack behind me, the harsh snap of bone, the thud of bodies hitting dirt. 

I push harder. My legs are searing, and my heart is pounding. If I want to survive, I must focus. If I stop now, I’m another body in the mud.

“Bram! Where are you? Did you get away?”

Nothing.

Terror tears through me. I can’t let myself think the worst. He’s alive. He has to be alive.

I crash through the undergrowth, leap a fallen log, nearly stumbling, but catch myself, pushing on. Members of Song Pack flank me, their eyes glowing in the dark. We break away, darting left, right, so Blue Raven can’t run us all down together.

I grit my teeth, forcing myself forward. “Bram! Bram answer me!” 

The only answer is the echo of battle and the suffocating silence in the bond where he should be.

I skid to a halt, paws slipping on the slick undergrowth, lungs screaming. Suddenly, I remember, there’s a sequence of caves hidden in the cliffs beyond the eastern ridge. I memorized them when I was a child. Caves with one narrow entrance snaking out into tight corridors, perfect for a defensive stand.

I slam my mind-link wide open. “Bram! Jorin! Song Pack—listen! Cave up ahead! Eastern ridge! One at a time, slip inside, hold the mouth! We can use tunnels—Blue Raven can’t follow all of us!”

A tense chorus of confirmed orders pulses through the mind-link. 

I twist my body and start running, weaving between trees, branches slapping against my fur. The bond thrums with urgency, everyone moving, scattering, ducking through low branches, seeking the promise of safety. 

“Go! Faster! Find the entrance and hold your ground,” I urge. Moments later, I feel the tension fray as the  first of Song Pack’s warriors slip into the shadows of the cave mouth. I take my place in the darkness ushering people through. 

“Lyra… I’m here.” hearing Bram’s voice floods relief through me. 

When I see him, he’s battered, blood streaked, but moving. I dart to the cave mouth, nudging him inside, letting him collapse against the wall. “You made it out! Thank the Moon Goddess.”

One by one, the rest of Song Pack flows in. Some are limping, others bleeding, but every pulse reassures me they survived. I take my position at the mouth. My claws dig into the stone, muscles coiled, every sense straining.

Blue Raven pauses, sensing the defensive advantage from the unity of Song Pack guarding the entrance. They test the perimeter, circle, but dare not enter. The narrowness, the sharp teeth of my pack, the way we meld as one is too dangerous, even for them. Blue Raven retreats. 

Bram leans against me, catching his breath. Jorin is a few feet away. His fur is matted and his eyes are wary, but he’s breathing. Around us, the rest of the pack settles into defensive positions, wounded but unharmed enough to survive.

I press my muzzle to the cold stone, trying to still the fire of guilt roaring inside me. I had no idea Blue Raven and Running River were working together, and my reckless plan to kill Kaelen has left my pack wounded. This wasn’t a victory. I just wanted Kaelen dead, and instead I’ve shattered the trust I was trying to earn.