Chapter 195 Catacombs

Chapter 195 Catacombs
Lyra

The door of the sparring room hadn't even fully opened yet, but I already knew he was there. 

I can feel his overwhelming presence deep in my own flesh. My bones are already vibrating with the magnetic pull of our mate bond, a wave of heat washing straight through my blood. I know without a single doubt that he’s standing right there, his dark green eyes locked heavily on me as I move in the ring.

I try my absolute best to look completely unfazed, pretending that he isn't watching my every move.

I focus my attention back on the mats, continuing to throw defensive strikes against Kara. But the awareness of his body standing so close disturbs my focus. My mind slips for just a single fraction of a second. 

Before I can even realize what I'm doing, a massive, uncontrolled blast of raw power explodes from my palms and hits Kara in the chest. A loud thud echoes through the room as her body flies backward, slamming hard against the wall.

The sound of the impact snaps me right back to my senses.

"Kara!" I gasp, my eyes widening in pure horror as the white smoke clears from my fingers.

I drop my guard and rush to her side, kneeling beside her. My heart is beating so fast with shock and adrenaline.

"Oh my goodness, Kara! I am so sorry. I got completely distracted for a second, I didn't mean to push that much energy into the blow at all."

Kara stays flat on her back for a second, blinking up at me. Then, a breathless laugh escapes her, and she rubs her ribs with a wide grin. "Are you kidding me? That was completely amazing! But seriously, what the hell distracted you enough to throw a royal Lycan princess across a training ring?"

I let out a shaky breath, my cheeks instantly burning with a bright flush. "Your troublesome brother, of course."

I turn my head toward the entryway, pointing at Kai. He leans against the doorframe, his dark outfit fitting him perfectly, watching me with a strange, intensely deep expression that I can't quite grasp. His green eyes hold a dark, unreadable weight that sends a shiver down my spine.

Kara rolls her eyes playfully, pushing herself up from the floor as she turns to her brother. "Well, look who finally decided to show up. I wasn't aware you were out here actively stalking your mate, big brother."

Kai lets out a chuckle, stepping fully into the sparring room. His long strides close the distance between us in seconds. "If you didn't keep your guard down so much, Kara, you wouldn't be flat on your back right now. I think Lyra is just showing you how a real beast fights."

"Hey! I was winning until you walked in and ruined her focus with your big Lycan aura," Kara fires back, though she laughs as she walks over to the bench to grab her water bottle. She wipes the sweat from her forehead with a towel, sighing happily. "Anyway, I am completely done fighting for the day. My limbs feel like literal jelly after going up against a powerful fox."

Kai stops right beside me, a proud smirk pulling at the corners of his lips. "Make that a Phoenix fox, little sister."

My face flushes at how they're talking about me like I’m some goddess. Kara throws her towel over her shoulder and heads straight for the exit door. "I'm leaving you two alone before the pheromones in here completely suffocate me. Try not to destroy the training mats."

Kara pulls me into a quick hug before walking away. The door clicks shut behind her, leaving Kai and me alone in the room.

An intense, white-hot current of sexual tension instantly charges the air between us, turning the space thick and suffocating. I look away from his burning gaze, and walk over to the edge to slowly pull the damp cloth and headband out of my silver hair. My skin is glistening under the gym lights, and the tight, sweaty top I'm wearing feels uncomfortable against my skin. I walk over to my gym bag and quickly change into a more suitable, clean tank top, entirely aware of his eyes tracking every single slow movement of my fingers.

‘He is so magnificent,’ Wyndra’s voice suddenly purrs loudly inside my mind with an intense, joyful excitement. She’s probably thirsting after Kai’s beast, Vlad. They almost fully control our libidos these days. ‘Pleaseee I want him to come closer, Lyra. I want to feel our mate.’

Kai slowly approaches me from behind, and I can feel his footsteps getting closer, making my skin hotter. He stops just an inch away, his massive body completely blocking out the rest of the room as he lightly brushes my shoulders. 

"How have you been, flower?" he asks, his deep voice a low rumble that vibrates into my chest.

I clear my throat, pulling the clean top down over my waist before turning around to face him. "I'm fine, Kai. Truly. I'm just… I'm trying to understand and make sense of these new powers. I want to learn how I can control them better so I don't accidentally hurt anyone."

The moment my words leave my lips, Kai reaches out his fingers and gently strokes my flushed cheek, his touch is so incredibly soft that it makes my chest tighten. My feelings for him are so strong and overwhelming that it fills my entire body, making my breathing catch in my throat.

I wrap my fingers around his wrist to keep his palm pressed on my face, looking deeply into his eyes. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, baby," Kai murmurs softly, his gaze dropping to my lips.

He leans down, and his mouth slides into mine. I sigh in relief, finally feeling like I’m home. 

The kiss starts slowly, a sweet gentle kiss that melts the last bit of my restraint. But within a matter of seconds, heat explodes between our bodies like wildfire. The kiss turns violently heated and intensely deep and our breaths mingling into harsh, desperate gasps. Kai growls softly into my throat, his large hands gripping my waist with a fierce possessiveness as he pushes my back straight against the hard stone wall of the sparring room.

He steps in between my thighs, his lower body crowding mine completely. My instincts take over, and I instantly lift my legs, wrapping them tightly around his thick hips as I ride his thigh, a loud, uninhibited moan ripping straight from my throat.

Kai grunts against my lips, his hands scrambling to pull my top up, trying to yank the fabric over my head.

BOOM!

Suddenly, a loud explosion goes off outside, and right after, there's chaos everywhere. You can hear wolves fighting aggressively out on the grand field, their roars loud enough to shake through the vents and break the quiet of the corridor.

Kai freezes immediately, resting his forehead against mine as he lets out a long, frustrated sigh. His chest rises and falls against my breasts, his fingers tense on my skin before he slowly steps back, allowing my feet to find the floor.

I let out a soft, breathy giggle at the annoyed look on his handsome face. I reach up and gently straighten the collar of his black uniform. "You're the royal prince, Kai. Come on. Go out there and fix whatever stupid problem it is."

Kai glares toward the locked door, his jaw clenching tightly. "I should let them slaughter each other."

"Don't do that please. Just go, I'll be waiting here." I tease, a wide smile pulling at my lips. "Besides, I still want to spend some time practicing the basics of my power while the room is empty. So, I'll be in here for just a few more minutes before I head back to the dorms. Don't worry about me."

Kai goes quiet for a moment, his dark eyes studying my face with a worried protectiveness. "Are you sure you’ll be completely fine here alone, flower?"

"Of course I'll be fine," I assure him, giving him a tight squeeze. "Go on."

I lean up on my tiptoes and press a quick kiss on his lips one more time before playfully pushing his huge chest toward the exit. Kai smiles down at me, a soft warmth returning to his features before he turns around, throws the door open, and walks out into the corridor to handle the students causing problems.

After the door is closed and everywhere is silent again, I take a deep breath and shake out my arms as I move back to the middle of the ring. I raise my palms, feeling the fiery energy of my Phoenix spirit flow down to my fingertips as I practice my strikes without aiming at anyone, imagining the smooth moves Nick showed me in the catacombs.

After a few minutes of quiet practice, the door handle clicks, and the heavy door swings open.

I smile brightly, keeping my eyes fixed on my glowing palms as I call out over my shoulder. 

"Wow, you actually fixed that so quickly, Kai. Is the commotion already—"

My words die in my throat when I turn all the way around, and I can't catch my breath. I freeze right in the middle of the ring, my muscles tightening up as I look straight at the girl standing in the entryway.

It's the same slender girl with long, shiny black hair, the one who was holding onto Kai's arm like she was his mate a few weeks ago. The same girl Kai said he felt a weird spark with before our mark was sealed.

An uncomfortable, bitter knot of pure jealousy and deep dread tightens inside my stomach. The black-haired girl slowly walks into the training room, staring directly at me with a strange expression that makes my skin crawl. She moves a little closer, a sneaky grin spreading on her face as she checks out my silver hair.

I drop my hands to my sides, my voice turning cold. "Who the hell are you, and what do you want?"

The girl doesn't answer me right away. She keeps that weird smile on her face, slowly walking in wide, deliberate circles around the ring, her dark eyes tracking my form like a predator sizing up its prey. After a long, agonizing moment, she finally stops, tilting her chin up.

"My name is Marina," she answers smoothly, her voice carrying a strange, haunting melody that sounds weirdly familiar. "And I am just here to tell you something very important, Lyra. Something that absolutely no one else in this pathetic academy will ever have the guts to tell you."

I glare at her with absolute hatred, feeling my fox snarling with fury inside my skull. "I don't care about a single thing you have to say to me. Leave this room immediately before I blast you through that wall."

Marina doesn't flinch. She doesn't even move an inch. She just stands there in the center of the floor, staring directly into my eyes while her unsettling smile grows wider.

Okay then. If she won’t leave, I’ll leave. I turn and grab my gym bag from the bench as I prepare to walk right past her to find Kai. But before I can step outside, her voice rings out, stopping me. 

"You truly do not know who Prince Kai really is, do you, little fox?" Marina mocks, her dark eyes flashing with amusement. I tense immediately as I realize what she just called me. She knows who I am. If she does, why has she not exposed me? "If you actually knew what that monster is capable of, you would avoid him with your entire life. And another thing, Lyra… you don't even know who your own brother is. You take Nick as your loyal protector, your flesh and blood, but he has been lying straight to your face ever since the moment you met him."

I pause completely in my tracks. The air in the room suddenly feels too cold. I can’t believe her. Who is she? Yet I find myself second guessing and doubting myself. 

I slowly turn around to glare at her, clenching my hands into tight fists. "What the absolute hell are you talking about? Nick is my brother!”

Marina lets out a loud, echoing laugh, the sound dripping with pure malice. "If you don't understand what I mean, or if you simply choose not to believe a single word out of my mouth, just do something for me. Take it as a personal favor from a girl that you happen to look exactly like."

‘Lyra…’ Wyndra’s voice suddenly whispers inside my head, her tone sounding worried and confused. ‘She does look like you. Look at her jawline. Look at the shape of her cheek. How the hell is that possible?’

‘I don’t know, Wyn,’ I think back desperately, my mind spinning into an absolute panic. ‘I don't understand any of this. I don't know who she is.’

‘I don’t have a good feeling about her at all,’ Wyndra whines back, her spirit shivering against my thoughts. ‘She smells like absolute darkness.’

Marina continues speaking, completely ignoring my internal panic as she points a slender finger down to the floor. "There is a hidden place deep down in the catacombs below this academy. A hidden wall of lost secrets and forgotten history. Once you get down into the darkness, find a way to breach the wall located on the exact left side of the main cave. There, you will see the history written in stone, and you can finally read the truth for yourself."

I blink, completely confused by her words. "How do you even know about the catacombs? Who told you—"

Before the questions can fully leave my mouth, Marina turns around and walks out of the room, she walks away so fast that she completely disappears down the corridor as if she had never even appeared in the first place.

I stand alone in the empty sparring room, my chest heaving as her terrifying words echo over and over in my ears. Nick is lying straight to your face.

An intense, uncontrollable curiosity and intrigue wrap around my mind, making it completely impossible to just walk away. If what she says is true, I have to know what is down there. I throw my gym bag over my shoulder, slip out of the sparring room, and head straight for the hidden stairs, making sure that no one is following my movements in the shadows.

I take the lower stairs and the air instantly becomes a thick, cold, and heavy with dust as I step into the catacombs. Everywhere around me is pitch-black. 

I raise my hand, focusing the warm energy in my chest to form a bright, floating ball of pure white light, just like Nick showed me during our private training sessions. The glowing ball pierces through the darkness, lighting up the rough cave walls.

I move slowly across the uneven dirt floor, my heart pounding in my chest until I finally get to the far left wall of the huge cavern. I hold my breath, raise my shaky hand, and press it flat against the cold, rough stone.

Suddenly, a violent, heavy vibration shakes the entire cave.

The solid stone beneath my fingers starts to crack and disintegrate into nothingness, the rough rock crumbling into fine dust right before my eyes. The barrier completely disappears, transforming into a beautiful smooth, ancient stone wall covered with columns of written words.

My jaw drops in surprise, and my eyes widen as I look at the ancient writings revealed in the light.