Chapter 43 The Calm and The Storm

Chapter 43 The Calm and The Storm
The Calm and The Storm
Cael's POV

The word hit me like a physical blow.

Mate.

My breath caught in my throat. The world seemed to tilt. My wolf, who had been a storm of worry and fear inside me, went completely still. Then, he let out a single, powerful feeling. A feeling of rightness. A feeling of home.

Lira was my mate, I knew that a long time ago, but hearing her say it? It brought out something in me that I couldn’t explain. The pull I felt toward her intensified. My wolf’s instant protectiveness whenever she was near flared hofter. The way her pain suddenly started to feel like my own. It wasn't just attraction or guilt. It was the deepest bond a wolf can have.

I had really betrayed her. I had let them do this to her.

She was still looking at me, her eyes wild and confused. The serum was making her say things she would never say out loud. It was stripping away all her control, revealing the truth her wolf knew.

"Lira," I whispered, my voice shaking. "I... I didn't know.”

But the moment of clarity was gone for her. She snarled again, scrambling back into the corner of her cell. The feral haze returned to her eyes. My words meant nothing to the animal she was now.

Goddess, what the hell was this and how the hell do I get out of it?

I huffer quietly, my brain working overtime to try to know what I could do and find a solution. I stayed there and for the rest of the day, it just felt strange. The halls of the cell was quiet. The serum, as I have learned seemed to have a cycle. After the peak of their rage, they grew tired. Lira fell into a fitful sleep, her body twitching with every breath she took. Riven was silent in his cell, just staring at the wall with his yellow eyes.

I breathed a sigh of relief. They were finally calm and quiet. Maybe they had worn themselves out. I sat on the chair by the side, running my hands through my head.

Fuck this. Fuck every fucking thing!

I stayed there for long, my head still bowed. I didn't sleep. I couldn't. The word "mate" echoed in my head. I had to fix this. I had to get them out. But how? I was locked in here with them.

A guard brought food in the evening. He slid the trays through a small slot in the bars and left quickly, not meeting my eyes. I was alone again.

I pushed Lira's tray toward her. "You need to eat," I said softly.

She didn't move. She just watched me from the shadows quietly, her breathing heavy.

I did the same for Riven. He ignored the food completely.

Hours ticked by. The silence was heavy in the cell except that I leaned my head against the cold stone wall between their cells, my eyes feeling so heavy. Just for a second, I thought. I just needed to close them for a second...

A low growl woke me.

I jerked awake. I didn't even know I had fallen asleep. The small window was dark. It was the middle of the night.

The growl came from Riven's cell.

I stood up, my body stiff. "Riven?"

He was standing now. He wasn't looking at me. He was looking at Lira's cell. His eyes glowed in the dark. The smell of anger and aggression poured off him. It was stronger than before. Much stronger.

The serum was back in control. But this… this felt like it was different.

Lira was awake too. She was pressed against the far wall of her cell, her eyes wide with a new kind of fear. She wasn't looking at me. She was staring at Riven.

"Riven?" she whispered, her voice small and scared. For a moment, she sounded like herself.

Riven let out another growl, deeper this time. He gripped the bars of his cell, his knuckles white. He was breathing hard, like he had been running.

"Riven, it's me," Lira said, her voice trembling. "It's Lira. Calm down."

But he didn't calm down. The serum was twisting his mind. It was feeding on his deepest feelings. And his deepest feeling, I realized with a jolt of horror, was his love for Lira. His need to protect her.

But in his feral state, that love was turning into something ugly. His wolf saw me as the biggest threat to her. And it was taking over.

"Stay away from her," Riven snarled. His words were clearer now, filled with a deadly, pure hate and anger.

"He's not hurting me, Riven!" Lira cried out. "Look at me! I'm okay!"

It was no use. Riven's eyes were locked on me. The bars of his cell started to groan under his grip. A sharp, metallic crack echoed in the small room.

My own wolf rose to the surface, ready for a fight. But this was a fight I could not win. If I hurt Riven, I would destroy Lira. If I didn't fight, he would kill me.

"Riven, don't do this," I said, holding my hands up. "I'm not your enemy."

He let out a roar that shook the walls. With a final, monstrous pull, the iron bar he was holding bent outward, snapping with a sound like thunder.

He had broken his cage.

He stepped out into the space between the cells. He was huge, his body rippling with feral power. His glowing eyes were fixed on me. Drool dripped from his sharp teeth.

Lira screamed. "Riven, no!"

He ignored her. He took a step toward me. Then another.

I backed up, but there was nowhere to go. The door behind me was locked. I was trapped.

This was unexpected. I wasn't armed and now, he was going to kill me.

Riven lunged.

I braced for the impact, but it never came.

At the last second, a silver blur shot out from Lira's cell. She had reached through the bars and grabbed Riven's arm, using all her strength to hold him back.

She looked at me, her storm-gray eyes clear for one last, desperate second, full of a fear that had nothing to do with the serum.

"Run!" she screamed.