Chapter 139
RYKER’S POV
For a long moment, I stood frozen and watched her walk out like fire—like she owned the place.
Damn! She did.
She was mine in every way. She was still mine.
When she was taken to the Luna chambers, I had resisted the urge to go in there and hold her close to me. Goddess! There were so many things I wanted to do to her.
So many.
I barely had a wink of sleep. Especially when all I could do was think about her amazing and fierce she looked. And the pulsating energy I felt between us. She had acted like she didn’t feel it. And today, when she walked in with all her beauty and aura, I couldn’t help but admit that she ignited a fire in me that had long died the moment she left our lives.
And when she moved over and stood to talk at the table of men, I was impressed. Now, I could imagine what Xavier meant when he went into that fight with Varkas.
And if I were pulled into a situation just as similar, I would do the same. Heck! I would burn the world to the ground to prove it to her.
I watched how she intentionally ignored me, and I couldn’t take it. So, I moved closer.
I needed to feel her again. I needed to be sure of what I felt and know if she felt it too.
And this time, I knew…
She felt it too.
I almost growled right there when I felt the jolt of electricity course through me as her cherry blossom scent enveloped me, sending electric shock waves through me.
I wasn’t interested in questioning it, not when this meant there was something between us. But then she spoke of Xavier. Like they were lovers, and it sent a wave of jealousy crashing through me, I had to keep quiet to avoid sounding like a jealous lover.
And before I could blink, she was already on her way to carry out a rescue mission right where the barrier was.
She was indeed crazy, I must admit.
Now, it was clear—one of the reasons why they followed her. She was ruthless, fierce, and still, she had a heart. Amidst all that hard exterior of a wall and facial expression, she was still a beauty inside as she was on the outside.
Suddenly, reality checked in when she was completely out of sight.
I ran after her in a frenzy, like I was going to lose her any moment. By the time we got out of the pack house, Lyra was gone with her men.
Immediately, we rushed through the gates, calling for the army to shift to catch up.
And as we raced and lunged, she was way ahead; I could almost not see her.
How was she so fast? I wondered. Her wolf was indeed strong. After all, she was an Aethera. By the time we approached the barrier, we could see Lyra ahead with her men. She had gotten to the barrier, and she had a surge of light wrapped around her as she approached. And as she got to the barrier, she pushed her hands forward with so much force, the barrier cracked like glass, and a surge of wind blew through, almost blinding us. We had to cower and cover our faces.
I watched as she walked through the clearing—the barrier gone. And in a flash, she was no longer within my line of vision. And the next time I saw her again, she had moved ahead.
“Is—is that real? How is that even possible?” One of the Alphas spoke, mouth wide open as we watched and joined the Blood Fang army, who were currently waiting at the spot where the barrier initially was.
“She is extraordinary,” Lief whispered. “She broke the damn thing.”
Ezren’s voice was hushed. “That wasn’t just power. That was something else. She has magic.”
THIRD PERSON’S POV
Lyra climbed the ridge and stopped at the edge overlooking the Lycan camp, where their vast tents lay stretched across the horizon in numbers. She watched as soldiers moved around, oblivious to her presence. Then she picked up a bow and arrow from behind her. She had strapped it on earlier as she moved out of the gates of Shadow Claw.
She then drew the string back, eyes locked on the largest tent, and then released the arrow.
The arrow sliced through the air like a scream, glowing faintly with residual energy. However, as she waited, she watched as Dimitri stepped out with the arrow in his hand almost immediately. Eyes blazing as he found hers where she stood.
They stared at each other. The earth stilled, and the air seemed to pause as unseen energy sparked between them.
It felt like lightning — ancient, primal, dangerous, and yet, like recognition.
Then Lyra spoke, her voice clear and cold. Somehow, her voice seemed to reach him where he was despite the distance between them.
“You have one hour.”
Dimitri’s brow arched as he observed the brazen pup in front of him. She looked barely out of her diapers, he mused. Probably eighteen and yet, she had so much commanding aura—an aura with the energy of an Aethera just like his grandmother.
“One hour—” she repeated again, “—to bring Xavier to our camp, unharmed. Alive.” She paused. “And if a single hair is missing from his head, I will burn your camp to ash. I will tear through your ranks. I will end you.”
Lyra didn’t wait for his response; she disappeared from the clearing, and Dimitri’s eyes flared.
“Gather the army. We leave now,” He turned to Varkas before turning his attention back to where Lyra stood.
He had barely seen her face with her gold hair whipping across her face like a veil. But from her build, he could tell she was very beautiful. And the way she stood reminded him oddly of someone. Someone close to his heart…
Someone who was the reason for this war.