Chapter 143
RYKER’S POV
“Is she going to be okay? She gave so much blood.” Ezren’s voice shattered the silence of the quiet study.
He was with Ryker and Lief. They had come back to the pack house after Alvin forced them to take Ryker back to rest.
After she passed out, Ryker moved her to a VIP ward and stayed by her side. He had cleaned her face and held her hands. She was still so soft but stronger in ways he couldn’t even imagine.
“She will be. She’s strong.” Lief added quietly. His gaze drifted to Ryker, where he stood.
Ryker was standing by the window of his study that gave him a view of the pack.
The pack looked calm and peaceful. It was the most peaceful in months than they had ever been. It was as though the weight of the Lycan invasion and the threat had suddenly vanished, bringing back the normal. For the first time in months, there were no meetings after the confrontation with the Lycans. Even the Lycans had made no move on the pack either.
“She’ll be fine, Ryker,” Lief spoke softly. He was softer now, still hard and rigid, but he had a soft side to him that had always been there but never truly seen. His mate was perfect. Lydia was patient and constantly teased him. It made him open up more in ways he never thought he was capable of, and he was able to realise how stereotyped he was in the past. She made him better, and that was all that mattered.
“I know.” Ryker finally answered with a sigh, walking towards them. “I’m just worried about what comes after.” He took one of the glasses on the table that already had alcohol in it and drank it in one go.
“Is it because of her powers and how you think they are connected with what happened twenty years ago?” Lief asked, watching him as a frown creased his brows.
“That, and more. Lyra is still my mate.” Ryker answered, sitting down. Lief and Ezren looked shocked.
“But how? She rejected you. You yourself said that you couldn’t feel her afterwards.” Ezren sat up interested, surprised, and full of smiles.
“I don’t know how. What I do know is that when she came back, we had physical contact, and I felt the jolt. It was strong. And, I confirmed it this morning. We both felt it.” Ryker replied with a small smile.
“This is good news, Ryker,” Lief added, slapping his back playfully.
“Yeah, now I’ve got to win her back.”
“She hates you, man,” Ezren pointed out. “You’ve got a lot of work on your hands,”
Ryker nodded. “Yes. A lot. Not to mention, I also have to fight off admirers. Xavier, for one, and that Lycan Dimitri. He seemed to enjoy teasing her on the battlefield. I can’t keep the thought out of my head when he touched her face. I don’t understand it.” Ryker frowned. His jaw clenched as the image of Dimitri touching Lyra on the face after escaping from the neck hold she had him on. He had watched the eight-hundred-year-old Lycan and knew that he had been playing with Lyra out there.
He wasn’t fighting then. And it infuriated him to see. Dimitri had seemly played a game, making her believe he was sparring, but if there was anything he already knew of the Lycan King from his first encounter with him, it was that everything was not as it seemed.
A knock on the door stopped the conversation mid-way, and a guard stepped in on the orders of Ryker.
“Alpha King. Alvin says BloodFang’s Alpha is awake.” He bowed, then left as soon as Ryker nodded. He was already on his way to the door.
Meanwhile, back at the pack hospital, Xavier had woken up when the omegas were checking in on his vitals.
“Who are you?” His voice sounded hoarse as he looked at the frightened, petite girl with a frown.
“Isla, the nurse.” She whispered timidly.
“Where am I?” he suddenly asked, looking around as he noticed he was no longer in the dark room that was only lit by a single torch back at the Lycans' camp. Those guys had not spared him one bit. They had dealt blow after blow, bleeding him and giving him poultices that slowed his healing, which made him feel every bit of the pain. There was no time to recover. It was just pure torture.
“You’re in the Alpha King’s lands, Sir. In the Shadowclaw pack. You’re safe now. Your Alpha brought you here. She saved you, but you need to rest. Don’t make her feel her effort is wasted since she almost died saving you.” She answered quietly, but her voice held a little strength as she reprimanded him like a child.
Xavier’s eyes narrowed, and his breath hitched when he heard Lyra had almost died. “Lyra almost died? Where is she? Take me to her.”
He was already standing up from the bed. For a man who just escaped the clutches of death, he looked strong and healthy. There was no single scratch or evidence of the pain he had suffered at the hands of the Lycans.
“Hold on. Please,” The nurse ran after him, but Xavier was fast. He was already pushing the doors open and walking towards the exit.
‘Wait,” She called out. “She is this way.”
That was when Xavier stopped. He had been moving in the wrong direction. When he got to Lyra’s room, he saw her sleeping peacefully in bed. The room looked white, sparkly clean and pristine, and displayed some high level of technology, but Xavier had no time to appreciate how much of a strong hold Shadowclaw was, even before the ongoing war. They were a rich pack.
The nurse, seeing that Xavier was already in the room and didn’t need her anymore, quietly shut the door behind them and left.
“Lyra,” He whispered, walking towards her with careful steps while his heart hammered. He pulled a seat closer to the head of her bed and held her hands gently.
Lyra’s eyes fluttered, and she looked dazed, then surprise flashed on her features when she realised she wasn’t dreaming.
‘Xavier,” She winced, trying to sit up.
“No, don’t stress yourself on my account. It's fine,” He hurriedly spoke and supported her back so she could lie back down.
“What are you doing here? Are you fine now? Do you feel hurt anywhere?” She bombarded him with questions while Xavier smiled.
She finally calmed after he reassured her. Then she told him everything while Xavier listened. After a few minutes of quiet, she finally squeezed his hand, “Hey, why do you look so down. Aren’t you happy? You’re Alpha now.” She laughed.
“You’re still my Alpha,” he spoke softly, emphasising the ‘my’ in such a way that Lyra’s heart fluttered slightly. It was the way Xavier said it. As though she were his world.
“I’m glad you’re back to us,” Lyra smiled.
“Were you scared?” he suddenly looked at her eyes, and she nodded without breaking off contact.
“Yes,” Her voice was low. “Yes, I was,”
“I’m scared of losing you, too.” He replied. His eyes were serious, and the smile was gone. Then he moved closer and kissed her on the lips.
And Ryker walked in.