Chapter 173
RYKER’S POV
I found myself out of the visions. But this time, I was in a field. The trees were in where in sight and the voice was gone. I was out of the clearing. Excitement coursed through me. I had passed the trial. A howl of excitement tore through my lips, and Rider jumped in excitement inside me.
Just as our laughter died down, it was immediately replaced by panic. I had to find a game and then Lyra, but I was already late.
That voice. It said the other five Alphas had passed through their trial just before I was thrown into the last vision. A low growl escaped me as I moved with precision, shifting into my wolf form in search of a game, hoping we weren’t too late before our mate got claimed by another.
Then the vision of Lyra and Xavier hit me, my black wolf eyes turned red with fury.
It didn’t happen. Rider spoke to my human side as we searched for an animal.
Those visions, that place. They showed me everything I had done. Well, maybe a little tweaked. What if that was an image of Lyra and Xavier for real? What if she had decided to choose someone else, since nobody is as likely to make it out of this trial lucky? What if?
Then we skidded to a stop. We were breathing hard, and our senses were alert, although our aura was murderous.
Get a grip on yourself, Ryker. I told myself, reining in my erratic emotion despite having flashing images of Xavier thrusting into her.
I let out a murderous howl that shook the forest. And from the corner of my eyes, I caught sight of something. I was already in my beast mode, where nothing or no one could make me come out of myself until I was satiated with blood.
Immediately, I rushed after the movement, moving through the forest. From the paw marks on the ground, I could tell it was a big animal. A cheetah or perhaps a tiger. It was fast, too, but I was a beast on a mission. Immediately, I stopped running after it and changed my direction. I was going to intercept it.
When I saw the tiger, I didn’t wait, I didn’t think. I just lunged. Fearless and merciless. Ripping through flesh and bones like a crazed man. It was for every time I saw Xavier thrusting deep into my mate, for every time she moaned under him in pleasure. For everything he did to her body, what he made her feel.
“Arrghh!!!” A loud primal growl tore from my lips as I cried in agony. The tiger was long dead. A merciless heap beneath my feet. I had clawed it terribly. A shudder passed through me before shifting into my human form. Breathing heavily as I listened to the forest around me. Determined, I hauled the dead tiger over my shoulders, working with pure instinct. I combed various parts of the forest, but I couldn’t sense Lyra.
“Where could she be?” I muttered before sighting a cave where I decided to place the tiger so I could search for her easily. Then a thought wracked through the forefront of my mind, making fear grip me like a vice.
Goddess! I hope I was not too late.
The thought of having another man claim my mate sent a wave of panic through me, clawing at my chest. I rushed out of the cave, running again into the depths of the forest.
I had searched for hours, yet no trace of her. The night was drawing near, and the forest was already taking the shape of a nightly glow as evening spread across the horizon.
“Could she have been found by any of the other Alphas?” I mused. “Come to think of it, Rider. I haven’t stumbled on any of the other Alphas despite combing almost half of the forest.”
Rider let out a low growl of unease inside me. And I knew it was because he couldn’t afford to have her claimed by another man, too.
Did they get a call back? Had someone found Lyra? Did I miss something? All these thoughts gnawed at me terribly. I stood for a moment, letting the feeling of despair come crashing down on me like a tidal wave.
That was when the faint scent of wild berries hit me, faint, but it was there.
Light surged in my eyes, and I quietly followed the scent. The trail led me to a narrow path before leading to a wider path that led to a cliff, and that was where I saw her.
Her gold hairdancedg under the lights, flowing wildly around her as the wind kissed her cheeks.
Lyra.
My heart skipped, replaced by a rapid beating. She was there, and she was alone.
And gently I walked over to her. I could see the subtle tension of her shoulders as I approached, and I could tell she already felt my presence. I stopped at a distance, watching as the world seemed to stop around us. Then she finally turned to look at me.
“It had to be you,” She whispered. Her blue eyes shimmered as I approached.
“That’s because we are destined for each other,” I replied My voice low as I approached her. “I love you, Lyra Stormborne.”
For a moment, we just stared at each other. Then she turned away, her shoulders shaking.
She was crying.