Chapter 195

Chapter 195
RYKER’S POV

Two of Lyra’s maids in waiting were standing not far off and immediately came over to walk behind her as she proceeded to leave. I watched as she exchanged pleasantries with the nobles and kissed Dimitri on the cheek. They stood for a while talking, but I could tell they were arguing about her not moving with her bodyguards. She still insisted on moving about without them.

She finally won because she succeeded in leaving with only her personal maids.

My gaze was ripped from the doorway Lyra left through. The moment I couldn’t see her retreating figure anymore, I suddenly felt a feeling of restlessness inside me. Rider’s paws scratched the surface of my mind the way he usually did when he felt distress. I was contemplating going after her when one of the nobles, Lord Sullivan, chuckled. “I must say it is indeed a blessing to have you as our King. A man who is not just a father but a devout lover and partner is a worthy leader.”

I looked at Lord Sullivan. My wolf’s eyes were alert as I observed him. He was just like the rest who relied on flattery to get my attention, then the moment they had it, they danced around before hitting the nail on the head.

“Of course, only the man who is worthy enough to cross our ancestral grounds and claim my daughter’s heart is worthy of being my son-in-law,” Dimitri answered, sitting beside me with a flourish, then focused on me. “By the way, you spoil her too much. She refused the bodyguards.”

“I chuckled. We both know you spoil her most. Don’t worry, there are guards on all the floors. Besides, I’ll be joining her soon.” I relied

“Hmm, too besotted to stay away?” He winked.
I chuckled lightly and shook my head, flashing him a grin before bringing a glass of wine to my lips.

“She’s my mate, and I love her,” I respond, feeling a sharp pang in my chest. I frowned, my movement paused as I tried placing the glass of wine back on the table.

“What’s wrong?” Dimitri’s eyes flashed as I turned to look at him.

“I feel off,” I reply. Just then, I feel the restlessness spike again. This time it became unbearable, like a panic.

Lyra

I was already on my feet. Lord Sullivan was saying something, but I was already in the middle of the hall at the rate at which I moved out of there.
Something was wrong. I could feel it strongly now. With every step I took towards her.

I broke into a run. Dimitri and some guards were already beside me.

“What’s going on?” He growled, a deep, unsettling sound. He must have felt it too. Or he felt my discomfort.

“Lyra’s in danger,” I replied, but didn’t break my steps. But as soon as the elevator opened, my knees nearly buckled. There was blood everywhere, and the guards were on the ground. Their forms, mutilated beyond recognition. Whatever had attacked them was ancient and powerful.

“Lyra,” I called out, sprinting towards her room. But as I stepped into her room, it was empty. There was no Lyra. A deep guttural growl escaped my lips as I growled in pain.

Someone took her. Someone dared to kidnap my mate.

Dimitri stepped in almost the same time I did. He had seen the chaos. He was already mind-linking the pack. Soon, the perimeter was sealed, the kingdom was on lockdown, and a search for my mate had begun.

We searched for hours, but there was no sign, no trace; it was as if she never came into the room. But she hadn’t, then how do we explain the guards that were dead along the corridor?

Meanwhile, Lyra woke up with a start in a huge room with nothing apart from a giant bed in the center. The room was dark save for the skypod directly above the bed that’s hoen with an unnatural light that looked like the moon at night. The light shone in the center of the room, directly above Lyra. When she woke up, she was initially disoriented. She had barely hit the bed when she felt a suffocating aura press down on her. When she opened her eyes, she had come face to face with a Lycan whose form was invisible except for the eyes and arms. “Who are you?” She had asked, as she tried to scramble out of bed, but the aura pressing down on her had left her incapable of moving. She couldn’t shift because she was pregnant and her powers had channeled to the foetus in her womb.

She raised her hand to shield the light from her eyes as she looked at the unnatural light shining down on her.

“Where am I?” She muttered, “This is weird.” She murmured as she tried to get up. She tried to call out her wolf, Liora, but Liora was unresponsive.

Shit!

Whoever must have brought me here had waited for the perfect time when I was defenseless. But how did they get into the palace undetected? One thing was certain. Whoever this person was, he was from the palace.
Just then, Ryker’s words rang in her ears about a supposed third party pulling the strings. Her mind flashed to Sophie, and she gritted her teeth, wishing she had not been overwhelmed by jealousy and acted out. She should have trusted him.

Lyra felt weak. Much weaker than she had felt since her pregnancy.

“I don’t understand. IS there some kind of a spell suppressing my powers here?” Her heart lurched as she felt a pang of fear. Not for herself but for her baby. She forced herself out of bed and looked around. Aside from the light in the center, hovering above the bedroom, there was no other source of light. She stepped away from the bed with slow steps and walked into what she perceived was the exit. But the farther she went, the more the darkness consumed her. She was waking blind, and Liora was still not responsive. She couldn’t rely on her wolf’s eyes.

Suddenly, she heard a sound, but it sounded so far, yet so near, she paused. “Is anyone there?” She called out. “Show yourself,” She shouted, looking around wildly, but all she met with was silence.
She had resigned to the thought that whatever that noise was or whoever was there was not ready to show who they were, and her body ached. She decided to go back to lie down. Then the voice finally spoke.

“You should rest, princess. You and I are going to be together for a very long time.” There was a hint of possessiveness and playfulness in the tone, but that was not what shocked Lyra. The voice carried a chill down her spine. A familiar chill that made her skin crawl. And there was only one person who made her feel that way.