Lyra's POV
MIRA!
I scream her name until my throat is raw. My sister. My baby sister. Chained in darkness. Bruised. Crying.
They hurt her. After I did everything they asked.
Kael grabs my shoulders. Lyra, breathe
They have her! I shake so hard my teeth chatter. They said she'd be safe if I killed Damon. They lied! They promised!
The bond flares hot between us. I feel Kael's anger mixing with mine, amplifying it. His wolf wants to hunt them down. Rip them apart. Bathe in their blood.
For once, I agree with the bond completely.
Let me see it again, I beg, reaching for his phone.
He hands it to me. I read through tears that won't stop falling.
You have 24 hours to execute Lyra Ashwood, or the sister burns.
Twenty-four hours. Mira has twenty-four hours to live unless I die.
I'll do it, I say immediately. Execute me now. Right now. Save Mira.
No. Kael's voice is hard as iron.
Why not? I look up at him desperately. You were going to kill me anyway. Do it now! Save her!
It's not that simple.
Yes, it is! I grab his shirt, fisting the fabric. My life for hers! That's the deal!
The bond pulses painfully between us. Kael flinches. I can feel his wolf howling through our connection, torn between protecting me and saving an innocent girl.
But I don't care about the bond. I don't care about fate.
I only care about Mira.
Please, I whisper, my voice breaking. She's all I have left. Our parents died in a rogue attack when she was ten. I raised her. Changed her diapers, taught her to shift, held her through nightmares. I can't lose her. Please.
Kael's silver eyes search mine. I see conflict there. Calculation.
If I execute you, and they kill her anyway, you'll both be dead, he says quietly.
The words hit like ice water. What?
Think, Lyra. They lied once already. You killed Damon. They still have Mira. What makes you think they'll honor this deal?
Horror washes over me in waves. He's right.
Of course he's right.
They're playing with us. With her.
But I have to try! My voice rises to desperation. I have to do something!
We will. But not by playing their game on their terms. He pulls out his phone, already dialling. Thorne. I need a tech team tracking a signal. Unknown number. Everything location, carrier, routing, anything you can find.
He's trying to find Mira. Actually trying.
The bond warms with gratitude. Hope flickers in my chest like a fragile flame.
Why are you helping me? I ask. I'm a murderer. You should want me dead.
Kael looks at me, really looks at me. Because you're not a murderer. You're a victim. Someone is using you as a weapon, and I'm going to find out who.
The bond
This isn't about the bond, he cuts me off. This is about what's right. No one should be forced to choose between love and life. Between saving one person and becoming a monster.
His voice softens in a way that makes my chest ache.
My brother faced an impossible choice too. It destroyed him. I won't let it destroy you.
Tears stream down my face. I've been so alone. Carrying this weight. This guilt.
And now this king this stranger is standing beside me.
I take a small step forward. What if we can't find her in time?
We will.
But what if
Lyra. His hand cups my cheek, and electricity shoots through me where we touch. The bond singing. I don't break promises. I'm going to find your sister. And I'm going to destroy whoever did this to you both.
I believe him.
God help me, I believe him.
My phone buzzes in my pocket.
Another message. Another photo.
Mira's face is bruised worse now. Blood on her lip. A cut above her eye.
My hands shake as I show Kael.
Wrong choice, Alpha King. Every hour you delay, the girl suffers. We're watching. We know you're tracking us. Stop, or she loses a finger next. Execute Lyra Ashwood publicly, or the sister dies screaming. Final warning.
I show Kael. His face goes dark with rage that makes the air crackle.
They're watching us, I breathe, looking around the vehicle. Right now.
Then they're close. Kael pulls me toward the front. Driver, stop. NOW.
We stop on a dark road. Empty forest surrounds us on all sides.
Kael steps out, pulling me with him. He scans the trees with predator eyes.
Show yourself! he roars. His Alpha command echoes through the forest. Birds scatter. I know you're here!
Silence.
Then movement in the shadows.
Then I see it. A red dot dancing on Kael's chest.
Sniper.
KAEL! I shove him hard.
The gunshot is deafening.
Pain explodes in my shoulder. White-hot agony. I fall hard, gasping.
I've been shot.
Blood spreads across my dress, mixing with Damon's. So much blood.
Kael drops beside me, pressing his hand to the wound. Lyra! Stay with me! Don't you dare
The bond is screaming. His wolf going insane with rage and fear.
Through blurring vision, I see figures emerge from the forest. Three masked people. Moving with military precision.
One speaks. Male voice. Cold. Amused. The Alpha King protects a murderer. How touching. How predictable. But you should have listened, Your Majesty.
He raises his gun. Pointing at Kael's head.
No! I try to move but can't. Too much blood. Too weak.
The man laughs. Don't worry, little wolf. We're not killing him. Not yet. But we need to send a message about disobedience.
He aims lower. At Kael's leg.
Another shot rings out.
Kael grunts, collapsing beside me. Silver bullet. I can smell it.
They shot the Alpha King.
The figures move closer. One speaks into a phone. Package secured. Both targets down. Moving to location two.
They're taking us.
Taking us to Mira? Or to our deaths?
I try to fight as hands grab me. Too weak. The world spins. Everything blurs.
Through the bond, I feel Kael fighting too. But something's wrong. The silver is spreading. Poisoning him.
Mira, I whisper, forcing the words out. Please... find Mira...
The masked man leans close. I can see his eyes through the mask. Cold. Empty.
Oh, we'll take you to your sister, he says softly. You can watch her burn together. She'll go first though. You'll get to see that. Won't that be nice?
No. No, no, no
Darkness closes in like a fist. The last thing I see is Kael's silver eyes.
Blazing with promise.
He's going to kill them all.
If we survive this.
If we live long enough to save Mira.