MATED TO THE BEAST ALPHA BROTHERS
Chapter 27: Bloodbonds-Beast Awakening.

Chapter 27: Bloodbonds-Beast Awakening.

"You want me to do what?!"

Haelyn’s voice rang through the chamber, her hands trembling at her sides. She felt like the world had just ripped itself open beneath her feet.

Cerius stood before her, his expression unreadable, but the conflict in his golden eyes betrayed him.

"You have to choose," Seraphis said softly, stepping forward. "There’s no other way."

Haelyn’s breath came short and fast. "You’re telling me... that to save Archer, I have to offer my own blood? You want me to...." She swallowed, her stomach twisting violently. "You want me to bond my life force to his?"

Cerius’s jaw tightened. "It’s the only cure for this kind of poison."

Haelyn’s chest tightened. She had come here desperate for answers, willing to do whatever it took to save Archer. But this?

Seraphis exhaled. "You are a Spirit Wolf, Haelyn. You inherited more than just your mother’s bloodline....you inherited her power. Your life force can counteract the darkness that’s killing him. But..."

Haelyn’s stomach dropped. "But what?"

Cerius hesitated.

Seraphis’s eyes darkened. "If you do this, Haelyn... you will be bound to him forever."

The Forbidden Ritual

Haelyn staggered back. The weight of those words crushed her.

"Bound?" she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper.

Seraphis nodded. "Once the bond is sealed, your souls will be connected. If he dies, you die. If you die, he dies."

Haelyn’s lips parted, air leaving her lungs.

She barely had time to process the gravity of what was being said before the sound of Archer’s ragged breaths from the other room reached her ears.

A sharp, choking cough.

More blood.

She turned to the door, her wolf howling inside her.

There was no time.

She had to decide now.

Cerius watched her with an intense expression, his fists clenched. "This isn’t something you can undo, Haelyn."

"I don’t care," she whispered.

Seraphis’s eyes flashed with warning. "If you do this, you will feel his emotions. His pain. You will never be able to sever the bond."

Haelyn’s throat tightened. Her mind screamed at her to hesitate....to question. But her heart already knew the answer.

Her mate was dying.

"Tell me what to do."

Seraphis exchanged a look with Cerius before nodding.

The ritual began.

Haelyn was led to Archer’s chamber, where he lay deathly still. His once golden eyes were dull, his breathing shallow.

Rowena, Artemis, and Ravi stood to the side, watching with wary expressions as Seraphis moved to stand behind Haelyn.

"This will hurt," she warned.

Haelyn nodded. "Do it."

Seraphis took a ceremonial dagger from the table, its blade glowing with ancient runes.

The room fell into an eerie silence.

Then, the dagger slashed across Haelyn’s palm.

Pain flared, but Haelyn barely flinched.

Seraphis turned to Archer, pressing Haelyn’s bleeding hand against his chest.

"Now," Seraphis whispered.

A pulse of raw energy exploded from the contact.

Archer’s body arched violently, his eyes snapping open as a pained growl tore from his throat.

Haelyn gasped, feeling an unbearable heat spread from her palm, into her veins, into him.

Artemis stepped forward. "Haelyn...."

She screamed.

A surge of light and darkness collided between her and Archer, wrapping around them both. It felt as if her very soul was being ripped apart and stitched back together at the same time.

The bond was forming.

Haelyn felt it sear into her bones.

She could feel Archer’s pain. His agony. His fear.

And then, just as quickly as it started....

It was over.

The moment the energy faded, Haelyn collapsed into Archer’s chest, gasping.

His breathing was steady.

The poison was gone.

The room fell silent, the weight of what had just happened settling over them.

But before anyone could react....

Haelyn’s mind split open.

A flood of visions and memories slammed into her with brutal force.

She saw flashes of herself as a child. Her mother. Her mother screaming.

Blood.

Arthur’s face, twisted in fury.

And then....

A man.

Not Arthur. Not Cerius.

A man with dark, piercing eyes and a silver ring with an emblem she had never seen before.

And she realized something terrifying.

Arthur wasn’t the one who ordered her mother’s death.

He was following orders.

From someone even more powerful.

The memory hit so hard, she let out a guttural gasp and clutched her head.

Archer grabbed her immediately. "Haelyn?" His voice was hoarse, but strong.

Seraphis’s eyes widened. "What is it? What did you see?"

Haelyn looked up, breathless, horrified.

"There’s someone else," she whispered. "Someone more powerful. Someone who wanted my mother dead."

The room stilled.

Cerius’s expression darkened.

Seraphis’s lips parted slightly.

Artemis’s fists clenched.

Archer’s gaze locked onto hers. "Who?"

Haelyn’s hands shook.

She swallowed hard.

"I don’t know."

But deep down, she knew that whoever it was....they weren’t done with her yet.

The Awakening of the Beast

Far away, deep within the forgotten ruins of an ancient temple, something stirred.

The air crackled with power, the ground trembled, and an ominous darkness began to spread from the heart of the temple. The scent of burning incense and aged stone filled the cavernous space as ancient chains, covered in dust and time itself, rattled violently.

Then, a deep growl tore through the silence.

The air shifted, heavy and suffocating.

Suddenly, the chains snapped, and with an ear-splitting roar, a figure emerged from the shadows.

A man.

But not just any man.

He was tall, powerful, and monstrous, his muscles taut beneath dark, battle-worn skin. His silver eyes burned with fury, and his long, raven-black hair whipped around him as if the wind itself was bowing to his rage. His canines elongated, his nails were like claws, and his aura radiated death and destruction.

His chest rose and fell violently, his breath ragged....as if he had been trapped in a nightmare for centuries.

Then, his voice boomed through the cavern, shaking the very walls of the earth.

"LUNARA!!"

The name left his lips like a curse, like a cry of rage and longing mixed into one.

His golden irises flashed, his jaw clenched as his body shook with uncontained fury.

The world around him felt too quiet. Too unfamiliar.

Then, footsteps.

From the far end of the temple, a pair of delicate yet powerful heels clicked against the stone floor.

A woman appeared....young, devastatingly beautiful, and cloaked in a flowing gown of deep midnight blue. Her long hair cascaded in soft waves, her lips curved into a slow, knowing smile.

She was ethereal, untouchable, yet something about her felt wrong.

She stopped a few feet away from him, her piercing silver eyes glowing with wicked amusement.

Then, her lips parted.

"Finally... I’ve been waiting for far too long.... Father."

The man stilled.

His breathing slowed, his gaze locking onto hers with a dangerous intensity.

She only smirked.

Because she knew.

She knew that now that he was awake, nothing would ever be the same again.

The beast had risen.

And the world would soon tremble in his wake.

The tension in the room was suffocating. Archer lay on the bed, his breathing still shallow but stabilizing, his body weak but no longer convulsing. Haelyn knelt beside him, brushing damp strands of hair from his forehead, her own body trembling from the bond they had just completed.

Then....

The doors to the chamber burst open with a loud crash.

A servant stumbled in, his face pale as death, his body shaking violently. His breath was ragged, his eyes wild with terror.

"High Priestess! Alpha Cerius!" the man gasped, barely able to stand.

Seraphis turned sharply, her entire body going rigid at the sight of the terrified servant. "What is it?"

The man’s lips trembled, his voice barely a whisper.

"He’s awakened."

Silence.

The moment the words left his lips, the entire room seemed to drop in temperature.

Cerius froze.

Seraphis went deathly pale.

Marlyil’s body stiffened, her breath hitching as if something inside her had shattered.

Haelyn felt a sudden, crushing weight in the air. The moment the words settled, it felt as if the world itself had exhaled in fear.

"Who?" Artemis demanded, his sharp gaze shifting between the three elders. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Rowena narrowed her eyes. "Why do you all look like you’ve seen a ghost?"

Cerius clenched his fists, his entire frame coiled like a predator sensing death. His lips parted, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak.

Seraphis, however, took a sharp breath.

"No," she murmured, more to herself than anyone else. "It’s too soon..."

Haelyn frowned. "Too soon for what?"

Seraphis said nothing, her expression guarded.

Archer, still weak, forced himself upright. "Whatever this is, it’s obviously bad. Someone start explaining."

But neither Seraphis nor Cerius answered.

Instead, Cerius’s face darkened, and he turned on his heel. "We don’t have time for this. We need to move."

Haelyn, Artemis, Rowena, and Archer chased after them, their minds racing with questions as they emerged into the open courtyard.

Cerius and Seraphis stood at the center, their hands raised toward the sky.

The moment their palms lifted...the wind howled.

Energy crackled.

Haelyn watched in stunned silence as the two began chanting, their voices low and powerful, weaving together in a haunting melody that sent a pulse of magic rippling through the ground.

Then....Marlyil joined them.

A third voice.

A third surge of power.

And suddenly, the sky above them ignited.

Electric blue and violet waves surged through the air like northern lights, swirling, twisting, expanding outward.

The entire land that the mansion stood on was suddenly encased in a glowing forcefield....one that shimmered and pulsed with unearthly energy.

Haelyn’s breath caught in her throat.

She could feel it.

This wasn’t just any protective barrier.

This was a prison.

A shield strong enough to keep something out.

Or worse....keep them inside.

Archer, still weakened, managed to stand beside her. His jaw clenched, his sharp eyes scanning the glowing field. "What the hell are they doing?"

Artemis stepped up beside him, his own expression wary. "They’re sealing us in."

Rowena inhaled sharply. "No. They’re keeping something out."

"What...what could it be?" she whispered, her fingers gripping the doorframe.

Haelyn didn’t answer

She couldn’t.

Because suddenly, she felt it.

Deep in her soul, in the marrow of her bones.

Something was wrong.

Something was terribly, terribly wrong.

She turned, her gaze locking onto Cerius.

For the first time ever, she saw worry on his face.

She turned to Seraphis.

And for the first time ever, she saw fear.

Her stomach twisted violently.

She didn’t need to be told.

She could feel it in the way the air was charged, in the way her wolf was growling, uneasy.

Something far worse than Arthur was coming.

Something ancient.

Something unstoppable.

And now, it knew she existed.