MATED TO THE BEAST ALPHA BROTHERS
Chapter 38: REINCARNATION

Chapter 38: REINCARNATION

"This is the final warning, Cerius."

Marius’ voice rang through the grand council hall, his sharp tone slicing through the thick tension in the air.

"If Haelyn does not appear today, she will be stripped of her title. The Alpha King will be given a new Luna, and her absence will be considered an act of defiance against the council."

Cerius, seated at the long table across from the council elders, exhaled through his nose, his patience wearing dangerously thin.

"You’re making a mistake, Marius," he said, voice calm but edged with warning.

Seraphis leaned forward, her piercing gaze scanning the elders. "You speak as though Haelyn’s disappearance was by choice. You all felt the earth shake. You know something unnatural happened to her."

Marius scoffed. "Save your theatrics, Seraphis. We are not here to entertain your wild magic conspiracies. The fact remains.....Haelyn has abandoned her duty."

Archer’s chair scraped against the marble floor as he abruptly stood, his jaw clenched so tightly it ached. "No one replaces Haelyn."

A mocking chuckle sounded from the other side of the table. Marcel, another high-ranking elder, leaned back in his seat, watching Archer with cold amusement.

"It’s interesting," Marcel mused. "How passionately you defend her now. Didn’t you once treat her like nothing more than a transaction? A sold piece of property?"

Archer’s wolf flared beneath his skin, rage curling through him like a storm.

"You should watch your mouth, old man."

Marcel smirked. "Or what? You’ll attack the council? That won’t end well for you, Alpha King."

Xander placed a warning hand on Archer’s arm, but it did little to quell the fire in his eyes.

Marius sighed impatiently, tapping his fingers against the table. "Enough of this. If she does not appear within the next few minutes, the decision will be final."

The air was electric.

The tension was suffocating.

And then.....

The massive doors of the council hall flung open.

Every head turned.

A sharp inhale rippled through the room.

There, standing at the threshold, was Haelyn.

She stepped forward with an eerie grace, dressed in all black, her presence commanding the entire hall.

The timid innocence that once clung to her like a second skin was gone.

Her eyes....piercing and unreadable....swept across the room with the sharpness of a blade.

She didn’t look at Cerius.

She didn’t look at Seraphis.

She didn’t even spare a glance at Archer.

The aura around her was foreign, chilling, untouchable.

Her voice was smooth, lethal. "What’s the ruckus about?"

Her lips curved slightly, but there was no warmth in her expression.

"You summoned for me. Now I’m here. Let’s get to it....I have more important matters to attend to."

The silence that followed was deafening.

Arthur’s gaze narrowed, suspicion darkening his features.

Nyx, seated beside him, tilted her head, intrigued.

Archer’s breath hitched. Something was wrong.

This wasn’t the Haelyn he knew.

Marius, though furious at her blatant lack of respect, recovered quickly, slamming a hand against the table.

"You dare speak to the council with such arrogance?"

Haelyn moved forward, her footsteps echoing in the grand hall.

She climbed onto the elevated pulpit, standing in the center of the room.

Then....she met Marius’ eyes.

And smirked.

"I give respect to whom has earned it."

The sharp intake of breath from the gathered elders was almost satisfying.

A ripple of discomfort passed through the room.

Arthur leaned forward, studying her carefully. He could sense it.....the shift.

This was not the same girl he had spent years beating down.

Nyx frowned, her fingers drumming against the table. "Fascinating."

Archer clenched his fists. His heart hammered in his chest.

"Haelyn," he murmured, barely audible.

But she didn’t look at him.

Didn’t acknowledge him.

Didn’t even flinch at the desperation in his voice.

"Enough," Marius snapped, his patience frayed. "Let’s begin."

But before he could speak further....

The lights in the hall flickered.

A shiver ran through the room.

The air shifted.

And then.....

The sound of something breaking.

Glass shattered from the towering windows, sending shards cascading onto the marble floors.

The flames from the torches trembled violently, casting chaotic shadows against the walls.

And Haelyn.....stood utterly still.

Her lips parted slightly, her expression unreadable.

Nyx slowly stood, her eyes narrowing. "What is this...?"

Arthur stiffened, his wolf stirring uneasily.

Seraphis’ breath caught. She recognized this energy.

Cerius’ fingers curled into fists.

Archer took an instinctive step forward, his entire body screaming at him that something was terribly, terribly wrong.

Then....

Haelyn’s eyes flickered.....

And they glowed.

A chilling blue.

The color of a spirit wolf.

The color of something not entirely human.

The ground beneath them shook.

And then.....

She whispered a name.

"Zareth."

Arthur paled.

Nyx stilled.

Cerius’ blood ran cold.

And Archer....his entire world stopped.

"You’re late, Zareth."

The moment Haelyn’s voice echoed through the chamber, the air shifted...as if the universe itself held its breath.

Slow, deliberate footsteps rang through the vast council hall. The sound of polished leather against the marble floor.

Zareth emerged from the shadows, his hands clasped behind his back, his face a portrait of restrained fury.

His silver-white hair fell neatly past his shoulders, his presence imposing, elegant, deadly.

The torches lining the walls flickered as he moved, casting long, shifting shadows.

His eyes....a deep, dangerous crimson....locked onto Haelyn’s with an intensity that made the entire room shudder.

And yet....

Haelyn didn’t flinch.

Didn’t so much as shift.

Instead, she smirked.

"Hello, Father."

Her voice dripped with something taunting.

"Oops. Or should I say.....my arch enemy?"

The entire hall stilled.

Zareth’s jaw tightened.

His eyes burned brighter....like embers ready to ignite into an uncontrollable wildfire.

Still, he didn’t move.

Didn’t break his statue-like stance.

His hands remained clasped neatly behind his back, his aura unshaken.

But Haelyn...

Haelyn was amused.

And that pissed him off more than anything.

A sharp inhale came from behind them.

Cerius.

The moment Haelyn uttered the word Father, Cerius’ entire body stiffened.

His face.....a mask of cold steel...remained unreadable.

But Haelyn had seen the flicker of something in his eyes.

A reaction.

A confirmation.

And she found it utterly entertaining.

"You don’t belong here."

Zareth’s voice was smooth as silk....but deadly as a blade.

He took a slow, calculated step closer.

The walls seemed to close in.

The air grew heavier.

"The girl is mine." His tone deepened, power rippling beneath each word. "This is my turf. My war."

The council members, the elders....even Arthur...watched, utterly transfixed.

The sheer weight of Zareth’s presence made the very foundation of the hall tremble.

But Haelyn.....

Haelyn only smiled.

"Oh, but I think I do, Zareth."

She tilted her head, her piercing blue eyes gleaming.

Then....she began to move.

Circling him.

Like a predator stalking its prey.

Zareth didn’t turn. Didn’t shift.

He let her circle. Let her test the waters.

Let her try.

Because in his mind....she was nothing more than a nuisance.

A chess piece.

A complication.

But then....

Her next words cut into him like knives.

"You and I both know you fear this girl."

A single twitch of his jaw.

She caught it.

"What’s more fun," she continued, voice low, dangerous, "is how much more she means in this war."

It wasn’t just her speaking.

Something else echoed through her voice.

Something ancient.

Something not quite of this world.

"I sent you to the pits of hell," Zareth hissed, his voice laced with venom.

"And yet," Haelyn’s smirk widened, "I crawled right back out. And at the very right time."

She stopped circling him.

Stopped right in front of him.

"If I can use her to destroy you....without lifting a single finger...."

Her eyes flashed.

"Then it will be my greatest honor."

The moment the words left her lips....

Power ignited.

Zareth’s hand lifted.

With a flick of his wrist.....

BOOM.

Haelyn was hurled backward.

The force sent her crashing toward the towering columns.....

But .....

She landed on her feet.

Effortlessly.

Elegantly.

Like she had expected it.

Like she was waiting for it.

Then.....she laughed.

A low, amused, mocking laugh.

"You’re getting weak."

Her fingers flexed, glowing faintly with an otherworldly energy.

"Or..." her smile deepened. "Are you getting old and helpless?"

Zareth’s eyes burned brighter....

But before he could move....

She moved first.

With a simple wave of her hand....

BOOM.

This time....Zareth was sent sliding backward.

A first.

A first!!!

His boots dragged across the marble floor before stopping, but....

A sharp cough ripped from his lips.

A sputter of blood.

Nyx caught him.

Her violet eyes wide.

"Father!"

The hall....silent.

Shocked.

Disbelieving.

Archer watched in awe.

Arthur’s fingers twitched.

Marius had gone rigid.

Cerius....his heart clenched.

And then....

Haelyn’s voice cut through the silence.

"Oh?" she mused, tilting her head. "I barely even tried."

Nyx’s teeth clenched.

She shoved Zareth back up, whispering something only he could hear.

And he.....

He wiped the blood from his lips.

His smirk returned.

"Not bad," he admitted.

Then.....he lifted his gaze back to Haelyn.

And.....

His crimson eyes flickered.

"But I’m just getting started."

The ground cracked beneath him.

The air split.

A beastly snarl rumbled from his throat.

And in the next second.....

The entire council hall was drowning in darkness.