MATED TO THE BEAST ALPHA BROTHERS
Chapter 39: Rise of the Unknown.

Chapter 39: Rise of the Unknown.

"Is this all?"

The voice echoed through the grand council hall....sharp, mocking, filled with eerie amusement.

The air crackled with an ominous energy, thick enough to choke.

Haelyn hovered mid-air, her silhouette bathed in swirling shadows that pulsed and twisted like living embers.

The sheer weight of her presence sent shivers through the council members still rooted to their places.

Below her, Zareth roared.

His monstrous transformation was complete....a monstrous, towering beast, his fur like liquid darkness, claws long enough to shred steel, his fangs dripping with raw fury.

His red eyes burned through the shadows, filled with murderous rage.

But Haelyn.....

Haelyn only laughed.

A slow, cruel laugh that sent a tremor through the already shaken hall.

She tilted her head, her eyes gleaming unearthly blue.

"This is what your selfishness and greed could fetch you?" her voice thundered, echoing like a dark prophecy.

The words bit deep.

Zareth snarled, his massive form crouched, ready to strike.

But Haelyn?

She barely seemed interested.

Instead, she lifted her hand, flicking her wrist lazily.

From the darkness, a throne of black stone materialized in midair, its edges glowing with faintly inscribed ancient runes.

She lowered herself into it gracefully, legs crossed, arms resting along the sides, as if she were merely overseeing an amusing spectacle.

Then

They appeared.

The Faceless Wraiths.

A dozen bony, towering figures cloaked in flowing white, their elongated fingers twitching as they manifested from the void behind her.

No eyes.

No faces.

No expressions.

Only silent obedience.

Standing like an army awaiting their queen’s command.

Archer’s breath hitched.

His entire body tensed, his mind struggling to grasp what the hell was happening.

"She’s given the council enough reason to come for her in the future."

Alpha Erinn was the first to break the stunned silence, standing beside Cerius with her arms crossed, her sharp gaze unwavering.

Cerius didn’t respond immediately.

His lips pressed into a thin line, but his shoulders were stiff.

"She’s proving them right," he finally murmured, a chill creeping into his voice.

Rowena’s brows furrowed. "I don’t think that’s Haelyn!"

The weight of those words made everyone freeze.

Artemis inhaled sharply, his eyes narrowing. "Look closely."

Everyone turned their gazes back toward Haelyn, who sat on her eerie floating throne, watching them all like a goddess of death herself.

There was something wrong.

Something off.

Her expression, the way her lips curled in sinister amusement, the way her movements were too calculated, too detached.

This wasn’t the Haelyn they knew.

Something else sat in that throne.

And then.....

Zareth moved.

A blur of black.

A shadow of pure destruction.

His massive, beastly form lunged, claws extending, eyes blazing.....

But before he could even reach her....

"If there’s a way to tear him apart without killing him....."

Haelyn’s voice rang through the chamber like a verdict of doom.

The Faceless Wraiths jerked forward instantly.

"Do it."

Zareth snarled.....

And the hall exploded into chaos.

The Faceless Wraiths moved unnaturally fast.

Their bodies elongated like smoke.....one moment standing, the next gliding across the hall with terrifying speed.

They descended upon Zareth like silent assassins.

Their elongated fingers twisted into spectral blades, slicing at him from all directions.

Zareth roared, his claws raking the air, but every time he struck.....

His attacks passed through them.

No resistance.

No wounds.

Nothing.

But they....

They could touch him.

One wraith’s hand sank into his chest....

Zareth howled in agony.

Another grabbed his arm....bone cracked.

His knees buckled.

More pain.

More agony.

And yet, Haelyn only watched.

Watched as the mighty Zareth....the one who had plagued her nightmares, the one who had ruined so many lives....

Was being dragged to his knees.

Her lips curled.

"Make it painful."

The wraiths obeyed.

Zareth howled, writhing, convulsing as they drained something from him.

Not blood.

Something deeper.

Something worse.

Nyx screamed.

"Father!"

She lunged, but an invisible force slammed into her chest, sending her flying backward.

She crashed against the marble, coughing.

"What... what are they doing to him?!"

Nobody answered.

Nobody knew.

Archer’s heart thundered.

His hands curled into fists, his wolf raging.

"Haelyn!" he called out, desperate. "What the hell are you doing?!"

For the first time.....

She finally looked at him.

Their eyes met.

His chest tightened.

Because the gaze that met his was not hers.

There was recognition.....but no warmth.

No hesitation.

No love.

Just power.

Unshaken.

Unforgiving.

Unreachable.

"You should be thanking me," she said smoothly. "I’m handling a problem you all feared but never had the courage to fix."

His blood ran cold.

"This isn’t you." His voice was hoarse, almost pleading.

Her smile was almost pitying.

"Maybe it is."

The words sent a shudder through him.

And then.....

She turned away.

"Continue."

The wraiths pressed harder.

Zareth’s monstrous form shuddered violently.

His claws raked at the ground, carving deep trenches into the marble.

His head thrashed, eyes rolling back.

He was fighting, but.....

For the first time....

He was losing.

Losing badly.

The darkness that had kept him immortal, invincible, unstoppable.....

Was being ripped away.

And then.....

Something snapped.

A pulse of raw, ancient magic.

A force so powerful it sent shockwaves through the room.

The walls cracked.

The torches burst.

The wraiths hissed, retreating slightly....

And Haelyn....

Haelyn’s smirk vanished.

Because before her.....

Zareth, once crumbling beneath the weight of his own suffering....

Laughed.

A low, guttural laugh that sent chills down everyone’s spines.

"You thought you could take from me...?"

His voice was different.

Darker.

More terrifying.

Nyx, who had barely gotten to her feet, froze in fear.

Zareth lifted his gaze.

And now....

His eyes weren’t red.

They were black.

Pitch-black.

Empty.

And when he smiled....

The world shuddered.

"Now... it’s my turn."

The ground split beneath him....

And the darkness swallowed them whole.

"No!"

Archer’s roar tore through the room just as the earth split apart beneath them.

The very ground beneath their feet crumbled away, spiraling into a bottomless void of pure darkness.

The Faceless Wraiths shrieked, their hollow screams piercing through the chaos as they were dragged downward, their elongated, skeletal fingers clawing at the air.

Zareth, caught in the collapse, let out a monstrous growl as his massive beastly form tumbled into the abyss.

And then—

Haelyn moved.

Without hesitation.

Without fear.

With a smirk on her lips.

She dove.

Headfirst.

Straight into the darkness after him.

"Haelyn!"

Archer lunged after her, but Cerius and Artemis caught him just in time, locking their arms around him, holding him back.

"Let me go!" Archer snarled, his body thrashing violently as he tried to break free.

But Cerius tightened his grip, his own face grim.

"You’ll die if you go down there," he warned, his voice laced with urgency.

Artemis was struggling to hold Archer’s other arm, his expression tight with barely controlled fear.

"Haelyn wouldn’t want you to throw yourself in recklessly," he gritted out, his own hands trembling.

But Archer wasn’t listening.

His entire body burned.

His mate.

His mate was down there.

And the bond was silent.

Too silent.

"HAELYN!"

His voice echoed down the abyss.

No answer.

Only the sound of the wind roaring through the endless pit below.

Deep within the chasm,

There was only darkness.

A heat so suffocating it burned the very air.

A realm untouched by light.

But in the vast emptiness.....

Two beings clashed.

Haelyn landed on her feet, the impact sending out a shockwave that shook the underground cavern.

Across from her, Zareth rose.

His beastly form loomed over her, towering like a god of destruction.

His fur, now even darker, rippled with pure, twisted energy.

His fangs dripped blackened venom.

His claws shone like obsidian blades.

And his eyes....

They were pure void.

No soul.

No light.

Only devouring darkness.

"You should’ve stayed in your grave, girl," Zareth growled, his voice echoing like a thunderclap.

But Haelyn only smirked.

"And let you continue your pitiful existence?" she mocked, rolling her shoulders. "Where’s the fun in that?"

Zareth let out a guttural snarl.

And then.....

He lunged.

Faster than lightning.

Faster than sound.

But Haelyn was ready.

She sidestepped, her body moving with fluid precision.

A black blade of energy materialized in her hand, and she swung.....

SLASH.

The blade sank deep into Zareth’s side, but instead of blood.....

Dark mist oozed from the wound.

Zareth grinned.

"Not bad, but you’ll have to do better than that."

Before she could react, his claws wrapped around her throat.

Haelyn gasped, her feet dangling in the air as his grip tightened, crushing her windpipe.

"You think you can kill me?" Zareth sneered, his fangs inches from her face.

Her eyes glowed, defiant even as she choked.

And then.....

She smiled.

Zareth’s snarl faltered.

"What are you grinning at?"

"This."

Haelyn thrust her clawed hand forward....

Straight into his chest.

Energy exploded from her fingertips, spreading through his body like wildfire.

Zareth howled in agony, his grip loosening as he staggered back, clutching his chest.

The wound seared.

It wasn’t just an attack.

It was a curse.

One that burned through his very essence.

His form flickered, struggling to hold itself together.

But Haelyn?

She stood firm.

Blood trickled from the corner of her lips, her chest heaving.

She was hurt.

Badly.

But she wasn’t losing.

Not yet.

The battle raged on.....

A whirlwind of destruction, power clashing, the very walls of the abyss cracking under the sheer force of their attacks.

For an hour, they fought.

Neither yielding.

Neither breaking.

Until,

Everything went black.

The cavern collapsed into silence.

No movement.

No sound.

Just emptiness.

Above,

Archer’s hands were shaking.

His heartbeat was thundering in his ears.

The bond was still silent.

No movement.

No sign of life.

He stepped closer to the edge, staring down into the abyss, his breath shallow.

"Haelyn..."

No response.

"Haelyn!"

Only his own voice echoing back to him.

Nothing else.

His chest caved in.

His knees buckled.

Archer’s breath caught in his throat.

This couldn’t be it.

This couldn’t be the end.

He clenched his fists, his body trembling.

"No."

His eyes darkened, his wolf thrashing inside of him.

"No. NO!"

But the abyss.....

Remained silent.

And Haelyn... was gone.