MATED TO THE BEAST ALPHA BROTHERS
Chapter 43: The wolf king.

Chapter 43: The wolf king.

"You owe me, Lyra."

Haelyn’s voice echoed off the cold stone walls as she stepped forward, her shadow stretching long across the dimly lit chamber.

Lyra, bound in silver chains, lifted her head weakly. Her once-pristine hair was tangled, her eyes hollow from weeks....months.....of captivity. But still, she had the audacity to smirk.

"Owe you?" Lyra scoffed, shifting slightly against her restraints. "I don’t owe you shit."

Haelyn tilted her head, a slow, amused smile curving her lips.

"You’re still as bold as ever, aren’t you?"

With a flick of her wrist....

CRACK!

Lyra’s body slammed into the stone wall. She let out a strangled gasp, her spine arching from the impact before she crumpled to the ground in a heap.

Haelyn sighed, stepping closer, her heels clicking softly against the floor.

"You act like you have a choice in this."

Lyra coughed, pushing herself up on shaky arms. "You think..." she spat blood onto the floor, her glare unfaltering, "....that you can break me?"

Haelyn chuckled, a low, velvety sound.

"Oh, I don’t need to break you, Lyra."

She raised her hand, bringing her fingers to her lips. A soft kiss....mocking, sweet....pressed against her fingertips before she extended them toward Lyra.

The moment she did....

Something black. Something crawling.

It slithered from Haelyn’s fingertips like a shadow taking form, twisting into the shape of a monstrous black widow spider.

Lyra’s eyes widened in horror as the creature launched at her.

She screamed as it latched onto her chest, its long, spindly legs sinking beneath her skin.

The pain was instant.

Like fire beneath her ribs, like her own blood boiling from the inside out.

Lyra clawed at her chest, convulsing on the floor. "MAKE IT STOP!"

Haelyn crouched beside her, tilting her head with curiosity.

"I call it my little monitor."

Lyra gasped, her body trembling violently.

"Wh-what did you....."

"Every time you try to disobey me," Haelyn interrupted smoothly, "it will burn. And every time you betray me...." she leaned in closer, her breath fanning against Lyra’s ear, "....a quarter of your blood will dry up."

Lyra whimpered, her body shuddering under the lingering agony.

Haelyn pulled back, dusting off her hands like she’d just completed a simple task.

"Now, let’s talk about your job."

Lyra sat on the ground, her breaths ragged, her body aching. She knew fighting was useless.

Haelyn exhaled, standing tall, staring down at her with a knowing smirk.

"You’re going back."

Lyra blinked through the pain. "Back? Back where?"

"To Helen and Layla, of course."

Lyra stiffened.

Haelyn continued, her tone light...too light.

"You’re going to make up some story about where you’ve been. Make it convincing. You were scared, you were hiding....whatever works."

Lyra’s lips parted, but she didn’t speak.

Haelyn stepped closer, her voice dropping into something colder.

"And while you’re there..."

A pause.

Then....

"You will bring me the ancient dagger."

Lyra’s breath hitched.

She had heard of it.

The blade Helen had whispered about. The one infused with an ancient, cursed magic....capable of turning a wolf’s power into decay.

"You want the dagger?" Lyra asked hesitantly.

Haelyn smiled, but there was something unsettling about it.

"Helen will give it to you soon enough. She’s planning to use you to kill Archer. Play along."

Lyra swallowed.

"And when I bring it to you?"

Haelyn turned, walking toward the door.

"Then," she mused, "you might finally be useful."

As Haelyn reached the threshold, she paused.

Without turning around, she murmured.....

"Don’t try to run."

Lyra stiffened.

"You wouldn’t get far."

Then....

The torches lining the chamber flickered violently....a silent promise of the suffering that would follow if she disobeyed.

And just like that....

Haelyn was gone.

Leaving Lyra alone in the dim, suffocating silence...

With a spider buried in her chest.

"This cannot continue."

The room was thick with tension, the air vibrating with the weight of old magic. Shadows flickered across the stone walls, cast by the dim torchlight that barely illuminated the circular chamber.

The Elders of the High Council sat in their ancient seats, their expressions grim, their fingers gripping the edges of their robes as they regarded the man before them.

The Wolf King’s Second-in-Command.

A towering presence stood in the center of the chamber, dressed in dark robes, the silver insignia of the Royal Enforcer gleaming on his chest.

Raikar Blackmane.

His piercing golden eyes scanned the room, his expression unreadable. There was no fear in him, no hesitation...only quiet calculation.

"You summoned me," Raikar finally spoke, his deep voice reverberating like a growl through the chamber.

The eldest of the council, Marius, leaned forward, his gnarled fingers curling over the polished wood of his staff.

"We summoned you because this matter concerns the very existence of our kind."

Raikar arched a brow. "The existence of our kind?" He exhaled, unimpressed. "Dramatic as always, Marius."

Marius’s eyes darkened. "Do not mock us, Enforcer. You are here because you know what we speak of."

A murmur of agreement rippled through the council.

Another elder, Eldric, stood, his robes swaying as he spoke.

"You are aware of Haelyn, yes?"

Raikar’s lips pressed into a thin line.

"I am."

Marius’s voice was sharp. "Then you must also be aware of the abomination she carries in her womb."

A silence fell.

Raikar’s fingers twitched at his sides, his golden eyes flickering with something unreadable.

"Abomination?" he echoed, his voice deceptively calm.

"Do not play coy," another elder snapped. "We know what lies inside her. A spirit wolf’s blood mixed with the blood of an Alpha King. A child that should not exist."

Marius’s grip tightened on his staff. "If she is allowed to carry that child to term, if she is allowed to live, the world as we know it will be reduced to ruin....just as it almost was when her grandmother and mother lost control of their power."

A low murmur of agreement rumbled through the chamber.

Raikar remained impassive, his golden gaze flicking over each of them.

"And what do you expect me to do about it?" he asked coolly.

Eldric’s face twisted. "Kill her. Kill the child before it is born. Wipe this curse from the land."

The words settled heavily in the room.

Raikar exhaled, shaking his head slightly.

"You speak as if this is an easy task." His tone was mild, but there was a quiet steel beneath it. "You are talking about a woman who has already defied fate. Who has returned from the abyss stronger than even your council’s foresight could predict."

He took a step forward, his gaze unwavering.

"And you want me to challenge that?"

Marius slammed his staff against the floor, the sound echoing through the chamber. "Do not feign ignorance, Raikar. You and I both know that there is one force stronger than her. One authority that even she must obey."

A slow, knowing smile crept onto Marius’s withered lips.

"Your King."

The room stilled.

Raikar’s expression flickered for a brief moment...just a moment....but the council saw it.

Eldric pressed forward. "The Wolf King’s decree has yet to be made. But if he were to give the order... if he were to see what we see, what Haelyn truly is...."

"He would not hesitate," Marius finished.

Raikar clenched his jaw.

The Wolf King.

The one ruler who governed all of their kind. A being so ancient, so powerful, that even the council bowed before his will.

And if the Wolf King deemed Haelyn a threat...

She would die.

Raikar exhaled through his nose, thoughtful.

"You want me to bring this matter before him?"

"We need you to."

Marius leaned forward, his voice lowering into something cold.

"Or do you wish to gamble with the fate of our kind, Raikar?"

A sharp silence followed.

Raikar’s jaw clenched.

He turned on his heel, the weight of their demand settling on his shoulders.

As he reached the chamber doors, he paused, glancing back at them.

"The King will decide."

And then....

He was gone.

The doors slammed shut behind him.

The council sat in tense silence.

Eldric exhaled sharply. "He hesitated."

Marius’s eyes narrowed. "Raikar is loyal, but he is also a fool."

Another elder, a woman named Thyra, crossed her arms. "We should have summoned the King directly. We waste time."

Marius shook his head. "The King will listen to his second-in-command before he listens to us. That’s why we sent Raikar. He will convince him."

A dark pause settled over them.

"And if he fails?" Eldric asked.

Marius’s fingers curled. "Then we will take matters into our own hands."

As Raikar strode through the corridors of the Great Hall, his mind churned.

The Wolf King.

A being so feared, so revered, that even speaking his name carelessly was forbidden.

Raikar had stood at his side for centuries, had witnessed his wrath, had seen what happened to those who defied him.

And now, he would have to ask for his intervention.

He stopped at the grand entrance of the inner sanctum, inhaling deeply.

A guard stood there, expression unreadable.

"You seek an audience?" the guard asked.

Raikar nodded once. "Tell him it is urgent."

The guard studied him for a moment before disappearing inside.

Raikar stood still, ignoring the tightness in his chest.

And then....

The doors creaked open.

A low, rumbling voice echoed from within.

"Enter."

Raikar took a slow step forward, his heart hammering as he passed through the threshold....

Into the presence of the Wolf King.