MATED TO THE BEAST ALPHA BROTHERS
Chapter 53: The riddle and a sprinkle of chaos.

Chapter 53: The riddle and a sprinkle of chaos.

"You feel that?"

Cerius tightened his grip on the wheel as they sped through the winding mountain road.

Archer, in the passenger seat, tensed. "Yeah." His hand hovered near his blade.

Something was watching them.

Behind them, in the second SUV, Haelyn sat between Rowena and Seraphis. She stared out the window, her face pale.

"It’s close," she murmured.

Rowena turned sharply. "What is?"

Haelyn’s fingers curled against her thigh. "The thing that doesn’t want us reaching my mother’s grave."

The car suddenly jerked.

"Hold on!" Cerius shouted.

The tires screeched, the SUV swerving as something slammed into them from the side. Metal groaned, glass shattered, and the vehicle spun wildly.

"Brace!" Archer barked.

The SUV collided against the rocky cliffside, tires skidding against the dirt before grinding to a halt.

Silence.

Dust settled.

Then....

"Everyone okay?" Artemis groaned, unbuckling his seatbelt.

A pained grunt came from the back. "I think I just met death and shook his hand," Xander muttered.

"Funny," Ravi coughed. "I thought I was death."

Cerius ignored them, his eyes locked ahead. "What the hell was that?"

Archer pushed open his door, stepping onto the road. He barely took a step when...

THUD.

Something heavy dropped from the trees above.

Seraphis was the first to react. "MOVE!"

A shadow lunged. Archer twisted away just as claws ripped through the air where he had been standing.

"Shit," he hissed, rolling into a crouch.

The others scrambled out of the SUV, weapons drawn.

A figure loomed before them.

Tall. Twisted. Its flesh was charred, eyes glowing red.

Haelyn shuddered. "That’s not a rogue."

"No," Cerius murmured grimly. "That’s worse."

The creature smiled....a slow, unnatural grin. "You are not welcome here." Its voice was like crushed bones.

Haelyn clenched her fists. "We don’t have time for this."

The creature tilted its head. "Then die quickly."

It attacked.

Archer was fast, his sword flashing, but the creature dodged, its movements inhumanly quick.

Artemis snarled, shifting partially, claws swiping at its back. It barely flinched.

Seraphis muttered a spell under her breath, flames bursting from her fingertips. The fire collided with the creature....

It laughed.

Fear coiled in Haelyn’s stomach.

This wasn’t a fight. It was a warning.

She wasn’t supposed to reach her mother.

And whoever sent this thing?

They were just getting started.

Meanwhile...

Arthur moved swiftly through the forest.

Layla was somewhere out here.

And she wasn’t alone.

His hands were shaking, his thoughts burning. Helen had lied. Marius had lied.

Layla wasn’t even his daughter.

And yet....

He had to find her.

A branch snapped behind him.

Arthur spun, blade drawn.

A figure stepped out of the shadows.

Marius.

Arthur’s blood ran cold.

"Where is she?" Arthur’s voice was low, dangerous.

Marius smirked. "Why? So you can keep raising my daughter?"

Arthur lunged.

Marius barely had time to move before the blade was at his throat.

"You took everything from me," Arthur seethed. "You lied. You used me."

Marius chuckled. "Used you? Arthur, you were never anything more than a pawn."

Arthur’s vision blurred with rage. His grip on the blade tightened.

Then...

A scream.

Layla.

Arthur’s head snapped toward the sound.

Marius grinned. "You’re too late."

Arthur didn’t hesitate.

He ran.

"You’re not getting past me that easily."

The creature’s voice was like rusted iron scraping against stone, low and grating. It stood before them, still as death, watching them with those unnatural, glowing red eyes.

Archer wiped the blood from his lip. "Great. Another roadblock. Can’t we just kill it and move on?"

The creature grinned, revealing jagged teeth. "Oh, you could try. But if you fail... you will never leave this mountain alive."

Seraphis stepped forward, magic humming at her fingertips. "Then what do you want?"

The creature tilted its head, its movements slow, deliberate. "A test."

Cerius groaned. "Of course it’s a test."

The creature’s smile widened. "A riddle. Solve it, and I will not only let you pass... I will take you there myself."

Haelyn frowned. "And if we fail?"

The creature’s eyes darkened. "Then you stay. Forever."

Silence.

Xander crossed his arms. "No pressure or anything."

The creature stepped forward. Its presence was suffocating, its aura thick with something ancient. "Listen carefully."

It spoke slowly, each word laced with something unnatural...a power that curled around them, sinking into their bones.

"I am vast, yet I hold no weight.

I am deep, yet I have no end.

I can be calm, or I can rage.

I am home to what soars, yet I cradle what sinks.

And within me, all hearts are bound.

What am I?"

A tense silence followed.

Archer blinked. "...What?"

Cerius exhaled sharply. "Oh, come on."

Marlyil ran a hand down her face. "Okay. Let’s break this down before our brains start leaking out our ears."

Xander tapped his chin. "Vast but holds no weight... sounds like my wallet."

Artemis snorted. "Or your brain."

"Shut up."

Seraphis sighed. "Deep with no end... the abyss?"

"No," Haelyn muttered. "It says it holds things...cradles what sinks and what soars."

Ravi sat on a rock. "So... it’s everywhere? Great. That narrows it down to literally everything."

The creature leaned against a boulder, completely at ease. "Take your time. I have eternity. You do not."

That shut them up.

Minutes passed. Then more.

The tension thickened.

Rowena tapped her fingers against her thigh, deep in thought. "The heart..."

Haelyn looked at her sharply. "Bound hearts..."

Their eyes met.

And suddenly, it clicked.

At the same time, they turned to the creature.

"The sky," Haelyn whispered.

"The ocean," Rowena added.

"The heart," they said together.

The creature’s grin widened.

"Correct."

Before anyone could react, the ground rumbled.

Wind howled. The trees bent.

The creature laughed. "Hold on tight."

The world lurched.

And then....

Darkness.

Arthur tore through the forest, his heart hammering.

Layla’s scream still echoed in his ears.

He had to reach her.

Branches slashed at his face, but he didn’t slow.

Ahead, Marius had stopped, watching him with a smirk.

Arthur didn’t hesitate.

He lunged.

Marius barely dodged in time, but Arthur caught his arm, slamming him into a tree.

"Where is she?" Arthur snarled.

Marius just laughed. "Too late."

Arthur’s blood ran cold.

Then...

Another scream.

This time, closer.

Arthur turned and ran.

Straight toward the nightmare waiting for him.

"You took the wrong person, Keres."

Arthur’s voice was low, almost calm—but it carried the promise of violence. His eyes locked onto Layla, bound and gagged, her terrified gaze meeting his.

Across from him, Tiago stood eerily still, his lips curling into a twisted grin that didn’t belong to him.

Arthur’s fists clenched. Something was wrong.

Tiago wasn’t Tiago.

Not really.

The air around him felt tainted, thick with an unnatural presence. His eyes... they weren’t his eyes anymore. They glowed with something inhuman, something ancient.

And then...

A voice, silk and venom.

"Oh, Arthur... does it hurt?"

Keres.

She spoke through Tiago, her voice layered, her laughter like shards of glass against his skull.

Arthur’s breath came slow and controlled. "Let. Her. Go."

Tiago...or whatever wore his body...tilted his head, studying him.

"How does it feel?" Keres purred. "To finally have something you care about? Something you’re willing to bleed for?"

Arthur took a step forward. "You don’t know what you’re playing with, Keres."

She laughed. "Oh, but I do. And it’s absolutely delicious, watching you squirm."

Layla whimpered, trying to free herself, but the shadows wrapped around her wrists held her firm.

"Beg me," Keres taunted. "Go on, Arthur. Get on your knees, beg for her life."

Arthur’s jaw tightened. "Not happening."

Keres sighed dramatically. "Pity. But no matter... I have plans for this spoiled little brat of yours anyway."

Layla’s eyes widened in terror.

Arthur’s gaze flicked to Tiago, whose lips twisted into a cruel grin.

"What about him?" Arthur asked, nodding toward the man possessed.

Keres smirked through Tiago’s body. "Oh, him?" She gave a casual shrug. "He’s all yours."

And then, she let go.

Tiago’s body lurched, and his scream was raw, wrong. Whatever had been controlling him tore away violently, leaving behind only rage, confusion...and bloodlust.

The moment his eyes focused, he charged.

Arthur barely dodged as Tiago’s fist came for his throat. He twisted, slamming his elbow into Tiago’s ribs, but the man didn’t even flinch.

He came back harder, faster, like an animal driven by pure instinct.

Arthur blocked, but Tiago’s strength wasn’t his strength...it was unnatural.

A sharp knee to the gut sent Arthur staggering back.

Tiago didn’t wait. He pounced, tackling Arthur to the ground, his hands going straight for his neck.

Arthur grabbed his wrists, forcing them apart, muscles straining. "Snap out of it, Tiago!"

Tiago snarled. "You knew about Helen. You knew about Layla. And you still raised her like a fool."

Arthur’s grip faltered for half a second...just enough.

Tiago slammed his fist into Arthur’s face.

Blood sprayed from Arthur’s nose, and the world blurred for a moment.

Another punch.

Arthur gritted his teeth, catching Tiago’s wrist this time. With a roar, he twisted, throwing Tiago off him.

They hit the ground, rolling...both scrambling to get the upper hand.

Tiago struck first, landing a brutal kick to Arthur’s ribs.

Arthur stumbled but didn’t fall. He wiped the blood from his mouth and grinned.

"That all you got?"

Tiago lunged again, but this time, Arthur was ready.

He ducked, sidestepped, and then...

His fist connected with Tiago’s jaw.

A sickening crack.

Tiago staggered, but Arthur didn’t stop. He drove his knee into Tiago’s gut, then grabbed the back of his head and slammed it against the nearest rock.

Tiago groaned, dazed.

Arthur grabbed him by the collar. "You’re done."

But Tiago laughed, blood staining his teeth. "No, Arthur..." He grinned through the pain. "You are."

Arthur’s instincts screamed...

Too late.

A blade slammed into his side.

Arthur froze.

Pain exploded through him, white-hot and searing.

Tiago twisted the knife deeper. "Feels personal, doesn’t it?" he whispered.

Arthur’s breath came out in a ragged snarl.

Behind them, Keres clapped her hands mockingly. "Now, this is entertainment."

Arthur’s knees buckled, but he didn’t fall.

He wouldn’t fall.

His grip on Tiago tightened. "You should have killed me when you had the chance."

With a grunt, Arthur ripped the blade out of his own flesh...

And drove it into Tiago’s chest.

Tiago’s eyes widened.

Arthur twisted the knife.

"This?" Arthur panted, his voice dark. "This is personal."

Tiago collapsed.

Arthur staggered back, vision swimming.

Keres sighed. "Well... that was fun."

Arthur turned to her, blood dripping from his mouth. "It’s not over."

Keres smirked. "Oh, darling... it hasn’t even begun."

And then

Darkness swallowed them whole