MATED TO THE BEAST ALPHA BROTHERS
Chapter 60: Undead rogues

Chapter 60: Undead rogues

"Please... I don’t want to die!"

Nyx’s voice broke as she stumbled into the clearing, her body trembling. She was out of breath, bruised, and drenched in sweat. Her wild eyes darted between Haelyn and the others, her fear palpable.

Haelyn’s pulse quickened. Something was wrong.

Before anyone could speak, Nyx rushed forward, gripping Haelyn’s wrist with desperation. "He’s coming. My father...Zareth...he’s coming for me!"

A cold silence settled over them.

Ravi’s expression darkened. "that power-hungry maniac wants to kill his own child?"

Nyx flinched but nodded. "Yes. He needs me for a sacrifice... to gain power...enough power to destroy all of you."

Xander’s jaw clenched. "Why the hell would he sacrifice his own daughter?"

Nyx shook her head, her face twisting in confusion and pain. "I don’t know! He never cared about me before, but now...now he’s hunting me like I’m nothing but prey."

Haelyn knew.

The truth she had seen in her visions.

Zareth wasn’t just Nyx’s father. He was hers, too.

But she wasn’t ready to reveal that.

Not yet.

Before she could say anything, a voice...low, cold, merciless...cut through the air like a blade.

"So, this is where you’re hiding, Nyx."

Zareth.

His presence was suffocating, his red eyes gleaming with cruel amusement as he stepped into the clearing. His long black coat billowed behind him, and the air around him twisted, heavy with dark magic.

The shadows at his feet moved unnaturally, like they were alive.

Nyx froze. Terror locked her in place.

Haelyn immediately stepped in front of her.

"You’re not taking her."

Zareth’s lips curved into a slow, mocking smile. "Oh, Haelyn, you don’t understand. She belongs to me."

Archer growled, stepping closer to Haelyn, his hands tightening into fists. "Like hell she does."

Zareth sighed, almost amused. "I had hoped you’d be smarter than this." His gaze flicked to Nyx. "Come willingly, daughter, and I might just spare them."

Nyx shook her head violently. "Never."

Zareth’s face darkened. "Then you leave me no choice."

He raised a hand.

The ground shook.

A deafening howl ripped through the air.

Then...they came.

From the shadows, hundreds of undead rogue wolves emerged...eyes hollow, skin rotting, bodies twisted and unnatural. Their jaws hung open, black saliva dripping as they let out inhuman, guttural snarls.

Rowena gritted her teeth. "Gods, what are those?!"

Zareth smiled darkly. "Your executioners."

Xander shifted into his wolf form, his silver fur bristling. Ravi drew his blades. Rowena cracked her knuckles. They were ready.

Zareth’s voice was a command, low and final.

"Kill them all."

The wolves attacked.

Archer was the first to strike, his blade slicing through the first beast. It shrieked...a terrible, hollow sound...before dissolving into black ash.

Xander lunged, tearing into their throats with feral speed. Rowena fought beside Ravi, the two of them moving in perfect sync, dodging, striking, killing.

But the undead kept coming.

For every wolf that fell, more took its place.

Haelyn held her ground, gripping Nyx’s arm, keeping her close.

Zareth watched her carefully.

"You’re strong, Haelyn," he mused, his voice calm despite the chaos. "But not strong enough."

Haelyn’s fingers tightened.

He had no idea just how wrong he was.

Something inside her shifted.

Heat surged through her veins, power awakening.

The staff of her mother, Lunara, materialized in her hands...formed from pure light.

The moment it touched the air, the battlefield fell silent.

Zareth’s smirk faltered. For the first time, something like uncertainty flickered in his expression.

Haelyn lifted the staff, the golden glow illuminating her fierce gaze.

"This ends now."

And then...she charged.

The battlefield was chaos.

Undead rogue wolves tore through the clearing, their rotting jaws snapping at flesh and steel. Xander fought with beastly ferocity, his silver fur drenched in blackened blood as he ripped through the creatures with claws and teeth. Archer moved like a shadow, blade flashing as he cut down enemies without hesitation. Rowena and Ravi fought back-to-back, their coordination flawless as they dodged, struck, and killed with lethal precision.

But Haelyn had only one focus...Zareth.

Their eyes locked, and in a blink, they clashed.

The force of their collision split the ground beneath them, sending shockwaves through the battlefield. Zareth’s blade struck out in a blur, but Haelyn’s staff met it with a blinding crack of light. Sparks flew, and Zareth was forced back a step.

He narrowed his eyes. "Interesting."

Haelyn smirked. "That’s not even the best part."

She struck first this time, the glowing staff swinging like an extension of her soul. Zareth barely managed to parry, his feet skidding across the earth. With a growl, he retaliated, his magic surging through his veins, coating his blade in dark energy. He lunged.

Haelyn spun, dodging effortlessly, and slammed the staff into his ribs. Crack.

Zareth staggered, cursing. That had hurt. More than it should have.

What the hell was this power?

Haelyn pressed forward, attacking with relentless speed. Each swing of her staff burned the air, sending streaks of white fire scorching across the battlefield. Zareth met her blow for blow, but something was wrong.

She was getting faster. Stronger.

Too strong.

Haelyn shouldn’t be this strong.

Then he saw it.

The shift.

Their weapons locked again, their faces only inches apart. Haelyn grinned at him...but it wasn’t her grin.

It was too sharp. Too cruel. Too familiar.

Zareth’s blood ran cold. "Keres."

Her eyes gleamed.

The eerie smile widened.

"Did you miss me, my love?"

Zareth’s grip faltered for just a second...a fatal mistake.

Keres...inside Haelyn’s body...tore through his defenses.

A pulse of pure light exploded from her, sending Zareth flying. He crashed into the earth with a heavy thud, the impact carving a trench through the ground.

Coughing, he pushed himself up, disbelief flickering in his gaze.

Haelyn...no, Keres...tilted her head, watching him with amusement. "What’s wrong? You look like you’ve seen a ghost."

Zareth wiped blood from his mouth. "You..."

"Me?" Keres interrupted, stepping forward. "Oh, don’t look so surprised, Zareth. Did you really think you could escape me?"

Zareth’s jaw clenched. This was not what he planned for.

He had expected to face Haelyn...expected to overpower her eventually. But Keres? Inside Haelyn?

This was a nightmare.

He lunged.

Keres laughed.

She vanished before he could touch her. One moment she was there, the next she was behind him, her breath warm against his ear.

"Too slow."

Zareth spun...but she was already striking.

The staff slammed into his spine, sending him crashing into a pile of debris. His magic flared, but it wasn’t enough.

Haelyn’s body...now controlled by Keres...was too powerful and They were in sync.

Zareth gritted his teeth. "This isn’t over."

Keres simply smirked. "Oh, I know."

She raised the staff. Light swelled at its tip...pure, blinding, lethal.

Zareth’s pupils shrank. He had one second to react.

Then...the light exploded.

And everything turned white.