RISE OF THE WARRIOR LUNA

CHAPTER 5

BONDS AND BETRAYALS

Lyra's POV

The safe house was a freaking slaughterhouse, glass shards, blood smears, and me, Lyra Grayman, holding a silver vial an inch from my lips, ready to chug poison to save Tessa. My bondweaving power had just gone nuclear, gold light blasting from the bone dagger in my other hand, snapping Selene’s cult loyalty like a cheap necklace. She was writhing on the floor, her platinum ponytail a mess, amber eyes wide as her claw tattoo burnt.

The shadow wolf, Mom’s cursed ritual came to life, loomed over me, its smoky jaws dripping with hunger. My nose bled like a faucet, my arm throbbed from Rune’s blade, and my back burnt where the shadow’s claws had grazed me. Oh, and Kael Draven just admitted he’s my true mate. Perfect Monday night.

Tessa, free from Rune’s knife, tackled an Ironfang wolf, her pixie cut wild, hazel eyes blazing gold. “Lyra, don’t drink that s**t!” she yelled, her crusty leather jacket splattered with blood. Finn Marek, the rogue alpha who’d lied about being my cousin, fought beside her, his pine-and-leather scent sharp as he clawed a Shadowfang goon. His “I owe your mom” confession stung; Finn wasn’t family, just a debtor with a pack of ex-Ironfang rogues, using me for my bondweaving to rebuild his crew.

Kael’s cedar-and-steel head closed in, his gray eyes glowing silver, mate bond pulling like a damn leash. Jasper's whiskey stink choked the air outside, his Silverclaw wolves snarling, while Rune’s unhinged laugh echoed, his bloody hoodie a blur as he dodged Finn’s claws. Selene’s scream cut through: “You’ll ruin everything!”

My head spun, the shadow wolf’s voice roaring: Drink, or they all break. The vial burnt my hand, silver swirling like death, and the dagger’s glow pulsed, tied to my bondweaving, bending or breaking pack bonds. I’d just shattered Selene’s cult tie, but my power was a runaway train, fraying every wolf’s loyalty in the room. Kael’s pack, Finn’s rogues, Jasper's wolves – they were turning on each other, claws flashing, blood hitting the floor. I was a walking pack-wrecker, and the shadow loved it.

“Lyra!” Kael roared, his voice raw, shoving past a rogue. “You’re my mate, I’ll protect you ,drop the vial!” His cedar scent hit me, and my wolf whined, wanting to curl up in his stupidly broad chest. Screw that; I wasn’t falling for his mate-bond crap, not when he was hunting me for my power.

“Protect me?” I snapped, blood dripping from my chin. “You’re why I’m in this mess, jackass!” But his eyes, all soft and desperate, messed with me. True mate or not, Kael was trouble, and my tingling skin agreed.

Finn’s hazel eyes locked on me, guilt heavy. “Lyra, I lied, but I’m not a cult,” he grunted, slamming Rune against a wall. “Your mom saved my pack from Ironfang. "I need your bondweaving to free us, not rule.” His rogues fought hard, ex-Ironfang outcasts with a grudge, but his lie, pretending to be my cousin, burnt. A twist hit: Finn wasn’t just a debtor. He’d been Mom’s spy, trained to guard my power, but he’d bailed when she died, leaving me to Jasper's betrayal. Now he was back, claiming redemption, but his shifty vibe screamed more secrets.

Selene staggered up, her tattoo charred, eyes wild. “You i***t,” she hissed, lunging for the vial. I dodged, my boot slipping on blood, real smooth; Lyra and the dagger’s glow flared, my bondweaving lashing out. A gold light hit Jasper's wolves outside, and their loyalty to him snapped. They turned on him, claws ripping, and Jasper's roar shook the cabin. Selene’s laugh was manic. “You’re breaking them all!”

She was right. My power was chaos, and the shadow wolf fed on it, its jaws snapping inches from my face. Tessa’s knife flew, grazing Selene’s arm, but the concubine didn’t flinch. “The cult will have you,” she spat, pulling another vial from her dress. Two vials? What the hell?

Kael grabbed my wrist, his touch sparking heat I hated. “Lyra, the vial’s silver; it’ll kill your Wolf,” he said, voice low. “You’re mine, not theirs.” His mate's bond burnt, and I saw it, truth in his silver eyes. He wasn’t just chasing power. He wanted me. My wolf howled, but I yanked free, clutching the vial and dagger.

“Yours?” I scoffed, blood on my lips. “I’m nobody!” But my heart stuttered, and the shadow wolf growled, its smoky claws swiping at Kael. He dodged, bleeding, and I realized the entity wasn’t just after me; it wanted my mate, too.

Finn’s voice cut through, urgent. “Lyra, the dagger’s the key! your mom hid it to stop the cult!” Another twist slammed me: Finn hadn’t bailed; he’d been hunting the dagger, thinking it was lost, to keep my power safe. But he’d sold me out to rogues to fund his search, making him half hero, half traitor. His rogues were loyal, but to him, not me, and I didn’t trust his ass.

I had to choose. The vial could save Tessa, maybe kill me. The dagger was waking the shadow, but dropping it might stop my bondweaving. Selene’s second vial glinted, and Jasper's screams outside grew desperate. A third twist hit: the shadow wolf spoke, not just to me but to everyone: “Her blood wakes me. Spill it, or I'll take you all.” Its voice was ice, and every wolf froze, even Rune, his blade mid-twirl.

Tessa’s eyes met mine, pleading. “Lyra, you’re enough without that crap.” Finn nodded, blood on his face. Kael’s hand hovered, ready to grab me. Selene smirked, raising her vial like a toast.

I tossed the vial to the floor, smashing it, silver pooling. “No deals,” I growled, raising the dagger. My bondweaving surged, the gold light blinding, and I pushed it into the shadow wolf, not to break bonds but to bind it. The entity howled, shrinking, but my body shook, blood pouring from my nose, ears, and eyes. I was dying, and I knew it.

Kael caught me as I fell, his roar shaking my bones. “Lyra, stay with me!” Tessa’s scream echoed, and Finn’s rogues charged Selene, but she slipped out, her laugh fading. The shadow wolf vanished, but the cabin shook, walls cracking. A final twist dropped: the dagger burnt my hand, its glow fading, and a cult mark appeared on my wrist, the same as Selene’s. I was tied to them now, and the shadow wasn’t gone, just waiting.

I blacked out. Kael’s cedar scent was the last thing I knew, my wolf howling for a mate I couldn’t trust.