Rejected By My Alpha, Claimed By His Rivals

THREE: Whispers in the Dark

Lyra's POV

I stayed pressed tight against the cold cave wall, my hand resting gently over my belly where the small bleeding had slowed to a stop.

The rogue's heavy breathing filled the night air just outside the vine-covered entrance.

My silver-gray eyes glowed faintly in the darkness as my wolf pushed forward, sharpening every sense to his sour sweat and raw hunger. It carried no true alpha power.

"Come out, girl," he growled, kicking a rock that tumbled inside. "I smell your blood, let me in."

"Go away," I whispered firmly. "I don't need you."

He cursed, paced for a few moments and finally spat, "Not worth it,”

His footsteps faded into the night but I waited until his scent disappeared completely on the wind.

"He's really gone," I said softly to my wolf, letting out a long breath of relief. "We made it through tha, now we keep moving before anything else finds us."

I crept out of the cave, my torn dress brushing against my legs in the cool night air. My bare feet touched the soft earth and relief washed over me like fresh water.

"Finally free of that hole," I murmured, scanning the shadows.

"Come on Lyra, one foot in front of the other."

I walked for a while, my legs ache and this sickness in my stomach keeps coming back still, we push on."

I prolonged my steps along a faint path, dipping my hands into a small stream to drink cool water. Citing some strange stones ahead, I spoke to my wolf,

"Talk to me, tell me what you sense ahead. Any prey? Any danger?"

Old stones nearby, she replied, strange air.

I nodded and continued, my silver-gray eyes scanning the darkness.

After some time, the trees thinned out and I stumbled into a small clearing filled with ancient wolf ruins.

Old stone pillars covered in vines and moss rose toward the sky, their surfaces marked with faded carvings that glowed softly under the moonlight.

Everything seemed strange here, the air felt thicker, almost alive and a faint hum touched my skin.

"What is this place?"

I whispered, stepping closer slowly, my wolf grew alert inside me, but I felt only confusion.

I walked around the first pillar, and examined the strange markings, tracing one with my fingers.

It was a wolf with a crescent shape on its chest, but the lines twisted in ways I could not understand.

"This drawing... what does it mean?" I said out loud. "It almost looks like my mark, but why is it here in the middle of nowhere?"

I moved to the next stone, tilting my head as I studied more symbols. Swirls and shapes that might be words, but they made no sense to me.

"These lines are so old. Could they be warnings? Stories? I cannot tell."

I walking from one pillar to another, my graceful figure circling the ruins.

I touched another marking that showed wolves running under a full big moon but there were shadows around them like dark mist.

“What could that be?“ I asked myself. “And these marks here... they glow a little when I touch them. It feels warm, but I do not know why."

Another carving I saw got me more confused, it had eyes that seemed to stare back, glowing in the stone.

Another showed a group of wolves bowing to a figure with a bright mark on the collarbone, just like mine.

"Why does this feel familiar yet so confusing?" I asked my wolf.

"Nothing in Ravenhill ever mentioned places like this. Magnus would laugh if he saw me now, wondering at old rocks."

"Look at this carving,"

I said, kneeling by a flat rock. "It has words, I think, but they are worn down. Something about blood and shadows? Or is it about power? I cannot make it out clearly."

My silver-gray eyes narrowed as I traced another marking, feeling a small tingle in my veins, but no real answers came.

After a while, I sat down on a low broken pillar, my legs tired from the long night. I rested my back against the cool stone and let out a sigh.

"I do not understand any of this," I said quietly to my wolf, staring at the ruins around me.

"These markings seem important, but they are just strange puzzles. Why do they pull at me? Why does my mark tingle when I am near them? It is like the land knows something I do not."

I touched the crescent Mooncrest mark beneath my collarbone, wondering at the warmth there.

"Magnus rejected me as weak, yet these stones make me question everything. What secrets hide in my blood?"

I sat there wondering, my mind full of questions about the strange carvings and the odd pull I felt.

"If only these ruins could speak clearly," I murmured. "Tell me what the symbols mean, tell me why I feel different out here."

That was when loud footsteps crashed through the trees around the clearing.

A group of rogues burst out, five rough males with hungry eyes and a wild-looking woman walking in their midst.

She pointed straight at me with a sharp finger. "There she is! The one from the cave, her scent led us right here. Get her!"

My wolf snarled inside me as the group spread out fast.

"Stay back," I warned them, standing up quickly. "I want no trouble with any of you"

The woman laughed meanly, her hair tangled and eyes flashing. "Too late girl, you smell valuable, special somehow. Boys, grab her and we take what we can get."

One rogue lunged at me with claws out. "Come here, pretty wolf!"

I dodged, but another caught my arm hard, pain flared up and the woman shouted, "Hold her against the stone! She looks tired, this should be easy."

They pushed me back against a pillar, their aggressive scents filled the air and my wolf thrashed wildly as more hands grabbed at me.

The memories of Magnus's rejection, the endless walking, the cave chase and now this attack crashed over me.

I was pushed too far. "No more!" I shouted loud.

A rare strength suddenly surged through my body. My silver-gray eyes glowed bright silver and shadows flickered around my arms like dark mist from the ruins.

I twisted free with power I had never felt before, my claws slashing out fast.

"Get away from me!" I yelled, kicking one rogue square in the chest.

He flew backward into the trees with a loud crash.

The woman charged at me with a snarl, "What kind of trick is this? You are just an omega!"

I met her head-on, my movements quicker and stronger.

"I am Lyra and you picked the wrong wolf tonight!"

My fist connected hard with her shoulder, sending her stumbling into another rogue and the men came at me together, growling.

"Take her down!"

But the strange power from the ruins flowed through me as I fought with fierce grace, slashing and dodging between the pillars.

"Leave now or regret it!" I growled, my voice mixing with my wolf's deeper tone.

Shadows helped me move faster, confusing their attacks. I struck another rogue across the face, then spun to block the woman's next charge.

One by one, I held them off. A rogue tried to grab me from behind but I elbowed him hard and sent him sprawling.

The woman got up again, cursing. "She is too strong! Retreat!"

I roared with the new energy, pushing them back. "Run while you still can!"

The group finally withdrew, their voices filled with rage as they shouted threats and disappeared among the dark trees.

I stood panting among the ruins, my body shaking from the fight.

"We did it,"

I whispered to my wolf, my bright silver eyes slowly fading.

"But how?"

The world began to spin around me. My legs gave out and darkness crept into the edges of my vision.

Before I could catch myself, I collapsed hard onto the ground, unconsciousness dragging me under.

The cool earth pressed against my cheek as the last of my strength slipped away.

Little did I know, fate had already begun weaving a path that would change my life forever…