Red Eyes
798 Words
The creature stepped into the moonlight slowly.
Lyra’s breath caught in her throat.
It looked like a wolf.
But wrong.
Everything about it felt unnatural.
Its body was too large, nearly the size of a horse, with dark gray fur hanging in ragged patches across scarred flesh. Veins glowed faintly red beneath its skin, pulsing like fire beneath ash.
And its eyes…
Bright crimson.
Not wolf eyes.
Predator eyes.
Ancient eyes.
A low growl vibrated through the clearing.
Every werewolf around Lyra instinctively stepped backward.
Even Kael.
Even Ronan.
Fear swept through both packs so heavily that Lyra could almost taste it.
“What is that?” she whispered.
No one answered immediately.
The creature’s gaze locked onto her.
Not the Alphas.
Not the wolves surrounding her.
Her.
Its nostrils flared slowly.
Then it smiled.
A horrible, unnatural smile that showed rows of jagged teeth.
Ronan cursed softly under his breath. “That’s not possible.”
Kael’s expression had gone completely cold.
“Stay behind us,” he ordered.
Lyra didn’t argue this time.
The creature took another slow step forward.
Its body moved strangely, almost like its bones shifted incorrectly beneath its skin.
Then it spoke.
“You smell exactly like her.”
The voice sounded rough and broken, like gravel scraping together.
Lyra’s stomach twisted painfully.
The wolves around her reacted immediately.
Shock.
Confusion.
Fear.
Kael stepped forward slightly. “You should be dead.”
The creature laughed softly.
“I was.”
Ice slid down Lyra’s spine.
Ronan’s golden eyes narrowed. “How did you cross the barrier?”
“The bond weakened it.”
Its glowing red eyes remained fixed entirely on Lyra.
Hungry.
Obsessed.
The silver mark beneath her collarbone suddenly burned again.
The creature inhaled sharply.
Then smiled wider.
“Moonborn.”
The word hit the clearing like a curse.
Several wolves lowered their heads immediately.
One actually stepped backward in fear.
Lyra’s breathing became uneven. “Stop calling me that.”
The creature tilted its head slowly.
“You don’t know what you are yet.”
Kael growled dangerously. “Enough.”
The creature finally looked at him.
And surprisingly—
It looked amused.
“You marked her first.”
Kael’s expression darkened murderously.
“But he touched the bond too,” the creature continued, glancing briefly toward Ronan. “Interesting.”
Ronan stepped forward now, golden eyes glowing brighter. “Say what you came to say before I rip your throat out.”
The creature laughed again.
“You think this is about territory?” Its gaze shifted back to Lyra. “She woke the bloodline.”
Silence spread instantly.
Lyra’s chest tightened.
“What bloodline?”
The creature ignored the question completely.
Its eyes softened strangely as it looked at her.
Almost mournfully.
“You have her eyes.”
Kael moved instantly.
One second he stood beside Lyra.
The next, he was across the clearing with his hand wrapped around the creature’s throat.
Violence exploded through the air.
“Do not speak about her.”
The creature grinned despite Kael nearly crushing its neck.
“There it is,” it rasped. “The guilt.”
Ronan’s face hardened suddenly.
“Kael.”
Something in his tone made Lyra look between them sharply.
Kael released the creature violently.
The monster stumbled backward, still smiling.
“What is he talking about?” Lyra asked immediately.
Neither Alpha answered.
The silence told her enough.
They knew something.
Something about her mother.
Anger began pushing through her fear.
“You both keep doing that,” she snapped. “Talking like I’m some secret nobody wants to explain.”
The creature’s red eyes slid toward her again.
“They’re afraid.”
Kael’s voice cut sharply through the clearing.
“Leave.”
The creature ignored him.
Its gaze remained fixed on Lyra.
“You want answers?”
Lyra swallowed hard but nodded slowly.
The creature smiled.
“Your mother didn’t die by accident.”
The world stopped.
Lyra stared at it blankly.
“What?”
Kael’s growl shook the forest.
“Enough!”
But the creature continued calmly.
“She ran because the packs wanted you dead before you were even born.”
Lyra’s heartbeat became painfully loud in her ears.
“No…”
Ronan looked disturbed now too.
“Stop talking.”
The creature finally looked between both Alphas knowingly.
“You still haven’t told her the truth?”
Kael looked ready to kill it.
Ronan looked tense.
And suddenly Lyra realized something terrifying.
Neither of them denied the accusation.
Her voice came out barely above a whisper.
“What truth?”
The creature’s glowing red eyes locked onto hers.
“The Moonborn don’t create bonds.”
The silver mark beneath her collarbone flared painfully.
The creature smiled wider.
“They create Alphas.”
- Writer
