Chapter 35: They Have Arrived
617 Words
The silence didn’t last.
It shattered.
A low howl echoed through the air.
Lyra Vale felt it before she heard it.
“They’re close,” she whispered.
Kael Draven stepped in front of her instantly.
“How close?” he asked.
“Closer than they should be.”
The second Alpha checked the system.
“…outer boundary breached,” he said.
Kael’s eyes darkened. “How many?”
Lyra closed her eyes briefly.
“A group.”
The second Alpha confirmed it.
“Multiple signatures.”
Kael exhaled sharply. “Of course it’s not one.”
Lyra’s fingers curled.
“They’re not attacking randomly,” she said.
Kael looked at her. “Then what?”
“They’re following something.”
A pause.
“Me.”
The air tightened.
The second Alpha spoke.
“Your resonance is acting as a signal.”
Kael muttered, “So you lit a beacon.”
Lyra didn’t respond.
Because she could feel them now.
Closer.
“They’re not just animals,” she whispered.
Another impact shook the structure.
Kael looked up. “They’re inside.”
The second Alpha confirmed it.
“Outer defenses compromised.”
Kael turned. “We move. Now.”
But Lyra didn’t move.
“They’re splitting,” she said.
Kael frowned. “What?”
“Some are circling,” she said quietly.
The second Alpha nodded.
“Strategic movement.”
Kael muttered, “Great.”
Another impact echoed.
Closer.
Kael grabbed her wrist. “We’re leaving.”
Lyra looked at him. “Where?”
“Away from the core.”
The second Alpha said, “That will not stop them.”
Kael snapped, “Standing here won’t either.”
Lyra gently pulled free.
“They’re already connected to me,” she said.
Kael’s expression hardened. “Then cut it.”
Lyra shook her head.
“I don’t think I can.”
A low growl echoed.
Close.
Kael stepped in front of her.
“Stay behind me.”
Lyra didn’t move back.
Because she could feel them clearly now.
One stronger than the rest.
“…there’s an Alpha,” she said.
The second Alpha confirmed.
“Yes.”
Kael’s voice lowered. “What do they want?”
Lyra hesitated.
“…me.”
The growl grew louder.
Footsteps followed.
And then—
They appeared.
Three figures at the corridor’s end.
Tall. Controlled. Watching.
Kael tensed. “Don’t move.”
The lead wolf stepped forward.
His eyes locked onto Lyra.
Not Kael.
Not the second Alpha.
Her.
“…so you’re the one,” he said.
Kael stepped forward. “Stay back.”
The Alpha ignored him.
“You called us,” he said.
Lyra shook her head. “I didn’t.”
He smiled faintly.
“Doesn’t matter. We felt you anyway.”
Silence stretched.
Kael’s voice hardened. “She’s not going anywhere.”
The Alpha finally looked at him.
Then back to Lyra.
“That’s not your choice.”
The second Alpha muttered, “…escalation confirmed.”
Kael snapped, “Be useful.”
But Lyra barely heard them.
Because the pull was stronger now.
Direct.
The Alpha tilted his head.
“You don’t even know what you are,” he said.
Lyra whispered, “…do you?”
A faint smile.
“Oh,” he said.
“We have an idea.”
The wolves shifted behind him.
Ready.
Kael’s voice dropped. “Leave now.”
The Alpha didn’t move.
“She doesn’t belong to you,” he said.
Silence.
Then—
“She belongs to what’s coming.”
Lyra’s breath caught.
“…what’s coming?” she whispered.
The Alpha’s gaze darkened.
“Something even you can’t control.”
The air changed again.
He stepped forward.
And the ground beneath Lyra pulsed in response.
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