Chapter 45: The Price of Peace
1142 Words
Lucy's POV
I was going to die.
The dagger spun through the air like a death arrow, headed straight for me. Time slowed down as it came, my heartbeat so loud it could be heard from miles away.
But then, someone saved me.
Vick.
He jumped in front of me and took the hit. The dagger buried itself deep in his chest. He fell to the ground with a loud thud, blood soaking his shirt almost instantly.
"Vick!" I cried out, tears running down my cheeks.
He looked up at me with pained eyes, coughing, blood trickling from his mouth. "Lucy…I'm sorry... for that night... at the club," he whispered.
I sobbed harder. My arms were tied so I couldn't move, my wrists bruised and bleeding as I tried to force my way out of the ropes. I wanted to hold him, to at least thank him, to scream at him for being so stupidly brave.
But alas, I was stuck in one place.
Vick's eyes closed slowly, and I watched his chest rise and fall one last time until no more.
My heart shattered as he took his final breath.
Ryker met my gaze across the field. His expression changed from worry to relief, then to pure rage.
He lunged at his brother, grabbing him by the neck. They crashed to the ground in a violent tangle of claws and fists. Blood pouring like a river into the air.
I fought against my restraints—the ropes, twisting my wrists until they bled even more.
I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes. I reached deep inside, trying to focus my strength on one thing. My bones cracked, my hands shifted halfway, and claws slid through my skin. I did it!
Without hesitating, I slashed the rope.
Free at last.
I crawled towards my baby, wanting more than ever to hold her, but just as I was about to pick her up, something caught my eye—a string.
I paused, confused.
A string, barely visible, trailed from beneath the blanket to something under the dried leaves.
A trap!
I gasped and froze. One wrong move and I’d trigger it. All I could do was watch,; I couldn't risk her life.
I watched as my baby slept peacefully. How could a baby sleep through all this chaos? I didn’t know.
Just then, a sharp pain cut through my left side. It was the second baby kicking.
"Please," I whispered, pressing my hand to my belly. "Not now. Just a little longer."
I looked up.
Ryker was pinned to the ground.
His brother towered over him, eyes wild. "You were the weakest of us all!" he screamed. "And yet Father made you the Alpha!" He spoke with such hate.
He raised another dagger above Ryker’s chest.
Ryker grabbed his wrist, holding him off, but he was weak. His arms trembled.
The dagger inched closer, ready to strike.
"No... no..." I whispered.
Then, I heard a scream. I turned around to see.
It was the baby.
She let out a cry so loud, so piercing, it echoed through the battlefield. Every wolf covered their ears, including Ryker’s brother—wolves had sensitive ears.
It was just the opportunity Ryker needed.
With one powerful surge, Ryker snatched the dagger and drove it into his brother’s chest.
The older wolf gasped.
Blood bubbled from his lips. But he still managed to speak.
"I sent word... to the other packs," he whispered. "They'll come for you. You will fall..."
Then he collapsed.
Dead at last, it was all over.
The moment his body hit the earth, silence swept over the pack.
Then they all bowed down.
One by one.
"Alpha... Alpha... Alpha!"
They chanted Ryker's name as he ran across towards me.
I finally understood the trap and disarmed it. Carefully, I lifted my baby, cradling her against my chest.
Ryker stood as he watched me.
Our eyes met again, and without hesitation, we ran to each other.
He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me and the baby close.
"You're safe," he whispered, kissing my forehead. "It's all over now”
I trembled in his arms. "Here. Hold her for a second."
Ryker took the baby gently, rocking her with a small smile. "She looks like you."
Pain surged through me again.
I grabbed his arm. "The other one... The other baby is coming! Now!"
"What do I do?!" Ryker panicked, eyes wide.
"Just... stay."
I screamed.
**********
White walls. Beeping machines. The clean, sterile scent of a hospital—a scent I had gotten familiar with.
I lay in bed, sweat on my brow, but both babies at my side.
They were perfect. Two beautiful little angels.
Ryker stood nearby, his face covered in stitches and bruises. But his eyes were filled with something I hadn't seen in them in a long time— peace.
"I can't believe it," he said. "Two heirs. Not one. Two." He was excited to meet the twins.
He reached out and gently touched the babies' hands.
"I fought so hard, Lucy. For this. For you. For them. Nothing will ever take them away from me."
I smiled—but it was weak.
He noticed. "What's wrong?"
My lips trembled. I didn't want to tell him now, I didn't want to spoil this good moment with bad news.
“Lucy, we just spent the last day fighting for our lives. Come on, tell me what is it?"
"I was tricked," I said, voice shaking. "By the elders."
He stiffened.
"What do you mean?"
"They made me perform a ritual. Said it was for marking. But... it wasn’t. They sacrificed our babies to the moon," I looked down, I couldn't face him.
He froze.
"No," he whispered.
"Ryker..." I reached for his hand, but he stepped back.
“How could you do something so horrible?"
I flinched. The twins were sleeping in their cribs beside the hospital bed, and I turned toward him with hurt in my chest.
"Ryker, it wasn’t my fault. I didn’t know what I was doing. All I wanted... all I ever wanted... was to be marked."
He ran a hand through his blood-matted hair and let out a frustrated sigh. "Being marked is different, Lucy. You should have at least told me. You should have waited."
"I didn’t know!" I cried out. "I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought the ritual would help us... Keep us safe."
He looked at me, his jaw tight. Then he looked at our babies.
"They are ours, and no ritual, no elder, not even the moon is going to take them away from us."
Tears welled in my eyes.
"What do we do now?" I asked.
He leaned down and kissed my forehead.
"I think it's time we paid Nyra and the other elders a visit.
- Writer
