The Alpha's Bite

chapter three

Lyra's POV

Fire burned through my veins. Every nerve ending screamed. I was dimly aware of Kael stepping back, of the crowd gasping, of guards rushing forward. But all I could focus on was the power erupting inside me like a volcano that had been dormant for too long.

The mark on my neck felt like a brand, hot and painful. But it was not just pain. It was... awakening. Like something that had been sleeping my entire life suddenly opened its eyes.

I could feel everything. The heartbeat of every wolf in the circle. The fear rolling off the guards. And most overwhelming of all, I could feel him. Kael. His shock. His confusion. His terror.

"Get her to the cells," Kael ordered, but his voice sounded strained. "Now."

The guards grabbed me, but when their hands touched my arms, I felt their life force like candle flames in the darkness. I instinctively knew I could snuff them out if I wanted. The realization horrified me.

They dragged me through the fortress. I barely registered the stone hallways and iron doors. Everything was too bright, too loud, too much. My senses had sharpened to an unbearable degree. I could smell the fear on the guards. I could hear conversations happening three floors away. I could feel the ancient power of the fortress itself, built on ground that remembered blood.

The cell was small and dark. They threw me inside and slammed the door. I curled up on the floor, trying to make sense of what was happening.

The bond. That was supposed to e*****e me, make me obedient to Kael's will. But instead, it felt like a two-way street. I could sense him even now, somewhere above me in the fortress. His heart was racing. He was pacing. He was afraid.

Good. He should be.

Hours passed. Or maybe minutes. Time felt strange. Eventually, the burning in my blood settled into a steady hum. I sat up and examined my arms in the dim light. They looked the same, but I knew I was different now. Changed.

The cell door opened. I expected guards, but instead, an old woman shuffled in carrying a tray. She was hunched and weathered, with sharp eyes that seemed to see too much.

"You need to eat," she said, setting down the tray. "Even with new power, your body still needs fuel."

"Who are you?"

"Elder Mora. I'm the pack healer." She studied me with interest. "Though I suspect you don't need much healing. Not anymore."

I looked at the food but did not touch it. "What happened to me?"

"You awakened something that was supposed to stay asleep." Mora sat down on the bench, uninvited. "Tell me, child. What do you know about your mother?"

"She's dead. Died when I was eight."

"And before that? Where did she come from?"

I had asked my mother that question a hundred times. She never answered. "She never said. Just told me and Finn to stay hidden. To never tell anyone what we were."

Mora nodded like this confirmed something. "Your mother was smart. She knew the old bloodlines were being hunted. She ran far enough and hid well enough to keep you alive. But blood will always out in the end."

"What bloodline? What are you talking about?"

The old woman leaned closer. "Moonborne. That is what flows through your veins. The Alpha thought he was marking a helpless omega, but he actually woke up the one thing that can destroy him."

My breath caught. The Moonborne. The extinct bloodline Finn had been researching. "That's impossible. They're all dead."

"Most are. But not all. Your mother survived the m******e. She was pregnant with you when she escaped. She hid in the human world and raised you without teaching you what you were. Without training you. She thought if you never knew, you would be safe."

"Then why did the bond awaken it?"

"Because Alpha bonds are powerful magic. They dig deep into a wolf's essence. When Kael marked you, the magic touched your bloodline and recognized what you were. It could not suppress a Moonborne. So instead, it woke you up."

I pressed my hand against the mark on my neck. It still throbbed. "What does that mean? What am I now?"

"Dangerous," Mora said simply. "The Moonborne were created as balance. Where Alphas have strength and dominance, Moonborne have the power to drain them. To hold them accountable. That is why they were killed. Because Alphas feared losing their control."

I thought of Kael's face when he stepped back from me. The terror in his eyes. "Can I... can I hurt him through the bond?"

"You can kill him through it if you choose. The bond meant to e*****e you has instead become his leash. Every day, he will weaken. Every day, you will grow stronger. Unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless you complete the bond properly. Accept him as a true mate, not a master. Then the bond will stabilize, and you will become equals. A balanced pair, like in the old days."

I laughed bitterly. "He killed people like me. He probably killed my family. Why would I ever accept that bond?"

Mora stood slowly, her bones creaking. "Because right now, your brother is three floors below us in the deep dungeons. And the only person with the authority to free him is the Alpha you are currently killing."

My stomach dropped. "Finn is here? He is alive?"

"For now. But Marcus Thorne wants him dead. Says he is a threat because of what he knows. Kael has been holding him here instead. The only reason your brother still breathes is because of the man you hate."

She shuffled toward the door, then paused. "You have power now, child. But power without wisdom is just destruction. Think carefully about what you want. Revenge, or results."

The door closed behind her, leaving me alone with impossible choices.

I lay back on the cold floor and closed my eyes. Through the bond, I could still feel Kael. His confusion had shifted to determination. He was planning something.

Good. So was I.

Finn was alive. That was all that mattered. And I would do whatever it took to get him out, even if it meant playing along with this bond until I understood it better. Even if it meant getting close to the Alpha who had destroyed my family.

I touched the mark on my neck again. It had stopped hurting. Now it just felt warm, like a constant reminder of the connection I could not break.

Kael Draven thought he had punished me. He thought he had made me his property.

He had no idea what he had actually done.

He had given his enemy a weapon. And that weapon was the bond itself.