Lycans Don't Lie

Chapter 2 Poisoned Ties

POV: Caden (Lycans Alpha Heir)

The scent of rotting blueberries hit me the moment I kicked open Jax's dorm door. f**k. Empty vials rolled under the bed, glowing faintly pink. Bloodsinger nectar.

"Bro?" I flipped him over. His pupils were blown, canines protruding at a sick angle. Like a teen wolf gone wrong.

Jax's phone lit up with a t****k notification:

@BloodBae420: New Moon Mocktail Recipe~

The video showed Marcus shaking a cocktail with ruby-colored ice cubes. "Guaranteed to make your night... unforgettable."

I smashed the screen. My brother was an i***t, but not this kind of i***t. Unless...

The closet door creaked open. Elara's scent punched me in the gut - wildflowers and fresh blood. She stood there gripping my silver letter opener (useless against Lycans, but cute effort).

"Explain." She pointed at Jax's twitching form. "Or I stab you where the sun doesn't shine."

POV: Elara

Caden's laugh was all teeth. "That's for vampires, sweetheart." He yanked open Jax's mini-fridge. Inside: six bottles of MoonKissed Energy Drink.

"See the sediment?" He held one up. Gold flecks swirled in the purple liquid. "Bloodsinger spice. Makes us... suggestible."

Jax suddenly convulsed. His hand shot out, claws shredding the mattress. "She's coming," he rasped.

Caden went rigid. "Who?"

The window exploded.

POV: Third-Person (Marcus the Bloodsinger)

Marcus adjusted his cufflinks as glass rained down. Dramatic, but necessary. The security cam footage playing on his laptop showed Elara "attacking" Jax - conveniently edited to cut before his fangs appeared.

"Mother will love this," he murmured, sending the file to the Lycan Council. His nail traced the frozen image of Elara's terrified face. So much prettier when bleeding.

POV: Elara

A woman stood in the broken window. Silk dress. Pearl necklace. And eyes the same gold as Caden's.

"Mother," Caden growled.

She stepped over the glass like it was rose petals. "You were supposed to kill her at dawn." Her gaze landed on me. "Now I'll have to stain my Chanels."

Flashback POV: Jax (48 Hours Earlier)

The energy drink burned going down. Damn tasty though.

"Feel it yet?" Marcus slid closer in the booth, his cold fingers brushing Jax's wrist.

"Feel what?" Jax's laugh came out too high. His skin itched. The bartender's neck pulsed so loud...

Marcus whispered in his ear: "When you smell wildflowers, attack."

POV: Caden

I blocked Mother's first strike. Her claws tore through my hoodie. "She's my bonded!"

"Not if the covenant isn't signed." Mother flicked blood off her pearls. "Really, Caden. A human? After we purged the last mixed-blood litter?"

Elara made a choked sound. Litter.

"Sign or die, darling." Mother tossed a scroll at Elara's feet. It unrolled with a snap, revealing clauses written in... moving ink?

POV: Elara

The contract pulsed like a living thing. Clause 12a glowed red:

"Witnessed by Lycan Alpha: Hybrid offspring shall be euthanized."

Caden's breath hitched. That's when I noticed - his mother's signature was already there. In blood.

"Tick-tock." Mother checked her diamond watch. "The Bloodsingers are hosting a hunt tonight. Guess who's the fox?"

POV: Caden

I saw the decision flash in Elara's eyes before she moved.

"No!" I lunged -

She grabbed the contract and ate it.

POV: Elara

The parchment tasted like burnt hair. It wriggled down my throat. Mother Lycan's scream shattered the mirrors.

Caden stared at me like I'd grown a tail. "You... consumed a magically binding..."

The room tilted. My veins lit up with liquid fire. Somewhere, Marcus was laughing.