Chapter 8 — The Edge of Death
1170 Words
Chapter 8 — The Edge of Death
Lyra's POV.
Our progress was limited.
The night shifted abruptly, the howl still reverberating through me. The woods fell silent, a stillness that felt off, as if the earth itself were pausing.
She halted.
"Down," she breathed.
I barely had a moment to process what was happening before she pushed me behind a downed tree. My side erupted with agony when I slammed onto the ground. I bit my lip, trying to stifle the sound.
The scent hit me.
Crimson. Decay. Fury.
Rogues.
Not a single one.
A multitude.
Emerging from the gloom, they were shadows with a bite. Their eyes were alight, their frames marked and wiry. They weren't starving drifters. They were murderers.
The woman muttered a curse, barely audible. "They were following us."
My pulse raced. Can we run?”
She met my gaze, truly met it, and her response was all there, in her eyes.
No.
The initial attack came from the rogue.
The woman transformed in an instant, her form becoming a massive grey wolf. She collided with the assailant, jaws snapping shut, guttural sounds echoing.
I clawed my way backward, my wounded form scraping against the earth. My hands trembled uncontrollably, making even the simplest actions a challenge. I lagged behind. Not strong enough.
The rogue shifted, their gaze locking onto mine.
Its lips pulled back, revealing a set of teeth stained with age.
The sound escaped me.
It sprang.
The agony of the creature's claws raked across my shoulder, a sudden, searing pain. The impact was jarring, a sudden loss of air. The world spun. My sight wavered.
My foot connected with its chest in a flurry of kicks. The first rogue growled, then faltered, but a second immediately stepped forward.
My wolf stirred, a feeble thing, yet desperate. I attempted to move, a subtle shift, a small act of defiance.
Nothing happened.
I felt hollow.
Shattered.
The creature lunged, its jaws closing around my calf. I screamed once more, the cry shredding my throat. The earth was saturated with it, a warm, awful presence.
So this is it, I thought, fading.
Not in the pack.
The past is a blur.
Another omega, adrift in the shadows.
The night was shattered by a deafening roar.
The woman's wolf slammed into the rogues once more, a whirlwind of claws and fury. She was formidable, no doubt, but the odds were stacked against her.
A lone figure detached from the group and came at me.
I lifted my arms, a futile gesture, and wept, my frame shaking.
Then—
A sudden impact struck the rogue, a force from the side.
Another wolf.
Enormous. Darkness. Quick.
The creature struck, a savage blow that sent the assailant sprawling. More forms materialized, wolves with keen gazes and deliberate strides, encircling me.
Not rogues.
A different pack.
It was a brief, brutal clash. The battle's aftermath left the earth a deep crimson, and those who remained of the rogues vanished into the woods.
I was still, hardly able to draw a breath.
A figure materialized, blurring the edges of my sight. Lanky. Brunette. His eyes, a peculiar silver-blue, held a steady gaze, both serene and watchful.
"She's alive," he murmured. Barely.
The woman transformed, her shape returning to that of a human, and she hurried to me. Her hands trembled, hovering over my injuries. "She's bleeding out."
"We can't just send her back," the man stated. “If her Alpha finds her—”
"I don't belong to him," I murmured, my voice barely audible.
The words left a sour aftertaste.
His gaze was piercing. "You belong to him."
I averted my gaze. "He rejected me."
The air grew still.
He let out a long breath. It's a tougher situation now.
The world around me seemed to fade, the edges blurring. The ache receded, becoming a faint echo of its former self. My limbs felt weighted down. Chilly.
The woman leaned in, her voice a whisper of need. Lyra, you need to hear me out. It's time for bed.
"I don't want to die," I murmured.
Her throat tightened. You won't. The world, however, will believe otherwise.
My lips curled in a faint frown. What?”
The man knelt next to me. "This is the only way to keep you safe." If Raine thinks you're still breathing, he'll show up. And others will come.
My breath hitched. "Let him come."
"No," she said, her voice sharp. You deserve peace. A life unbound by fate or harshness.
My eyelids felt like lead. Will he… know? ”
He hesitated.
Then, in a hushed voice, he added, "He'll think you're dead."
Tears pooled at the edges of my eyes.
Perhaps… perhaps that was the better choice.
Her hand, a soft, comforting touch, swept through my hair.
"I promise," she breathed, "you'll survive."
The void consumed me.
—
The morning greeted me with a sharp ache.
The searing agony was a stark reminder: I was still breathing.
The air was fresh. Herbs. The air was thick with it. Soft, warm fur. I attempted to shift, letting out a quiet cry.
"Easy," a voice said. "You are safe."
I blinked.
The flickering glow of the fire illuminated the cramped space of the cave. I was swaddled in fresh linen, my injuries tended to. My temples pulsed. The pain radiated from my side.
The woman settled next to me, her features a map of weariness.
"You should be dead," she murmured.
Panic seized me. "But I'm not."
“No,” she agreed. “You’re not.”
She handed me a cup. “Drink slowly.”
I did. My hands trembled, yet the liquid offered a welcome relief to my throat.
What went down?I inquired.
She paused. We left a body near the border. Scorched. Unrecognizable.
My gut churned. A corpse? ”
"From the rogues," she said. The smell was hidden. Your blood was everywhere.
It dawned on me gradually.
They're convinced it's me.
Her head bobbed in agreement. The pack will discover the remnants come dawn.
My chest tightened.
Raine.
Mira.
The pack.
They would grieve my passing. Or perhaps they simply wouldn't.
"He'll feel it," I murmured. The bond.
"Not for long," she replied. We employed an age-old technique. It will go silent. Dormant.
My hand went to my chest. The subtle, constant pull I always felt was gone.
I should have felt a weight lift.
I felt empty, instead.
"Who are you?" I inquired quietly.
She met my gaze. “Someone who also died once.”
Silence enveloped the cave.
The wind whispered its secrets among the branches.
I reclined, eyes fixed on the stone above, my body ached, my heart shattered, my history wiped clean.
Lyra Hale, the slave omega, was dead.
And somewhere far away—
An Alpha would soon survey the charred remnants, convinced he'd obliterated his mate for good.
I shut my eyes.
Little did they know, this demise was merely the opening act.
My destiny, it seemed, had more in store.
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