CHAPTER THREE

At first, it was faint, like a whisper in the back of my mind. But it grew stronger and stronger until it became the sound of heavy footsteps.

It wasn’t the pull of the mate bond or the ritual bells that caught my attention. It was something else. Something darker.

I turned toward the sound, my eyes searching the shadows at the edge of the clearing. A figure stood there, shrouded in darkness, watching. Waiting.

“Lyra.” Kayden’s voice was firm as he pulled me closer.

“Who the hell is that?” Ronan barked, his stance tense as he glared at the intruder.

“What’s going on?” Jace asked, following my gaze.

"I don’t know," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. My heart pounded as unease settled deep in my chest.

A low growl rumbled through the gathered wolves, their fur bristling at the intrusion.

“Who dares interrupt the Blood Moon ritual?” the elder wolf demanded, his voice carrying a note of fear.

The figure remained silent. Then, with a slow, deliberate motion, he raised his hand.

The glowing runestones flickered. The electric currents surrounding them crackled and then—vanished.

A hush fell over the clearing. Wolves shuffled back, wary and tense. My breath hitched. He wasn’t just anyone. He was powerful.

A witch? No—something worse. The witch clans weren’t allowed in our territory, yet here he was.

“Who are you?” Kayden asked, his voice sharp.

The figure reached up and pulled back his hood, revealing a man with piercing red eyes and an aura of pure malice.

“You can call me Malachy,” he said, his voice soft yet deathly cold.

The name sent a shiver down my spine.

Jace stiffened beside me. “Malachy?” he whispered, his voice laced with disbelief. “I thought you were dead.”

I turned to him. He knew him?

Malachy’s lips curled into a wicked smile. “The triplet Alphas—Kayden, the powerful. Jace, the charming. Ronan, the ruthless,” he mused. “What a grand reunion.”

“What do you want?” Ronan demanded, stepping forward without hesitation, his voice hard as steel.

Malachy’s crimson eyes locked onto mine, sending a chill through my bones.

“You,” he said.

The single word echoed through the clearing, sending a wave of unease over the gathered wolves.

Kayden immediately stepped in front of me. “Over my dead body.”

Malachy’s eerie smile widened. “Maybe.”

Before I could react, a surge of dark energy erupted from him, snaking toward me like glowing tendrils of green and yellow lightning.

I gasped as they wrapped around my throat—squeezing, seeping into my soul. My wolf whimpered inside me, growing weaker under the suffocating force.

I clawed at my neck, but the energy wasn’t tangible—it was something otherworldly, impossible to grasp.

“Let go of her!” Kayden roared, his fury shaking the ground beneath us.

One of the Alphas shifted. Then another. A blur of fur and muscle launched at Malachy, slamming into him with the force of a storm.

The impact sent him staggering, his concentration breaking. The dark tendrils around my throat vanished.

I collapsed to my knees, gasping for air, my hands trembling as I clutched my neck. Every breath burned, but I was free.

The wolves attacked again, their massive bodies colliding with Malachy, pinning him to the ground. He struggled, but they were relentless.

Kayden shifted back into his human form, his gaze locking onto mine. “Jace, get her out of here!”

Jace grabbed my arm, yanking me to my feet. “Come, Lyra!”

“But—”

A deafening roar erupted behind us.

I turned just in time to see Malachy rise from the ground, his red eyes burning with fury. The air around him crackled, dark energy coiling like a living thing.

Then, he smiled.

"Now!" Jace’s voice snapped me out of my daze. I didn’t even have time to argue—I just ran, my legs barely functioning. They ached from all the sprinting earlier, but I pushed through, following him into the forest.

By the time we reached a hidden spot, my breath was ragged. He made me crouch beside him, his eyes scanning the darkness.

"What the hell is going on? Who is he?" I whispered, my heart still hammering in my chest.

Jace didn’t look at me. "I don’t know, Lyra."

I frowned. "I heard you say his name. You called him Malachy."

His head snapped toward me so fast it made me flinch.

"You heard nothing, Lyra," he warned, his eyes gleaming in the dim light. "Nothing."

But I had. And I wasn’t about to let it go.

"You thought he was dead." My voice was quieter now, more careful. "Did you try to kill him?"

"Shut up, Lyra." His tone was sharp, a quiet threat laced in his words. "And don’t breathe a word of this to my brothers, or I’ll make your life a living hell."

I swallowed but held my ground. "I’m not trying to start anything, Jace. I just want to know why he’s after me. That’s it."

Jace exhaled, his jaw clenching. "He must need you for something. He made that pretty damn clear." His voice softened just a little. "But I’m not letting him take you. Not on my watch."

A lump formed in my throat, fear twisting in my stomach.

"After this is over, can I—"

Jace's hand clamped over my mouth, silencing me. My eyes widened, but then I heard it too.

Footsteps.

Slow. Deliberate.

Then that voice—low and taunting, carrying through the stillness of the forest.

"Lyra, girl… I know you’re here."

Malachy.

Panic surged through me, tightening my chest. I could still feel the phantom grip of his magic choking the air from my lungs.

"I’ll distract him," Jace murmured. "See that path?" He pointed. "Run for it the second I make my move."

I nodded, swallowing hard.

"Be safe," he whispered before slipping into the shadows, moving from tree to tree like a ghost.

Then, without hesitation, he stepped into the light.

"Where is Lyra?" Malachy’s voice was casual, almost amused.

I tensed, carefully inching toward the path, trying not to draw attention too soon.

"You’ll never find her, Malachy," Jace said, his voice steady.

"Too bad. For you."

Before I could process what was happening, Malachy lifted his hand and sent a blast of burning orange light straight at Jace.

The force knocked him back, his body engulfed in the crackling energy.

"Jace—no!" The words tore from my throat before I could stop them.

Malachy turned his gaze toward me, a smirk curling at his lips.

"There you are, Lyra," he drawled, chuckling darkly.

"Lyra, run!" Jace gasped, still struggling against the magic binding him.

I spun on my heels and bolted.

I had no plan—just run, run, run.

The path was right there, just a few more steps—

"Got you."

The voice was right in my ear, sending ice through my veins.

Then his hand closed around my throat.