Chapter 4: Blood on the Alpha’s Land

The second scream didn’t fade.

It echoed.

Loud. Raw. Terrified.

Lyra’s entire body went cold.

“They’re inside…” she whispered.

Oliver was already moving.

He crossed the room in seconds and locked the door with a sharp click. Then he turned, his expression calm but his eyes alert.

“Stay behind me,” he said.

Lyra nodded quickly, her heart pounding.

Outside, chaos had erupted.

Heavy footsteps. Shouts. The sound of something crashing against walls.

And beneath it all

Growls.

Not just wolves.

Something else.

Something darker.

Damon moved like a storm through the pack grounds.

Warriors rushed past him, shifting mid-run, their bodies snapping into powerful wolves as they joined the fight.

The scent of blood hit him instantly.

Fresh.

Sharp.

His eyes darkened.

“Report!” he barked.

“They came out of nowhere!” one of the guards shouted. “They’re not fighting like wolves!”

Damon didn’t slow.

He could already see them.

Figures moving through the courtyard—fast, unnatural, their movements almost twisted.

One lunged at a pack warrior.

Damon reached them in a second.

His fist slammed into the attacker’s chest, sending him flying across the ground.

The man or whatever he was hit the wall with a sickening crack.

But instead of staying down

He stood.

Slowly.

His head tilted unnaturally.

Then he smiled.

Damon’s expression hardened.

Not normal.

Definitely not normal.

The attacker rushed him again.

Faster this time.

Damon didn’t hesitate.

He shifted.

Bones cracked.

Muscles tore and reformed.

In seconds, a massive black wolf stood in his place.

His growl shook the ground.

The attacker lunged

Damon met him head-on.

Claws tore through flesh.

Blood splattered across the stone.

This time

The attacker didn’t get up.

Inside the room, Lyra flinched.

She felt it.

Every hit.

Every movement.

Like something was pulling at her senses.

“What is happening…” she whispered.

Oliver glanced at her.

“You tell me.”

Lyra shook her head, her breathing uneven.

“I’ve never felt this before…”

Suddenly

A loud bang hit the door.

Both of them froze.

Another hit.

Harder.

The wood cracked slightly.

Lyra stumbled back.

“They found me…”

“No,” Oliver said firmly, stepping forward.

“They found us.”

The door shook again.

Then

Silence.

For one long, terrifying second.

Then the handle slowly turned.

Lyra’s heart stopped.

But the door didn’t open.

Oliver had locked it.

A low chuckle came from the other side.

“You think this will stop us?”

The voice was wrong.

Distorted.

Not fully human.

Lyra’s blood ran cold.

She knew that voice.

Her lips trembled.

“No…” she whispered.

The door exploded inward.

Wood splintered across the room.

A man stepped inside.

Tall.

Thin.

His eyes glowed faintly in the dark.

And his smile

Was familiar.

Too familiar.

Lyra staggered back.

“It’s you…”

The man tilted his head.

“Miss me?”

Oliver moved instantly.

He attacked without hesitation.

But the man was fast.

Too fast.

He dodged easily and struck Oliver across the room.

Oliver hit the wall hard, grunting in pain.

Lyra’s breath caught.

“No!”

The man’s gaze shifted back to her.

“There you are,” he said softly.

“I’ve been looking for you.”

Lyra shook her head, stepping back.

“Stay away from me!”

He laughed.

“You don’t get to run anymore.”

Her back hit the wall.

Nowhere left to go.

The silver mark on her wrist burned.

Bright.

Painful.

The man’s eyes lit up.

“There it is…” he whispered.

“Do you know how long we’ve waited for this?”

Lyra’s vision blurred.

Her body trembled violently.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

The man stepped closer.

“Yes, you do.”

He reached for her

And suddenly

A powerful force slammed him backward.

He crashed into the far wall.

The entire room shook.

Damon stood in the doorway.

His eyes burned with rage.

His presence filled the space like a storm ready to destroy everything.

The air grew heavy.

Dangerous.

“Touch her again,” Damon said coldly,

“And you die.”

The man laughed as he stood up slowly.

“Ah… the Alpha.”

His gaze flickered between Damon and Lyra.

“So it’s true.”

Damon didn’t move.

“What do you want?”

The man smiled wider.

“Her.”

Damon’s expression didn’t change.

“Not happening.”

The man sighed dramatically.

“You wolves never understand the bigger picture.”

His eyes shifted to Lyra again.

“She doesn’t belong to you.”

Damon’s voice dropped.

“She’s mine.”

The words were quiet.

But absolute.

The man’s smile faded slightly.

“Then you’ll die with her.”

He moved.

Fast.

But Damon was faster.

They clashed violently.

The force of it cracked the floor beneath them.

Lyra could barely follow the movements.

Blows. Speed. Power.

It was overwhelming.

Oliver struggled to his feet, joining the fight.

Together, they pushed the attacker back.

But something was wrong.

The man wasn’t weakening.

If anything

He was getting stronger.

“Damon!” Oliver shouted. “He’s not normal!”

Damon already knew.

This wasn’t just an enemy.

This was something created.

Something unnatural.

The man suddenly laughed.

“You feel it, don’t you?”

Damon’s eyes narrowed.

“Feel what?”

The man’s gaze shifted to Lyra.

“Her power.”

Lyra froze.

The mark on her wrist burned brighter.

The room seemed to pulse with energy.

“Stop…” she whispered.

But it didn’t stop.

The light spread.

The air grew thick.

Heavy.

Unstable.

The man grinned.

“Yes… that’s it.”

Damon turned sharply.

“Lyra control it!”

“I can’t!” she cried.

The power surged.

Exploded outward.

A wave of force threw everyone back.

The windows shattered.

The walls cracked.

Silence followed.

Heavy.

Shocking.

Damon pushed himself up slowly.

His eyes immediately searched for her.

“Lyra!”

She lay on the ground.

Unmoving.

The glow on her wrist slowly faded.

The attacker stood as well.

Breathing heavily.

But smiling.

“Now you see,” he said.

“She’s not just a girl.”

Damon’s expression turned deadly.

“You’re leaving.”

The man smirked.

“For now.”

His gaze lingered on Lyra.

“We’ll be back for you.”

Then

He disappeared into the shadows.

Gone.

Damon didn’t chase him.

He turned immediately.

And rushed to Lyra.

He dropped beside her, pulling her gently into his arms.

Her body was warm.

Too warm.

“Lyra… wake up.”

No response.

For the first time

Fear crossed his face.