CHAPTER FOUR – POISONED BONDS

LYRA’S POV

“He is not moving. Why isn't he moving?” I demand as I stare down at the man before me.

Darius.

He is just lying there on the couch. His shirt is half torn from when he was fighting the guards and his skin is still burning like fire, like he is stuck between two worlds.

Which he is

I made sure of it.

Still, I hate how… still he is.

I watch him, as his chest moves up and down, as his eyes keep twitching like he is fighting something even in his sleep.

Fighting me.

Good luck with that.

The room smells like sweat and smoke and… something sharp. My dad’s beside me, his hands covered in that same dark powder smeared all over the floor.

“Hurry,” he says quietly. “You wanted him,” “Now bind him.”

I look down at the glass vial in my hand. The content inside glows strangely, gold and sick looking. I can feel it buzzing through my fingers. It is supposed to calm him. Heal him. At least that is what everyone else will think.

But I know better. It’s not healing. It’s control.

I kneel next to him. His skin’s so hot it burns. I almost pull back. Almost.

“Darius,” I whisper. “Drink this, okay? It’ll help.”

He doesn’t answer. Of course he doesn’t. He’s too far gone. I press the vial to his lips anyway, tilting it slow. I pour it down his throat watching as it glows for a second before fading out.

He twitches. Groans. His hand moves a little, like he’s reaching for something. Or someone.

And I already know who.

“Elara,” he mumbles, barely there.

I freeze. My stomach knots. I hate the way he says her name, even now. Half-dead and still thinking about her. Like she’s some light he can’t stop chasing.

I stand up fast. “Stop saying her name,” I whisper.

“It will take time, Lyra,” My dad sighs. “You can’t force love.”

“I’m not forcing it,” I snap. “I’m fixing it.”

He gives me that look. That quiet, tired look that says he knows I’m lying.

“You can feed him the potion, wrap your power around his mind. But his heart won’t change. It never will. You know this.”

I turn toward him, shaking. “You said this would make him mine.”

He doesn’t say anything.

“You promised,” I say louder. “You said this would-”

“It will make him loyal,” he cuts in. “Not in love. He will protect you. Believe what you say. But the bond between him and the Luna-” He stops. “It wasn’t yours to touch.”

My fists clench. “She’s gone,” I say. “Banished. Broken. Forgotten. That bond is nothing now.”

“Bonds don’t break that easy,” he mutters. “Not without a rejection.”

I ignore him. I don’t care.

Because right now, Darius’s breathing slows. His face softens. The dark veins fade.

It’s working.

I take a step closer. My heart’s pounding, way too fast. “See?” I whisper. “He’s calm now. He’s mine.”

Dad doesn’t reply. He is cleaning up the symbols on the floor, muttering about consequences and things we can’t undo.

Always consequences. Always warnings. I’m so done with them.

The door creaks open. I turn quickly.

It’s the Beta. He looks wrecked. His eyes flick from Darius to me. “Is he-?”

“He’s fine,” I say before he can finish. “He’s resting.”

He hesitates. “The elders are uneasy. They said the Luna’s banishment didn’t feel right. Some of the pack are asking questions.”

“Then make them stop asking,” I say flatly.

He frowns. “Lyra, I-”

I step closer, my voice low. “You helped me. You stood there, remember? You voted. You watched them drag her out. You said nothing. You are in this with me already, there is no point feeling guilty about it now..”

His frowns at me. “You think I don’t know that?”

“Then act like it,” I whisper. “You owe me. You owe him.”

He looks at Darius again and something moves in his face, guilt, maybe. Regret. Whatever. I don't care. “Fine,” he says as he nods and leaves.

The door closes. Silence.

I turn back to Darius. His breathing is normal now. He looks calmer.

Then his eyes open. Soft. Confused.

“Lyra?” he says, voice rough as he focuses on me

I almost laugh, it is me he called first. Good.. “Alpha,” I whisper, brushing his hair back. “You are okay now.”

He blinks. “What happened?”

“You were cursed,” I say fast. “You lost control. You-” I pause, pretending it hurts to say. “You almost died. But I stayed. I didn’t leave you.”

He stares at me, trying to remember what happened but fails. I can see it. The empty space where her name should be.

“Elara?” he asks weakly.

I breathe in sharp, pretending to hold back tears. “She betrayed you, Alpha. She cursed you.”

He flinches, grabs his head. “No. No, that can’t be.”

“I wish it wasn’t true,” I say as I reach for his hand. “But I saw it. We all did. The elders, the pack. She is gone now. She is banished. For the sake of the pack. And for you. And see, you are already getting better.”

He goes quiet. His hand slips from mine. His eyes close again, tired.

I sit next to him, watching him breathe. My fingers trace the mark on his wrist, the one that used to glow when she touched him. It’s faint now. Almost gone.

Good.

When the room goes dark and quiet, I grab the silver bowl. Fill it with water. Dad’s gone now, but I don’t need him. Not for this.

I light a candle. Whisper the words.

The air hums, sharp and heavy. The flame flickers. My reflection ripples in the water as I start the second part of the spell, the one that ties him closer to me.

A soft glow spreads from the bowl, wrapping around my hands. I feel it reach out to him, threads wrapping around his chest, his heart.

“Mine,” I whisper.

Then-

The light explodes.

A blinding flash fills the room. I get thrown back, hard. The candle goes out. The air smells like burnt metal.

When I look up, someone’s standing there. Glowing. Eyes like silver fire.

The moon goddess.

Her voice isn’t loud, but it shakes everything. “You have crossed a line, child. One you had no business tampering with.”

I wipe the blood from my lip and laugh. “If I cared about your lines, goddess, I wouldn’t have started this.”

Her face doesn’t move. “You cannot twist fate.”

“Then maybe I’ll break it,” I whisper.

Her light flares. My heart burns, but I don’t stop. I push the words out, shaking.

“I’m in charge now.”

And the light shatters around me.