CHAPTER 3: The Alpha Challenge

Kyara's POV

Everything around me froze as Victor emerged out of the shadows. His eyes, filled with a familiar, sickly brightness, fastened on me. I could feel the mate bond tugging at me again, a sensation I thought I had forgotten under the weight of his rejection. But this time, things were different. Darker. More demanding.

Eric's growl rumbled low in his throat, and his body tightened as he stood protectively in front of me. "Leave now, Victor, before I tear you apart," Eric said in a hard, unyielding voice.

But Victor simply smirked, his gaze shifting between us. "I'm not here for a fight, Eric," he remarked nonchalantly, but the stress in his voice belied his words. His gaze returned to me, and I felt the strain of his presence wrap around me like a chokehold. "I'm here for her."

My pulse raced and panic rose in my chest. "I don't belong to you anymore," I mumbled, forcing the words out, but they rang empty even to my ears.

Victor's sneer intensified, and his eyes narrowed. "Oh, Kyara. You have always belonged to me. You just don't recognize it yet."

Eric took a stride toward him, his biceps flashing with suppressed wrath. "She's under my protection now," he muttered, and for a brief moment, I feared he'd change right there. His wolf was agitated, scratching just beneath the surface.

But Victor did not flinch. He leaned closer slightly, his voice lowering to a frightening whisper. "Do you think she's safe with you, Eric?" You have no idea what is coming. She's destined for something much bigger than either of us." His stare returned to me, piercing and calculated. "When that day arrives, no one will be able to stop it. "Not even her."

Before I could grasp his words, the air surrounding us appeared to thicken, with a weird energy crackling in the air. My chest constricted as something stirred deep within me, a familiar yet terrible feeling of power seething beneath the surface. It was the same power that had thrown the wolf earlier, an energy I couldn't understand or control.

Eric's eyes darted to me, concern flashing across his normally stern expression. "Kyara…" he began softly, but with an edge, I couldn't place. Fear? Worry?

Victor also observed the transformation, and his eyes lit up with wicked pleasure. "There it is," he whispered, his lips curving into a menacing smirk. "The power." Do you feel it?

I shook my head and moved away from both of them. "No... I don't know what's happening to me."

Victor stepped forward, ignoring Eric's warning snarl. "It is a prophecy, Kyara." You are more than you realize. You are the key to everything. And the power? "This is only the beginning."

"I don't want it!" I screamed, my voice shaking as terror clutched at me. "I don't want any of this!"

Victor's smile did not waver. "It does not matter what you want. The prophecy does not care. "And soon, neither will you."

Eric then rushed forward, knocking Victor into a neighboring tree with enough force to shake the ground. "I warned you," Eric hissed, his voice low and menacing. His eyes sparkled with the promise of fury, and for a brief moment, I imagined him ripping Victor apart and ending this nightmare.

But Victor laughed, even as blood flowed from the corner of his mouth. "Go ahead, Eric," he taunted, his voice full of arrogance. "Kill me." "Watch what happens when the prophecy unfolds without you."

Eric's hold on Victor's throat intensified, and for a brief moment, I believed he might do it. I could sense him exuding raw force and barely restrained wrath. But suddenly something in Eric's expression changed. His eyes twitched, and he hesitated—only for a second.

Victor took advantage of that opportunity.

With a violent twist, he broke free from Eric's grip and stepped back, still smiling. "You'll regret not killing me tonight," he added, wiping the dust off his jacket. "Don't worry. You'll get another chance soon enough.

Eric clenched his hands, yet he remained still. His breathing was raspy, controlled only by pure willpower. The stillness that followed was oppressive, the air between them heavy with implicit threats.

Victor returned his attention to me, his eyes softening, but the darkness remained just beneath the surface. "Think about what I said, Kyara," he said, his tone disturbingly kind. "You will understand soon enough. And when you do, I will be waiting."

With that, he vanished into the darkness, leaving me alone with my quick breathing and the terrible quiet between me and Eric.

We both remained still for an extended period. I could feel Eric's heavy, inquiring gaze on me, but I couldn't force myself to meet his eyes. My thoughts were racing, Victor's words repeating over and over in my head.

"The key to everything…" What exactly did that mean? What was this power within me, and why was it linked to a prophecy I couldn't understand?

Finally, Eric spoke, his tone low and controlled. "Kyara, we need to talk."

I swallowed hard, my throat tight from dread and confusion. "About what?"

He moved closer, his stare fierce and seeking. "About what has just transpired. Consider what you just did.

I shook my head and stepped back slightly. "I'm not sure what I did, Eric. "I don't know anything anymore."

"You're not telling me everything," he continued, his voice hard and assertive. "I can't protect you if you keep hiding things from me."

Will you protect me? I tried to chuckle, but the sound stuck in my throat. How could he protect me from something I couldn't understand?

"I'm not hiding anything," I said quietly, my voice barely audible.

Eric's jaw tightened, his frustration evident. "You have to trust me, Kyara. I need to know what this prophecy is about, and what power you're holding. If Victor is correct, and you are the key to all of this, we do not have time to play games."

His comments struck me hard, and I realized just how serious this was. This wasn't only about me anymore. It was far bigger than I had thought. And I was standing in the middle of everything, totally disoriented.

I opened my mouth to answer, but then a sharp, scorching agony rushed through my chest. I gasped, holding my heart as the sensation overtook me, and my legs gave way beneath me.

Eric was by my side in a second, his powerful arms catching me before I struck the ground. "Kyara!" His voice was full of panic, which I had never heard from him before.

But the suffering was too much. My eyesight dimmed as the world around me began to whirl. Something was awry; something deep within me was cracking.

As I struggled to maintain consciousness, a cold and foreign voice echoed in my thoughts.

"The hour is approaching, Kyara. Soon, you will have a decision to make. "Mercy or destruction."

And suddenly everything went black.