All Chapters of The Alpha's Fated Desire: Chapter 181 - Chapter 190

{Dominic}“Who's they?” Odessa asked, her eyes darting between Dahlia and I, filled with unease. I glanced over at her, “Corrupted creatures,” I said. “They’re not human, and all they do is hunt and destroy whatever’s in front of them.” “Like the one that attacked Lyra and I back at the asylum.” Odessa’s eyes widened in realization. “Exactly. But judging from the intensity of the smell, I would say these ones are way worse.”We all shared a look, and when Odessa saw my eyes, she began shaking her head. She obviously knew what I was about to say before I even said it.“I have to go out there.”“No,” Odessa said instantly, her voice sharp like cracked glass. “We’re not doing that. We just got you back, Dominic. You—this is a terrible plan.”I took in a breath and stepped forward, “I’m not going to sit here and wait to be cornered. We need a way out, and someone needs to draw that thing away from the exit.”“You’re not seriously thinking—” Dahlia started, but Odessa cut her off.“No.

{Dominic}I barely noticed Reina slip through the front door.“Ryker!” I barked, already charging through the hallway like a man on fire.He didn’t respond, and so I followed the scent of wind and steel up the stairs, two steps at a time, until I reached the terrace and shoved open the door.Ryker stood at the edge, arms crossed over his chest, wind tugging at his hair. His face was tight, mouth drawn in a grim line. He didn’t glance back when I stepped out.“What is it?” I asked, heartbeat already doing double time.He lifted a single finger and pointed outward. “Look.”I followed the direction of his hand and my stomach dropped. Down below, Crownshaven had turned into a waking nightmare.Smoke curled into the sky, flames licked the tops of buildings, people screamed and scattered like terrified birds as dozens of corrupted creatures crept along the streets. Twisted limbs, glowing eyes, and black-veined faces moved in a wave like a small army.A tight breath slipped past my teeth. “N

{Lyra}“No. Absolutely not,” I said, stepping in front of Eliza so fast I nearly tripped over the rug. “You are not going out there.”My mom—my actual, flesh-and-blood mother, who I had just gotten back after years of believing she was dead—stood inches from the door, her hand already on the knob. “I mean it, mom.” My voice cracked, embarrassingly so, but I didn’t care. “I just got you back. You think I’m about to let you go out there and lose you again? Over my dead body.”Her brows softened, but she didn’t move. She opened her mouth to speak—then a voice slithered through the walls like smoke.“I can smell you all in there…” it hissed. “When I’m done with her, I’ll kill the rest of you, one by one. Starting with the boy”My stomach dropped and a chill ran down my spine.That voice. That infuriatingly smug, corrupted, and deadpan tone—I’d know it anywhere.“Varen,” I breathed, while my heart drummed frantically in my chest. “H-How the hell did he find us?”“I don’t know,” Eliza murm

{Lyra}The darkness breathed. I know that sounds dramatic, but I swear, something in the void actually exhaled, and suddenly the pressure in the air tripled. Every inch of space around me thickened, and my lungs stopped cooperating like they’d just decided I was already gone for.Before I could come to terms with my new situation… he appeared.He didn’t walk or float or descend from the stars—he just manifested right in front of me. Like someone snapped their fingers and the very idea of a god decided to show up.He towered over me, easily eight feet tall, draped in celestial armor that glimmered with constellations that moved. It felt as if space itself was stitched into his robes. His skin was obsidian, sleek and smooth like polished stone, and his eyes burned like two blue-white suns that looked straight through me.I froze, and my knees locked up like rusted hinges. Every inch of me screamed run, but my feet stayed planted like I’d grown roots. Even if I could run, where would I g

{Dominic}Hearing those four words knocked the wind out of me in the best possible way. With her face still in my hands, I searched her eyes for any cracks, any sign that something was off, but all I saw was light. Pure, blistering light.“You’re okay,” I breathed, a little shakily. “You actually did it?”Lyra smiled, and I swear to the gods, the tower felt warmer for it.The skeleton began to glow from the inside out. Golden engravings flared to life on the bones like living ink, moving in waves until they suddenly vanished. I blinked, confused, until I saw the same engravings shimmer to life along Lyra’s arms, curling across her collarbone, crawling down her neck.“What the—”Before I could finish, the markings dimmed and sank into her skin like they’d never existed at all. But something was different now. The air changed.A warm, humming aura burst from her. It was both gentle and rich, like the scent of honeysuckle and firewood on a summer night. My heartbeat steadied. Every nerve