All Chapters of The Alpha's Rejected Mate : Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

Lyra POV The palace had never been this quiet.Not even during funerals.I stood beneath the shattered archway of the Moon Hall, staring at the place where the third black star had appeared.It remained there.Motionless.Watching.I could feel it.Not with my eyes.With something deeper.Something inside me.“Lyra.”Kael’s voice came from behind me.I turned.He stood several feet away, his silver eyes fixed on the sky. His expression was calm, but I knew him well enough to recognize the tension in his shoulders.“The others are securing the palace,” he said. “The guards have been ordered to keep everyone away from the eastern wing.”“And the Heart?”“Still stable.”I exhaled slowly.For the first time since the Citadel of Ash collapsed, I allowed myself to believe that perhaps we had survived.Then a crystal beside me disappeared.I froze.It didn't shatter.It didn't crack.It simply ceased to exist.Kael saw it too.His hand immediately moved toward his sword.“That’s the third o

Lyra's POVI could hear Kael breathing.Slow.Careful.Terrified.Not of the Void.Of me.I stood completely still as darkness crawled beneath my skin.It wasn't painful anymore.That frightened me more than the pain.Something inside me had awakened.Something that knew my body better than I did.“Lyra.”Kael's voice trembled.I looked at him.For a moment, I saw only him.The man who had stood beside me against Malakar.The man who had entered the Citadel of Ash with me.The man who had chosen me when the Blood Flame offered him everything.“Kael…”My voice sounded normal.His shoulders relaxed.“It's you.”He started toward me.I held up my hand.“Don't.”He stopped.The darkness inside me whispered.Kill him.I clenched my fists.“No.”Kael stared at me.“What?”“Nothing.”The darkness laughed inside my head.He is the only thing anchoring you to yourself.I shut my eyes.Remove him.“Get out of my head.”Kael stepped closer.“Who are you talking to?”I opened my eyes.“The Void.”

Lyra's POVI couldn't move.Kael stood before me.But the thing wearing his face wasn't Kael.Its silver hair was the same.Its body was the same.Even the tiny scar beneath his left eye was there.But his eyes…They were black.Completely black.“You're lying,” I whispered.The creature smiled.“I have no reason to.”I tightened my grip on the Blade of Dawn.“Give him back.”It tilted Kael's head.“He was never yours to begin with.”My heart cracked.“That isn't true.”“Isn't it?”It took one step toward me.“The man you love is only a vessel now.”“No.”“You can still save him.”My breath caught.“How?”The creature smiled.“Kill me.”I stared at it.“What?”“Kill this body.”My fingers tightened around the blade.“If you destroy me, Kael dies with me.”I lowered the weapon slightly.“You're bluffing.”“Am I?”It pressed one hand against its chest.The black mark beneath Kael's skin pulsed.His face suddenly twisted in pain.“Stop!”I rushed toward him.The creature grabbed my wrist

Lyra's POV"Bring me my daughters.”The words did not come from the creature’s mouth.They came from everywhere.From the stone beneath my feet.From the dead warriors kneeling before me.From the darkness beyond the ancient doorway.Even from inside my own chest.I couldn't breathe.My eyes remained fixed on the enormous shape beyond the gate.It had no true face.Only darkness.Two enormous wings stretched across the space behind it, disappearing into the blackness above. Hundreds of pale eyes opened along its body, blinking slowly as though they were waking after thousands of years.And yet, somehow, I knew it.Not its name.Not its history.But its presence.It felt terrifyingly familiar.“Lyra.”Seraphine's voice trembled beside me.I turned toward her.For the first time since I had met my twin, she looked afraid.Not angry.Not powerful.Afraid.“You feel it too,” I whispered.She nodded.“It knows us.”The First King laughed.The sound echoed through the dead army.“You finall

Lyra's POVThe hand around my ankle tightened.Cold.That was the first thing I felt.Not pain.Cold.It traveled through my skin and straight into my bones.I screamed and tried to pull away.“Lyra!”Kael grabbed my waist.Seraphine seized my hands.Together, they pulled.The hand didn't move.Instead, something beneath the floor pulled harder.My body slid across the stone.“Don't let go!” I cried.Kael wrapped both arms around me.“I won't!”The crack beneath us widened.Black mist poured from it.The dead warriors backed away.Even the First King stepped away from the opening.That frightened me more than anything else.“You know what's down there,” I said.He didn't answer.“Tell me!”His eyes remained fixed on the darkness.“You don't want to know.”The hand pulled again.My fingers slipped from Seraphine's.“Lyra!”I reached for her.Our fingertips touched.Then the floor beneath me collapsed.I fell.Kael caught my wrist.For one terrifying second, I hung over the darkness.Hi