Chapter 3 The Heart's Treacherous Beat

Elyra's world was pain and darkness, the crossbow bolt's sting a ghost in her chest. She gasped, her lungs burning, and realized she wasn't dead-yet.

Her body jolted against damp earth, the river's roar filling her ears. Kael's arms cradled her, his amber eyes wild with fear as he pressed a cloth to her shoulder, where the bolt had grazed her.

The fog of Blackthorn Valley swirled around them, the crescent moon mocking her from above."Stay with me, Elyra," Kael growled, his voice raw, his tattoos pulsing faintly in the dark.

"You're not dying on me."

Elyra's vision swam, her violet eyes flickering with Moonseer sparks. Lila's betrayal-her best friend, her sister in all but blood, aiming a crossbow at her heart-cut deeper than any bolt.

"Lila," she whispered, tears stinging her cheeks.

"Why?"

Kael's jaw tightened, his blade still drawn, scanning the fog. "She's not herself. That pendant-it's controlling her. The cult's got their claws in her."

Elyra's heart lurched. Controlled? Lila's tear-filled eyes flashed in her mind, the glowing claw pendant at her throat.

Her powers stirred, unbidden, and a vision slammed into her: Lila, bound in chains, her screams echoing in a hidden ruin, Mira's amulet pulsing with dark magic. Elyra gasped, clutching Kael's arm. "She's in trouble. I saw her. We have to find her."

"Not until you're safe," Kael snapped, his voice sharp but his touch gentle as he tied the cloth tighter. "The cult wants your blood, Moonseer. You're the key to their prophecy."

Elyra shoved his hand away, pain shooting through her shoulder. "Stop calling me that! I'm not your prophecy, your mate, or your pawn!"

Her voice broke, rage and fear colliding. Zane's plea echoed in her mind-I can't lose you again-clashing with the vision of his dagger, stained with her blood. And now Lila, her anchor, turned traitor.

Who could she trust?

A howl split the night, close and fierce. Crescent Pack.

Zane.

Elyra's pulse raced, her powers sparking violet in the fog. Kael cursed, pulling her to her feet. "We're out of time. Move, now."

They stumbled along the riverbank, the water black and churning, the forest alive with snarls.

Elyra's shoulder throbbed, but her mind burned with questions. Lila's betrayal, Mira's cult, Zane's role-every answer led to more lies.

Her dagger felt heavy at her thigh, a reminder of her vow: find the truth, make the guilty pay.

Kael led her to a hidden cave, its mouth cloaked in vines. Inside, the air was damp, the walls etched with glowing runes-Moonweaver symbols, like those in her visions.

Elyra's breath caught. "What is this place?"

Kael's eyes darkened, his tattoos glowing brighter. "A Moonweaver sanctuary. My pack's been guarding it for centuries. Your kind-Moonseers-used to hide here."

Elyra's chest tightened. Her kind. Her family, slaughtered for their power. She traced a rune, her fingers trembling, and another vision hit: her mother, chanting in this cave, a silver relic pulsing in her hands, a warning of a coming war. Elyra staggered, Kael catching her.

"What did you see?" he asked, his voice low, urgent.

"My mother," Elyra whispered, tears spilling.

"She knew. She knew they'd come for us." Her voice hardened. "Mira was there, Kael. She betrayed my family."

Kael's face twisted, a mix of anger and pity. "Mira's deeper in this than you know. She's not just pack-she's tied to the cult. And they're after the Moonweaver relic."

Elyra's blood ran cold. The relic from her vision, the key to her curse. "Where is it?"

Kael hesitated, his eyes searching hers.

"Hidden. But if they get you, they get the relic. Your blood's the key."Before she could press him, a shadow moved at the cave's mouth.

Elyra spun, her dagger drawn, her powers flaring. Zane stepped into the moonlight, his green eyes haunted, blood dripping from his wounded flank. His leather coat was shredded, his face pale, but his alpha aura filled the cave, making the runes flicker.

"Elyra," Zane said, his voice raw, pleading. "You have to listen to me."

Kael stepped between them, his blade raised. "Back off, Blackthorn. You've done enough damage."

Zane's eyes flashed, his fists clenching. "I'm not the traitor, Ironclaw. You're the one dragging her into your pack's mess."

Elyra's heart pounded, torn between them. Zane's pain felt real, but her vision's dagger loomed. "Zane, why should I trust you?" she demanded, her voice shaking. "You banished me.

You broke me. And now my best friend's trying to kill me. Were you part of this?"

Zane flinched, as if she'd struck him. "I didn't send the letter, Elyra. I didn't know you'd come back. But I know who did." He stepped closer, ignoring Kael's growl.

"Mira. She's been playing us all."Elyra's breath hitched. Mira again. The healer's cold smile, her glowing amulet, her chant at the ritual. But Zane's words felt too easy, too convenient. "Prove it," she said, her dagger pointed at his chest. "Or I swear, I'll-"

A scream echoed outside, high and desperate. Lila. Elyra's heart stopped. She shoved past Zane and Kael, ignoring their shouts, and sprinted toward the sound.

The fog parted, revealing Lila by the river, her hands bound, her pendant glowing brighter, pulsing like a heartbeat. Hooded cultists surrounded her, their claw pendants glinting, crossbows trained on her.

"Lila!" Elyra shouted, her powers exploding in a violet wave, knocking one cultist back. She lunged, her dagger slashing, but a bolt grazed her leg, and she stumbled, pain searing her.

"Elyra, stop!" Lila's voice was raw, tears streaming down her face. "They'll kill you! The pendant-it's-"

A cultist grabbed Lila, pressing a blade to her throat. Elyra froze, her powers sparking, another vision hitting: Lila, chanting with Mira, her pendant a key to the relic.

Elyra's mind reeled. Was Lila a traitor, or a pawn?Zane and Kael burst from the cave, Zane shifting mid-stride, his black wolf form tackling a cultist. Kael's blade flashed, cutting another down, but more hooded figures emerged, their chants echoing Mira's.

Elyra's powers surged, uncontrollable, and the runes on the cave walls blazed, the ground trembling.

"Elyra, your blood!" Kael shouted, dodging a bolt. "They need it for the ritual!"

Elyra's eyes locked on Lila, whose pendant pulsed faster, her face contorted in pain. "Lila, fight it!" Elyra screamed, crawling toward her, her leg bleeding. "You're stronger than this!"

Lila's eyes met hers, filled with guilt and fear. "I'm sorry, Elyra," she whispered. "I didn't know."A cultist raised a crossbow, aiming at Elyra.

Zane's wolf form lunged, taking the bolt in his shoulder, collapsing with a whimper. Elyra's scream tore through the night, her powers exploding in a violet blast, shattering the cultist's bow.

But the pendant at Lila's throat glowed blindingly, and Lila's body convulsed, her eyes rolling back.

"No!" Elyra reached for her, but Kael pulled her back, his arms a cage.

"Let me go!" she sobbed, fighting him, her heart breaking.The cultists retreated, dragging Lila into the fog, their chants fading.

Elyra's powers flickered, another vision hitting: the Moonweaver relic, glowing in a ruin, Lila's pendant unlocking it, and Mira's laugh as Elyra's blood spilled. She collapsed, Kael holding her, Zane's wolf form still and bleeding.

"Zane," Elyra whispered, crawling to him, tears blurring her vision. His fur was matted, his breathing shallow. She pressed her hands to his wound, her powers sparking, trying to heal him.

"Don't you dare die on me."

Kael knelt beside her, his face grim. "He's strong, but we need to move. The cult's coming back, and they've got Lila."

Elyra's heart fractured, torn between Zane's fading pulse and Lila's betrayal. Her vision's warning burned: the relic, her blood, a traitor. She looked at Zane, then Kael, their mate bonds pulling at her soul. Who was lying? Who was dying?

A low growl echoed from the fog, not wolf-something darker, ancient. The runes on the cave walls pulsed, and Elyra's powers flared, a final vision slamming into her: a hidden ruin, the relic glowing, and a cloaked figure holding Zane's dagger, poised over her heart.But the figure's face was clear now-Mira, her blue eyes gleaming with triumph.

Elyra's breath stopped.

"Mira," she whispered, her voice shaking with rage. "She's the key."Kael's eyes narrowed.

"Then we find her. And the relic."Zane stirred, shifting back to human, his green eyes locking on Elyra. "I'm with you," he rasped, blood dripping. "Always."

The growl grew louder, the fog parting to reveal glowing red eyes-something not wolf, not human.

Elyra's powers sparked, her dagger raised, but a new sound froze her: Lila's scream, distant but piercing, from deep in the forest.Elyra's heart pounded, her vision's dagger flashing in her mind.

Mira. The relic. Lila. And now, this creature. She stood, torn between saving Lila and facing the beast, her powers unstable, her blood the cult's prize.

The red eyes lunged, and Elyra's world erupted in chaos.