Chapter 8 Blood Between Beasts and Kings

The moon tilted crimson.

That's the first thing Lyra noticed as Verenthas stepped from the tree line, dressed in obsidian armor that looked poured from night itself. He didn't rush. He didn't raise his blade.

He simply walked elegant, eternal, death wrapped in silk and shadow.

Kaelen bristled at her side, every muscle coiled, lips curled to show the beast just beneath his skin. "You brought him."

Lyra's throat dried. "I didn't."

"You reek of his magic."

Verenthas stopped ten paces away, tilting his head like a predator studying prey.

"My, my," he murmured, voice velvet and venom. "You've both made such a mess. But look how pretty you are when you bleed, Lyra."

She tightened her grip on the dagger. "You're late."

His eyes gleamed. "And yet, just in time to save you from your recklessness. You called the Pact, didn't you?"

Kaelen stepped between them. "Touch her, and I'll rip your spine out."

Verenthas sighed, unfazed. "So territorial. It's adorable, really like watching a wolf guard a wildfire, thinking it won't burn him."

The forest around them hissed with energy.

The three of them vampire, wolf, and something in between stood locked in a moment that pulsed with ancient threads.

"Why are you here?" Lyra asked, voice firm despite the blood on her lips.

Verenthas stepped closer. "Because the dagger called me."

"It belongs to me now."

"Oh, no, darling," he said softly. "It belongs to the Crimson Pact. And you-are part of that Pact. Whether you accept it or not."

Kaelen's snarl shook the air.

But Lyra held up her hand.

"What do you want, Verenthas?"

He studied her for a long moment.

Then spoke words that chilled the roots of the trees:

"I want you to finish what Veyra started."

The ground tilted under her feet.

"You know her," Lyra said.

"Of course I do. Veyra was my betrothed, once. The Pact's original bride. The dagger was forged for her to unify bloodlines. To birth a ruler who could end the war."

Lyra staggered back.

"You're lying."

"Am I?"

Kaelen growled, stepping forward. "Even if you're telling the truth, she's not Veyra. She's Lyra."

Verenthas smiled coldly. "She's both. That's the beauty of it. The rebirth wasn't just metaphor. The Pact doesn't bind to a body it binds to a soul. And hers was chosen long before either of us were born."

Lyra's pulse roared in her ears.

"She's not your pawn," Kaelen spat.

Verenthas's fangs gleamed. "She's not yours either, pup."

A heartbeat of silence.

Then Kaelen lunged.

Steel met magic in an explosion of power Verenthas parried without drawing his blade, shadows curling from his sleeves, fangs flashing.

Lyra screamed, trying to stop them, but the forest shook with fury. Lightning cracked through the branches. A storm broke overhead.

The prince of beasts fought the heir of night.

Blood against blood.

History written in blows.

Kaelen struck with fire feral, fast, furious. Verenthas countered with elegance, his movements fluid as smoke. But each time Kaelen touched him, Verenthas bled and each time Verenthas landed a strike, Kaelen staggered.

Lyra stood frozen, dagger in hand, unsure which future to protect.

Until Kaelen went down.

A blade of shadow pierced his shoulder. He hit the ground hard, coughing blood.

"Enough!" Lyra cried.

Verenthas froze, black blade at Kaelen's throat.

He turned to her. "Say the word, and he lives."

"What word?"

"Choose."

Time stopped.

Kaelen groaned, eyes locking with hers.

"Don't," he rasped.

Verenthas offered his hand. "Join me, Lyra. Not as a puppet but as queen. You'll be worshipped. Feared. You'll have power beyond bloodlines. No more hiding."

She looked at Kaelen.

At the blood on his lips.

At the raw devotion in his eyes.

Then at Verenthas.

Cold. Beautiful. Terrifying.

"I..." Her voice cracked. "I'm not ready."

Verenthas smiled. "Then you have till the Blood Moon. Decide before then... or the Pact will decide for you."

He vanished in a whisper of ash.

Lyra ran to Kaelen's side.

He was still breathing, but barely.

She pressed her hand over the wound. "You idiot."

"You're welcome," he whispered. "I bought you time."

Tears stung her eyes.

"I don't want to choose like this."

"Then change the rules."

As thunder rolled, Lyra looked to the skies.

Something had awakened inside her. Not just power but legacy.

And it would not be ignored.

The Pact wanted a queen.

But maybe...

Maybe she'd give them a revolution instead.