CHAPTER 5 - My Lifeline

Lyra's POV Teeth clenched, heart hammering, a wave of rage fueled my efforts. He would not savor this victory. He would not have this moment. Fury propelled my hands as they shoved against the hard expanse of his chest. Ryan’s eyes widened in shock as he stumbled over a root. His lips parted, and a look of surprise flashed across his face. He fell backward… SMACK. His head hit a rock, knocking him out cold. Ryan's POV Lyra. I'd never given up hope of seeing her again. And there she was, standing before me, her feet spread wide, braced for a fight. Her emerald eyes, once filled with the spirit of a fierce girl, blazed with a female's fury aimed directly at me. I knew better than to underestimate the fierce she-wolf standing before me. This was a battle I couldn't win with brute force alone. I'd need to use my wits and my charm to bond her to me. Then break her like she broke me. Memories transported me back to that damp cave that her father kept me in... starved me in... beat me in where Lyra was the only bright spot of my dark existence. During the moments we had together, she made me forget about the jagged stone at my back, the ever-present grime and filth. The stench of the cave – old blood, sweat, fear – was the worst of all. Day in and day out it was almost unbearable… "I brought you something to eat," ten-year-old Lyra had said softly, pressing the warm plate into my hands. I hadn't been fed in days and the aroma of the meal made my stomach growl, but it was the tenderness in her eyes that truly nourished me. The din of the other inmates' jeers and taunts faded into the background every time she came to visit. During those moments, the outside world ceased to exist and it was just the two of us, exactly how I liked it. "Why are you doing this?" I asked, my voice hoarse from disuse. Lyra had glanced over her shoulder, as if afraid of being caught. "Because what they're doing to you is wrong." She worried her lower lip with her teeth. "I'll get you out of here. I promise, Juan." 'Juan' was the name I had given my captors when they first dragged me away, from where I picked berries in the forest. Juan was my father's Beta, a brave warrior I looked up to. I clung to his name like a lifeline, hoping it would give me the strength to survive, to one day become a wolf as fearless as him. It was a lie, yes, but a necessary one to protect my true identity as the son of an enemy Alpha. I longed to tell Lyra the truth, to explain why I had to deceive her. Surely, with her kind heart, she would forgive me? I told her with a wary voice, fear in my heart at her reaction. Lyra's brows had drawn together in a sharp frown, a flash of anger replacing the tenderness. "Why didn't you trust me?" The words were edged with hurt, but there was a flicker of reluctance in her expression. She didn't like the lie, but she grasped the brutal necessity of it. I could see the struggle in her eyes as the anger faded, replaced by a reluctant understanding. The food had cooled somewhat before Lyra finally spoke again. "You were right to tell them another name," she said slowly, meeting my gaze. "They would have hurt you far worse than what they are doing now if they knew the truth." She lifted the corners of her mouth in a small, encouraging smile. "Now eat before the food gets completely cold." A wave of relief and gratitude washed over me at her words. She understood why I had lied, even if she didn't like it. Her compassion and loyalty never ceased to amaze me. I wolfed down the food, the warmth spreading through my starved body. "Thank you," I rasped, meeting Lyra's eyes. Something flickered across her face at the rattle of my chains – pity, or maybe a touch of fear? "Lyra, you shouldn't come see me. Won't you get in trouble?" The question hung between us, a reminder of my helplessness. Her eyes brimmed with unshed tears. "I can't just stand by and watch them mistreat you." Well, she had mistreated me. That and much worse. The memory faded as I looked at Lyra, a female full grown, body deliciously pressed against mine, pump lips swollen from our kisses. Lyra had been my lifeline in that darkness, keeping me sane through endless days and even longer, terror-filled nights. I had loved her – blindly, foolishly – with the desperation of a boy separated from all he had ever known and thrust into the hands of the enemy. And then, betrayal. She needed to suffer. She needed to pay... to understand the agony she had brought upon me. A growl rumbled in my chest, a guttural echo of the hatred I harbored for her all these years. Yet, beneath it all... a different kind of pain gnawed at me. My wolf writhed, his howls a desperate wail for the innocence we'd both lost. "You're..." I whispered, breath hot against the delicate skin of her neck. That tantalizing spot called to me, begging to be claimed, marked as mine for all to see. "You're testing my control, tempting the beast within." I clenched my jaw, fighting the primal urge to sink my teeth into her flesh, to taste her essence on my tongue. My wolf paced restlessly beneath my skin, a hair's breadth from breaking free of the chains I'd carefully constructed over the years. All it took was one moment of weakness, and I'd be lost to the all-consuming need that burned through my veins like molten lava. My resolve teetered on a razor's edge, desire warring with the iron-clad control I'd spent years perfecting. "Just what the doctor ordered," she said, her voice a seductive purr that pebbled gooseflesh on my heated skin. I smiled, knowing she would be my undoing, the key that unlocked the cages I'd built around my heart and soul. I'd happily let that happen for one more taste of her lips, those sweet, soft petals that held the power to heal and destroy me in equal measure. I pressed mine against hers. She was pliant… warm. And when she moaned, I grew rock hard. Suddenly, I was falling backwards, arms pinwheeling for purchase. I hit the ground with a sickening SMACK. Serrated knives chopped ribbons of pain in my skull. Then mercifully, everything went black.