CHAPTER 6 ( The Warning )

The air became heavy with anxiety, and Lyra's thoughts raced. She had to act and safeguard her kid. But before she could react, Damien's next words broke the delicate quiet.

"And now, everyone will know," Damien snarled, his gaze concentrating on Lyra's little but distinct bump.

Jasper's eyes shifted to where Damien's focus had stayed, his face changing from uncertainty to comprehension. His green eyes expanded, filled with astonishment, fury, and treachery.

"Lyra…" Jasper's voice was barely audible, yet it held the weight of a thousand inquiries. "Is it true?"

Lyra's throat clenched. There was no time to explain, and no room for the weakness that threatened to breach her carefully formed defenses. Her wolf roused within her, snarling protectively.

"It doesn't concern you," she answered, her voice hard and unyielding while her heart pounded in her chest.

Jasper moved closer, his presence as imposing as ever. "Doesn't it worry me? Lyra, if you—"

"Enough!" Damien's words pierced through Jasper's, and his lips curled into a mocking smile. "This is not the time for lovers' quarrels." "Lyra, don't we have bigger problems?"

Her eyes shifted to his, her wolf poised to attack. "Damien, what do you want?" "Why are you here?"

Damien grinned darkly, circling her like a creature pursuing prey. "Oh, Lyra, I am here to assist. You think you can avoid the truth? From the strength that flows through you? "That child growing inside you is not a mistake; it is a key."

Lyra's breath caught. "What are you talking about?"

Damien's eyes glinted with hate. "Do you feel it?" The Blood Moon not only revealed treachery, but also reawakened something old. Something harmful. Your kid is the start of something the world isn't prepared for."

"That's enough!" Jasper's voice roared, and his wolf threatened to burst loose. "Get away from her, Damien."

Damien just grinned, unconcerned by Jasper's rage. "You still don't see it, Alpha? "You are too blind to see what is right in front of you."

Before Jasper could react, a rustle in the woods hushed everyone. The air crackled with tension as a hooded figure appeared, dominating yet unthreatening.

The figure's voice was deep and gravelly, with an unearthly presence. "Enough, all of you."

Damien backed away, his grin dimming. Jasper's posture tensed, his wolf on full alert. Lyra's eyes remained fixed on the stranger, her instincts screaming for her to flee, but her feet refused to move.

"Who are you?" Lyra asked, her voice firm despite the panic coursing through her veins.

The cloaked person turned towards her, their face veiled by darkness. "Someone who has been watching for far too long." You, Lyra, are at the heart of something much greater than you realize."

"What do you mean?" she said, her voice shaking despite her will.

The person approached, removing a tiny thing from their cloak—a fragment of what looked to be old crystal, glimmering dimly. "The kid you're carrying will inherit more than your blood. They will inherit a power that has been dormant for generations. "A power that both the light and the dark will strive to control."

Lyra's pulse accelerated. "What are you saying?" "What power?"

The figure's voice became more powerful, as if the weight of their words might crush the air around them. "Lyra, your kid is a beacon. A link between the worlds. However, bridges may be damaged and beacons extinguished. You must defend them, regardless of the cost.

Damien sneered as his arrogance returned. "So why should she believe you? You appear in the midst of nowhere, performing riddles and theatrics. "What is your game?"

The cloaked person turned to face him, their presence suddenly oppressive. "This is not a game, Damien. Forces considerably bigger than yourself are already moving. "If you get in their way, you will be crushed."

The shadows surrounding the person seemed to deepen, and Damien's customary arrogance wavered.

Jasper, who had remained quiet, eventually said. Why should any of us trust you? What evidence do you have for this prophecy?

The person turned back to Lyra, their voice softening. "Have you felt it? The whispering in your dreams, a tug from something old and strong. Lyra, trust your gut. They will lead you where no one else can."

Before Lyra could answer, the figure placed the shimmering shard in her palm. "This will help you when the time comes."

The light from the shard faded as the person retreated into the darkness. Their dying words echoed in the air, like a haunting song.

"Beware of those who want to use you, Lyra. "Even those you believe you can trust."

With that, they were gone.

The area slipped into a deep calm, interrupted only by the faint rustling of leaves. Lyra gazed at the shard in her fingers, feeling a slight warmth throbbing against her palm.

"What the hell just happened?" Jasper finally inquired, his voice quiet and full of uncertainty.

Lyra didn't respond. Her thoughts raced with the figure's cryptic warning, Damien's disturbing comments, and the horrifying awareness that her secret was no longer her own.

"I don't trust any of this," Damien mumbled, his confidence returning. "But one thing is apparent, Lyra: you're not safe. "And neither is that child."

Lyra's head shot up, and her amber eyes blazed. "Damien, stay away from me." Stay away from us.

Jasper moved between them, assuming a protective position. "She's under my protection now."

Damien laughed bitterly. "Do you believe you can defend her, Alpha? "You couldn't even hold her."

Jasper's fingers tightened, but before he could answer, Lyra spoke, her voice cutting through the tension like a knife. "Both of you, please stop. This is not about any of you. This is about my kid, and I would do everything to keep them safe."

Her comments hushed them both, yet the atmosphere remained heated.

Suddenly, a deep growl resonated over the clearing. Lyra froze, her wolf moving uncomfortably. Suddenly, hundreds of brilliant red eyes burst out of the darkness.

"Rogues," Jasper muttered, as his wolf moved forward.

However, they were not ordinary rogues. Their eyes glowed with an unearthly brightness, and their bodies emitted black energy.

"Looks like the warning came too late," Damien replied, his voice dark.

Lyra grasped the shard firmly, the faint glimmer intensifying. Whatever lay ahead, she knew one thing: the struggle for her child's future had only just started.

As the rogues rushed in, their snarls echoing through the darkness, the shard in

Lyra's fingers flashed with blinding brightness. A voice repeated in her thoughts, not her own but ancient:

Choose now, Lyra. Power or sacrifice? There's no going back.