CHAPTER 5 ( The Secret )

The voice was unmistakable: Damien. Lyra's blood turned cold as she looked into his piercing grey eyes, which glinted with hatred in the flickering moonlight. He was once Jasper's most trusted warrior, but there was always something evil behind his devotion.

"What do you want, Damien?" Lyra inquired, her voice tremulous yet calm. She stayed firm, refusing to reveal the terror that was developing within her.

He got closer, his foot crunching on the scattered debris from the broken chandelier. Lyra, you should know by now. “Jasper might have been foolish enough to underestimate you, but I'm not," Damien remarked, his voice firm. "I can see there's more to you than you let on."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Lyra said, her voice strained.

Damien cocked his head, a wicked grin creeping across his lips. "Don't act innocent around me. The Blood Moon exposed more than falsehoods; it demonstrated strength. "Power you've been keeping hidden."

Lyra's pulse accelerated. How much did he know? She clenched her hands, prepared herself for what would happen next.

"You're wrong," she murmured gently, her tone stern. "Now get out of here before you regret it."

Damien gave a deep, terrifying chuckle. "Always fierce. That's one of the reasons I respect you, Lyra. But don't worry—I'm not here to harm you. "At least not yet."

His words lingered in the air like a menace, and Lyra's wolf trembled inside her.

"What do you want?" She demanded again.

"I want what Jasper threw away," Damien said, moving closer. "You. And whatever secret you're keeping. I know there's something he doesn't see, something you desperately want to preserve."

Damien's hand reached out and grabbed Lyra's chin before she could respond. "Don't worry, Lyra. I will find out. You cannot hide from me."

Lyra pushed him back, her amber eyes burning furiously. "Touch me again, and it'll be the last thing you do."

Damien stumbled but chuckled, wiping away the dust from his jacket. "I see you've not lost your spark. Good. You'll need it for what's ahead."

Before she could interrogate him any more, he slipped into the darkness, his laughter booming throughout the empty hall.

The repercussions of Damien's visit left Lyra scared but determined. She could not remain here. Whatever Damien had planned, she couldn't allow him come near enough to reveal the truth. Not now.

She departed the estate that night, hoping to find safety far beyond the Wulfgar Empire's grasp. Weeks passed, and Lyra sought peace in a remote cottage buried amid a deep forest. She started to sense small changes inside herself—a slight speeding of her pulse, a soft expansion of her tummy.

She had dreaded the truth, which was now obvious. She was pregnant Jasper's kid.

Lyra stood in front of a shattered mirror in the cabin, her fingertips tracing the gentle curve of her tummy. She felt a combination of dread and resolve.

"No one can know," she said quietly to her mirror. "Not Jasper. Not Damien. "No one."

The life that was developing inside her was her secret, burden, and hope. She promised to protect her kid at all means, even if it meant vanishing permanently.

One evening, while Lyra collected firewood near the cabin, she detected the faint smell of an unknown wolf. Her pulse rate rose in terror as she examined the surroundings, her senses heightened.

A deep growl echoed behind her.

She whirled around, automatically raising her fists to protect herself. A renegade wolf emerged from the shadows, its eyes burning crimson with bloodlust. It hunkered, prepared to strike.

Lyra's wolf surged inside her, encouraging her to fight, but a blur of action cut short the standoff.

The renegade let out a piercing shriek before dropping on the ground.

Lyra's eyes widened as Jasper walked into the clearing, his green eyes shining slightly in the moonlight.

"Jasper?" she said, her tone filled with doubt.

He straightened, wiping the blood from his hands. "I knew you'd run," he replied simply, his eyes locked on hers. "But you can't hide from me, Lyra."

Her gut constricted, both from his words and the secret she kept. "Jasper, what do you want?" "You made it clear that I am nothing to you."

His countenance shifted, and agony flashed momentarily in his eyes. I made a mistake. "I've been trying to fix it ever since."

Lyra laughed angrily. "Do you believe you can mend what you've broken? Jasper, I don't need your sympathy. "Just leave."

He moved closer, his voice low. "I will not leave until you tell me the truth. I can feel it, Lyra. "You're hiding something."

Her breath caught, terror rising in her chest. "You don't know anything."

Before Jasper could react, a frightening voice broke through the tension.

"Ah, the happy reunion."

Both of them turned to see Damien emerge from the shadows, his nasty grin firmly fixed.

"What are you doing here?" Jasper hissed, his wolf bristling.

Damien ignored him, his gaze fixated on Lyra. I told you, didn't I? "You can't hide forever."

Lyra's pulse raced as Damien's eyes fell to her stomach. His smirk broadened.

"Well, well," Damien said quietly. "Looks like I was correct. You are *hiding* something.

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

To be continued….