The Alpha’s Eternal Mate

Lyra's pulse thundered in her ears as the chamber filled with the snarls of approaching enemies. Ethan positioned himself in front of her and her mother, his stance unwavering, his muscles coiled like a predator ready to strike.

Damien leaned casually against a pillar, arms crossed over his chest, as if he had all the time in the world. His smirk never wavered. "Come on, Lyra. You know how this ends."

Lyra tightened her grip on her mother's trembling hands, her voice a desperate whisper. "Mom, can you stand?"

Her mother's gaze, once filled with so much warmth, was now dull and vacant. The chains had drained her, but she nodded weakly. "I'll try."

Ethan didn't look away from Damien as he growled low. "Lyra, we don't have much time."

Lyra nodded, slipping an arm around her mother's waist to help her up. Every second counted.

Damien's eyes flickered toward the Blood Pact guards surrounding them. "Don't let them leave."

The guards lunged.

Ethan moved first, a blur of lethal precision, his claws slicing through the first attacker with terrifying ease. The scent of blood filled the air as he tore through them, his growls animalistic, primal.

Lyra gritted her teeth, hauling her mother toward the exit while Ethan fought off their attackers. "Come on, Mom. We're almost there."

But Damien was faster than she anticipated. He appeared in front of them, blocking the way, his smile sickeningly sweet. "Leaving so soon?"

Lyra shoved her mother behind her and pulled out her dagger, leveling it at his chest. "Move."

Damien chuckled, his eyes flicking between her and Ethan, who was still engaged in a brutal fight behind them. "You think you can take me?"

Lyra's voice was steady despite the racing of her heart. "I don't need to take you. I just need to slow you down."

Without warning, she struck.

Their blades clashed, sparks flying as Damien easily parried her attack. He grinned, pressing closer, his breath warm against her face. "I missed this."

Lyra snarled and twisted, using his momentum against him to shove him back. "I didn't."

Ethan appeared at her side in an instant, blood dripping from his knuckles. "We're done here."

Before Damien could recover, Ethan grabbed Lyra's arm and pulled her mother forward, rushing them toward the exit. The sounds of more guards approaching echoed through the tunnels.

"We're not going to make it," Lyra panted, fear seeping into her voice.

Ethan's grip tightened. "Yes, we will."

They burst through the chamber doors, into the cold night air. Logan's team was already there, engaged in their own battle with Blood Pact forces.

Logan spotted them and shouted over the comms, "We've got them! Cover our retreat!"

Bullets and claws clashed as Ethan shielded Lyra and her mother, moving toward the waiting SUVs.

But just as Lyra thought they were in the clear, Damien's voice echoed through the night.

"You can't run from your destiny, Lyra!"

She turned just in time to see him standing at the entrance, his eyes burning with something deeper than just the hunt—something terrifyingly personal. "This isn't over."

Ethan shoved her into the SUV, his eyes locked onto Damien. "It's over when I say it is."

The door slammed shut, and the vehicle peeled away, tires screeching against the gravel. Lyra sat in the backseat, clutching her mother's hand tightly, her chest heaving with the weight of everything that had just happened.

Ethan sat beside her, his expression grim, his hand covering hers in silent comfort.

Lyra looked at her mother, tears threatening to spill. "We've got you now, Mom. You're safe."

But the older woman's gaze was distant, her voice barely a whisper. "No one is safe, Lyra. They'll never stop."

Lyra swallowed hard, determination hardening in her chest. "Then we won't stop either."

Ethan met her gaze, his voice low and unwavering. "We fight until there's nothing left of them."

Lyra nodded, feeling the fire reignite within her. "We end this."

And as the SUV sped back toward Midnight Crest Tower, she knew one thing for certain—this was far from over.

Later That Night – Midnight Crest Tower

The medical team worked quickly, tending to Lyra's mother as Lyra paced outside the infirmary. Every fiber of her being wanted to burst through those doors and stay by her mother's side, but Ethan had convinced her to let the doctors do their job.

Ethan stood beside her, his arms crossed, his face etched with worry. "She'll be okay."

Lyra shook her head. "You don't know that."

He exhaled slowly. "No, I don't. But I do know you're stronger than you give yourself credit for."

She looked up at him, exhaustion pulling at the edges of her face. "I just got her back. I can't lose her again."

Ethan's jaw clenched. "You won't."

Lyra took a deep breath, running a hand through her hair. "Damien's right about one thing."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Which is?"

Lyra's eyes darkened. "I can't run from this anymore."

Ethan's expression softened, and he took her hand in his. "Then we fight. Together."

She nodded, squeezing his hand tightly. "Together."

Inside the Infirmary

Lyra sat beside her mother's bed, watching the steady rise and fall of her chest. Her once-strong mother now looked fragile, broken. Lyra reached out, brushing a strand of silver hair from her face.

"I thought I lost you forever," she whispered.

Her mother's eyes fluttered open, and for a moment, clarity returned. "Lyra... they won't stop."

Lyra's heart ached. "Neither will I."

Her mother's hand trembled as she reached out, gripping Lyra's wrist. "They want more than you. They want him."

Lyra's brows furrowed. "Ethan?"

Her mother nodded weakly. "They'll come for him too. Don't let them take him."

Lyra swallowed hard, pressing a kiss to her mother's forehead. "I won't."

But as she sat there, a pit formed in her stomach.

The Blood Pact wasn't just after her.

They were after Ethan too.

And she had no idea how far they would go to get him.