Chapter 24

Lyra's point of view

I couldn't stop the fast beating of my heart. It drummed loudly in my ears. I pulled my nails to my lips, a bad habit I haven't been able to kick out of my system.

I sighed deeply, pulling my gaze up to the full moon. It was still many hours before the effect of the full moon slowly faded away. I was outside in the darkness with Stefan.

My eyes lingered worriedly on the blazing full moon up in the night sky. It was still hours before the effect of the full moon faded away.

I sighed deeply, and my breathing became more labored as another of Asher's deathly growls escaped from the bunkers. Its sharp sound caused me to shudder lightly. I held onto Stefan tightly. We were a short distance from the bunkers; along with Dorian, Andy, Cory, Julia, Trish, and a few other warriors, Asher had asked to remain outside.

Another of Asher's growls filtered from the bunkers; only the goddess knew exactly what was happening inside. It's been only a few minutes since Wren called for some demon warriors to enter the bunkers, and we had no idea what was happening there.

I shifted my gaze to Stefan; he had his eyes stuck on the entrance to the bunkers, and he was worried. I could see the same worry that was imprinted on Asher's eyes, but I did not understand what was going on. This was worse than the effect of the full moon, but no one was saying anything, or rather, as Asher had ordered, they didn't.

"What the hell is wrong with Asher, Stef?" I asked again, pulling Stefan's worried gaze to me, and the guys' curious and concerned gazes fell on him.

It was as if the words were right at the tip of his tongue, but he just couldn't spit them out. Stefan sighed deeply, his lips parted to say something, when the doors to the bunkers burst open, sending some warriors inside with Wren and Asher flying into the air and crashing hard against the ground.

Immediately, Stefan rushed to them. "What the fuck happened?"

They groaned, dusting themselves off in their thick boots. "It's Alpha Asher; I don't think we can keep him in check for much longer; he's —" The words were cut off instantly as Wren rushed outside; his eyes were glowing bright red, and dark veins popped out from his body. He was sharing control with his demon counterpart.

"Wren, what—" I began, but my words were cut short immediately when my eyes took in the crimson fluid that had smeared Wren's clothes. He was bleeding. This was worse than I had thought.

He walked over to us. "I managed to hold his wolf down, but it won't be for long. Ryker's mad and out for blood. We can't do this," he muttered in his usual cold voice. "We need her."

I furrowed my brows. Before I could ask the question that had nestled in my chest, Dorian's voice sounded beside me.

"Who's her?" Everyone turned their gaze on Stefan and Wren. No one was prepared for the loud growls that broke through the darkness and rippled through the trees, causing the earth to shake violently. I snapped my head to the entrance of the bunkers, and Asher was standing there.

It wasn't Asher; it was his wolf, Ryker; he wasn't in his complete wolf form. His nails had extended into beastly claws, dripping with blood; his canines were out, and the corners of his eyes glowed a murderous golden color. But something was fucking wrong with him. Everyone could see it. The depths of his eyes were completely dark. Dark lines ran through his entire body, causing a sickening, terrifying shiver.

"Fuck!" Wren whispered under his breath, but every one of us could hear it.

"Fuck what, Wren? Is that good or bad?" Cory moved closer to where we were all standing, watching a pissed Alpha wolf. Ryker growled again, ragingly; his eyes kept twitching between a blinding golden, murderous red, and a terrifying black.

"Really bad," Wren said, running his finger through his thick bush of hair. "His demon is fighting for control."

"What?"

He turned to us. "We can barely take on Ryker; just imagine what would happen if Azalea manages to take control. We fucking need her right now." Wren was almost yelling, surprising every one of us. He was usually the cool and collected one of us, but this situation seemed to be terrifying him.

"For the last time, who in bloody hell is "her"?" Dorian sounded again.

"I want mate!" Ryker growled, his eyes glowing golden even though we could still see a torch of red flashing through his gaze.

His immediate words confused me. Mate? What did he mean by that? Oh, my goddess! I gasped, placing a hand on my lips. I turned my shocked chocolate eyes toward Stefan. Again, before I could speak, someone beat me to it.

"What is he talking about? Has Asher found his mate?" Julia charged forward. I noticed a similar shock and undeniable disbelief clouding her eyes. Her face contorted with an unidentified emotion; I couldn't tell if it was rage or pain at the time.

But what shocked me the most was that my brother had found his mate and I was not aware. Why didn't he tell me?

"This isn't the time; we need to stop Asher from leaving the pack," Stefan dismissed the question, turning to the warriors, Cory, Andy, Julia, Wren, and myself.

"How do you expect us to do that, Stef?" Andy asked, "You know too well that all of us together stand no chance against him."

"Guys, whatever we are doing, we need to do it fast," Trish called our attention to Asher, who had begun to charge at some warriors who blocked the exit.

"We need to try to subdue him," Stefan muttered, and immediately, Wren and some of the demon warriors circled Asher's beast.

"Stand back!" Asher's voice echoed into the night, commandingly. It was rough and deep, holding deep irritation.

Immediately, Stefan gestured to the wolf warriors to be on alert as Wren and the demons drew around Asher. "I am your Alpha; stand back!" Asher's beastly voice commanded in his alpha tone, making everyone whimper in submission. The aura escaping him was frightening and powerful. I swear we would have easily submitted to him if Asher hadn't ordered us not to.

Wren and the warriors took their stances, and immediately, Wren's cold voice vibrated into the night. "Now!"

On his cue, the demon warriors' eyes turned completely dark, and they pulled their hands up in the air, creating a dark green smoke. It circled Asher in his half-beastly form. The dark smoke confined his wrists, his arms, his ankles, and his neck.

"Do not let go!" Wren shouted as they tried to use their powers to pin him down, and they were almost successful when Asher released a loud growl. It caused the earth to vibrate angrily.

"I want mate!" Asher's wolf growled, and he loosened the hold Wren and the warriors had on him, flinging them around.

His eyes glowed murderously as he lunged at one of the warriors closest to him. His sharp claws dug into his chest.

Stefan minklinked the warriors to join in and help the demon warriors sustain Asher.

Asher growled a warning at them. He released another deathly, shivering growl, warning the warriors to step back, but when no one budged from their position, Asher attacked. He sprang upon the wolves and attacked ferociously with his claws and canines. He moved fast and was attacking some warriors, but Stefan, Cory, Trish and I pushed him off the warriors.

"Fuck! This shit is getting more dangerous. If we don't act quickly, Asher will murder all of us," Dorian yelled, already bleeding from some of Asher's attacks. He was right, though. If we don't act quickly, we could all perish at the hands of Asher. Even though he was outnumbered, there was no way our strength could wrestle with his.

I was forced out of my thoughts by the painful howls that filled the night sky. More warriors were getting injured. Asher's wolf was out for blood. Andy, Stefan, Julia, and some warriors who weren't wounded were trying to subdue him, but they were failing profusely. In one swift movement, Asher let out a sharp, ear-piercing howl, and with all his strength, he sent all the wolves holding him down flying off.

Andy and I rushed to where Wren was, and his dark red eyes turned to me. "We can't keep fighting; warriors are getting hurt. We need to find another way to subdue him," Julia muttered.

Wren breathed in, nodding his head in agreement as he rose to his feet. "His wolf is pissed; we need her here." Wren moved closer, "There's no other way, Stefan. Either we keep fighting or we put an end to this by bringing her here."

"Asher wouldn't like this,"

"True, but he wouldn't like it if he came back to his senses and realized he had murdered almost half of his pack; at least we know his wolf won't hurt her."

"Enough with the secrecy, for crying out loud; tell us already, Stefan. Who is Asher's mate? I can't believe you're in favor of keeping Asher away from his mate; you, of all people, understand how much that hurts." I voiced, half-yelling.

"You don't understand; it's complicated." Stefan started but was cut off.

"Did Asher reject her?" Dorian asked. Somehow I couldn't believe that, even though it shouldn't surprise me that Asher had never been interested in finding his fated mate.

The look on Stefan's face told me that this stupid brother of mine had rejected his mate.

"Great, that's just great!" Cory gasped frustratedly. His voice was ragged and tired, and I could see he was bleeding. "If Asher had rejected his mate, then there would be no way she would happily come here."

"She isn't one of us," Wren said in his cold voice.

"Fuck. Is she human?" I asked, and Stefan nodded silently. "Does she go to our school?" I began to think, ever since Asher got back from New Orleans, I hadn't exactly seen him around anyone else except us.

"Guys, sorry to interrupt, but what the hell are we doing? Asher is about to murder everyone, we have no time to stand and chat," Trish called out to us.

Stefan grabbed a handful of his hair, thinking. I could tell how incredibly confused and frustrated he was. He threw a sharp gaze at Wren, before hissing. "Asher is going to hate us all for this. But I get it, right now it's our lives at stake and the only person that can stop this fucking madness is his mate, which he rejected by the way,"

"So who is she?" I asked, I was just so curious to find out who she was.

"She is someone we know. Very well," he muttered, turning his gaze to Dorian. "You have to go and get Ci,"

"Cirilla?" Andy asked sharply, and our attention shifted back to Stefan, awaiting his response.

"What the fuck does that bitch have to do with what's going on here?" Julia attacked hurriedly, but she was silenced quickly by Stefan's loud growl.

"She's Asher's fucking mate that's what," At his furious growl, I froze.

What the bloody heck!

I gasped, suddenly I couldn't breathe or find the right words. The look on both Stefan and Wren's faces told every one of us that they weren't joking and that my brother's mate was my friend, Cirilla.

I shove my hand into my hair, I didn't know if I should be happy or not. Part of me wanted to be happy while the other felt mad. How could Asher have rejected her? Cirilla was a nice person and was my friend.

Before anyone could say something further, Asher had wounded the warriors who were fighting against him. His dark, murderous eyes narrowed on all eight of us.

"Don't just stand there Dorian, find her!," Wren voiced over his shoulder as we all teamed up to stall Asher, at least until Cirilla got here.

Now I am worried. Will Cirilla be okay finding out the truth about us?