Page 110 of The Huntmaster

The door was open.

Lyra reached out, her fingers trembling as they found my hand and locked tightly with mine. Her skin was cold, but the mate bond between us burned with a fierce, defiant heat.

"It's done," she whispered, her voice rough but steady as she finally looked down from the open tear in the atmosphere, her eyes tracking the fading violet ripple.

I squeezed her hand, pulling her back against my side as I looked up at the fractured sky, the untamed beast inside me baring its teeth at the endless dark.

"Let it be done," I growled, the ancient alpha blood in my veins singing with a dark, lethal promise. "Whatever follows that light, they will find that this forest does not bow."

I turned away from the open sky, my gaze sweeping over the exhausted, blood-soaked remnants of our people. The adrenaline that had kept me moving through the collapsing caverns was beginning to ebb, leaving behind a deep, bone-weary exhaustion.

"Mara," I commanded, pulling Lyra closer to my side. "Gather the remaining scouts. We need to clear the perimeter of any lingering Vakra loyalists, but the main force needs to pull back to the Nest immediately. Assist the wounded. Our enclave healers are going to be overwhelmed by morning."

As Mara's shoulders relaxed, she gave a firm, solemn nod. But before she turned away, her eyes flickered over to Lyra. A sharp, undeniable flash of heavy guilt crossed the female commander's features—so intense it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

My eyes narrowed instantly. My protective instincts flaring as I immediately pushed my awareness down the mate bond. What happened? I demanded in Lyra's mind, a low growl threading through the telepathic link. What did Mara do?

Lyra’s gaze didn't waver from Mara, but her thoughts brushed against mine with a soothing, firm calm. Don't worry about it, Kaelen. Not right now. We survived. Deal with the camp first.

A deep, low rumble of annoyance vibrated in the back of my throat, my jaw tightening. I hated being left in the dark, especially where her safety was concerned, but looking at the exhaustion lining her face, I forced myself to drop it for the moment. I gave a single, stiff nod to Mara, who quickly turned to bark orders to the vanguard as they began the orderly retreat down the mountain path, Tyler and Sky helping support the lighter wounded.

As the clearing began to empty, Lyra stayed rooted to the spot, her eyes drifting back to the machine's entrance, her brow furrowing in that frantic, mathematical way I had grown to recognise. Her fingers tapped restlessly against my armour.

"Kaelen, the transmitter... the energy readings before it collapsed were entirely off the charts," she began, her voice gaining that fast, analytical cadence, her human mind already trying to solve a puzzle that spanned the cosmos. "The wave frequency wasn't just local. If the core broadcast a sustained silver-violet ripple, the variables for what kind of signal degradation occurred through the atmosphere are massive. We don't know the range. We don't know how long it will take to actually reach anyone out there—it could be mere days, or it could take years before a response returns. But the beacon is active, and⁠—"

"Lyra."

I stepped into her space, gently but firmly placing my large hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look up at me. I cut her off completely, my golden eyes soft but unyielding as I stared down into her pale face.

"Stop the science mind. Just for a moment."

She blinked up at me, the frantic light in her eyes softening as she registered the fierce, protective warmth travelling through the bond. The dawn light hit her throat again, the gold shimmer dancing across the silver scar like a promise that she was mine, bound to my soul as tightly as she was to the earth.

"You are safe," I murmured, my thumb reaching up to gently trace the raised edge of the silver-and-gold scar on her throat. The heat of it thrummed against my skin, a miracle I still couldn't fully process. "We stopped Geth. We stopped Sila. The caverns are buried, and the enemy that threatened our people tonight is dead. She could not have survived the collapse, let alone the venom on my daggers. The variables of the sky can wait for tomorrow."

A soft, weary sigh escaped her lips, the tension finally draining from her shoulders as she leaned her forehead against my chest plate. "I know," she whispered. "I just... I want to be ready."

"We will be," I promised, wrapping my arms fully around her, burying my face in the crook of her neck, inhaling the sweet, wild scent of the forest and her skin. "But right now, the only thing we are doing is going back to the nest. Let's just go home, vra-ka shei."

Chapter 70

Lyra

The twin suns were harsh against my face, but the heat bleeding into my skin was nothing compared to the fire radiating from my throat. Every time a morning breeze swept through the canopy, the mark Sila had left on me thrummed—a warm vibration pulsing in exact cadence with Kaelen’s hearts. It was a rough line of silver woven with shimmering, metallic gold. Proof that I had crossed into the dark, and proof that the planet’s ancient roots had refused to let me go.

Kaelen’s arm remained locked around my waist like a steel band, practically carrying my weight as we reached the perimeter gate of the Nest. Behind us, Tyler walked shoulder-to-shoulder with two vanguard warriors, looking every bit like a human who had just watched the universe tear open. Beside him, Sky walked so close his knuckles brushed my tunic, his dark eyes wide with quiet, lingering terror.

As we stepped into the central clearing, the ambient roar of a tribe in crisis died instantly.

Dozens of vanguard, healers, and freed Vakra captives stood frozen amidst the sprawling roots of the Great Tree. Every head snapped toward us. Seeing the panic and confusion brewing over the ragged Vakra captives being led through the camp, Kaelen didn't hesitate. He guided me toward the central archway, lifted his hand to the iron horn, and blew a blast that reverberated through the entirety of the Great Tree.

"People of the Nest!" Kaelen’s voice thundered across the clearing, laced with undisputed alpha authority. "Geth is dead. Sila and her loyalist faction have fallen in the caverns. The sky has opened, but the threat below is crushed. The Vakra walking among us are freed captives—not our enemies. They will be granted refuge!"

A gasping hush swept through the crowd, followed by a heavy, collective exhale of relief as weapons were slowly lowered.

Standing close to my side, Sky looked around at the towering wooden arches and the watching crowd, his chest heaving nervously. He reached out, his fingers lightly catching my sleeve.

"Lyra..." Sky's voice trembled, barely audible over the murmur of the camp. "Where... where am I supposed to go now? Where do I stay?"