CHAPTER 231: I DON’T CARE

( Inside the Greater Woods - continued)

"Stay close to me," Dax muttered, his eyes narrowing as the undergrowth rustled though no creature stepped out.

His hand hovered near Lyla’s elbow, not quite holding her, but steadying himself...just in case. "Something’s wrong. The air...smells off. Feels off too."

Lyla shook her head, brushing a strand of hair from her face as her gaze darted deeper into the trees. "It’s just the forest, Dax. Don’t make it more than it is."

"No," he growled softly. "The forest doesn’t move like this. Listen."

They both stilled.

A laugh. Light, soft...almost childlike...echoed through the mist. But when they turned towards the sound, it shifted, bouncing behind them.

Then to their right.

Then it was gone.

Lyla’s breath hitched. "Freya..." Her steps quickened. "I swear that sounded like her..."

"Stop." Dax caught her wrist. "That wasn’t her. That was something else. I can feel it.It wasn’t the Princess."

But Lyla wrenched free, eyes glistening. "You are just guessing.What if it was her? What if she was calling me but I did nothing?"

The forest seemed to lean closer, branches creaking, shifting like bones snapping in slow motion. Shadows bent unnaturally across their path.

"My Luna." Dax’s voice was low, his wolf snarling inside him because he didn’t have to to deal with this stupidity. "It’s a trap. Can’t you feel it? Something is playing with us."

She faltered for a moment, lips trembling. Then a figure flickered through the haze...broad shoulders, tall frame, the silhouette so painfully familiar her heart lurched.

" Alpha Kieran?" she breathed out loud. Her feet carried her forward before she could think.

Dax stepped in front of her, his body blocking hers just in time. "That’s not him."

The silhouette smiled faintly through the shifting mist, the face flickering in and out of focus. For a second, it indeed looked like Kieran...his strong jaw, the same smile...Then, like a ripple in water, the image blurred just before Lyla caught his eyes. Silver, not gold.

And there, just for a flash... before fading, the face,the eyes gleamed too bright.

Lyla froze.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly. "Those eyes!" She gasped, clutching her chest. "I...I think I know him." Her voice was barely a whisper. "But... from where?"

Dax grabbed her shoulders, shaking her lightly, forcing her to look at him instead of the mist. "Doesn’t matter. Whoever he is, he wants you confused. That’s what this is. Illusions.Dark ones. Please don’t get yourself lost,my Luna. We don’t want to lose you while looking for Princess Freya!"

The forest laughed again, higher this time, distorted, echoing like a thousand whispers inside her head. "Come closer, Lyla... don’t let him keep you...we are old friends... Don’t you remember?"

Lyla pressed her hands to her ears, trembling. "I can hear him. He is calling me."

"And I can smell him," Dax snarled, his teeth gritting. "And I swear to the moon, if you step one more foot forward, you will drag both of us straight into his jaws.I told you it wasn’t safe out here..."

Her voice broke. "But what if he has Freya..."

"She isn’t here..." Dax’s tone sharpened, cutting through her panic. His wolf bled into his voice, rough. "I will find her. We will find her. But this..." he gestured at the flickering figure "...this is not anyone you want to follow."

Lyla’s eyes darted back into the mist. The figure lingered, waiting, hand outstretched like an invitation.

Her chest ached with yearning, with confusion, with that primal pull only a mother could feel.

Dax took her hand firmly. " My Luna. Look at me. Not him."

Her lips parted, wavering between instinct and reason.

Branches overhead creaked even when the air was still. Dax’s ears flicked, his wolf restless beneath his skin.

"My Luna, stop."

Lyla shook her head, her eyes wide, desperate. "No...no, I can feel her. Freya is close. I know she is close."

"You think you feel her." Dax’s tone was sharp, edged with unease. "That’s his trick. He knows what you want most, and he is dangling it right in front of you."

Her lips trembled, her voice breaking with frustration. "What do you expect me to do, Dax?" She ripped her arm free. "If you are too afraid, then let me go!"

Dax snarled under his breath, his wolf pushing at the surface. "I am not afraid. I am cautious. There is a difference, Lyla."

The forest hissed around them. Leaves rustled, though no wind stirred. A low mocking laughter...slid through the fog. Lyla froze, her head whipping towards the sound. For a heartbeat, her vision cleared, and she swore she saw Kieran standing there again.

" Alpha..." Her voice cracked with relief.

But the moment she blinked, the figure shimmered.Lyla’s stomach lurched, bile burning her throat.

Dax stepped in front of her, teeth bared. "I told you. Don’t trust what you see."

"I..." Lyla pressed a hand to her chest, trying to steady her breathing.

Before Dax could answer, the air snapped.

A deafening snarl ripped through the forest. The mist quivered as something tore through it with sheer force.

Kieran burst into view. His eyes burned gold, veins of shadow darkening his skin. His chest heaved with ragged breaths, claws half formed, as if his wolf had clawed too close to the surface.

"FREYA!" His roar shook the ground, vibrating through their bones.

Lyla staggered back at the ferocity in him. "Alpha Kieran..." She knew her guts were right. Kieran was indeed close by... that meant... so was Freya!

But before she could say or do anything,Kieran spun on her so fast her words died in her throat. His teeth clenched, his voice rough...feral. "What the hell are you doing here, Lyla?"

Lyla flinched, her heart clenching. "I...I had to. She is my..."

"You had to?" Kieran’s growl deepened, almost beastly "Are you this desperate for attention, Lyla? So blind in your desperation and recklessness? There are forces out here beyond your comprehension. They are twisting this forest around you, and you walked right in like prey? Disturbing the already complicated search operation?"

Dax bristled, stepping between them. "That’s enough, Alpha. You can settle this after we find the Princess!"

Kieran’s gaze snapped to him, blazing.But he said nothing... only grabbed Dax by his collar and yanked him close.

Dax’s own wolf pushed forward, his eyes narrowing as his Alpha glared at him. Then he slowly looked away, as if surrendering... the time for confrontation was not right!

But Kieran’s panic was boiling over into rage, his claws flexing against his palms. His voice cracked like a whip through the mist.

"I don’t give a damn about anything right now. You had one job...Dax!And you failed...all I fucking care about right now is finding Freya! I won’t mind if I have to even dig down to the deepest hell! I need my daughter back. You hear that?!"

Lyla’s voice wavered, pleading. "Stop this...both of you! This isn’t helping..."

But Kieran’s chest heaved like a beast chained too long. His whole body screamed to tear through the forest, to rip everyone apart with his bare hands. His control was threadbare, his rage a living monster...and it was spilling onto the very people trying to stand by him.