The Alpha’s Fated Outcast: Rise Of The Moonsinger

Chapter 365: Final sacrifice or not...

Lyla

Our warriors immediately formed a protective circle around me while Ramsey came to stand next to me.

I pushed through them until I stood in front of the line, staring at the hideous form that was Xander.

"Or I can make it easier for you. Surrender, and I’ll ensure you die peacefully."

"Even if I die, Lyla, I’d just be reincarnated with the next Moonsinger. I’ll find a better form and..."

"Not if I die with you," I said quietly.

"What?" Killian, one of the Elite Warriors, rushed to me. "You cannot do that."

I ignored him and continued staring at the Dark One who seemed to be a loss for words. He didn’t expect me to say what I just said.

"You will risk your life and the lives of your babies, you’ll risk putting your mate in perpetual grief for the rest of his life? Cassidy is still out there somewhere, and I know men, they never forget the women they’ve been with. She’ll replace you faster than..."

"If it kills you," I cut him off again, giving him a blank stare. "If it removes you finally from this world, I am willing to do it. You deceived, Neriah. You spun the truth to suit you. You gave yourself to darkness, and when you were caught, you lied about everything because of your greed. I believe the Moon Goddess to be merciful. She wouldn’t hurt you if she didn’t think you did something wrong."

"Well!" he made a sound that sounded like a chuckle. "But one thing is true, Lyla, you cannot survive without me. If I die, you die."

He made a casual gesture and sent half of the warriors who had formed a protective circle around me flying through the air like leaves in a hurricane.

"Oh, Xander," I smiled. "The prophecy must be fulfilled," I said, as I walked towards him with unhurried confidence, feeling Ramsey walk next to me. "The Moonsinger’s sacrifice will end your tyranny and finally restore order to our world. I’ll make sure you never have the power to remake the world as you want."

"You’re making a mistake, Lyla," I heard uncertainty in his voice. "I know you love your children, wouldn’t you rather give one to me? The one with the Dark energy. Everyone survives, I get my form and go my way."

"Over my dead body," I said quietly. "My children would not be used as sacrificial objects. Neriah, despite all her foolishness, didn’t allow you to do that, and you hated her for that, didn’t you? Isn’t it convenient that you tried to turn me against the world and everyone who has ever loved me? You made me feel unloved, useless... just like what you did to Neriah."

"Don’t put that on me, Lyla. It was the truth. I didn’t have to do anything special. Your world is filled with people who are more monsters than I’d ever be."

I nodded. "True! But that’s the order of life. This is what it means to be a werewolf and a Lycan. This is what it means to be normal."

"And you’d rather have a system that humiliates a young girl for years because she’s different and still expect that young girl to save them? Is that the world you want to leave behind, Lyla? A world where an Omega is treated as..."

"That is who we are," I interrupted him. "Even the humans do it. The higher your hierarchy, the more benefits you can enjoy. The lower you are down the food chain, the more disadvantages you’d have. However, this is too much talking now. The only thing I am ready to do right now is end you."

He laughed. "Such fire! I’ve missed that about you, Lyla. But you misunderstand your role here. You’re not meant to fight me – you’re meant to join me, and if you won’t do that willingly, then I’ll make you do it."

"Never."

"Then you’ll die trying to stop me. And your precious mate will watch every moment of it."

As he said the words, he raised his hands and unleashed a wave of pure darkness that crashed into me. I staggered backwards with Ramsey breaking my fall. He had already transformed into his war form, standing nearly eight feet tall now.

"Are you alright?" he growled.

I nodded, and he launched himself at Xander with speed. Xander caught him mid-leap with his tendrils of shadow and hurled him into one of the tents that were set up.

"Ramsey!" I screamed, recovering quickly enough to send spirals of blue flame towards Xander, but he deflected them easily, his darkness was swallowing each vault. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Nanny, Terra, and Circe move behind Xander.

It seemed they were trying to replicate the ritual circle, which would open a portal for Xander’s demise. Since we couldn’t go to the ritual ground, which we honestly thought would be the case.

That we would be able to convince Xander enough to run after us to that marking, by this time, Ramsey had rolled to his feet, shaking off the impact. Blood matted his fur where something had cut him, but he barely noticed.

He circled Xander like a predator, looking for an opening. noveldrama

"Stay out of this, Ramsey Kincaid. This is between me and your beloved mate. You cannot win, the twin moons feed my power, and I’m beyond your reach now." As Xander spoke, he sent another spear of darkness flying toward both of us.

I dove left, landing softly on my side and still mindful of the baby, while Ramsey leapt right. The shadow spears landed on the ground between us and began to smoke.

I closed my eyes for a moment to centre my pheromones until I could feel them spreading and filling the air.

"Together!" I shouted to Ramsey. "Hit him from both sides!"

We attacked in perfect synchronisation – I channelling the power from my pheromones while Ramsey struck his speed and strength. For a moment, it seemed like we might break through Xander’s defences.

My blue light carved burning lines across his chest while Ramsey’s claws raked deep furrows in his shoulder.

But instead of weakening him, our attacks only seemed to make him stronger. The wounds closed almost instantly, and his laughter grew more maniacal.

When I looked across his shoulders, I could see Nanny and Terra were almost done with placing the herbs for the summoning circle to open the portal. I still had to distract him more so the women could work with ease.

"We need to think of something else," I gasped, pulling back. "We’re making him stronger!"

But Ramsey either didn’t hear me or chose to ignore my warning. His war form was magnificent in its fury as he kept attacking, moving faster than the eye could follow. He clawed at Xander, only for him to be caught again by the throat, mid-strike.

"Such royalty," Xander mused, lifting him off the ground. "Such devotion. It’s almost touching. This is how I expect you to be, Lyla."

"Let him go!" I screamed, sending bolts of my pheromones towards him.

"Oh, I will," Xander said with a cruel smile, turning to face me fully. "After I show you what happens to those who oppose me."

Dark energy began flowing from his hand into Ramsey’s throat. I watched with horror as Ramsey’s war form slowly diminished, growing weaker as the corruption spread through his system. His amber eyes were dimming to grey.

"No!" I threw myself forward, but tendrils of black shadow wrapped around me, holding me in place. "Don’t you dare hurt him!"

"This is what defiance gets you, Lyla," Xander said conversationally as Ramsey’s transformation kept reversing against his will. "Pain. Loss. The slow death of everything you hold dear."

Ramsey’s Lycan form was shrinking; the darkness was forcing him back to his human form. But I could see what it was costing him – blood ran from his nose and ears as his body fought the change.

Something snapped inside me. I felt the power surging through me until, finally, unable to be contained, it burst into the night sky, shining brightly. Xander’s hold on us cut off instantly. Ramsey fell on the ground, gasping and coughing, while I turned to Xander.

I felt different, almost as if this was a different person. When I looked down, I saw that I was holding Neriah’s sword and dressed in armour. Xander was on his feet already and was watching me warily as I marched towards him.

"You’ll regret this, Lyla... you don’t..."

I slashed at him, cutting off tendrils of what looked like his body. It fell to the ground, sizzling for a few minutes before producing a pungent smell, which then disappeared. This was the key. Neriah’s sword would kill both me and Xander if I could just get close.

I went after him, catching him midair and plunging the sword through him.

He coughed up a black substance, moving backwards – I made sure he was going towards the circle. Through our mate bond, I felt Ramsey healing and then rising almost immediately to go after Xander.

"Ramsey," I turned to stop him, but he breezed past me and lunged at Xander.

That was when I felt it – when I sensed his intention. The way he wasn’t trying to fight Xander means he was accepting it. I saw him pushing an almost weak Xander into the circle, preparing to sacrifice himself in my stead.

"Ramsey, no!’ I rushed at him, yanking him off Xander as if I was taking off a piece of gum from the bottom of my shoes. "Don’t you dare... are you..."

Someone, a force, something, it was difficult to tell, breezed past me, taking Neriah’s sword away from my hand, towards the Dark One, who was wheezing for breath now. Both of them entered the circle, and instantly, it caught flames.

"No, no, no..." I heard Ramsey repeat beside me as he scrambled to his feet.

I was too frozen to move a muscle.