Page 42 of Destined to the Lycan (The Shadow Realms #3)

Tears of anger and helplessness pricked my eyes, while an all-consuming rage gradually grew within me.

Could Ranael be ignoring the summons because it was me calling upon him?

What the fuck was I supposed to do now? There was no time for me to go get Malina—Misty’s daughter—and bring her back here to perform the summons in my stead.

I gathered Amara in my arms, and my heart shattered in a thousand pieces as I looked at the network of dark veins spreading up her cheeks, and down her chest. Throwing my head back, I howled at the moon with the full depth of the despair I felt.

And then I heard it.

Wings flapping in the distance. I jerked my head up to look towards the valley from whence Ranael had arrived the previous time, only to realize the sound was actually coming from behind me. I spun around, and my jaw dropped upon seeing a Gharlakan.

The giant flying creature had a somewhat canine body, although the longer legs and arms could have belonged to a werewolf.

The face was vaguely shaped like that of a fox, with the same pointy ears and long snout.

However the mouth was shaped more like a beak than a maw.

It had no eyes, being guided by ultrasound like a bat.

Its wings also could have belonged to a bat except for the fact that they were covered in white fur with specks of blue just like the rest of its body.

An excessively long and thick tail trailed behind it with long white and dark blue fur fanning at the tip.

What in the world is a Gharlakan doing here?

These creatures did not dwell in these parts. They preferred the cold weather of the northern regions. But no sooner did that question enter my mind than it answered itself.

The creature made a beeline for us, shifting to its human form even as it landed gracefully before me.

“Lyall!” I exclaimed, shock and hope warring in equal measure within me.

“You foolish pup,” Lyall snarled angrily. “Ranael will not come for you.”

“It’s not for me though!” I argued.

“You cannot summon a demon wolf’s protection for another,” he snapped. “The pledge is only granted to the summoner.”

“But she’s dying!” I exclaimed. “He must come to her! Ranael granted his protection when she first summoned him. He has to know his task isn’t complete yet.”

The angry look Lyall gave me took me aback.

“Ranael cannot heal her,” Lyall hissed. “He’s not coming back specifically because he swore to protect her. Any further interaction with her will only speed up her death. He’s protecting her from himself.”

“You lie! What you say makes no sense!” I shouted angrily. “He has to bite her a second time to neutralize his venom.”

“No, he doesn’t,” Lyall replied through his teeth. “I told you to rethink the Weaver’s words. You interpreted them wrong.”

I blinked, my mind racing as I replayed the words Amara told me about her meeting with Cliona Nox.

“The Weaver told Amara that she needed to be bitten by his snake tail, and once the black veins appeared, that she needed to be bitten by his teeth,” I said, my eyes flicking from side to side as I searched my memory.

“No, Remus. She never said his teeth. The Weaver said ‘Ranael’s tail and a sick wolf’s bite.’”

I froze, my blood turning to ice as the meaning of his words sank in. The intensity of his red gaze dared me to argue the truth I didn’t want to accept.

“No,” I said, subconsciously shaking my head while taking an involuntary step away from him. “What you’re saying isn’t possible.”

“I’m not saying anything,” he countered. “You must reach your own conclusions.”

“You’re implying that it is my bite that she needs. Me , the sick wolf,” I hissed. “But that’s not possible. My saliva contains the same venom as his snake tail, but a much weaker version. You were the one who made me realize it. So me biting her now won’t help her.”

“That’s correct,” he said with an unreadable expression.

“So then it cannot be me !” I exclaimed.

My blood boiled with rage when he just stood there without speaking a word, staring at me like he wanted to punch the stupid out of me.

“By Ferazan’s blood, just fucking speak already!” I shouted. “Enough with your stupid riddles. Amara is dying! We don’t have time for your blasted games.”

“I have said as much as I can say, you foolish mortal,” Lyall replied angrily. “I am bound by the Covenant. You have all the information you need. Figure it out before it’s too late.”

I opened and closed my mouth, unsure what to say while a wave of despair crashed over me.

With this statement about the Covenant, Lyall confirmed my suspicions that he was either a demigod or one of the Ancients—though I believed him to be the former.

They were forbidden to meddle with the lives of mortals if it derailed Fate’s plans for us.

Breaking the Covenant had dire consequences for them.

“I don’t know what to do,” I said, defeated while tightening my hold around my mate’s unconscious form in my arms.

I gazed upon her beautiful face, my heart shattering. She trusted me so blindly, and here I was utterly failing her because I was too stupid to figure it out.

“Then go back to the source,” Lyall grumbled.

I jerked my head up to look at him questioningly. “The source?”

“The Weaver. She’s the one who told Amara what to do. Maybe ask her to clarify,” Lyall said with an unreadable expression.

“The Weaver is much too far!” I exclaimed, looking at him as if he’d lost his mind.

“Even if I killed myself running nonstop the fastest I could, it would take me at least three days. And that would be with me running alone ! With Amara, it would take at least eight to nine days. She will be dead by then. And even if I were to go alone and return with the answer, the full moon would have risen. And anyway, the Weaver never opened her gates for me.”

“You had nothing she wanted back then,” Lyall countered with a shrug. “Now, you do.”

He gestured with his chin at my mate as he spoke that last sentence.

My heart leapt. I indeed had something she wanted.

The Weaver never helped someone unless there was something in it for her.

She wanted my mate’s blood once she was cured.

Therefore, Cliona would want to help me save her so that she could get her hands on what would have to be one of the rarest serums in the world once she derived it from my woman’s blood.

“You make a good point,” I said, licking my lips nervously while I still tried to reflect on a solution to the time issue. “But I still will never make it in time to the Weaver’s house while carrying my mate.”

“I could fly Amara to her home,” Lyall suddenly offered with that same expressionless demeanor. “The manor she inherited would be a relatively short run for you from the Weaver’s home.”

I gaped at him, hope, anger, and deep frustration warring within me in equal measure.

“Why the fuck didn’t you offer that sooner?” I demanded. “And what about the Covenant? Why can you interfere with this but not with the rest? What are you not telling me?”

His anger flared in equal measure to mine, if not more.

“Stop wasting time with your stupid questions. I tell you what I can when it is appropriate to do so. I may not be allowed to interfere in the fate of mortals, but I have the right to take a dear friend home. You have until the full moon to figure out what to do. After that, Amara will die. And so help me, if you fail her, nothing, not even the Covenant, will spare you from my wrath.”

“You’re in love with her,” I whispered, more to myself than for him.

He bared his fangs at me, his eyes glowing an angry red.

“The question is do you love her?” he snarled.

“Yes, I do,” I replied with conviction.

He narrowed his eyes at me. “But do you love her enough ?”

“What?” I asked, confused.

“Do not be late, pup,” he simply replied before morphing back into a Gharlakan.

He towered over me by at least ahead as he stood on his hind legs.

Their three segments made him look even more like a werewolf, if not for his pointy face and bat wings.

He took my mate from me, the gentle and careful way with which he cradled her in his arms further confirmed the depth of his feelings for my Flame.

Whatever happened, he would go out of his way to keep her safe.

As soon as he took flight, I shifted into my wolf form.

I didn’t gather any of our belongings from the shelter, no food, or water.

I just ran.