The Delta's Daughter Chapter 357

LYRIC

"What in goddesses name was that?" I rush to my mate's side, unbothered by the cold and my naked body on display. I was more concerned with what I had just witnessed.

I could hear the screams through the coms and one by one they went offline. On the monitor I was watching a dense fog rolled in, coming from the direction of the convoy, spreading faster than a disease in humans and engulfing the border of the Golden Circle pack.

I wasn't afraid of a fight. I was a trained warrior and I feared for my mate. 'Mate needs us. Go help mate.' Note kept repeating over and over until I finally gave in to her demands and rushed from the control room, shifting as I sprinted from the pack house and headed to where the fight was happening.

When I came upon the scene, I was just in time to see Twenty-Nine drag Jonda away and I assume the Shadow Witch, use his magic to render warriors motionless and set his beasts upon them.

With horror I watched my Beta fight a beast, tearing the thing's throat out. Except, creeping black veins began to climb over and under my mate's skin like poison. I watched him stumble and Note ran harder. He fell to his knees and I shifted as I reached him, dropping to my own knees.

Tobias was screaming his name and the more the black lines spread across him the more his body began to heat, glow with a pale blue light.

I reach out to him, wanting to help him. He was in so much pain I could faintly feel it through the mate bond. "What's wrong with him?" I ask no one in particular.

"Don't touch him!" Strong arms grasp me and wrench me away from my Beta. I kick and pull in an attempt to go to him, but the arms hold me fast and prevent me from moving. "Stop Lyric," Tobias commands me, but he has no authority over my wolf.

I squirm some more, then still as I watch the blue hue that surrounds my mate become brighter and stronger.

"I've seen this before. Just wait." Tobias' words are calm, but I am anything but calm.

The light increases until it's so bright I have to turn away and bury my face into the bear shifter's chest. I scream as I feel the heat and when I turn back, I don't know what to expect. Maybe for my Beta to not be there? I don't know, but what I wasn't expecting was to see his body perfectly intact, laying flat on the ground.

I wiggle from Tobias' arms, his hands gliding down my naked body as I pull away, he lets me go without a fight. "We need to get him medical help!" Kneeling over his body, my hands hover above him, not daring to touch him. I listen for a heartbeat and faintly hear one, heaving a sigh of relief.

Two warriors run over and wrap a blanket around me then lay one on my mate. They lift him up and carry him off back toward the pack.

"He's going to be okay." Tobias tries to assure me. But I'm not sure.

When we make it back to the pack house, I'm told my Beta is out cold and in a comatose state.

"Can I sit with him?" My wolf urges me to be near her mate, and my concern for him only fuels my own need to be with him. I may not be a good mate for him, but still, he's my mate. The bond is there, and the need is great, despite knowing I can't be with him or give him what he needs.

Haley lays her hand on my shoulder, "Lyric, we don't know if he is going to come through this. His heart is weak. We don't know what was done to him."

I appreciated Halley's concern and her words of caution, however, I couldn't think of anywhere better to be except with my boy.

"Sit with him, I will contact King Mathias and Queen Lamia. I will also contact King Kellen." I look up at Tobias, his mossy green eyes holding conflicting concerns for his friend.

I swallow deeply, the lump that sits in my throat refusing to budge as I gulp down my saliva. "You need to tell Rhett too. Jonda was there. He is her mate, her curse breaker. I saw her. Twenty-Nine had her." Tears form and the lump in my throat grows. I can only imagine what has been done to that poor female. The image of Bram's eyes right before the light left them conjures in my mind. I understand my mate is in love with that female but I wouldn't wish death on anyone. She may have my mate's heart, but she didn't deserve this shit.

I finally have the courage to walk into the room where my mate is laid out on a bed in one of the pack infirmary rooms.

He looks so peaceful as if he is merely napping. His skin is a healthy bronze once more, a tan left over from the summer. His chest slowly rises and drops with each muted breath. His lashes brush against the crest of his cheekbone. He's beautiful.

I let my eyes trail over his bare chest, down the length of him where a sheet covers the lower part of his body. It's the first time I have had the chance to truly take him.

'He is our mate.' Note stirs.

'I know,' I reply to my wolf.

'He wants us, his wolf wants us. I sense this.' Note sounds confident but I'm not.

'He loves another.' I tell her my true feelings. My mate and I didn't meet on great terms. He is the Royal Beta to the werewolf kingdom, I am nothing but a thief and packless daughter of an Alpha. He had made up his mind long before we had met.

'Even if that was true, I can't be with him. You know why. I can't offer him more.' I tell my wolf with sadness.

'You could try. He would never hurt us.'

I wanted to believe Note's words, but what if I tried and the fear held me back? What if I fell in love with him and couldn't be his mate in every sense of the word? What if she was wrong? He wouldn't hurt us, but he would lose patience. No, it was better if he rejected me and found someone who wasn't fearful of intimacy.

I lean over his sleeping form, and lift my hand, letting it hover just over his cheek but not quiet touching him. "Mike," I whisper, saying my mate's name for the first time.

I can't describe the feeling that washes over me. It's an awareness, a shiver that causes goosebumps, one that is pleasurable rather than repulsive. "Mike," I say again, liking the way his name rolls from between my lips.

A short burst of energy zaps my fingertips and look at where my fingers almost touch my mate. "Mike," I say once again, a little louder, and watch as a thin, pulsing burst of energy zaps between my fingertips and his face.

"What the… shit!" I pull my hand back quickly, trying to make sense of what just happened. Feeling brave, slowly I place my hand back in the same spot. Barely touching him, I begin to let my fingers caress his cheek.

This time, I'm not startled when the sparks are felt and become visible. Small blue tendrils, like threads, jump between us, "Fascinating." I breathe out utterly captivated by what's happening.

Like an electrostatic generator, the blue sparks follow the movement of my hand. I get brave and press my hand to his face, leaning over him closer. A deep satisfying warmth washes over me and pools at my core, creating an enticing pulse between my legs.

I shudder out a breath as I feel our connection, my nipples tightening beneath the shirt I now wear. I dare to move my hand, trailing over his chiseled jaw down to his collarbone. Daring to let my hand roam further and feel the hard planes of his muscular chest beneath the tips of my fingers, while watching as the blue sparks follow the path my fingers take.

He truly is a work of art. And the sparks are an enigma.

I relish in his masculine beauty, enjoying the time I have been given to explore him while he is unconscious. Without expectations or presumption. I let my thoughts and emotions become carried away as I watch with fervor the magic of my touch.

I squeak loudly when large hands grasp my wrist and waist hauling me on top of my mate. "Lyric, your safe." These are the only words he husks out before he pulls himself up into a sitting position and covers my mouth with his.

So lost in the feel of his touch, his lips caressing mine, I freeze. The hand on my waist slips up under my shirt and I gasp when his thumb brushes over my bare breast. His other hand weaves into my hair as he draws me against him tighter and his tongue slips into my mouth

"Mine" He whispers between kisses, his hand roaming over me with fevered movement. I respond, letting him lead me in the kiss, falling deeper into the moment.

I'm lost in the kiss. I'm lost in the feel of his hands on me, in the way that each touch ignites a deeper feeling and pang of arousal. I feel his intensity from the way his mouth moves against mine and the long shaft that thickens between my legs.

"We thought he had hurt you," He groans against me, the vibrations from his mouth as he brushes his lips over my jaw causes my core to flutter.

It's the feeling of his cock against the inside of my thigh that turns my arousal to fear, my reaction turning so quick. As much as I was lost in the moment, the moment was lost after I came to my senses and placed my hands on his chest to push him away.

"Stop please," I beg, with diluted determination.

"I don't want to, I want to touch what's meant to be mine." Note preens in my head and encourages me to lavish on the affection he is administering. But I can't.

The screams and the cheering, the thought of what they did to my mother. The blood. The tears in her eyes. I can see it all. Like it was happening.

"Stop!" I cry out, shoving him harder with more resolve and trying to scramble from his lap. "Please stop!" I find myself crying out.

My mate lets me go and I can see the deep hurt in his hazel eyes, which begin to darken and anger starts to replace the hurt. Anger morphs into frustration until he shoves me from him. "Is that what you are Lyric? A tease? You lead a male on, make them think you want them then leave them hanging?"

"No," I sob. "That's not…"

"Then what is it?" He growls swinging his legs over the side of the bed and standing.

I open and shut my mouth a few times. Words die on my lips as I glance over his naked body. My jaw slacks as I stare at the impossibly hard and impossibly impressive cock that bobs up.

I manage to tear my eyes away from the imposing manhood and lock gazes with him. Hazel meets Brown as we stare at each other. "You frighten me," I tell him, giving him honesty instead of shying away.

"I wouldn't hurt you." He says seriously taking a step toward me. I can't help but scoff, my eyes going back to the swinging pendulum between his legs, biting my lips with nerves.

I had been around sex. I had seen shifters have sex, hell, Miko always had some sort of sex show occurring in his office when I was there. I had seen my fair share, and no matter how much I had watched females scream in pleasure, I couldn't see myself enjoying the act. I didn't understand how something like mating could bring someone so much pleasure when I saw the aftermath of what happened to my mother. What sex did to my mother. What having a pup did to my sister.

I point to his penis and shake my head with tears in my eyes, "I'm sorry I told you I was no good for you."

I rush out the door, shame and guilt holding power over my actions, hearing my name echo down the hall as he calls out for me. "Lyric!" But he doesn't chase me. I'm thankful for that.

I wanted it, I was enjoying his touch, his kiss. For a moment I thought I wanted more, but then… reality set in, and the doubt and fear crept up, taking over until all I could think about was my poor mother and Melody.

It wasn't normal. I wasn't normal. I had been scarred for life. I was damaged goods.

In my haste and through my tears I failed to watch where I was going, my senses dampened because of my emotions, and I run into what felt like a brick wall. Bouncing off the hard surface.

Strong hands catch me, "Whoa whoa, little one, what happened?" I look up and up to see Tobias's eyes raking over me with concern.

"None of your business." I try to wrench my arms from his hold to no avail. I'm embarrassed and tears have gathered in my eyes. I don't want anyone to see me cry, nor do I want to explain myself. "Let me go, Tobias," I ask more calmly, still trying to pry my arms from his tight grasp.

"Look at me." I refuse and keep my head down and turned. "I said look at me Lyric." He gives me a shake, not hard but enough to jar me and make me look up at him even if it is just to scowl at the overgrown werebear.

Tobias' eyes search mine, "That's better, now tell me little one, what has you so upset? Because this isn't over and that… that witch, seems to think you are his breeder and wants you and your boy back."

"What?" It's all I can say as the air rushes out of me and my head feels light. My legs become weak at the thought of the Shadow Witch coming for me or my boy.

I shake my head no, eyes still trained on Tobias', he bobs his head up and down. I don't want to believe it.

"He's coming back Lyric and we need to be prepared. All of us. You're smart and strong, don't tap on us yet, we need you." Tobias says with absolution. "Your pup needs you to fight, he needs you home."

He's right, no matter what, I need to be strong for Zane. For Lizzy. For me.

Taking deep breaths, I steady my inner turmoil, calling on my wolf to lend me her strength. I feel her release her aura, boosting my own confidence and resolve. She's not happy with me running out on our mate like that, but she also understands to a degree that I'm haunted by my past, by the things I witnessed.

"That a girl." Tobias smiles at me. His large hand rubbed my shoulder and arm. "The goddess wouldn't fate Mike with a weak wolf, and there is nothing about you that is weak. Do you understand Lyric?" I gulp and nod.

"I'm not weak Tobias. Just broken." He offers me a smile and I attempt to give him one back.

Note perks up in my mind as the manly smell of my mate wafts down the hall and reaches my senses. I close my eyes briefly, praying that he is so mad he will ignore me.

No such luck.

"Lyric." The rumble in his voice tells me he is mad as heck, but the sound has an adverse effect on me. Instead of fearing his anger, it only serves to remind me how good he tasted and felt only minutes before. "I need to speak with my mate." He tells Tobias coming up on us. "Alone." He growls and even though I'm not looking at him, I can feel his heated gaze on me. Piercing and consuming.

Tobias walks away, but not without patting my shoulder one last time. "Meeting in 20 minutes." He throws over his shoulder, "You both need to be there."