The Warrior’s Broken Mate novel Chapter 71

I glanced between the two men standing before me, and there was no denying the similarities. Sadly, Elias truly did resemble his father. And that father of his? He was staring at me with an expression I couldn’t quite place.

“It’s good to finally meet the renowned Lyra. Your mother spoke of you constantly,” Declan said.

“Finn Corwin,” I replied, voice level.

“That’s the name your mother knew me by. I couldn’t afford to reveal my real identity,” he answered.

“You were involved with her,” I said plainly.

“I was. But only after my mate passed. And you were just a child back then,” Declan replied without hesitation.

“I know. For a while, people even wondered if you were my biological father,” I told him.

“That would’ve meant you were fated to your brother,” Declan said, voice neutral.

“Yeah, that definitely threw a wrench in things for a bit,” I said, not bothering to hide the sarcasm.

“Eventually we cleared that up. But what you haven’t explained is why the hell you’re here,”

Elias cut in.

“I told you I had something important to say. And now that Lyra’s here, it’s time for all of us to talk,” Declan said as he took a seat at the table.

Elias looked over at me cautiously, clearly uneasy, but I made my way across the room and sat down opposite Declan without hesitation.

“No coffee for your guest?” Declan asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No. But Lyra, would you like some?” Elias asked without missing a beat.

“I’d love one,” I answered, smiling slightly.

Elias went ahead and prepared my coffee, grabbing himself a beer while he was at it. Another man joined us at the table then, but Elias casually pulled my chair closer to his with one swift motion, making sure I wasn’t sitting near either of them.

“And you are?” I asked the newcomer.

“Harry,” he replied.

“My dad’s Beta. Also Luke’s father,” Elias added for clarity..

“Does Luke know they’re here?” I asked.

“He’s on his way now,” Elias confirmed, and I gave a slight nod.

“I can hardly believe my son is mated to the last remaining werewolf royal,” Declan said, clearly pleased.

“I’m not sure why that excites you. It has absolutely nothing to do with you. And you sure as hell aren’t getting anything out of it,” I snapped.

“She’s got a mouth on her,” Declan said, glancing at Elias.

“Oh, that’s nothing. Just wait until she really lets loose,” Elias said with a smirk.

“I can only imagine. If she’s anything like her mother…” Declan began.

“I am nothing like her,” I cut him off firmly. He stared at me with a puzzled look, and Harry’s reaction mirrored his.

That’s when it hit me–they probably didn’t know. They had no idea she was still alive. That she’d been hidden away in the castle for the past sixteen years.

The front door suddenly slammed open, and Luke stood there with pitch–black eyes and a murderous expression, radiating pure rage. His focus was locked on the two men–his and Elias’s fathers.

I remembered the stories. The way those men had brutalized their sons. The years of cruelty. I couldn’t blame them for the hatred in their eyes. Elias and Luke had grown stronger since escaping, but I wondered–was this their first confrontation since then? Or had there been others before this?

“What the hell is this? Why aren’t you already tearing them apart?” Luke snarled.

“Because this asshole claims he has something important to tell us,” Elias said, motioning toward his father.

“We don’t need his damn information. What we need is for him and his scumbag friend over there to be six feet under,” Luke barked.

“When the hell did you grow a spine? You were always pathetic,” Harry sneered.

“Yeah? That tends to happen after a lifetime of getting beaten down and told you’re garbage,” I shot back, eyes locked on him. He stared at me, clearly not expecting me to stand up for Luke. But the surprise he got? That was only the beginning.

Luke was the closest thing I had to a sibling, and there was no chance I’d let this bastard show up and start tearing him apart all over again.

“What do you know?” Elias demanded sharply.

“It concerns Thorne Bennett,” Declan replied.

“If you’re not going to spit it out all at once, then leave. We don’t have time for games,” Elias snapped.

“He’s working with a witch. A very dangerous one. She’s planning to open a portal into another realm,” Declan said. Elias turned his gaze to me, then to Luke.

“And?” Elias asked, unimpressed.

“That’s not enough for you?” Harry interjected.

“We already figured that part out,” I said flatly.

“That’s why you’re here, right? Because you’re going to stop them. How in the world do you think she’s going to take down her own father?” Declan said with a mocking chuckle.

“What makes you so sure she can’t?” Elias countered.

“Ever since you took her from Thorne, the rumors have been nonstop. We’ve heard how she was locked away in an attic. How she was abused and poisoned day after day. How she didn’t even know she was a royal. Thorne only kept her alive to exploit her power,” Declan said grimly.

“Well, she’s no longer the girl she once was. I’m telling you right now, she’s got just as much of a chance at ending him as anyone else,” Elias said firmly.

“Probably more than anyone, actually,” Luke added.

“You’ve got a lot of faith in her,” Declan said, eyes narrowing.

“Why are you even warning us about Thorne?” Luke asked. A valid question. Why show up now? Why care?

“Because that portal can’t be allowed to open. We’re aware of what lies beyond it, and the last thing we need is for it to cross over,” Harry said.

“Well, it won’t,” I said with complete certainty.

“We’ve already gotten a taste of that world. That black witch summoned a few of its creatures to attack us. So we’re not going in blind. But as Lyra said, that portal’s not opening. We won’t let that lunatic destroy everything,” Elias added.

“Looks like they don’t need us after all, Declan,” Harry said with a shrug.

“Yeah, seems like we wasted our time coming here,” Declan replied dryly.

“Actually, you didn’t. This gives you the perfect opportunity to say goodbye to your sons. Because I don’t think it’s wise for either of you to ever show your faces near them again,” I said coldly.

“And what, you’re going to stop us? Don’t make me laugh,” Declan mocked.

I turned to him completely and locked eyes with a burning stare. He returned the look, but then began flailing, trying to brush something off his arm in panic.

He looked down, shouting and flinching, yelling for help as if something were crawling all over him. But Elias, Luke, and even Harry just watched him with raised brows–there was nothing there.

Elias’s gaze flicked over to me and noticed how focused I was on Declan. Then I eased my expression, dropping my concentration, and Declan suddenly went quiet.

He looked around frantically, scanning the room.

“Where did they go?” he asked, confused.

“Where did what go?” Harry questioned.

“The scorpions!” Declan blurted.

I gave him a slow, pointed smile. “Next time, it’ll be rattlesnakes,” I said evenly. “Now get the hell out.”

Hailey rose from her chair and grabbed Declan by the arm, hurrying him out of the suite without another word.

“Oh yeah. We’re definitely going to crush her father,” Luke said with a smirk as he sank into a chair across from me.

“Alpha, Luna,” a scout’s voice came through the mind link.

“What is it?” Elias asked quickly.

“You need to get here immediately. The ritual has started,” the scout warned.