Last Female Sypher and Her Brother's Friends novel Chapter 106

Chapter 106

Arla

There has been so much change lately, I know that if I stop to think about it, I’ll be overwhelmed

Right now, all I need is to make it to the safe house so I can see Theo and know my pack is safe and as far

away from the assembly as possible.

We travel quickly but controlled, cutting through the outskirts of the territory before slipping fully into the

forest.

The shift is immediate.

The sounds change. Leaves rustle with more of an edge, branches creak and slap against each other guided

by the wind, distant wildlife moves cautiously through the underbrush, aware of the group of predators

passing by.

Quinley drifts closer to my side as we move.

“So,” she says quietly, “how are you holding up? Really.”

I glance at her. “Better now,” I admit. “Thanks to you.”

She smiles. “Anytime.” A beat passes, and her voice turns teasing, “Welcome to the world of overprotective males. I hope you know that just because Kade is my cousin, it doesn’t mean I’ll take his side; we girls have

to stick together.

I snort. “I like the sound of that. I’m still getting used to their dominance.”

“Honestly, you get used to it. Or at least you learn who you can and can’t handle,” she says. “It’s just the way of dominant male wolves; they need to protect us just as naturally as they need to eat or breathe.”

“My favorite is when they try to make decisions for you,” I say dryly.

She groans. “Don’t even get me started.”

My wolf huffs in agreement. She is not a fan of being treated like she’s fragile, and neither am I.

“I’ve had worse,” he grunts, though his breathing is uneven.

er, my wolf mutters.

Der

We form a loose circle, instinctively closing ranks even in this brief moment of stillness. Ronan straighter ignoring the way his hand presses against his side. His gaze sweeps over the group, counting.

“The girls are gone,” I say before he can finish his count.

Ronan’s eyes snap back to me. “What do you mean, gone?”

“I’m assuming they got separated in the ambush,” I say, forcing the words out steadily. “We lost sight, of them when the first wave hit.”

Ronan’s expression darkens instantly. “You lost them?”

“They were cut off,” I snap back, a flash of anger rising. “I think it was done on purpose. By the time I noticed, I didn’t have the choice of going to look for them. I had to hold the line or everyone here would be dead.

Silence stretches for a beat.

Then Bret steps in. “He’s right. We were barely holding it as it is.”

Ronan exhales sharply, running a hand through his blood-streaked hair. He looks back at the me.” She’s alive.”

group,

then

I nod my confirmation. “I feel it too. She isn’t hurt, just a little anxious. Quin knows the meeting point,” say quickly. “If they are both gone, we can assume they’ll stick together. Quin will lead her there.”

“You’re Right,” Ronan says. “Okay let’s head out. We need to make it to the river as soon as we can.”

My chest tightens as I think of my mate and my little cousin out there. We don’t know how many are

hunting them, and that makes my wolf uneasy.

I shove the doubt down hard. They will be okay.

They have to be.

Chapter 108

Every step feels heavier than the last.

Every sound in the forest makes my head snap up, heart pounding.

They’re out there, my wolf says, restless and on edge. Alone.

Images flash through my mind. Aria’s smile, Quin’s uncertain but determined eyes and assembly warri closing in.

My hands curl into fists.

If anything happens to them…

We’ll tear this forest apart, my wolf growls.

Damn right we will.

But fear lingers, sharp and unrelenting.

Because for all my confidence, for all the words I said to Ronan, I know the truth.

A submissive and an untrained, newly emerged wolf alone in these woods weren’t great odds.

Still, I refuse to believe the gods gave us a mate just to take her away before we’ve truly known her.

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Chapter 104

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10:50 Mon, Sep 7

Last Female Sypher and Her Brother’s Friends

Chapter 105

Ara

Pain, white and hot, hits me out of nowhere. My shoulder and back throb with a phantom ache close

enough to feel real but distant enough to let my mind know it’s not mine.

I freeze mid-step, fingers tightening around the strap of my pack as something twists deep in my chest.

Theo.

I don’t know how I know, but I do. The certainty of his presence is clearer than the throbbing feeling

lighting up my nerves.

My wolf surges forward instantly, restless and agitated. He’s hurt.

Just as quickly as it came, the feeling dulls. It’s far away. Blurred. Like trying to see through thick fog. I can

still sense the pain, the distress, but I can’t tell how bad the wounds are.

That makes it worse.

I know he’s limiting what I can feel somehow.

A shadow moves over me.

“He’ll be okay,” Kade assures, his voice cutting through my spiraling thoughts.

I shake my head, trying to steady myself. But when I look in his eyes, I see the same worry tightening my

chest.

“But he’s hurt,” I say. “And he’s hiding it. How can he hide it?

“Mating bonds allow us to feel each other and get a sense of the emotions going on in our heads, but it doesn’t mean that we are an open book. With practice, you can learn to block the connection to some degree so we won’t sense what you’re feeling.”

“Why would you want to do that?”

“To have a moment to yourself, or in Theo’s case to make sure we don’t worry and get distracted.”

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Chapter 109

Much worse.

shit,

hit,” I breathe.

Theo’s skin has taken on a sickly yellow tint, spreading outward from the wound in jagged veins. The arrow

wound itself is all wrong. The edges are dark, almost black, and something thick and discolored oozes from

it, not quite blood, not quite anything natural:-

It looks like it’s rotting, my wolf snarls.

“What do you need?” Barric asks, his voice tight but controlled.

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“Juju powder. Terra was harvesting it before we got the emergency message,” he says.

eyes widened. Juju powder was a great tool for healing, but it was also highly flammable when stru with a match.

My wolf approves of this devious plan. Normally, I would be against anything that could be seen as dishonorable in battle, but these wolves introduced weapons first. They attacked our pack, and if we al them, they’ll try to wipe us out.

“You got a light?”

“Erin does,” he answers with a mischievous grin. “Tell everyone to center up.”

With a quick nod, I head out and spot Ronan breaking the neck of some foolish warrior.

“Call everyone to the center,” I shout.

“Circle defense now!” Ronan’s voice cuts through the chaos.

I move so that I’m back-to-back with Ronan. Every moment, more and more of our pack centers together

the weaker, more vulnerable members in the center and the enforcers on the outside.

My gaze is frantic as I look for the girls.

Come on. Come on.

Where the hell are they?

Moments pass, and everyone else is in place, drawing the remaining Assembly warriors right where we

want them.

My heart stutters. They aren’t here.

They’re gone.

They must have been separated in the initial ambush, lost somewhere in this mess.

Find them, my wolf demands, frantic now.

I want to. Gods, how I want to, but it’s not possible right now. I need to focus on solving one problem

before I can work on the other. From our bond, I can feel that Aria is safe

That gives me some semblance of calm, but not enough. I see Bret moving like smoke through the tree while the remaining assembly members are being kept busy by us. He signals to Erin. And then Erin lights the juju powder.

The flame erupts, and a wall of fire traps the assembly warrior with us and removes their ability to use th trees to dart back and forth.

Now locked in with us. They aren’t getting out.

Dex is the first to attack. He moves with a fluid, lethal grace, using his claws like knives to stab into the necks of the closet enemies. As if his movement opened an internal lock, we all move into action.

Another attack cuts off my train of thought.

Steel slices across my shoulder, pain exploding down my arm. I hiss, spinning, and retaliate with a vicious slash of claws that sends the attacker reeling.

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10:51 Mon, Sep 7

Chapter 110

“Bash has a point. This is something else, something we need an answer to,” I add.

greed.”

But right now, we’ve got a more immediate problem.

I glance back at Theo one last time, then turn.

“I’m going to find Felix. Once Ronan gets here, we need to speak with you.”

Barric nods. “Go.”

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Chapter 106

Quinley nudges my arm lightly. “Do you ever just want to shake them?”

the time.”

We both laugh quietly, the tension easing just a little.

“You know,” she says, glancing at me, “once this is over, you’re coming over to my cabin.”

“For what?”

“A little girl time. And food,” she says immediately. “I love cooking. And I need to get to know you bet

since you’re basically stuck with me now.”

Something warm flickers in my chest. “I’d like that. Honestly, I could do with some space from the mal

“God, same,” she says. “I swear, if I have to listen to one more testosterone-fueled argument-”

“Hey,” Dez calls from ahead without turning around, “we can hear you.”

Good,” Quinley shoots back. “Maybe you’ll learn something.”

A few quiet chuckles ripple through the group.

It almost feels normal.

As I’m laughing, a scent tickles my nose. One that stands out amongst the dry soil and subtle sweetness

the pines.

I inhale.

My wolf goes rigid. Wolf.

I stop mid-step. The strange scent of an unknown male set off the panic buttons in my chest. “Ronan—” I

try.

Too late. They hit us from the side, breaching through our ranks. Assembly wolves burst into the center of

our convoy.

“Ambush!” Ronan roars.

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Chapter 106

The formation shatters as bodies collide, screams and yells of determination cutting through the air.

Stay together! Kade shouts.

I reach for Quinley and miss.

A wolf slams into my knees, knocking me off balance. I twist, shoving it away just enough to break free

“Quin!” I shout.

“I’m here!” she yells from somewhere to my right.

Another wolf lunges.

I duck, heart pounding, adrenaline flooding my system. A second joins the first wolf, standing between our

pack and Quin and me.

Quin takes a quick survey of our surroundings before saying, “Run! This way!”

We race through the trees, away from the main group. The two wolves are on our heels, their snarls

echoing behind us.

“We need to ditch them,” Quin says. “I’m going to confuse them. Stay with me.”

“I’m right behind you,” I say, glad she knows these parts of the forest so well.

Quinley veers sharply, leading us toward a rocky outcrop ahead.

I move with her, keeping as close as a shadow.

“Keep moving!” she calls as she stops and turns to face them. It doesn’t look like she’s doing anything, but

the tiny hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

Suddenly, one of the wolves runs into the other. They fall over in a tangle of limbs, and Quin takes off until

she’s by my side.

My lungs burn, legs straining as we push harder.

“We don’t have much time.” Quinley darts between two jagged rocks, pulling me with her.

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Chapter 111

“No,” I say flatly. Not because I’m bothered by the question, but because now I wish I had taken Grace up

on he offer.

“Shame. You’re way less stabby when you do.”

“Good to know.” There’s a brief pause, then I add, “What about you and Dex?”

Felix snorts. “Wow. Deflection and curiosity? I’m honored.

“I’m serious.”

He shrugs, still typing. “Doesn’t matter.”

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Last Female Sypher and Her Brother’s Friends

Chapter 112

“Doesn’t matter,” I repeat flatly. “You hound me for every little detail of your life, practically give me a

damn animation of every hook up you have, and now you say it doesn’t after?

“Yep.”

Felix may not want to talk about it, but there’s no way in hell I’m not getting the details. I don’t care if Dex

is a fellow enforcer; if he hurts my best friend, I will kick his ass.”He’s been avoiding you.”/

“Also yep.” The words come out devoid of emotion, but I can see the small downturn at the corner of his

mouth.

I cross my arms. “And you’re just fine with that?”

Felix finally glances at me, one brow raised. “What do you want me to do, Liam? Chase him around like a

lost puppy? The man has made it perfectly clear he’s not into me.”

“Wouldn’t have used ‘puppy, given the audience,” I mutter.

He huffs a laugh. “Look, it’s simple. I took a chance, went for it, and got shot down spectacularly. Dex

won’t even look at me most days. So no, I’m not going to waste my time barking up that very confusing

tree.”

Shit, I’m confused to. I would have sworn Dex had taken an interest in Felix. I mean shifters were open

about alot of things, including human concepts of sexuality. Alot of males took pleasure with both males

and females, and some were even exclusively gay. I don’t know Dex’s preference, but I didn’t think he

would be so much of a dick that he would just ice Felix out without a good reason.

“Want me to fuck him up?” I’d do it if he said yes.

Felix’s mouth twitches, but he doesn’t respond.

He’s protecting himself, my wolf observes.

He leans closer to the screen, eyes narrowing. “Wait.”

My attention sharpens. “What?”

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Chapter 112

“I’ve got something.”

get closer so I can see the screen over his shoulder. He pulls up a series of old records, text scrolling

rapidly.

“Poison classifications used during the war…” he mutters. “Here.” He taps the screen. “Looks like there was

a vine-based toxin used against the hunters, one that was created by a sypher with green magic.”

My stomach tightens.

“A sypher,” I repeat.

Felix nods grimly. “Yeah. It says here that it was a sap-like substance that was used by coating the tips of

their claws to deliver it. Once infected, the hunter would lose muscle control, then there would be

dizziness, then hallucinations, followed by massive internal organ failure.”

“That tracks,” I mutter, thinking of Theo’s skin, the wound, and how weak he was. “How do we stop it?” I

ask.

Felix goes still for a fraction of a second, scrolling down the page as he skims the information faster than I

ever could. His pupils dilate, and his fingers stop moving.

“That’s the fun part,” he says, voice going a little too light. “The only thing that can neutralize it is Sypher

fire.”

The words hang heavy in the air.

Sypher fire.

There’s only one person here who can do that.

Aria.

My jaw tightens.

Theo’s life doesn’t depend on medicine. Or skill. Or time.

It depends on whether Arias can control something as dangerous as the poison itself.

And if the Assembly knew there was only one cure. One thing they thought didn’t exist, then his poisoning

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Chapter 110

Kiara and Thomas don’t look up as they work. Thomas prods at the injury while Kiara focuses on stopping the bleeding and oozing pus that’s began to fall.

Her hands move quickly and efficiently, but her mouth is turned down. She and Thomas look at each other and I see a flash of something cross between them.

“I need to talk to the other healers,” Thomas says. “Kiara’s right. Something like this hasn’t been seen in my lifetime. We need to consult with the elders.”

“You can just leave him like this,” Barric’s jaw clenches, and he strokes a gentle hand across Theo’s forehead.

The action takes me by surprise, but I school my expression. I wasn’t sure what to expect out of a band pairing, but it wasn’t this heightened affection between the males as well.

My wolf snorts like he knows something I don’t.

“We’re not leaving him. We’ll be back, but if we do the wrong thing, we could make things worse instead of better,” Kiara assures him. I’ll stabilize him first.”

From a pouch at her side, she pulls out a small vial and carefully lifts Theo’s head just enough to get the liquid past his lips. He doesn’t react much-just a faint swallow, more reflex than anything.

“It’ll make him sleep,” she says. “If his system slows down, the poison should too. At least in theory.”

“In theory?” Sebastian echoes.

Kiara shoots him a look. “As much as I hate to admit it, we’re going in blind here. But the body’s natural process would determine this as the logical solution.”

He raises his hands. “Point taken.”

I step closer to Theo, crouching beside the table. For a second, I just look at him, really look.

Theo has always been solid. Unshakable. The one you don’t worry about because he’s the one doing the worrying for everyone else.

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Chapter 113

Ana

Rain slicks my skin in a spontaneous downpour.

One second, the forest is just damp and heavy with the promise of a storm, the next it’s pouring cold drops

that are slicing through the canopy of trees, soaking through my shirt, turning the ground beneath my

boots into a slip and slide.

Just our luck.

Beside me, Quin looks just as soaked through, only while I’m giving drowned rat, she looks like the early

bird in a wet t-shirt contest.

“I know. The girls get all the attention,” she says with a smirk.

“Shit. I’m no better than a man. Sorry. I didn’t realise I was staring.”

She laughs, and we weave through trees. “Don’t. This is the most action I’ve had in weeks. Being stuck in

the pack has not been good for my libido.”

She wipes the rain from her brow, and I do the same. Not that it does much, but I’d settle for any amount

of visibility under these conditions.

“Stay with me. We’re about to go on a steep decline, but the river is not too far off now. Make sure to plant your feet, it’s going to be slick.” Quin calls over her shoulder, her voice steady despite the way she’s moving

faster now, weaving through trees like she was born to this exact stretch of forest.

I fall in behind her, matching her pace, forcing my breathing to stay even. Every sense is stretched thin, every crack of a branch or shift of wind making my pulse spike beneath the sound of battering rain. It

makes my senses feel less reliable, and me feel vulnerable.

Quin glances back just long enough to check on me, her pale hair plastered to her face from the rain. “Here

we are.”

She stops pointedly in front of a dramatic drop-off. When she said we would be going downhill, she was

kidding. The ground slid off at a sharp thirty-degree angle.

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“The trick is to keep yourself leaning backwards.” Quin’s voice is not as confident as I would like it to be,

but I can’t blame her for the unease.

Even without these conditions, this would be a hell of a descent.

“Or we could just scoot on our ass until we’re down,” I suggest.

She snorts. “Yeah. Or that.”

We angle toward the slope, and the moment my foot hits the edge of the decline, it sinks. The unstable dirt

moves like sludge, sliding and rolling in on itself.

Eww.

This isn’t gonna be pretty.

Quin and I take small steps, sinking onto our asses so we can drag and slide against the side as we creep

toward the bottom.

Every shift of our weight is deliberate.

“This is so nasty,” I say.

“This