The Lycan King's Outcast Omega (by Cara Anderson) novel Chapter 241

**Chapter 241**

**Selene**

The mountain trails wind and twist through the harsh, unyielding landscape as I guide our unexpected group towards the Northern stronghold. The early light of dawn seeps through the dense pine branches, casting a soft glow that dances on the faces of my companions—faces etched with determination, yet shadowed by lingering doubt. I can feel their gazes boring into my back, particularly that of Lyra. The invisible silver thread connecting her to Alexander thrums with an energy I can almost perceive, a vivid reminder of the bond I can only imagine, despite lacking her gifts.

This journey, which should have been a moment of personal victory—returning to my homeland with the essence of the Lycan heir secured for our sacred ritual—has morphed into something entirely different. Instead, I find myself leading his true mate on a desperate mission to rescue him from my own kin. The sheer absurdity of the situation could almost provoke laughter, were the stakes not so perilously high.

“We need to pick up the pace,” I declare, halting momentarily at a switchback in the path. The air is crisp, and the scent of pine fills my lungs. “The second ritual will commence exactly at moonrise. Vega is nothing if not punctual when it comes to her ceremonies.”

“And why should we take your word for it?” Dominic interjects, his hand never straying far from the hilt of his sword, a constant reminder of the tension that permeates our group. As Alexander’s Beta, his loyalty is as steadfast as it is unwavering, even in the face of the chaos that has unfolded.

“Because I was raised among these people,” I respond, my voice steady, though beneath the surface, my heart races. “I was trained in their customs, in the same magical practices. I understand their mindset.”

“Yet you chose to turn your back on them,” Elara points out, her unsettling violet eyes—so reminiscent of her brother’s—studying me with a depth of perception that belies her age. “Why should we trust that your betrayal won’t extend to us as well?”

Her question hangs in the air, heavy with the weight of truth, and I know I must answer it honestly. “I did not turn against my people. I turned against a distortion of our true purpose.”

I pause, contemplating the best way to convey the turmoil that has brought us to this moment. These temporary allies deserve to know the truth that drives me, if only to instill enough trust in them to save Alexander.

“The night of the failed ritual,” I begin, resuming our trek to maintain our momentum, “I witnessed something that irrevocably altered my perspective.”

The ritual chamber had still been buzzing with chaotic energy after Alexander’s healing essence had vanished, his Alpha half forcibly taken away. Vega had paced like a caged animal, her ceremonial robes singed and tattered from the backlash that followed the ritual’s collapse.

“This is your failure,” she had hissed at me, her voice dripping with venom, years of cold manipulation giving way to raw, unbridled fury. “Your hesitation, your weakness at the pivotal moment. I saw your face when his healing essence appeared—you felt sympathy for the abomination.”

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