The Lycan King's Outcast Omega (by Cara Anderson) novel Chapter 248

Chapter 248

Lyra

The secret passage narrows as we descend deeper into the mountain stronghold, ancient stone pressing in from all sides. The amulet at my throat pulses with increasing urgency, responding to Alexander’s proximity and his growing danger. Through our bond, I sense his pain, his essence being forcibly extracted by Vega’s ritual.

“We’re running out of time,” I whisper to Selene, who leads our group through the winding tunnel.

She nods grimly. “The ritual chamber should be just ahead. Remember, once we enter, everything happens quickly. Vega won’t abandon the extraction willingly.”

Behind us, Dominic, Elara, Kieran, and three healers from my community move with quiet determination. Each carries weapons or healing supplies according to their skills. The coming confrontation will require both.

The passage ends at a small stone door carved with the now–familiar spiral pattern. Selene retrieves the Silverspiral Key from its box and fits it into the barely visible keyhole. As it turns, my amulet flares with silver light, and the mark on my shoulder blade burns with sympathetic energy.

“Ready?” Selene asks, her hand on the door.

I nod, gathering my courage. Through the mate bond, I send a silent message to Alexander: We’re here. Hold on.

The door swings open to reveal a narrow antechamber adjoining the main ritual space. Guards turn in surprise at our appearance from a supposedly sealed entrance. Dominic moves instantly, his sword meeting the first guard’s weapon with a clash of steel. Kieran and the other healers follow, engaging the remaining defenders while Selene, Elara and I push toward the inner

chamber.

Through the archway, I glimpse the horrifying scene–Alexander restrained in a silver circle, his essence partially extracted, hovering above his physical form in a cloud of reddish–gold energy. Vega stands at the circle’s edge, directing the extraction

while moonlight streams through apertures in the ceiling, focusing directly on the central point.

“Stop!” Selene commands as we burst into the chamber. “This ritual perverts our true purpose!”

Vega’s head snaps up, fury contorting her features. “Traitor!” she snarls at Selene, never pausing her ritual movements. “You betray generations of preparation for what? Sentiment? Weakness?”

Baron Krell and several guards move to intercept us. Dominic and Kieran battle through from the antechamber, creating momentary chaos that allows Elara and me to slip closer to the ritual circle.

The amulet burns against my skin, resonating with the key in Selene’s possession and the birthmark on my shoulder. Together they form a triad of power the Cave of Whispers revealed as crucial to restoration. But how exactly to use them remains frustratingly unclear.

“Alexander!” I call out, pushing past a guard Dominic has engaged. “Hold on! We’re here!”

His eyes find mine through the haze of extraction, recognition flaring despite his fading consciousness. Through our bond, I feel his desperate message–Now or never–understanding instantly that the extraction has progressed too far for simple

interruption to reverse it.

Vega seems to realize the same thing. “Complete the extraction!” she screams to her acolytes. “Pour all power into the final

phase!”

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The ritual accelerates, Alexander’s essence pulling further from his body with each passing second. Panic threatens to overwhelm me until Elara grabs my arm, her violet eyes glowing with otherworldly power.

“The triad,” she says urgently. “Amulet, key, birthmark–they must align with the three points of essence.”

Understanding flows through me with sudden clarity. “Alexander’s physical form, his Alpha essence, and his scattered healing nature–they form a trinity that mirrors the artifacts.”

Selene fights her way to us, the key clutched in her hand. “The counter–ritual requires all three artifacts and all three aspects of Alexander to align simultaneously.”

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