Raze's pov
"You're making a big mistake, Raze," Talon threatened, his voice low, almost trembling, though he wanted it to sound like steel.
I smirked, leaning forward, letting the weight of my words hang between us. "Should I tell you about how that child came to be mine instead of yours?"
Talon's nostrils flared, his chest rising and falling like he was trying to cage a storm inside. "This child is not yours, Raze! He is mine!" he barked, his face turning red, veins bulging in his neck.
I tilted my head, letting my eyes drag slowly over him. "I slept with Lyrean the night you were supposed to."
The air cracked. Silence wrapped the space for a second—just long enough for the words to burrow under his skin. Then Talon's face twisted, his lips curling like an animal.
"That bitch!" he snarled, spit flying, his fists clenched. His rage was ugly, wild, unhinged.
"She's not like the bitch you call Luna," I snapped back, my voice sharp enough to cut the air. "And she's sure as hell not like your mother. She didn't know, Talon. She mistook me for you." My eyes cut toward Lyrean for half a beat, but I pushed on before the ache in my chest broke through. "And I'm glad she did, now. Because you never—" I stepped forward until I could feel the heat rolling off his skin—"read my lips, Talon. You never loved her."
The words seemed to freeze him. His jaw worked, but no sound came out. Finally, he spat, "That is none of your fucking business. Whether or not I did—it's none of your fucking business."
"Yes, it is!" I roared, my voice echoing against the walls of my own pack's home. The room itself seemed to vibrate with the force of it. "Why? Because the mate pull you felt—" I slammed my chest with my fist—"I felt it too."
His eyes went wide. For the first time, he wasn't just angry—he was shaken. He blinked like he was trying to wake himself from a nightmare, his breath catching as if the air had turned poisonous.
"W-what?" he stuttered. His voice cracked, rough and hollow. "That's a lie. You're just—just trying to make me believe—" He shook his head violently, clutching at his hair. "You're lying."
I could see it, though. The flicker of recognition. The memory flashing in his eyes. That single night when he'd rejected Lyrean under his mother's poisoned whispers. The way his chest had tugged, the way he'd drowned it with duty instead of asking why it hurt so badly.
"You felt it," I said, softer now, almost a whisper. "The night you rejected her, didn't you? That emptiness in your chest. That ache you couldn't explain. You thought it was just guilt—but it wasn't. It was the bond. And you ignored it. You let your mother tell you what love was supposed to look like. You let her choose for you. And in doing so, you threw away your mate."
"No," Talon hissed, stumbling back a step. His eyes darted to Lyrean like he was searching for denial, for her to shake her head and rescue him from the truth.
But Lyrean stood frozen, her arms locked protectively around Eryx. Her face was pale, her lips trembling—but she said nothing. She didn't need to. Her silence was a confirmation louder than words.
Eryx shifted in her hold, his small voice trembling. "Mommy… what's a mate bond?"
Lyrean flinched, squeezing him tighter. "It's nothing you need to worry about, baby," she whispered, pressing his head into her shoulder. But her eyes glistened, betraying her.
Talon's hands shook. He looked at me like I'd ripped the earth out from under him. "You're lying," he muttered again, but softer this time, weaker. His voice cracked, unraveling.
I stepped closer, lowering my tone, every word meant to bury him. "Tell me, Talon. When you hold your Luna now, do you feel it? That fire in your chest? That unshakable pull that makes the world tilt if she's not near? Do you feel that with her?"
His lips parted, but nothing came. His eyes darted back and forth, frantic, desperate.
"You don't," I said, my voice sharp with triumph. "Because she's not your mate. Lyrean is."
He gasped, his whole body trembling like the truth was poison crawling through his veins. His fists unclenched, then clenched again, helpless. His eyes were bloodshot, brimming with fury—and something far more dangerous.
Lyrean finally spoke, her voice quiet but heavy, carrying a weight neither of us could ignore. "Do you know what it felt like, Talon? Being tossed out, accused, unloved? Do you know what it's like raising Eryx without a father? To carry the pain of a bond ripped apart by lies?" Her voice broke, but she forced herself through it, her chin trembling as she held her son tighter. "And now you come here, claiming rights over him? After everything? After throwing me away like I was nothing?"
Talon's face crumpled for a split second. For the first time, the rage cracked, showing the guilt beneath. But then it was gone, buried under the storm that surged back into his eyes.
"I was protecting my family!" he shouted, but it sounded hollow, even to him.
"No," I growled, stepping between him and Lyrean, my presence filling the space. "You were protecting your mother's pride. You were her puppet. And now? Now you want to undo years of pain with a single claim? No, Talon. That boy is mine. This family is mine."
Eryx whimpered, burying his face into Lyrean's shoulder. His small body shook.
Talon's eyes burned, tears threatening but never falling. "If what you say is true…" His voice cracked, raw, desperate. "If what you say is true, then I've lost everything."
I held his gaze, unflinching. "You lost it the moment you let her go."
The silence after was suffocating. Talon's breath came in ragged bursts, his body trembling with rage and grief. His eyes flicked to Lyrean again, pleading—searching—but she wouldn't meet them. She just rocked Eryx gently, her eyes shut tight, as if keeping them closed would hold the broken pieces of her world together.
Finally, Talon let out a guttural roar, slamming his fist into the wall hard enough to crack the wood. The sound echoed like thunder. He stood there, chest heaving, before his voice broke through in a rasp.
"This isn't over," he growled, his voice trembling with venom. His eyes burned into mine, hatred laced with something else—fear. "You'll regret this, Raze. Both of you will."
Then he turned on his heel, storming toward the door. His shoulders shook with barely contained fury, his steps uneven, unsteady.
The door slammed shut behind him, leaving a suffocating silence in his wake.
I let out a slow breath, the tension in my chest easing only slightly. My eyes flicked to Lyrean, who still cradled Eryx, whispering soft reassurances into his hair. She looked broken, fragile—but strong in a way that made my chest ache.
And as much as I wanted to reach for her, to tell her everything would be alright, I knew it wasn't. Not yet.
Because Talon wasn't finished. And neither was I.