The Alpha’s Fated Outcast: Rise Of The Moonsinger

Chapter 353: Sealed fates...

Lyla

I scrambled back to my feet, my vision was already blurring from exhaustion. The babies in my womb seemed to sense my distress—I felt a strange pulling sensation, as if the children were trying to draw more power than my body could safely provide.

"Nym?" I called out helplessly to my wolf. "Are you there?"

"I’m here, Lyla. The babies... I’m protecting them. You must do your best to stay alive. Use your powers."

"I would if they were working," I snapped, wondering if she wasn’t seeing what was going on. "If you could just help me..."

"You cannot shift while pregnant. You’re carrying two babies; that’s dangerous. Try to distract them, I’ll think of a way."

The Ferals had regrouped.

Caius was groaning where he lay on the group. Terra and Sage were weaving protective covering towards me. From the tiredness on their faces, I could tell they were weak.

Everyone was trying to protect me.

It should be me and not the other way around.

The Ferals moved in, tightening around us. I swallowed hard, trying to moisturise my dry throat. I wanted to sing. It was my last resort.

Then, suddenly, they stopped.

All seven creatures froze mid-attack, their glowing eyes losing focus. They straightened up slowly, their aggressive postures melting away into something almost docile.

"Hush now, babies," a familiar voice said from the smoke behind them.

I stiffened

A figure emerged from the haze—tall, dark-haired – NOW!, devastatingly handsome. He wore an expensive black suit that somehow remained perfectly clean despite the chaos around us. His shoes were polished to a mirror shine, not a speck of dust or blood on them.

It was Xander.

But this wasn’t the Xander I’d met a few months earlier or the one who had walked into my class in my human school.

NO!

This version radiated power like heat from a forge. His eyes held depths that seemed to stretch into infinity, and when he smiled, I could see that his canine teeth had grown into actual fangs.

The Ferals parted before him like a curtain, creating a clear path between us. They didn’t move away exactly—they stayed close, ready to attack if he commanded it. But their focus had shifted entirely to him.

He walked toward me with the confident stride of someone who owned everything in the world. When he was close enough that I could see the gold flecks in his eyes, he stopped and smiled.

It was a beautiful smile. Charming. Warm. Completely empty.

"Hello, Lyla Woodland," he said, his voice carrying the same cultured accent I remembered from our school days. "I’ve missed you."

"I have to deal with you, too?" I took on a nonchalant posture. "What do you want, Xander? Are you here to surrender so that we can end this war peacefully?"

"The war?" He chuckled. "The one started by Nathan and Ramsey. I had nothing to do with it. It wasn’t me who made two grown men fight? I did nothing."

"You did nothing?" I scoffed. "How about the Feral attacks? Was that me?"

He stared at me for a few seconds and shrugged. "To an extent. I can’t take all the credit for that, Lyla, or should I call you Neriah?" he took a step towards me, and Sage threw a protective covering, making a barrier between me and him.

Xander turned to her, his eyes scanning the length of her body. "I take it you don’t know who I am. I won’t hurt you, Lyla, don’t worry, and please don’t make me mad. I am not in a good mood today. So, stay aside and let adults talk."

Sage wouldn’t budge.

"It’s fine," I murmured to her. "He won’t hurt me."

Sage hesitated for a minute before she drew back, and Xander closed the space between us.

"What do you want?" I asked again, maintaining a stern expression.

"Relax, Lyla. I know more than anyone, you’re looking forward to killing me, but" he held my jaw. "Our fates are sealed together, my love. Do what you must, and I’ll do mine. Everything would be fine."

"You will die, Xander, for sure, but I won’t die with you."

He laughed. It was a rich and melodious sound, the same laugh that had once made my heart skip a beat when I was back in the human world.

"Dead is such a limiting concept. I prefer to think of it as... evolved. And dying doesn’t end me, you know that, Lyla. I will be born again, with the next Moonsinger, but I didn’t wait thousands of years for you to lose you again. I loved you as Neriah, and I still love you as Lyla."

He tried to reach for my hand, but I took a step back.

"I don’t care what happened between you and Neriah. There was a time I was fond of you, but I don’t love you enough to have a baby with you. I don’t love you that much, and I am not Neriah." noveldrama

He stared at me for a few seconds before he nodded. "Fair enough. I will accept the children as mine."

"What?" I laughed. "You’ve got to be kidding me. Why would I want to be with you? I don’t want to. I belong to Ramsey."

"I guess all the visions were not shown to you. The more you use your powers, Lyla, the more the evil eats deep. What will Ramsey do when he discovers that his mate is turning evil? He rejected you for having powers, Lyla... your pheromones. He rejected you for that, and the only reason he’s with you is because you’re a Moonsinger. Because you’re important, he was..."

"Shut it, Xander," I interjected. "We’ve been over this several times. I love Ramsey regardless of whatever reason he loves me. I love him like that."

Circe, who had finally gained consciousness, walked up to me and pressed closer to my back, her voice barely a whisper. "That’s the Dark One?"

Xander’s eyes flickered with interest as his gaze met hers. "The Dark One? As much as I like that title, I don’t think it befits me. You lot know nothing about Darkness, and for a witch, I’m surprised you would say that. Is that not a pot calling a kettle black?"

"Relax, Dark One," Circe came out from behind me and stood next to me. "I was expecting something else. Maybe an old shrivelled man with a dirty beard, not an immaculately dressed..." She waved her hands up and down his form. "Hot male..."

"That’s not his real form. He takes up the identity of different people."

"Still," Circe’s eyes glinted with admiration as she whistled. "He’s hot. You’re sure he’s really the Dark One?"

I rolled my eyes and nodded, like brother, like sister.

Circe nodded and turned to Xander again. "Since you don’t have a form. What are you?"

"What am I?" He tilted his head, considering the question. "I’m what happens when someone with enough ambition discovers that death is merely the first step to true power." His smile widened, showing more of his teeth. "I’m what your precious Lycans fear in their deepest nightmares."

Ramsey suddenly groaned from where he’d fallen, slowly pushing himself up on one elbow. "Lyla... run..."

Xander glanced at him with mild amusement. "Oh, I don’t think anyone will be running." He raised his hand, and the seven Ferals tensed, waiting for the command to attack. "We have so much to catch up on, Lyla and I."

At the sound of Xander’s voice, Ramsey jerked awake.

In one move, he was up, lifting himself from the blood-soaked ground, grunting with pain and one hand pressed against the gash on his forehead. Despite his obvious disorientation, he crossed the distance between us in three quick strides.

"Lyla," he said, his voice filled with concern as he reached me. His hands cupped my face, checking for injuries. "Are you hurt? What happened?"

"I’m fine," I assured him, leaning into his touch for just a moment. The warmth of his palms against my cheeks steadied me more than I cared to admit. "We were attacked suddenly. You, Nanny and the people who had been with us in the tent were unconscious. Thankfully, Terra and Caius, with Sage, showed up just in time to help me."

"Oh, fuck!" he sighed, pulling me against his chest as his arms wrapped around me protectively. I felt his lips brush the top of my head, a gesture so tender it made my heart ache. "I’m so sorry, I couldn’t protect you."

"It’s fine," I buried my face in his chest. "I’m fine."

"How touching," Xander’s voice cut through. "Could you two show a little more shame? Some of us are trying to do business here."