The Crippled Wife They Tried to Erase - Chapter 16: Chapter 16

The battle raged with savage intensity—claws slashed, fangs snapped, bodies collided in a whirlwind of violence. My focus should have been on the fight, but Celeste's erratic energy surges yanked my attention back. Dark power crackled around her like a live wire, throwing wolves from both sides across the clearing. This wasn't my gentle healing magic anymore—it had turned into something twisted and dangerous.
I scrambled onto the altar and grabbed her arm. "Celeste, stop! You're going to kill everyone!"
"Why should I care?" she snarled, shoving me away hard enough to make me stumble. "I've already lost everything!"
Her words cut deeper than I expected. After all she'd done, I shouldn't have felt anything for her—but that flicker of pity still burned in my chest. Not that it mattered now. I couldn't let her take the whole damn pack down with her.
I lunged forward again, forcing her to meet my eyes. "Listen to me! This power was never yours. It's tied to my soul—you were never meant to control it! Let it go before it destroys you!"
For just a heartbeat, I saw it—real fear flashing in her eyes. Then her face contorted with pure fury.
"You don't get to lecture me, Lyra!" she screamed, throwing me backward with unnatural strength. "This was supposed to be my story, not yours!"
I barely had time to register the wolf charging at me from the side before Zephyr was there—a blur of muscle and fury—ripping my attacker away and planting himself between me and danger.
"You okay?" he growled, never taking his eyes off the fight.
I nodded, gasping for air. "We have to stop Celeste. She's going to blow this whole place apart."
His green eyes locked onto mine with terrifying intensity. "I won't let anything happen to you."
And in that moment, I felt it—the bond between us burning brighter than ever. This wasn't just some mystical mate connection. Zephyr wasn't protecting me because fate said he had to. He was fighting for me because he damn well wanted to.
And I'd be damned if I let him down.
Turning back to Celeste, I dug deep, channeling everything I had. This wasn't just about reclaiming my power anymore. This was about saving everyone I loved—and ending Celeste and Xavier's reign of terror once and for all.
The energy surged through me as I wrestled for control—not just my healing magic, but something deeper, something primal. The more I fought, the clearer it became—I wasn't just healing. I was tearing at the very fabric of Celeste's stolen connection, severing the unnatural tether she'd forced between our souls.
Then—snap.
The recoil hit like a shockwave. Celeste's eyes went wide with horror as the power turned on her, dark energy erupting from her body in a violent spiral. Her scream curdled my blood as she collapsed, convulsing, completely overwhelmed by the backlash. One final shudder—then nothing. Just an empty shell where a living, breathing monster had been.
I doubled over, gasping as my soul settled back where it belonged. For the first time in what felt like forever, my body was truly mine again.
Before I could catch my breath, Zephyr was at my side. "Lyra..." His voice cracked with relief. "You did it."
"It's over," I rasped. "Celeste is gone."
The growls behind us snapped our attention back to the fight. Xavier was making his last stand, but Zephyr was already moving—a deadly shadow flanked by his warriors. The fight lasted less than a minute. Watching Zephyr dismantle Xavier with brutal efficiency sent chills down my spine. When Xavier hit the ground for the final time, he wasn't just beaten—he was broken.
"You're done, Xavier," Zephyr said, voice colder than winter. "The Nightshade Pack is mine now."
Xavier spat blood, his pride still clinging to life. "You don't have the right—"
"I have every right," Zephyr cut him off. "You lost yours the second you put your obsession above your pack." He turned to the gathered warriors. "Strip him of his alpha status. Exile him."
The pack moved like a well-oiled machine—no ceremony, no hesitation. Just the swift, merciless justice Xavier deserved. As they dragged him away, his final threat rang hollow: "You'll regret this."
Zephyr didn't even look at him. "No. You will."
I exhaled slowly, watching Xavier disappear into the trees—a fallen king with nothing left. The weight of everything that had happened pressed down on me, but beneath it... peace. Real, honest peace.
"It's over," I whispered.
Zephyr pulled me against his chest, his arms wrapping around me like armor. "It's over, Lyra. You're safe now. And I swear to God, nothing like this will ever happen again."
Then the shrill voice cut through the moment like a knife. "You!"
Xavier's mother stormed toward us, face twisted with rage. "This is all your fault! You ruined everything! My son, our pack, our legacy—we gave you everything, and this is how you repay us? You're nothing but a worthless—"
I stepped forward before she could finish, my hand connecting with her cheek in a crack that echoed off the trees. She staggered back, clutching her face in shock.
"Careful," I said, voice deadly calm. "Your son dug his own grave. Don't you dare try to blame me for his mistakes."
Her eyes burned with hatred. "How dare you! You think your little powers make you special? You're just a fake Luna who couldn't even—"
My palm stung from the impact, but damn if it wasn't satisfying. The stunned silence that followed was sweeter than any comeback.