The Lycan King's Second Chance Mate: Rise of the Traitor's Daughter
Chapter 227: The Soul Sucker

"Griffin, stop," I whispered, brushing the blood from his mouth with trembling fingers. "Please don’t talk. Every word is tearing you apart."

His chest shuddered beneath my hand, each breath a battle. He was shaking—fragile, like a leaf caught in a storm—and those eyes of his, wide and glassy with guilt, refused to look away from mine. That desperation... it cut deeper than any wound. But I couldn’t let him break. Not now.

"Fox said it’s the curse," I said quietly, trying to sound steady, even as my throat tightened. "It’s punishing you every time you try to speak the truth. That’s why you’re bleeding. That’s why you’re dying."

He blinked slowly, the pain behind his eyes saying everything he couldn’t. I placed my hand gently against his chest.

"Don’t try to explain," I murmured. "Just hold on. Let me do this."

He gave the tiniest nod—more felt than seen—before his weight slumped forward again.

I closed my eyes, drew in a breath, and reached inward. A soft glow bloomed beneath my palm, silvery-blue and warm like moonlight in spring. It spread through him, seeping into broken places the curse had ravaged. I could feel his breathing even out, the tremors ease, the blood slow... and then stop. I healed him again.

He was still fragile. Still cursed. But he was alive.

And I wasn’t going to let him go. Not like this.

"Better?" I asked softly, brushing back his damp hair.

Griffin groaned faintly and slowly pushed himself up. The movement looked like agony, but he did it, sitting on the floor with his legs outstretched and one hand bracing his side. He didn’t look at Zane. He didn’t look at Fox.

Only me.

His expression was carved from guilt and silence. His lips trembled like he wanted to try again.

I shook my head. "Don’t. You don’t need to say anything. We’ll figure it out."

"Natalie." Fox’s voice whispered through my mind link. I turned my head slightly. He stood tall, watching Griffin, arms crossed, firelight dancing behind his golden eyes.

"Try going into his mind. I’ve been trying, but something’s locking me out."

I blinked. Of course. Why didn’t I think of that?

Jasmine stirred inside me, her voice laced with dry sarcasm. "Because you were too busy freaking out and playing Florence Nightingale to your ex-mate, Mara."

"Not helping," I shot back at her.

"Just saying. Now go break some damn barriers."

I focused. My eyes narrowed on Griffin as I reached for the power I kept guarded nowadays. The powers that ended up causing so much trouble for everyone around me.

I let my magic flow, tapping into Griffin’s mind. I expected resistance, but the second I touched the edges of his consciousness, I felt it: a thick wall, dark and cold and pulsing with something... wrong.

A barrier.

I felt it the second I reached in—thick, cold, like invisible concrete wrapped around his mind.

"Shadow’s locking him down," I muttered, barely louder than a breath.

I pressed harder.

The barrier pushed back—aggressive, alive.

I smirked. "Oh, you wanna fight?"

"Atta girl," Jasmine’s voice murmured in the back of my head, all grin and grit. Her presence was like a hand on my shoulder, steadying me.

I pushed again—this time with force. My energy flared, wild and sharp, surging from my core like lightning. I could feel Fox watching me now, his gaze burning hot in the corner of my vision. Zane stood silent at my side, rigid and ready, waiting for anything to snap.

My fingers trembled, the strain crawling up my arms. Sweat trickled down my spine.

Then—

Crack.

A fracture. Just a flicker of light in my mind’s eye.

I shoved myself through it.

The connection snapped open like a broken chain, and the first thing that hit me—loud, clear, unavoidable—was a voice.

"The soul sucker."

The words didn’t just echo—they slammed into me, hollow and cold like a grave whisper. My breath hitched. The connection wobbled. I nearly lost it.

But I held on.

I pushed deeper, trying to sift through the static for more—anything. What did it mean? What was it?

Then came another whisper, thin as thread:

"Under the pillow... the soul sucker..."

And just as quickly—

Boom.

The wall slammed shut, hard and final. Like a vault door crashing into place.

Silence followed.

And I was locked out again.

"Damn it," I muttered. I turned my gaze to Fox and whispered through the mind link. "Fox. ’The soul sucker’—does that mean anything to you?"

He froze.

His eyes widened slowly, like a light was dawning inside his head and he didn’t like what it was revealing.

"You found that in Griffin’s mind?" he asked.

"Yes. It was hidden behind a barrier. Took everything I had just to see that much."

Fox’s face turned grim. His voice dropped an octave through the link.

"The soul sucker is a relic. Ancient. Demonic. It swaps souls."

My pulse thudded in my ears.

"If a demon wants a new body—say, a stronger one, a healthier one—they use that relic to rip a soul out and shove their own inside. The body becomes theirs. The original soul? Trapped."

Jasmine hissed. "That’s what she was doing. Kalmia." I ignored her.

Fox continued, his golden eyes now shadowed with thought. "Usually only low-tier demons use the soul sucker. High-level ones—like Kalmia and Shadow—they don’t need it. They have the raw power to swap souls on their own. So why...? Why would they need it?"

I frowned, watching Griffin’s pale, guilt-ridden face. He was lying on my shoulders, quietly, as if every breath hurt.

Fox murmured more to himself now. "They had Griffin. They had him under their control. If they wanted his body, they could’ve taken it. So why curse him from the inside out? Why destroy what they wanted to steal?"

Then Fox’s eyes widened so fast I thought I’d missed something.

"Natalie," he said out loud this time, "have you had any strange dreams lately? Anything... off? Something you can’t explain?"

I stiffened.

Zane’s head turned toward me instantly.

"Actually... yeah," I said slowly, my voice trailing into the space between us. "Last night... Kalmia came to me. In a dream."

Even saying it out loud made my skin crawl.

"She tried to—" I hesitated, my throat tightening. "She tried to hurt me. And Jasmine."

The words felt heavy in my mouth. I swallowed hard.

"She said something like... ’So easy to break... once you start to care.’ And then—" I paused, the memory flickering sharp in my mind. "She said, ’Let me see what your soul tastes like.’"

The room dropped a degree just from repeating it.

"I woke up before she could finish," I added, my voice low now, almost ashamed. "But when I did... the air was cold. Not just regular cold. Demon cold. Like something had crawled in and never fully left."

I looked up at Fox.

"That’s how I knew. It wasn’t just a dream. She was really there. In my room."

Jasmine growled—a low, primal sound that made the air seem heavier.

Fox cursed under his breath. "Damn it. That wasn’t a dream, Nat. And she wasn’t just in your room."

He looked at me, his expression grim, eyes like flint.

"That was a spiritual invasion. She’s already trying to get inside you. She’s pushing boundaries—testing how far she can go."

A chill ran through me.

Zane took a step forward, his voice a dark snarl. "Wait. Wait a damn minute."

Fox turned to Griffin and barked, "Did Shadow give you an emerald crystal? Did he give you anything?!"

Griffin’s eyes widened like he’d been caught red-handed. He opened his mouth to answer—

But blood sprayed from his lips again.

"Griffin, no!" I cried, rushing to his side. "Stop answering! Please, stop trying!"

I placed my hand on his chest and healed him again, pushing back the damage, the pain, the blood.

His skin was clammy. Pale. His breath, shallow.

Zane’s voice erupted behind me, seething with fury.

"Kalmia tried to kill my best friend using Cassandra—now she’s trying to take my mate?!" His voice cracked like thunder. "Using Griffin?! Is she insane?!"

Jasmine growled inside me, her voice low and deadly. "She’s not insane. She’s calculating, dangerous. And she’s close. I felt it, Mara. She was pushing at us in that dream. Trying to separate us. She’s trying to hollow you out."

Fox nodded grimly. "Shadow plans to put Kalmia into your body, Nat. That’s what this is. They’re using Griffin as the bridge. Somehow, he’s the conduit."

I sat back on my heels, heart hammering in my chest. Everything was spinning. The curse. The emerald crystal. The relic. The dream.

Zane stormed across the room, Alexander still in his arms, fists clenched, his presence radiating raw, unchained rage. "I swear, I will burn them alive. I will tear through Shadow’s realm myself if I have to. If they try to take her—if they try to take you—"

I looked up at him.

Something fierce passed between us. Something deep. Protective. Possessive.

Real.

"I’m not going anywhere," I said, steadying my voice. "Let them try."

Zane’s gaze didn’t leave mine. "They already have, Natalie!"