ARTEMIS' POV
Unlike Kamila, I don't follow his instructions to head back to the dorm.
Instead, I decide to find my father because I need answers.
He's the kind of man who makes major decisions for me, whether I like them or not, but forcing an engagement on me seems too extreme, even for him. It cements the feeling that something is seriously wrong.
I need to find out what's pushing him to make such drastic decisions, to fix whatever it is, and then find Sera.
I get to his office, barging in, ready to demand answers, but it's empty. I must have just missed him.
I step forward, scanning the papers on his desk, and I see he's already planning the wedding, preparing a special guest list. Frustrated, I crumple the list in my hand and throw it in the trash.
As I dig through his things, trying to discern what he's been up to, I come across a well-drafted document listing rituals, curses, and spells of resurrection, things that seem like forbidden magic, practices of the once-revered Astria tribe.
Why is he interested in a tribe that's supposed to be extinct, our natural enemies?
Deep in thought, trying to understand his motives, I hear voices and footsteps approaching the office. It's my father's distinctive tone.
He's here.
Not wanting to be caught, especially since I've just found a clue, I hide in the coat cupboard in the corner, slipping in just as he and his companion enter.
"I understand your concerns, but rushing this any more than we have won't make matters better," my father says, responding to something said before.
I hold my breath, straining to hear without being discovered.
"Your highness, I understand you're hesitant to rush the bonding between them, but there's still the prophecy to consider," the other voice says.
At the mention of a prophecy, I go still. Father had almost mentioned a prophecy before...
"Yes, of course. That damned thing has already caused enough trouble for my family. Still, I know my son. He's stubborn. Forcing the issue won't make him more cooperative," he replies, his voice laced with disdain.
"The sooner we resolve this, the closer we are to awakening the Luna. You, more than anyone, should understand how dire this is for us, how all of this is interconnected."
My confusion deepens.
What do they mean by 'awakening the Luna'? How is all of this connected? What does it have to do with me, with Sera, with this forced marriage?
So many questions and no answers in sight. I need to find out more, but first, I have to wait for the right moment to leave this hiding spot without being noticed.
I'd always been told my mother fell ill after giving birth to me due to her frail health, and I'd carried the weight of that guilt all my life.
But now... it seems that wasn't the truth.
I've been lied to, made to feel like a problem when it's a prophecy they fear?
"The prophecy has been around for years; the likelihood that Artemis triggers it is only a gamble," my father dismisses.
"He was born on the night of the comet of souls, Your Highness. It's more obvious than anything. That comet only heralds disaster, appearing only when great change is upon us. He is the one, and only with Lady Kamila will the royal family's powers be at their peak," insists his comrade, trying to convince him that uniting Kamila and me is the right choice.
After a pause and the sound of the door opening and closing, silence follows. Then my father speaks, his voice reaching me even in my hiding.
"I know you're there. You can come out, son."
Stepping out of the cupboard, fists clenched, I'm brimming with questions, with years of deceptions weighing heavily.
"What is this prophecy? What does it have to do with Mum?" I demand, not buying his grim look of guilt.
"What did you do?" I shout, no longer able to contain my anger.
He meets my gaze with a stoic expression. "You were bound to find out eventually. Now that you're closer to becoming the Alpha, you need to know the truth - in some way, we all have to bear this burden."
"What truth?"
"Years ago, a prophecy was given by a priestess, a warning from the moon goddess about the tragic end of our family line, the collapse of our kingdom," he begins, letting the gravity of his words sink in.
A prophecy I've never heard of.
"Nobody took it seriously until we started facing natural disasters, plagues that halved our population. Death knocked on the door of several packs, blood and omens wrecked the woods. Our once-proud nation was nearly brought to its knees, until you were born - on the night of the Comet of Souls."
I don't know much, but the Comet of Souls has only ever been seen as a bad event. It only shows up once in a millennial, and it never brings good.
"What did the prophecy say?" My heart spikes against my control.
"The bloodline of Cyrus will end with his seventh son. The extinction of wolves will follow, all by the hand of Astria's light."
Astria.
A name I know from stories, a tribe said to be extinct for centuries, wiped out by my ancestors. No trace of them remained, and yet they're mentioned in this dire prophecy.
"Cyrus was our ancestor. His reign saw the defeat of those witches who had tormented our people for millennia. He was a hero, and he put an end to their horrific sacrifices of our young to their gods for power," he says with disdain, as any wolf would at the mention of Astria.
The pieces are starting to come together, but there's still so much I don't understand.
How does this prophecy involve me, and what does it mean for my future? I know the stories of Astria all too well, the havoc and destruction they've left in their wake.
They were demonic by nature - to be loathed and expelled at all cost.
"We were on the verge of extinction before he arrived and united all the packs as one, ending their bloodline so history would never repeat itself. But that was until the prophecy-the threat of a new dawn of their existence. The only way to curb it is if the 7th son obtains a powerful pairing."
The 7th son...
I know the word doesn't necessarily mean 'literally' because historically, Cyrus only had one child with his mate, meaning '7th son' translates to his 7th descendant in line for the throne.
Me.
He chuckles once he sees I've figured it out, how I somehow play a role in this scheme of events to prevent the end of our era, yet I can't feel anything good about it.
"I took matters into my own hands. I wasn't going to wait around and see if you somehow ended up with a powerful mate... I had to do something to protect my family, my people," he defends himself, pacing back and forth restlessly.
A terrible feeling crawls in my gut.
"You did something you shouldn't have, didn't you?"
His face contorts, lips pressed together as he looks away, forcing a smile. But I can still see the guilt in his eyes-guilt that stares back at me, guilt he feels that can't change what's happened between us in the past.
"The moment you were born, I decided I would ensure your perfect pair myself, through a forbidden ritual mixed with black magic. I stole you when your mother was asleep and did what I had to do. You were bound to the only other powerful family with high prospects."
I freeze, speechless and silent...
How could he do something like that, forcing a bond between an unborn child and a newly born baby, no less?
It's clear this man has never truly cared for my well-being.
"But the magic wasn't perfect. The spell could only be performed flawlessly by those damned witches, and so it fell apart right in the middle, leaving it cracked, imperfect."
"Of course, it was," I say sarcastically.
What was he expecting, performing a forbidden spell?
What was he even thinking?
"The priest warned about the dangers of such forbidden magic and the consequences of going against the moon goddess' choice. I laughed in their faces at the time," he chuckles bitterly, lost in the memory.
"I ignored the warnings until I faced the consequences myself, when your mother fell into a coma for years because of my actions, my desire to protect our family. She paid for the damage of my foolishness."
He pauses again, taking deep breaths, his eyes reliving the moment our family began to crumble. There's a hint of regret, yet I doubt he would change anything if he could.
His thirst for power led to everything in my life, with mother, all for some damned prophecy.
"I've searched for years for anything-another forbidden ritual, anything to wake her. And it all comes down to averting the prophecy to wake her."
I shake my head, choosing not to believe him.
He ruined her life, and now he wants to ruin mine-keep me chained to his wishes, turn me into something no different from Mom. But no, I won't let him.
I will live the life she's given me, my own way.
"You're a monster," I spit out bitterly, hoping he can grasp the full extent of hatred I bear for him, for everything he's done.
He looks at me plainly, straight in the eye, his expression dull as if he's resigned himself to do anything-whatever it takes-to stop the said prophecy from becoming reality.
"I know."