EVANGELINE.
I walk across the rocky ground of the Chamber, the rippling waves in the lake and the wind settling a little. My own aura glows around me, illuminating the darkness. It’s still as cold as it was the last time we came, and I wait as I go down on one knee.
I need to slice my hand and wait. Scanning the ground, I select a jagged, sharp rock and pick it up, slicing it into my palm. The slight sting of the sharp rock cutting into me is barely noticeable due to how cold it is. My fingers feel numb. I hold my hand out, letting the blood pour into the lake, just as the castle clock hits twelve. The gongs echo in the dark cavern.
I close my eyes, waiting. His aura lingers, but he’s refusing to appear. I take a deep breath, knowing this is the only chance I have.
“Alpha Raziel, first of our kind, father to our race. Please allow me to help you. Help me to end this curse. I think I know why we have always failed.”
I swallow hard.
I’m going on guesswork. This could backfire.
And why might that be?
There he stands on the other bank, his eyes burning into mine.
“I never realised I’m the Moon Goddess before now, have I? I’ve been trying to fix things as Evangeline, but that’s not the right way. I need to fix this as the Goddess. If she is imprisoned, then who is watching over her wolves?” I ask quietly.
Is this why the mate bond is so scarce?
His face twists in rage. How can you be so sure that her imprisonment is not over?
There are still more than a thousand years left,
“Luna told me,” I say quietly. His head tilts to the side, and I think I see them soften. “There are over a thousand years left. She didn’t abandon you, Raziel. She’s simply still serving her time.”
He begins pacing, and he lowers his head. Perhaps. When you are down here for so many centuries, you lose track of time. Perhaps she hasn’t forgotten me.
“I don’t think she has; one does not forget their mate. She loved you to the extent she wanted to be with you. We can do this together. Tell me, is what you told Zedkiel, what you told me the last time we were here, is it the truth? Is Zedkiel not the king? Why did you not give him the mark that is rightfully his?” I ask.
I let my aura radiate off me, feeling Luna spreading serenity and calmness. I sense it passing through the Chamber.
She really has awakened,I did not lie to him! I told him nothing but the truth. He may be a king, but the mark is not his to carry.
I frown, but as long as he’s talking. I can ask him what I need to, and then after that, I can ask him to do what’s right.
“You spoke of ‘the impure’. Who did you mean?” I ask.
I said the impure will destroy our kind, and I’m not wrong. Those blood suckers are already approaching. I can feel it in the earth, the hunger they have within them, their urge for carnage and blood, feeding off werewolves. Do you know what that does to our kind?
Isn’t it simply forbidden because the species are enemies?
“No, what does it do?” I reply, feeling suddenly uneasy. My stomach twists, knowing Zedkiel fed off me, and we both enjoyed it.
It poisons us. As for them, a werewolf’s blood will give them strength. Even if it’s for a short period, that high is something that will make them succumb to the addiction and lose their minds!
“That’s …” I trail off.
And those who are fed from will die a painfully slow death. First, they will lose their minds, then they will succumb to hallucinations and paranoia and then … then they will begin killing all in their wake until they are forced to be killed. When our kind forgets laws of nature and delves into that which is forbidden, that is when this world will end!
A violent wind whips around us and Luna comes forward, my eyes blazing as I hold my stance.
So, if a vampire drinks a werewolf’s blood, it poisons them but also makes the vampire addicted.
My heart thumps as I frown.
But that didn’t happen between Zedkiel and me.
You, too,You foolish child! You allowed him to have your blood, have you not?
“I’m not poisoned, perhaps because I am now not just a werewolf but a Goddess.”
It still feels strange to say that.
But you did not know that and allowed it, and I warned him, too!
“We made a mistake. Please, carry on. Tell me everything you know,” I plead.
No.
“Please! Do you not have faith in me?!” I yell, feeling frustrated. “Time is running out! I know that you are angry! But I’m trying to fix things! Zedkiel is trying to fix things! I know that the Eternal God cursed us to doom, too! and I plan to fix that. I will-”
HOW?! Will you go to the Realm of the Gods?! Will you beg for a chance for redemption for a race that has already lost its value?! You are not ready to be the Goddess you were destined to be! Your mother is suffering somewhere, and you … Why do you think that blessed mates are so few?! He cursed us all! Her creation is dying just like he wants! And you! All you care for is simply your own foolish ideals that will not work!
“I don’t! I want to help you! Evelyn! Zerachiel! And even Selene! With or without your help, I will find my answers, but time is short!” I growl. My aura illuminates the cave once more, and such power that I have never felt before ripples through me.
“You may be the first Alpha! But I am the Goddess, and you are bound to serve me! Answer me!” I growl, feeling Luna’s voice blend with mine. The ground trembles beneath my feet and Raziel’s own aura swirls around him, trying to push the light away, but it is futile.
My power grows, and I feel the command I forced on him beginning to weigh down on him, making him struggle. He may be powerful, but I am the Goddess. I can see I am beginning to have the upper hand.
“Tell me, Raziel! And do not spin your words! Have I come to this Chamber in my past life?! Do you not have faith that perhaps this is the time that we may succeed?! You owe us!”
I owe you nothing!Stay back!
“No,” I say, and I step into the water.
I SAID STOP!
“No!” I snap, wading into the water until I’m waist-deep in it.
No!
My eyes blaze as I glare at him. Suddenly, I freeze, spotting something. There, in the middle of the river, is a faint glimmer of what looks like the bars of a cage, glowing as they pulsate in and out of my vision. Raziel is breathing hard as he cowers on the other side and my heart thuds.
Cross this barrier, and you will be stuck with me for eternity,
My stomach twists as I realise … He protected me.
He cares for us,
“You do care.” I say softly, walking back to the edge.
He doesn’t reply, and I look at him with empathy.
“I am sorry for your loss. I can’t even think of losing Zedkiel.” My eyes sting with tears, knowing that our days are numbered. “Please, guide me.” I look at him pleadingly as I go down on one knee and join my hands together.
“For our kind. For Selene. For redemption. Please, bless me with the knowledge that I desperately need, to free us all. I can’t do this without you.”
He’s hesitating, but I can see his resolve fading.
“Please, father. Help me win this war,” I whisper. The grasp on hope is failing me, and I really need this. “Please.”
Our eyes meet before he sighs in defeat, and I know he will help. Silence ensues, and he sighs, a sound that fills every corner of the Chamber.
I did not lie to him. In every life, you sacrifice yourself for the world, and it leaves behind a beast who cannot be tamed. The moment he tasted your blood, not only did you become his addiction but his obsession. He will be the one who will lead the bloodbath. This time, there is no hope. The cycle of your birth, every thousand years … this is it. With this final war, it will be the start of our end; of our doom. And we must accept that.
“So, that means this is our last chance.” I say softly.
Yes,We have never even had the chance to live even one lifetime with him.
That hurts.
“You said Zedkiel will lead the bloodbath. Does that mean the vampires?” I ask softly.
Yes. The moment that power is dangled before him, mixed with the betrayal of his loved ones, he will turn.
His words give birth to a deep foreboding within me.
“The vampires will offer him power?” I ask, wondering who will betray him. “Why would they do that?”
He is the son of Zeina Aton, the last survivor of the royal bloodline,
My eyes fly open, my heart thundering as I stare at him, utterly stunned, and his next words make me fall to my knees. And they come for what they feel is theirs, Zedkiel Vilkas is their rightful king.