It wasn’t doubt. It wasn’t even confusion.
It was a flicker. A ripple.
A strange, hollow ache in his chest, like sothing had been taken from him long ago, and only now — because of that voice — did he notice the shape of its absence.
"You say you don’t know her," Reana said, softer now. A whisper draped in vines. "But your heart does. And it listens to her more than it listens to ."
"That’s not true," Ryder said at once, catching her hand, placing it gently over his chest. "You’re all I know. You’re all I want to know."
Reana’s expression softened, but her eyes didn’t lose their shine. "Then why does your heart ache when she calls?"
"I don’t know," he admitted, gaze distant for a second. "It’s only when I hear her voice. Like I’ve forgotten sothing important. Sothing I’m not supposed to forget. But then it fades. And I see you again. And I rember what matters."
He smiled faintly, drawing her into his arms. "You’re my world, Wildflower. My heart isn’t cheating on you. It’s just... confused."
She nestled her face into his chest. "Confusion leads to doubt. And doubt breaks paradise."
"But it hasn’t," he said, pressing a kiss into her hair. "I’m still here. With you."
Reana closed her eyes.
She felt the steady beat of his heart. The one she had held for what felt like thousands of years — though ti ant nothing here. She’d built this world around him. Fed it with dreams. Painted every lavender petal with her own hands just to keep him smiling.
And yet that voice... that woman always found a way in.
"I don’t want to lose you," she murmured.
"You won’t," he promised. "There’s nowhere else I want to be."
But even as he said it, even as he kissed her gently and she lted into him with relief, a part of his soul tilted its head at the wind.
Because far away, through the leaves and the lavender, the voice whispered again.
’Ryder...your pack mbers broke into my ho. I’m scared they’ll hurt my people. I’m scared that by the ti you return, you won’t find alive...’
Ryder stilled. Frozen.
....
"Why is he not waking up yet?" Helios barged into the chambers, his steps stamping hard on the floor, cloak bellowing behind him, even though there was no sign of breeze.
"He’s stuck in a dream," the healer whispered, barely lifting her head. "A crafted realm between life and death. His soul refuses to leave it."
Helios’s fists clenched at his sides. The torches along the stone walls flickered violently as if reacting to his fury. His blue eyes turned golden, flaring with frustration, scanning the limp form of his son laid across the ceremonial altar.
"You said he’d be awake by now." Helios stepped closer, voice low and dangerous. "How much longer do I have to wait?"
The healer bowed her head again, gripping the sides of her silver staff. "Depends on him. The longer he stays in that dream, the stronger the bond becos. And then, he’d forget about reality."
Helios narrowed his eyes. "What’s the dream about? Why would he choose it over the mortal he rejected everything for?"
"That’s because the mortal is there with him," she said. "It’s a prison — sweet, soft, seductive, with the woman he loves. It’s a world made just for him. It’s why he won’t leave it willingly. He believes it’s real. He believes... she’s real."
Helios’s jaw locked. "Shatter that damn dream!"
The healer shook her head, "You can’t force it. If he senses any threat to her existence, he’d willingly choose his demonic side." She turned her gaze to Ryder’s limp form. "She speaks like a lover. Lures him with false happiness. And he loves her with every fiber of his being." She turned back to Helios, slightly shaking her head, "You can’t force him out."
Silence fell.
Just then, Shadow One entered and bowed. "My Lord, I have a report."
"Spill it."
"His pack mbers are causing chaos in the Black Moon Pack, thinking he’s dead."
Helios clenched his jaw, fist clenched by the side. Those rebellious mortals.
Other tis, he wouldn’t have cared, but anything that would make his son embrace his dark side, he didn’t want it. Not just for his son’s sake, but for the sake of mortals and the sky palaces alike.
If he stayed put and let the mortals do their thing, and that she-wolf is killed, Snow would definitely bla everyone alive — both the deities, the mortals, and even the creatures. And that vengeful son of his would absolutely cause chaos.
Helios was a god, but right now, he was exhibiting a mortal trait — he felt his head was aching.
"Go," he waved his hand. "Protect her subtly from the shadows."
They were deities and followed the rule of fate and destiny. They shouldn’t be getting involved in mortal lives than their work as deities required, but here he was, issuing an order for his subordinate to do the exact sa thing he was accusing Athera of.
Speaking of that devilish goddess, today was her last trial.
Shadow One bowed and left.
Helios turned to the healer. "The next ti I co down here, you better have good news for ." With that, he turned and walked away.
...
The deities ca together once more, for the final judgnt. Unlike the first ti, when the trial was held in a hall, this ti, the deities stood around a circular platform with a marble floor, in the open. The sky above was cloudless, a sheet of pale silver stretching endlessly, as though the heavens themselves held their breath.
Deities; Supres, High, Ordinaries, and even Servants — gathered as witnesses in silent rows around the platform. None spoke. None moved. Judgnt days such as this, were rare.
In the very center of the platform hovered the Wheel of Truth — a suspended, celestial artifact that spun slowly above a stone pedestal etched with the first language of the gods. The wheel was neither tal nor light, but sothing between. It was made of mory and consequence, its edges glowing faintly with unread prophecies. It turned not by wind, but by the weight of truth.
When one stood before it, the Wheel knew if they lied — and worse, if they lied to themselves.
Athera would be made to stand before it for three days and three nights until every sliver of truth was drawn from the depths of her soul — all she had ever done from the mont she beca the acting Moon Goddess. Whether her intentions were pure or not. Whether she misused her borrowed powers or not. Whether she altered fate to protect or to possess. The Wheel would see it all.
The Wheel couldn’t be manipulated. No one had ever succeeded. A few deities had tried in the past. They used truth concealing artifacts but they were discovered by the Wheel, and they were struck dead by its light before a single lie left their lips.
Their bodies had crumbled into ash, scattered across the sky with their nas forgotten by their creations. Not even the Supre Council dared to question the Wheel’s verdicts.
That was the ancient law.
The crowd waited.
Seconds ticked into minutes, hours.
Aethera did not co.
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