"Where are we going?" Gabriel asked, his voice cutting through the silent air of the ruins.
The girl remained completely silent and continued walking steadily through the rubble. Gabriel narrowed his eyes, wondering how such a young girl could possibly be surviving alone in this desolate area. As he followed her across the ruined land, he finally saw a distinct forest line ahead.
"Do you live there?" Gabriel asked, framing his question differently this ti, gesturing toward the trees.
"No," the girl briefly refused, without turning around.
"So, you can speak," Gabriel stated, a slight edge of command entering his voice.
"Will you stay quiet?" The girl snapped in a light voice.
"What if a stranger cos to you and asks you to follow him?" Gabriel inquired, pushing the point. "It is obvious you would ask questions of him."
They were now walking along a small cobblestone path that led them directly inside the forest line. Gabriel’s eyes widened in astonishnt at the scene before him. Ahead, a large waterfall was gushing down, and surrounding its base was a sprawling, vibrant settlent. He saw dozens of modern-style houses clustered neatly around the water feature.
"Over there," the girl said simply, pointing her finger to her left, indicating a particular house. "A lady is waiting for you in that house," she asserted.
Before Gabriel could ask who, the girl abruptly ran off and vanished from his sight; he heard the distant, cheerful laughter of children at play while a few won were diligently cleaning the streets nearby. "People live here, then why is it said that this kingdom is in ruins?" he murmured to himself, the incongruity of the thriving secret settlent and the desolate ruins hitting him. He imdiately began walking toward the house the girl had pointed out.
Reaching the door, he pressed the bell and lowered his hand. A few monts later, the door opened.
"Welco, Gabriel Sinclair," the lady said with a warm smile. She stepped aside, gesturing for him to enter.
Gabriel didn’t show any hesitation and walked into the cozy room. He took a quick, assessing glance at his surroundings before lowering himself onto a comfortable sofa.
"Did you send the ssage to ?" He directly moved to the core matter for which he had risked coming here.
"Yes," the lady replied. "Didn’t you recognize ?" She moved smoothly to the kitchen and poured a glass of water for him. Placing it on a tray, she walked back out and set the tray down on the table between them.
"I never t you, not in this life, at least," Gabriel said, his gaze fixed on the glass of water. He was clearly dubious of her offering and made no move to drink.
"We did et in this life. Ten years ago, when you decided to build the city of San Ravendale, you encountered , Gabriel," the lady pronounced, her tone even.
He frowned, concentrating hard, trying to summon a mory, but nothing ca to his mind.
"You have a poor mory," the lady remarked.
"Tell where I t you and what we talked about," Gabriel requested, adopting a deceptively humble tone.
"You attended the yearly praying ceremony in the Moon Temple with your family," the lady answered calmly. "You were praying for a mate," she elaborated, "specifically petitioning the Moon Goddess."
Gabriel furrowed his brows, still unable to place the woman in front of him.
"I was the one who gave you the holy water," the lady further clarified. "You looked deeply agitated and upset. I told you then that you would find your true mate when you would least expect it."
The mory instantly struck Gabriel, and he finally recognized the woman. "Were you a priestess there?" Gabriel instantly questioned, sitting forward.
"No. I am the Moon Goddess. People call Cynthia."
"Don’t lie," Gabriel chuckled, imdiately dismissing the claim. He couldn’t fathom that the Moon Goddess herself would descend to Earth simply to relay this information to him.
"You didn’t drink the water," Cynthia observed quietly. "Are you afraid I spiked it?"
"Yes," Gabriel admitted, his voice steady and honest. "I’m a prince. Caution is second nature to ."
"Yet you ca," she countered softly, her eyes searching his. "You followed my ssage and walked straight into this place."
Gabriel t her gaze without flinching and gave a slow nod. "I had to. Everything that matters from the past... it all began here." His words ca out low, almost a murmur. "Now it’s your turn. Tell the truth. Are you truly a witch? How have you lived this long?"
"I am no witch, Gabriel." Cynthia’s voice carried a quiet gravity. "I am the Moon Goddess herself."
Gabriel’s lips curved in a faint, skeptical smile. "And why would the Moon Goddess descend to earth in person to aid now, when she never did before?"
"Because I sinned," Cynthia answered. "I fell in love. I bore a son."
The words struck him like a blade. Gabriel’s heart thundered against his ribs as he suddenly rembered his father’s cold voice from the past.
Your mother sinned by bringing you into this world.
The warmth drained from his body in an instant. He froze as his breath caught, and his eyes locked on hers, the fallen Moon Goddess.
"Forgive for abandoning you," she whispered, pain threading through her words. "The heavens punished for neglecting my duty to watch over the werewolves. But I have never, not once, regretted bearing you in that life. Back then, I could not alter the fate written for you. This ti, I can. A witch has already helped you in seeing the past. A weapon exists that can help you kill Ophelia. It is present in the grave of your father."
"Didn’t it get rusted all these years?" Gabriel questioned.
"It is a special tal. You must check the grave of your father and take that weapon out. Drive it straight to the heart of Ophelia, and you’ll get rid of her," Cynthia instructed him.
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