I had lost my first mate and child once, and I had survived it only because I had no other choice, but I would not survive it again, not this ti.
As the howl faded into broken whimpers, one thought burned brighter than all the others, cutting through the despair with fierce clarity, because I would not let her die.
Beowulf stared at the heavens, his gaze filled with anger and hatred.
"We don’t care about fate, or prophecies, or sacred trees, or balance. We have already lost too much in this ga of fate.
If the world demands Ember’s life as paynt, then I would tear the world apart piece by piece until it learns to take sothing else instead, because she is my mate, that child is ours, and I refuse to lose them both." Our growls echoed through the air.
And as if the heavens had heard us, a bolt of lightning struck the sky followed by a roaring thunder.
A circle of light slowly ford around Beowulf, its glow soft before growing brighter, wrapping around his massive white form like a living halo. His fur shimred under the rays, every strand reflecting gold, and the anger that had been tearing through my chest stalled for just a second, replaced by sothing heavy and unfamiliar.
Then a voice echoed from above. It was calm, feminine, and impossibly vast, as if it did not belong to the sky alone but to everything beneath it as well.
"Do you dare defy fate?"
The question settled into my bones, pressing down on , as if testing , and waiting for hesitation.
"No," I answered without a second thought, my voice firm even as my heart pounded violently in my chest.
As long as Ember was concerned, I would never hesitate to defy fate.
The air shifted instantly.
The light above intensified, and suddenly a tornado of flowers descended from the heavens, spinning and swirling within the rays. Petals of every color imaginable danced around , brushing against my fur, my face, my chest, carrying scents so rich and familiar that my breath caught painfully in my throat.
Before I could react, the ground beneath my paws vanished.
When the spinning stopped, I found myself standing on solid earth again, but it was no longer the edge of the cliff. Beowulf was gone, and I was back in my human form, my boots pressing into soft grass damp with dew.
I stood in the middle of a vast field of flowers and herbs, stretching endlessly in every direction. Lavender, moonblossom, nightshade, and plants I did not even recognize swayed gently as if greeting . The air was warm, comforting, and strangely familiar, like a place I had known long before this life.
My chest tightened, it felt at ho.
The realization unsettled ... this only ant...
I took a few slow steps forward, my fingers brushing against the petals as I walked, mories tugging at the edges of my mind without fully forming. The deeper I went into the garden, the stronger that sense of belonging beca, until I finally saw her.
A woman stood near the center of the field, her back turned to .
She wore a simple white dress that flowed around her like mist, and her golden blonde hair cascaded down her back, long and smooth like a river of light. It moved gently even though there was no wind, glowing softly under an unseen sky.
My breath hitched painfully in my chest.
She turned towards gracefully. Her smile was warm and kind, and her golden eyes burned brightly, filled with ancient power, yet softened by sothing gentle and understanding. The mont our gazes t, my instincts scread at to bow, to kneel, to acknowledge who stood before .
"Moon Goddess," I said quietly, lowering my head just enough to show respect, though my hands curled tightly at my sides.
She walked toward , her movents fluid and graceful, each step barely touching the ground. There was no hostility in her presence, no judgnt, only an overwhelming sense of truth.
"Alpha Damon," she said softly. "I understand your pain."
The words struck deeper than any blade.
She stopped a few steps away from , her gaze steady and unwavering. "However, this is not sothing I can help you with. Ember is both fae and werewolf, and she is not just any fae. She bears the future of the future on her shoulders."
My jaw clenched so hard it ached.
I felt anger surge up again, sharp and unrestrained. "I do not care," I said flatly. The words tasted bitter, but I ant every single one of them. Without waiting for a response, I turned my back on her, ready to leave, ready to walk away from gods and fate and everything else if it ant protecting my mate.
"Wait."
Her voice stopped in my tracks.
"There is only one way... but are you willing to pay the price?"
My steps faltered.
For a mont, I did not trust myself to turn around, afraid that hope would hurt more than despair, but slowly, I glanced over my shoulder, my heart pounding louder than it ever had before.
"Yes," I answered.
Then, the world around shattered into blinding white and everything went blank.
When I opened my eyes again, cold wind lashed against my fur. I was back on the cliff.
The golden rays were gone. The field of flowers had vanished as if it had never existed. Beowulf stood in my place again, my massive white wolf form standing firmly on the edge of the rock, the bright sky stretching endlessly above .
The echoes of the Moon Goddess’s voice lingered faintly in my mind, but there were no mories of instructions, or explanations, only the knowledge that there was a way.
Beowulf’s silver gray eyes narrowed as his paws dug deep into the ground, his claws carving grooves into stone. His chest rose and fell slowly, deliberately, as resolve hardened inside us.
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