MIA’S POV
The pain was unbearable, like fire licking through my veins, but somehow… it was fading. I could hear my name-frantic, desperate voices calling out to me-but they felt so far away, like echoes in a void.
I wasn’t in the dungeon anymore.
I wasn’t anywhere at all.
A soft glow surrounded me, warm and comforting, like the moonlight on a peaceful night. And then, from that glow, she appeared.
My wolf.
No-not just my wolf.
She was beautiful, ethereal. Skin as white as snow, long flowing hair the color of the full moon, eyes like the endless night sky. A presence so divine, so powerful, I immediately knew.
The Moon Goddess.
I tried to speak, but my voice wouldn’t come out. I wasn’t afraid, though. Her gaze held nothing but kindness, her expression serene.
“You’ve suffered, my child,” she finally spoke, her voice like a melody carried by the wind. “Far more than I ever intended.”
I swallowed, feeling a lump in my throat. Everything I’d been through flashed before me-every wound, every betrayal, every moment I was made to feel weak, unwanted. The pain of my mother’s abandonment. The cruelty of my stepbrothers. The heartbreak of knowing I was only needed because of the curse they bore.
I clenched my fists. “Then why?” My voice cracked, raw with the weight of everything I had endured. “Why did you let me suffer like this?”
She stepped forward, reaching out to touch my cheek. A warmth spread through me, melting away the numbness I didn’t even realize I had.
“Because suffering shapes strength,” she murmured. “Because love forged in hardship is the purest of all. And because, Mia, you were never meant to be ordinary.”
I shook my head. “I never asked for this,” I whispered. “I never wanted to be the White Wolf. I just wanted… to be happy. To be loved, not used.”
Her eyes softened, sadness flickering in their depths. “And yet, despite it all, you still care for them,” she said knowingly. “The ones who hurt you, betrayed you, broke you. You still love them.”
My breath hitched. I wanted to deny it, to tell her she was wrong. But I couldn’t.
Because she was right.
I hated them. I loved them. I wanted them to suffer, and yet, I wanted to protect them. They made my life hell, yet when I was slipping into darkness, their voices were the only thing keeping me tethered.
I clenched my jaw. “They don’t deserve me.”
The Moon Goddess smiled, a knowing glimmer in her celestial eyes.
“Forgiveness, my child,” she murmured. “Not just for them, but for yourself.”
I stiffened, my lips pressing into a thin line. Forgive them? After everything they had done? After the nights I spent crying, the scars-both seen and unseen-they left on me?
She gently cupped my face, her touch light as air yet brimming with warmth. “Mia, your journey does not end in anger. It was never meant to. You were born to love, to heal… and to build something greater than even you can imagine.”
I swallowed, my throat dry. “And if I can’t?”
Her smile deepened, knowing and wise. “Then let me show you.”
The world around us shifted. Images swirled in the soft glow-visions, glimpses of a future yet to be written.
I saw them-Xavier, Nathan, Sean, and Rolex. No longer the arrogant, cruel men who once tormented me, but strong, devoted protectors. Their eyes no longer held cold indifference but burned with love. A love that was raw, unyielding, mine.
Then, I saw more.
Tiny hands grabbing onto my fingers. A boy-golden-eyed like Xavier-laughing as he chased his twin, who had Nathan’s mischievous smirk. A third, smaller one, clinging to Sean’s leg, pouting in protest. And then, in the middle of it all…
A little girl.
Hair as white as mine, eyes as deep as the night sky. A princess wrapped in my arms, her tiny fingers brushing my cheek as she cooed softly.
My breath caught in my throat.
“She will be your greatest gift,” the Moon Goddess whispered, her voice laced with infinite tenderness. “And they-your mates-will be the fathers who would set the world on fire just to keep her safe.”
My chest tightened.
Could I have this? A life not filled with pain, but love? A family-not just bound by duty, but by choice?
I swallowed hard. “But… do they deserve it?”
The Moon Goddess tilted her head. “Do you?”
I flinched.
“You all made mistakes,” she continued, her voice soothing but firm. “They were blind to what you meant to them. And you…” she traced a finger across my forehead, where my mark burned beneath the surface. “You will have to decide if love is worth more than revenge.”
I closed my eyes, exhaling shakily.
Forgiveness was not easy. It never would be. But the image of those children… of the love in their eyes…
Could I walk away from that?
Could I deny myself that happiness, just to keep punishing them?
I opened my eyes, my heart still heavy, but my resolve firm.
“I’ll think about it,” I murmured.
The Moon Goddess chuckled, a sound like the wind through the trees. “That is all I ask.”
“It’s time,” she said, her voice carrying the weight of the stars. “Go back, rule the people, and protect those who are yours.”
I hesitated, staring into her endless gaze. “I don’t know if I’m ready,” I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.
She smiled, touching my forehead with the softest of caresses. Power surged through me, burning, awakening, filling every broken part of me with something new. Something unbreakable.
“You were born ready, my child,” she murmured. “And you will never be alone. I will always be with you.”
A warmth wrapped around me, and suddenly, the world shifted.
A blinding light.
A sharp inhale.
My eyes snapped open.
The scent of blood was thick in the air. My heartbeat, slow at first, grew stronger, steady, powerful. My fingers twitched against the cold stone beneath me.
Then I heard him.
Keith.
Laughing. Mocking.
“Pathetic,” he sneered, circling the brothers in their cages. “Did you really think she was special? Did you really think she would be the one to save you?”
Nathan growled, his hands gripping the bars, eyes burning with fury. “When we get out of here, I’ll tear you apart with my own hands.”
Keith laughed darkly. “Oh, you’ll get out, alright. But only to watch as I rip out her-”
I stood up.
Chains clattered to the ground, crumbling like dust. Energy rippled through my veins, every nerve in my body alive with raw, unfiltered power.
The air shifted.
Silence fell.
And then Keith froze.
Slowly, he turned-confusion flickering across his face before his eyes went wide with terror.
“You-what-”
I lifted my hand, fingers curling, and with a flick of my wrist, he flew backward, crashing into the stone wall with a force that cracked the entire surface.
The impact shook the ground beneath me. Dust and debris crumbled from above.
Keith coughed, groaning as he struggled to push himself up, but my power pulsed again, slamming him back down.
His eyes burned with fear. He knew.
I wasn’t the same.
I wasn’t weak anymore.
I took a step forward, and the very air around me bent to my will. The light in the dungeon flickered-no, not flickered, it obeyed me. My hair, weightless, moved with the energy radiating off my body.
Keith’s breath turned ragged as he crawled backward.
“You-this isn’t-”
“Not part of your plan?” My voice was calm, but it vibrated with something deeper. Power. Fury. Destiny.
“You wanted my heart?” I tilted my head, eyes locking onto his trembling form. “Come and take it, then.”