Steven’s POV
The woods were quiet, motionless, as I stumbled along, my staff no more than a prop to keep me on my feet. The only noises were the irregular scrape of my boots against the wet ground and my labored breathing, each breath tasting of pain and fatigue. My body hurt with each step, my wounds still open, still not closing. My head pounded, a dull, steady throb that resonated in my head.
I did not know where I was going; I knew only that I had to keep walking.
My head was a mess, tangled threads of betrayal and loss and anger that were in danger of engulfing me completely.
Liam.
Even his name was enough to set another surge of anger burning through me, the flames searing their way along my veins.
How could he? How could he do this to me?
After all I had done for him, after all those times I had stood by his side, defending him, guiding him, believing in him.
And Freja…
The mere thought of my sister made my heart constrict in pain. All her laughter, her gentle presence, the way she could lighten things even when everything else was dark-had all been lost.
Stolen from me.
The anger within me overflowed, and in an instant, I had staggered to a halt, my entire body trembling. My fists were balled, fingernails biting hard into palms until I could feel the burning agony of my own blood.
And yet, still, my wounds would not heal.
“Why!!” I yelled into the darkness, my voice torn apart by sorrow.
I fell to my knees, and the impact jarred my legs, but I barely noticed. The rage, the sorrow, the powerlessness-it would crush me.
I raised my head and finally saw where I was.
The shrine.
Before me was the shrine of the Goddess, illuminated by the gentle glow of the moon. The old stone building appeared to have been left untouched by time, and it was odd but comforting in its presence.
This could not be a coincidence.
I struggled to my feet, clinging to my staff so hard my knuckles were white. I managed two steps forward, then fell again, my legs finally failing me.
I fell, panting, my forehead striking the chilly ground.
“Why…. ” My voice whispers now, hoarse and torn. “Why have you forsaken me?”
Silence.
And then… footsteps.
A shadow fell over me, and I strained to lift my head to see the priestess standing in front of me. She stopped a few steps away, her eyes unreadable as she surveyed my broken body.
“How the mighty have fallen,” she murmured, her voice containing no mockery-only quiet observation.
My throat burned, yet I fought to speak. “What have I done? Why does the Goddess torment me so? Why did she allow my sister to be ripped from me? Why?!”
I couldn’t prevent myself from sobbing, and I hated the pleading in my voice because it revealed a man reduced to his knees, pleading for an answer he may never receive.
The priestess sighed, folding her hands before her. “It’s your pride, Steven. Pride, stubbornness, and ego that cause you to suffer so.”
Profound were those words, yet I remained silent, waiting.
“Long ago,” she went on, “before you became the Alpha, you visited me, begging for more power. Power to protect your family, to keep them safe from harm. And the Goddess heard your prayers. She granted you strength beyond your wildest imagination.”
I clenched my teeth. I recalled.
“You have avenged yourself,” she spoke, without a hint of tremble in her voice. “The ones who had wronged her-they are gone as if they had never been at all. And yet, there has only ever been a single mistake that you’ve ever made.”
I swallowed as my chest caught.
“You spared the one and only soul fated to kneel you.”
Liam.
The icy feeling of dread froze me.
“I warned you,” the priestess said, her voice level. “I told you the Demon Wolf would be your undoing. I told you that if you left him alive, he would one day be the instrument of your death. And yet you ignored my warning. You chose to show him mercy.”
My fists clenched into the earth around me.
“And now, look at you. Broken. Alone.”
It was the weight of her words that crushed me, suffocating and undeniable. I wished to argue and fight back and deny it-but I could not.
She was right.
She turned to go, but desperation took hold of me. Before I could stop myself, I reached out and grabbed at the hem of her robes.
“Please,” I choked out, my voice shaking. “Help me.”
She was not surprised. If anything, she had been expecting this.
She looked down at me, her expression unreadable. “You saved Liam that night. You made your choice. And now, you must live with it.”
My fingers tightened on her robes. “They killed my sister!” I spat, gritting my teeth. “They took Freja from me! And I must take revenge for her! I must!”
But she did not show any sign of weakening.
“Do you recall what I used to tell you?” she said. “I warned you that one day, you would be brought low by me, praying for the Goddess’s favor. And you thought me mad to say so.”
My chest hurt with shame, raw and unrelenting.
“I was arrogant,” I whispered. “I was blinded by my own power. I disrespected the Goddess. I didn’t heed your warnings. I know that now.”
I lifted my head then, and gazed at her with everything that remained in me. “If not for me,” I pleaded, “then for my pack. They have known the Goddess all their lives. They have kept the faith. Do not punish them for my sins.”
The priestess looked at me for a long quiet moment. Then, finally, she spoke.
“Your wounds will not heal because your wolf is hurt-not only physically, but emotionally. You have too much pain, too much guilt. It has weakened your strength, left you vulnerable.”
I frowned. “Then tell me what I need to do.”
She breathed out softly. “I cannot help you, Alpha.”
My heart dropped.
“You underestimated your savior once again. You disregarded the single individual who had the ability to genuinely assist you. And now, the sole individual capable of saving you… is the human race’s most powerful sorceress.”
I was tense.
“She possesses a power stronger than mine,” said the priestess. “She is your Luna. She is your light in the darkness.”
It hung over me like a dense weight.
“Return to her,” she whispered, now less audibly. “Only she can save you.”
With that, she turned and vanished in the darkness beyond, leaving me alone with the moon above the shrine, my heart racing, my mind spinning.
And for the first time in my life, I was lost.