Moonlit Vows Of Vengeance-Chapter 25: The Path Revealed

Athena’s pov

I stared at him, struggling to find words that didn’t sound like madness. "You expect me to believe the Moon Goddess who can barely hold this realm together spoke to you and told you to choose me?"

"Yes," he said simply. No hesitation. No irony.

I laughed, but it was sharp and bitter. "That’s insane."

"Is it?" he countered, calm as ever. "Then explain yourself. Explain why you resisted the command I used on you, something no trueborn wolf has ever done. Explain why your presence quieted Cassius when nothing else could. Explain why your blood sings in proximity to the fragments of her power."

My mouth went dry.

I hated how much sense it made.

"I’m not some chosen savior," I snapped. "I’m not a key. I’m just—" I swallowed hard. "I’m just trying to be a great warrior."

He didn’t flinch. "And that’s exactly why she chose you. Because you question. Because you don’t kneel easily. Because you see through false power and still move forward."

I wanted to scream. To tell him to stop twisting things into prophecy. But something in me had already stilled. Something was listening. And that scared me most of all.

"If she wanted me so badly," I muttered, "why didn’t she come to me directly?"

He tilted his head. "Because she’s barely more than smoke now. Her presence flickers between veils. Even when she reaches me, it’s only in fragments—symbols, shadows. But your name?" He stepped closer. "That was the clearest message she ever gave."

My heart started beating even faster.

I looked away.

"I’m not sure what scares me more," I whispered. "That you might be lying... or that you’re actually telling the truth."

He didn’t answer.

I turned back to him. "Say I believe you. Say I agree to help. What happens after the fragments are found? When she’s whole again?"

There was a shift in him. Not power. something deeper. It felt more personal this time.

"Then she keeps her promise," he said softly. "She brings back my wife."

I was shocked by the sudden declaration. I wanted to ask what wife? But I held back a bit and asked another question I’m more curious about. "And what happens to you?"

He smiled faintly, that cold kind of smile that holds more ache than pride. "That depends on you."

I frowned. "What the hell does that mean?"

"If you stand with me," he said, his gaze locking on mine, "then I don’t become the tyrant they all fear. I don’t need to. But if you don’t—" He paused, and his voice dropped to something dangerous. "Then I’ll finish the mission. Alone. No matter what it takes."

I stiffened. "You said this was a choice."

"It is," he said. "But choices shape outcomes. And some outcomes burn."

I hated him in that moment. And I hated myself more for understanding him.

"So what if I walk away?" I asked. "What then?"

His expression didn’t change. "Then I let you go. No chains. No soldiers. But I’ll tell the Goddess her chose to turn her back on her. That’s a burden you’ll carry alone for the rest of your life."

That pierced something I didn’t expect.

He took a step back, toward the door.

"Think with your heart, not just your claws," he said softly. "You’ve been taught to fight everything. Try listening for once."

Then he turned.

And left.

Just silence.

And me.

Alone in that chamber.

Worse than angry.

Worse than afraid.

Torn.

And I didn’t know if that was the beginning of my damnation.

Or my awakening.

The moment the door shut behind him, I sank.

My knees buckled before I even realized what was happening, and I collapsed onto the cold stone floor. I wasn’t crying. I wasn’t screaming. Just... empty. Like my body had finally caught up to the weight of everything I’d heard.

The Moon Goddess fading. The world had changed. Me, chosen by a dying divine force I’d spent my whole life worshipping and questioning.

I sat there for what felt like hours, my breath shallow, my pulse felt like they were in my ears.

And then... I stood.

Wavering, yes.

But steady enough.

I didn’t want to serve him. Not really. He still seemed very shady to me..

But I couldn’t let the Moon Goddess die. I couldn’t let the packs tear each other apart in the chaos that would follow.

When he returned, I was already standing. Waiting.

He stepped inside quietly, as if he’d known I would make this choice.

He didn’t speak right away. Just looked at me — not like a king to a subject, but something colder. Older. Certain.

Then he bent forward slightly, the corners of his mouth unreadable. "Athena," he said, voice low. "What shall it be?"

I lowered my head and bent to one knee.

The words came slowly, but they came with steel.

"Use me as you wish," I said. "I’m willing to pledge loyalty."

A long breath left his chest. I heard the smile in it before I saw it.

"You made the right choice, Athena," he said. "I save your precious Moon Goddess. And I get my wife in return."

I blinked. "When you said your wife earlier, what did you even mean?"

His expression changed — softer, almost reverent. "Are you curious about her?" he asked, and for once, there was no calculation in his tone. Just something raw. "She was the most beautiful hybrid I’d ever met in my life."

Then he extended a hand. "Follow me."

I did.

He raised his own hand, palm glowing blue — and flames, cold and bright, rippled out like water over stone. The wall in front of us shimmered, then split with a hiss, revealing a secret passage.

We stepped inside.

The temperature dropped instantly. Frost clung to the walls like lace. The air tasted ancient.

And at the center of the chamber, encased in a bed of shimmering ice, lay a woman.

Her skin was pale, kissed with frost. Her claws extended even in stillness. Her hair spilled around her like ink across snow.

She didn’t look dead.

She looked....like she was frozen in time.

I looked at her deeply...

She was beautiful. Ethereal. Untouched by decay or age.

The King knelt beside her.

He didn’t speak to me. Just placed a hand gently over hers.

"My dear wife," he murmured, so quietly I almost didn’t hear him. "We’ll soon be reunited."

I looked away, but not before I caught the shine in his eyes. A glint of pain.

He rose, slowly, and when he turned to me, he coughed once — faint, restrained.

"Let’s leave," he said. His voice was clipped now. Closed off again.

And just like that, we were back.

And there was a long silence left between us.

But I was no longer standing here just for the Moon Goddess. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

I’d seen something more.

Something... true. Which was his love for his wife

And my resolve had never been sharper.

I just had one more question for him. So I broke the silence first.

I turned back to face the King. "Then what happened with Cassius that night? I thought you put a spell on him or something."

The King smiled. "No, I did not."

He didn’t elaborate.

"Cassius would be in a better position to explain when he wishes to."

That was all he offered.

"You may return to your quarters now."

I bowed slightly, then turned and walked out of the chamber.

The corridor outside was quiet. My boots tapped lightly against the stone as I made my way back.

But just as I rounded the corner, I stopped.

Cassius stood there.

His back against the wall, arms folded loosely — but the moment he saw me, he straightened.

He looked like he’d been waiting.

My chest tightened slightly. Did he know I’d been locked away? Did he regret telling me to run? Why had he really warned me?

"Cassius..." I started.

Before I could finish, he crossed the space between us in a blur.

His hand gripped my arm — not harshly, but firmly — and then he pulled me into his embrace.

I froze.

My breath caught in my throat. I hadn’t expected... this.

"Cassius, I—"

"Don’t say anything for now," he whispered near my ear.

So I didn’t.

I just stood there. Still. Letting the silence wrap around us.

He held me tighter.

Like he was afraid I might vanish again.

Like this was something he couldn’t afford to lose.

Minutes passed. Neither of us moved.

Then finally, he let go, just enough to meet my eyes.

"I thought you were gone forever," he said, voice low, a bit rough.

I didn’t understand his reaction. Not completely. But I nodded, calm and steady.

"I’m here," I said. "Nothing happened to me."

Cassius didn’t say anything after that. He just turned slightly and gestured for me to walk.

Without a word, I followed.

He didn’t touch me again, didn’t ask any questions... just walked beside me down the dim corridors, like some silent shadow that had decided not to leave me alone just yet.

When we reached the door to my quarters, he stopped.

"I’ll see you later," he said, his voice quieter now. Still guarded. Still... Cassius.

I nodded. "Yeah."

He turned and walked away without looking back.

I stood there for a moment, my hand on the door.

There was something I wanted to ask him — something that had been sitting in the back of my mind ever since the King mentioned it.

But I sighed instead. "Ugh... next time."

I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The room was quiet, dark, untouched. My cloak was still where I had left it before everything unraveled.

I sank onto the bed and let my boots drop to the floor.

But even as I lay back, eyes closed, I couldn’t relax completely.

There was still a tightness in my chest.

Still too many questions.

And a feeling I couldn’t shake — like I was standing on the edge of something far bigger than I could see.

And it was already too late to back away.

I stared at the ceiling for a while.

Then finally closed my eyes.