A Goddess’s Farewell And Apology

Selene smiled gently.

“No,” she agreed. “He is not the one who gave you the gift. I did.”

The goddess’s gaze softened as she looked upon Sophia, and there was a warmth within her eyes that had not been there before.

“But he is the one who made this possible.”

Sophia remained silent.

“He stood beside you when no one else could. He fought for you even when the odds were against him. He was willing to sacrifice himself simply so that you could be free.”

The sunlight surrounding Selene shimmered softly.

“He was the one who broke Victoria’s hold over you. And through him… I came to realise something.”

There was sadness in her voice.

“I am not above fault.”

Sophia slowly looked back at her.

“I made a full generation suffer for something they were not at fault for. And it took your mate to remind me, though rather rudely, that perhaps I had wronged those who did not deserve to be wronged, all in the hope that one day everything would correct itself.”

Sophia said nothing.

“I have done nothing worthy of your gratitude,” Selene continued. “Everything that deserved thanks… he did.”

She smiled again.

“He believed in you. He trusted you and still does. He fights beside you even when he knows the consequences, how people would react when they found out who your mother was. Perhaps that was what I wanted for myself too.”

Sophia felt her throat tighten at her words.

Selene then looked at her with unmistakable fondness.

“But he is not the only one deserving of thanks.”

Sophia frowned slightly, confused by her words.

“You are.”

“Me?” she asked the goddess.

Selene nodded.

“Yes.”

“For it was your determination that brought everyone here.”

She gestured toward Sophia gently.

“It was your refusal to surrender. Your willingness to continue fighting despite everything you endured. You were hurt. You were manipulated, broken too, but still you chose kindness. You still chose to protect those you love. You still chose hope.”

Sophia felt emotion welling within her chest.

She had never thought of herself that way.

She had only kept moving because stopping had never felt like an option.

“Victoria did not go through half of what you did. She did not know despair like you did. She did not lose someone and try to piece them back together. I’m not saying she didn’t go through trials too, or that she didn’t suffer at all, but you did too, and still you chose your own path. You did not let hatred consume you.”

“I doubt that,” Sophia told her with a soft laugh. “Anger at Victoria still pushes me forward.”

“True, but that anger only encompasses thirty percent of what you feel. You want the people who have treated you like their own to survive more than you even want to destroy Victoria. If the two situations were separate, you would choose your people first and not your hatred for Victoria.”

Sophia lowered her head quietly.

Perhaps that was the truth.

She had never thought of the two situations separately before.

“…Thank you,” she said softly.

Selene simply smiled.

For several moments, neither of them spoke.

The shrine remained peaceful.

The sunlight filtered through the open entrance while snow drifted lazily outside, as though the world itself wished to preserve this final conversation.

Then Selene finally broke the silence.

“It is time for me to leave.”

Sophia looked back up immediately.

The goddess’s form had begun growing fainter.

The edges of her figure dissolved slowly into countless particles of golden light.

“As I said before, I do not think I shall appear before you like this again.”

Sophia nodded.

“I have given you every gift that I am permitted to give.”

She looked at Sophia with quiet certainty.

“You possess strength beyond what you realise. And above all…”

She said with a smile,

“You have people willing to stand beside you.”

Sophia immediately thought of Orion.

Then Ronan.

Brynhild, Tobias, Lysander, Daniel, Micah, Nia, Laia, Joren, Cat, Dren, Madam Tyler, Caspian, Mary… every single member of the Nightshade Pack.

Selene’s expression became more serious.

“But you must remember something.”

Sophia straightened.

“Victoria may be the greatest threat standing before you now, but she is not the only one.”

Sophia frowned.

“There is still the Black Circle. There are still those who reject me. There is still fate itself.”

The words hung heavily between them.

“None of those things have disappeared. They merely wait for a chance, but I do not doubt you. I do not doubt your people either. You have always fought and will continue fighting.”

Sophia nodded.

The goddess looked at her quietly.

Then, after a long silence, she spoke once more.

“There is one last thing, child.”

She paused, then softly said,

“I am sorry.”

Sophia frowned at that. She didn’t understand why the goddess was apologising to her.

“I am sorry for everything you were forced to endure. I am sorry that I did not choose a better mother for you and instead chose the Successor of the Night. And it is because of that you suffered beyond what you should have.”

“While I appreciate your apology, I must admit that I do not care about it. There are people who deserve it more than I do, after all,” Sophia told her.

Selene stared at her, then she spoke.

“Your mate said the exact same thing. And I plan on doing exactly that,” she said.

Then the distance between the two of them closed instantly.

Soon, Selene was directly in front of Sophia, who remained still.

Selene reached out slowly and placed a gentle kiss upon Sophia’s hair.

The warmth of sunlight enveloped her completely.

“My child…”

the goddess whispered.

“…live well.”

Sophia blinked.

Then the warmth vanished.

The shrine was empty once more.

The sunlight returned to normal.

Outside, snow continued falling peacefully as though nothing had happened.

Sophia stood silently for several moments before releasing a slow breath.

Then she turned and walked toward the entrance.

The guard was still waiting exactly where she had left him.

He straightened immediately when he saw her, and they both headed back to the compound.

—

Preparations continued without pause.

The warriors trained until their muscles could barely move.

The craftsmen continued forging weapons.

Every person within the pack carried their own burden as the days drew ever closer to war.

Then, the following morning…

Something unusual happened.

One person mentioned it over breakfast.

Then another.

Before long, the entire compound was speaking about the same thing.

A dream.

Every single member of the Nightshade Pack had seen the same woman.

She possessed flowing white hair that drifted like moonlight itself.

Her skin appeared almost translucent.

Her eyes resembled the moon on the clearest night imaginable.

She had never opened her mouth.

Yet somehow…

Everyone had heard her voice.

She had apologised.

No one understood what she was apologising for.

But every single person who had seen her woke with an inexplicable sadness lingering in their hearts.

Children spoke about her.

Adults spoke about her.

Even the elderly described exactly the same woman.

At first, people questioned who she had been.

Then understanding slowly spread throughout the pack.

It had been…

The Moon Goddess.

Most of them did not understand why she had apologised.

They only knew that she had.

Throughout the day, people quietly made their way toward both shrines.

Some brought flowers.

Others brought herbs.

Some offered handmade ornaments.

Children gathered wild blossoms despite the snow.

The elders swept the stone pathways.

Others cleaned the altars until they shone.

No one instructed them to do it.

No one organised it.

They simply came.

It became a day the Nightshade Pack would remember for generations.

But amidst it all…

Orion was still unconscious.