Chapter 711 The Moon goddess’s chastisement
Jasmine knew that Kael had fallen out of love with her ever since he heard her chats with the other she-wolves about Corvine.
The memory of that day burned in her mind like a brand, the way his face had crumbled, when he told Voren about it, the way something inside him had shattered beyond repair.
No matter how she tried, she couldn’t nourish the secret love he once felt for her. It was dead, buried, gone.
Though she had grown for him a love that would never die, she also understood that true love could never be forced.
It was a river that had to flow freely, not a dam that could be built by will alone. Now, she was giving him the chance to accept or reject her. The choice was his.
“I’m sorry, Jasmine.”
Kael’s voice was heavy as he spoke, weighted with regret and something that sounded almost like grief. His eyes were dark, troubled, filled with the ghosts of what could have been.
“I…reject you.”
Jasmine smiled through the pain. The expression was brittle on her face, a fragile thing that threatened to shatter at any moment. But she held it. She held it because she refused to let him see her break.
“There, it doesn’t hurt, Kael. I wish you all the best.”
She was freed from the bond and right now, she wanted to live for herself. The thread that had connected them snapped, fading into nothingness. She didn’t even wish to be paired with anyone else.
She had lusted for two men, and they didn’t want her. The one who wanted her, she broke his heart. Now, she needed time to heal from it all. Time to piece together the fragments of herself that had been scattered across the years.
As Kael saw her walking to join the other she-wolves, discomfort settled deep inside his chest.
It was a strange feeling, an ache he couldn’t name. He had waited so long for true love and didn’t want to be spare.
Jasmine had only settled for him because she could not get either Voren or Corvine, and that was Kael’s reason for the rejection. But watching her walk away, her shoulders straight, her head held high, he wondered if he had made a terrible mistake.
More rejections took place before the shaman spoke, her voice carrying across the clearing with the weight of ancient authority.
“It’s two hours to the Blood Moon. The moon goddess will now make her appearance.”
A cold wind passed between them, followed by snowflakes. But instead of the coldness they were expecting, it felt rather warm. The snowflakes danced in the air, swirling around them like tiny stars fallen from the sky.
Then suddenly, the snowflakes moved together, circling like a tornado. The wind howled, the air crackled with power, and everyone held their breath.
As soon as it calmed, a child of around the age of six to seven sat before them on a crystal chair.
Her hair was white, just as her eyebrows, eyelashes, and attire. She was dressed in a white gown with a crown on her head, the fabric flowing around her like liquid moonlight.
Her eyes were the rarest of colors, changing and shimmering like opals caught in candlelight. But her voice was hard, nothing belonging to a child. It was ancient, powerful, and terrifying.
“The moon goddess takes any form she desires. If she took the form of a child, then it means she sees the situation as such,” the shaman announced, her voice reverent.
The chairs from before were returned as everyone sat in front of the moon goddess like obedient children. But Voren sat with Seraphine in his arms, determined to not let go. His grip was tight, protective, his body a shield between her and the world.
“For centuries, my creation has remained the same,” the moon goddess began to speak, her voice echoing across the clearing like thunder rolling over distant mountains.
“Children. Indecisive, selfish, greedy, and hateful, just as your predecessors who begged me to take away my gift of the mate bond.”
Her beauty was of the rarest form, but her eyes were cold, just as her voice. There was no warmth in them. No mercy, only judgment.
“Your predecessors begged me to allow them to choose their mates, to fall in love like humans, and I granted their wish. But what’s going on? Even as you marry the ones you claim to love, you still have eyes on that which does not belong to you. You use she-wolves as pawns and hide behind what you have termed the Alpha Code. Had you not abolished it, I would not have come, and would have allowed you all to stew in your foolishness.”
Her gaze suddenly softened, just as her voice. The modification was startling, the coldness melting into something warmer, something almost tender.
“A few of you have touched my heart with your love, generosity, strength, and kindness. A proof that even in this messed up world you have created, there are still a few who want to do things right.”
Her gaze traveled around, landing on each and every one present. It was a gaze that saw everything, every secret, every sin, and every hidden desire.
“Some of you want what others have worked hard for, isn’t it?”
“You blessed some people more than others,” Alpha Uri challenged her, his voice sharp with bitterness and envy. The moon goddess scoffed, the sound cutting through the air like a blade.
“I give everyone what they can carry depending on the content of your heart. Your gifts are increased depending on what you do with them so tell me, Uri, what have you been doing with yours?”
Uri immediately clamped his mouth shut, his face draining of color. The moon goddess announced, her voice carrying the weight of absolute authority.
“Ask your questions now.”
“Why did you give me a Fenrir wolf?” Daisy asked from where she sat, gaining everyone’s attention. Her voice trembled, thick with pain and confusion.
“Why must I bear the punishment of what I was never aware of?” She continued, earning the sympathy of others. Their faces softened, their eyes filling with pity for the woman who had been cursed before she was even born.
The moon goddess spoke, her voice measured and calm. “There is less than two hours for the mate bond to be released. Daisy, I will answer your question soon but for now, you all should reject each other.”