137

137
Maeve's POV

White light explodes through me. It blasts up and out around me blinding, searing, holy, like the moon decided to live in my lungs and hated the view. Like the moongoddess was listening and decided to give me help. Help to conceal the darkness around me.

The battlefield goes silent in shock, as the light blinds through my body. Then everything around me collapses. Or maybe I did.

Wolves around me drop to their knees. Witches lose words and look at me with a look of fear. . Vampires hiss and flinch, hands to their eyes. Even the shade-stags collapse, antlers sparkling..

Maeve! three voices cry out to me at once.

Valeriese snarls and pulls from inside of me, but I have both hands on the crack now. Stormi wedges herself in my mind bracing me. I push Valeriese into my mind taking back my body. Taking control or at least trying to.

Kieran skids to my side first. He smells like smoke and rain. His shadows are out and shaking. He puts his hands on either side of my face and his thumbs are cold. “I’m here. baby Im here you can do this"

“Don’t touch me—” I choke. “She’ll use you.”

I love him more than words can even say and Im so sad Im about to break his heart.. their hearts.. At least Ill die knowing how much I loved them.

Brinley crashes down on my other side, half-shifted, braid ruined, blood painting her ribs and her face. “Look at me,” she orders. “Stay here. With us.” I look at her as I fight to push Valeriese down. Im tyring so hard, just so I can have one last moment with them.

Rowen kneels behind me, his chest a wall against my spine. His hands lock on my shoulders. “Youre okay love, were here. .”

Hold me, I whisper through the bond. Don’t let me float away. I can fight if I can feel you.

They answer without words. Kieran leans his head against mine, his sea blue eyes locked onto mine. His wolf Onyx nuddging Stromi in my mind. Brinley grips me as hard as she can, Raiyna sets her forepaws across Stromis body, her weight anchoring my bones. Axel plants himself behind my heart and refuses to move, a shield, Rowen hugs me from behind whispering sweet nothings into my ears. I use their strength. I use everything in my body to keep myself anchored.

They will not die..

Valeriese hisses, the sound a saw through silk. "Children" she spits. "You think thats all itll take to contain me?"

A crack of lightning hisses above us. Everythign around me stilled. I looked up to the sky and felt my heart and soul split open. Pain bleeded into reality.

SMACK.

I heard the crack of lighting and howls and screams surronded me.

THEY WILL DIE BECAUSE OF YOU.

"A golden wolf will return, One who could bring balance or destruction. - Because one path ends in ashes. The other… in rebirth. She is both death and dawn." the words echoed in my mind.

Suddenly i hear the thumps of people around me falling, I open my eyes a crack and see Brinley beside me passed out, blood pooling around her head. "Brinley" I whimpered, Than I lookled to my left and saw Kieran's lifeless body limp on my left and beside him Rowen was collapsed on his knees looking at me with no light in eyes as he too fell to the ground. The visions, the prophecy they were all happening so fast. Everything I had tried to avoid was crashing down and happening.

I let out a pained scream and the ground around me shook. I started crying relaizing this was never up to me to stop.. This was a path created that I had no choice but to follow.

For a breath, I am nothing but brightness and momentum. For a breath, the battlefield is a map under my feet, and every life on it is a candle I could cup my hands around or blow out. For a breath, I remember why power terrifies people who do not have it.

I land somewhere that isn’t landing, I hover, maybe, over the ridge, over the stink and roar and wet, over three bodies laying in the mud toward the place my body used to be. I am not in my skin, and I am in it more than I’ve ever been. But Im also not.

"Oh Selene.. Goddess of the moon if youre listening, If you can hear me please.. please hear me. Please save them I will do anything, just dont let them die for my choices please, please save them" I cried. Suddenly there was another crack in the air as another round of storms came crashing all around us. It felt like everything in me was desicating. I could feel the power dripping out of me, all my pain, my anger my sadness my grief. I let out another pained scream when a light from the heavens shone down on me. I started to levitate higher and everything around me became smaller.

"Maevryn! NOOO" I heard Lucien and Nythera call after me. I heard their footsteps rushing towards me. The sounds of battle around me had stopped like everyone even the shadow beasts, the rogues bonecrows everything was silent and watching. I felt as light as a feather as I was drawn towards the clouds. I wasnt sure if it was my soul, my body or what, but I felt free. All the pain I had been feeling was gone. All the years of torture, trauma, bullying every bad thing from my memories were shifting away. And all I felt was happiness, love and suddenly warmth.

"Im So sorry.. I love you all. Thank you for being in my life" I threw those words into the void in my mind hoping they heard me.

"Oh my child" I heard an angelic voice whisper to me, it was unlike any voice I had ever heard. It was light, kind.. Warm. So much love was in this womens tone.

The bright light continued around me and I felt warmth rush over me, my eyes were heavy like they were closed and I'd never be able to open them. "Stormi? Stormi whats going on? Are we dead?"

I used the last little bit of my strength to try and reach out to my wolf, but I felt no connection.. Nothing. I tried to peel my eyes open and when I did I saw a shadowy light figure infront of me, brushing the hair out of my face.
The women infront of me was breathtaking. She was like light made into a woman, edges haloed, so beautiful it hurt to look at her.

“Oh, child,” the women whispers again, sorrow and pride braided in her tone. “What have you done?”