Chapter 179

Chapter 179
Freya‘s pov.
The voices came first.
At first they were faint, muffled and alien, like whispers drifting through water or echoes bouncing inside a cavern. They slid under my skin, brushing along my spine, unfamiliar yet tugging at something deep within me. With every heartbeat they grew clearer—sharper, stronger—until they were no longer strangers. They were names. They were anchors.
Dorian. Tiberius.
My mates. My heart.
A tremor tore through my chest. Recognition came like a blade, cutting through the haze. I gasped and my eyes flew open. "Dorian… Tiberius?" The words scraped from my throat, half sob, half prayer. But when I looked around, they weren’t there. Only Selene, her arms folded and her expression carved from disdain. And Arius—eyes shadowed, lips curved into that crooked smile he used to hide what he really felt.
Memory slammed into me, merciless and heavy. The valley. The trap. The forgetting. The terrible beauty that had almost devoured me whole.
Selene tilted her head, smirk tugging at her mouth. "Not what you expected, hmm? But you’re awake now. And you’ve got us. Lucky you."
Arius let out a long breath, his gaze flicking away. For an instant I glimpsed something raw on his face—something like disappointment, maybe even sorrow—but it vanished beneath sarcasm. "Back among the living, Sunshine. Try not to let the valley eat you again."
I rubbed at my face, shaking, clinging to the reality before me. "I… I almost forgot everything. It felt so real. Like peace." My eyes locked on Arius. "You didn’t give up on me."
His shoulders lifted in a careless shrug, lips curving. "Wouldn’t be the first time I dragged you out of trouble."
Heat bloomed in my chest. I gave a shaky laugh that was half a sob. "Arrogant ass."
He smirked, softer this time. "You’re welcome."
Selene’s voice cut through the fragile moment. "Enough. Where do we actually find this Mirror of Veyra?"
Arius arched a brow. "I don’t know."
We both snapped toward him. "What?" we said together.
He chuckled, infuriatingly amused. "The way you both look at me—gods. Why does everyone assume I’ve got every secret tucked in my pocket?"
I stammered, jabbing a finger at him. "Because you… because you’re you! Old as dirt, smug as sin, always pretending you know everything—"
His grin widened. "Flattering. But the truth? The Mirror reveals itself. Each seeker has their own path, their own bargain. All we can do is wait."
Selene groaned. "Wait. In this cursed valley that just tried to scramble her mind? Wonderful plan."
Time stretched. Shadows shifted across the valley walls. I sat, hugging my knees, trying to steady my breath. But beneath the rhythm of my thoughts, something stirred. A presence—sliding through me like silk, wrapping around the edges of my mind.
Voices. Not mine. Too smooth, too powerful.
Freya… do you want back what was lost?
My breath hitched. "Yes," I whispered, certain, unshaken.
Then you must give me an offering.
"I know. Equal trade."
A low laugh slithered through my skull. Equal? You think it that simple? You seek to restore not one, but two pieces of your soul. Two lives. Two sisters. That demands a double sacrifice."
The weight of the words pressed down like stone. Two sacrifices. Two losses.
My fists curled. "No."
No?
I drew in a sharp breath. "I gave them up in a single act, with a single choice, to save the world. One sacrifice, not two. I won’t pay twice for what I lost once."
A hush fell—thick, dangerous. Then, a purr of approval: Clever girl.
"Not clever," I whispered, digging my fingers into the grass. "Just fair. I don’t cheat. And I won’t let you cheat me. Equal exchange."
Another pause. The valley seemed to hold its breath.
Very well. Reyna and Hera shall return. And in return, you will give me what you have but don't know yet"
I felt the words like a hand sliding along the spine of my world, every vertebra aligned to a new threat. “What do you mean?” I whispered, though I did not truly expect an answer I could file away and keep.
"Decide what you are willing to hand over when the bargain is made,” the voice said. After it faded, I looked at Arius and Selene. Selene was lost in thought, her eyes distant, while Arius sat with his head bowed. I reached out, my fingers brushing his shoulder. He lifted his gaze, sadness flickering there before he masked it with a crooked smile. I whispered, “The valley spoke to me.” Arius murmured back, “It spoke to me too.” Selene’s lips pressed thin, her eyes still distant, clearly wrestling with her own bargain. I stared between them, unease gnawing at me. Something about Arius’s tone was too flat, too final, as if he were hiding more than he let on. My chest tightened with the certainty that both of them carried secrets the valley had whispered—and neither was ready to share.
I turned to Arius, narrowing my eyes. “What did you ask for?”
His lips quirked into that maddening half-smile, and he winked at me. “Like I said—the valley couldn’t offer me anything. I have nothing pure enough to trade. Nothing worth its while.”
I frowned, my chest tightening. His words felt wrong, slippery, like smoke trying to mask fire. “Arius, don’t do that. Don’t brush it off. If it’s about the curse, don’t despair. I’ll help you. We’ll break it together.”
He sprang to his feet too quickly, too forcefully, waving me off with a flick of his hand. “It’s fine, Freya. Really. Don’t worry your pretty head.”
But I saw it—the shadow in his eyes before he turned away, the heaviness dragging down his shoulders. He was hiding something. He always hid behind sarcasm and bravado, but this time the weight pressing on him was unmistakable.
I wanted to push, to demand the truth. Yet the words died in my throat. He wouldn’t let me in. Not yet.
Before the silence could swallow us, Selene’s voice cut sharp through the air. “Did the valley speak to you as well?”
Arius and I both nodded.
Selene exhaled, her mouth tightening. “Then you know how heavy the choice will be. None of us will walk away unscarred.”
Arius snorted. “Nothing worth having comes easy, Selene.”
I tried to steady my voice. “The valley asked me for something I carry but don’t even know I have. I don’t understand what that means yet… but compared to losing Reyna and Hera, it doesn’t feel impossible.” I lifted my chin, looking between them. “What about you?”
Selene’s expression softened for a moment, her gaze unfocused as if she were staring at a memory only she could see. “My wolf. Her name is Nyra.” Her voice broke, but she pressed on. “She was my soul, my balance. Losing her was like losing half my breath. The valley promised me Nyra back.”
Her eyes glistened, and for once her voice wasn’t sharp with mockery but tender, aching. She gave a bitter laugh. “But nothing is free, is it? The valley demanded…” She trailed off, swallowing hard before forcing the words out. “It demanded my bond to the pack. To sever myself from every thread tying me to my kind. I could have Nyra again, but I’d be alone. Forever.”
The weight of her confession sank heavy in the air. My throat closed with sympathy. “That’s… gods, Selene, that’s a cruel choice. To gain her back but lose everything else—”
She gave a dry smile. “Cruelty is the valley’s language.”
Then, almost too quickly, her gaze snapped to Arius. “And you? What did it offer you?”
Arius’s face smoothed into its usual mask. “Nothing.”
Selene’s laugh was sharp, disbelieving. “Liar. The valley doesn’t waste its voice. It whispered to me that every seeker is given an offer. Every one. So don’t insult me with nothing.”
I stared at him, my heart pounding. “Arius… why would you lie? Why would you lie to me?”
For a second, something fierce flickered in his eyes—anger, or maybe fear—but he crushed it down. His jaw clenched, his voice low. “Do you have to know everything? Some things are mine alone.”
Then he turned and walked away into the shadows, his back rigid.
I stood frozen, mouth open, breath caught in my chest. A dozen questions tangled on my tongue, but none of them would reach him. Not now.
Not when he was retreating deeper into secrets I wasn’t sure I was ready to uncover.