Chapter 115 115
Denzel’s POV
Venessa’s warning struck the pack hard, and I understood instantly why her wolf had pushed her to speak so boldly. She had to act first before Eshera could. Timing was everything.
Now that I looked at it clearly, the truth was obvious. This was a game. A cruel one. Planting the idea in the pack’s minds that a witch was responsible for the attack was extreme dangerously so. It opened the door for suspicion, and that suspicion could easily turn toward me.
“Some people are no longer among us,” Venessa continued.
My pulse spiked. I immediately tried to link her. I hadn’t yet prepared my officers for this revelation.
Please wait, I urged through the bond.
She ignored me.
“There are two possibilities,” she went on calmly. “They have either aligned themselves with these corrupted groups or they have abandoned this pack entirely. Their names will be listed. You are not to maintain any connection with them, nor allow them to influence or corrupt you.”
The air grew heavier with every word.
“My husband and my father will protect you as long as you remain loyal to the Moon Goddess and no other. Am I clear?”
Her authority rolled through the gathering like a physical force. I felt the pressure of it pressing against my chest, but I held my ground.
She truly was the heir to the Lycan throne. Her wolf was knitting itself back together, reclaiming its power.
“Yes, Your Highness!” the pack members responded in unison. Their voices were firm, unquestioning. They were with her fully.
“My husband and I will explain everything in detail later,” Venessa said. “For now, go home. Be at peace. What happened in this pack yesterday will never happen again.”
A murmur rippled through the crowd, until someone spoke up.
“Will we be helping the neighboring packs? Those things are still on a rampage.”
Venessa sighed softly.
“It is our duty to protect the children of the Goddess,” she replied. “But before we mobilize our warriors, you must understand what is truly happening.”
She paused, choosing her words carefully.
“You will not be forced into battle. If you are not part of the military, that is acceptable.”
Relief flashed across many faces.
I thanked them for coming, and slowly, the pack dispersed.
Venessa, Rayon, Devon, Tyrell, and I returned to my office to address the matters we could no longer delay. I requested Jalisa’s presence as well. Whether or not she was Fabian’s biological daughter, she was still an Alpha wolf.
“This must be serious,” Rayon muttered, surveying the room.
“You’ll need to keep an open mind about what we’re about to share,” I warned.
Tyrell leaned forward, rubbing a hand down his face. “After fighting those things, I’ll believe just about anything. They turned everything I thought I knew upside down.”
I nodded. That was Tyrell quick to observe, quick to adapt.
My best friend.
If only love hadn’t driven him to betray me.
Jalisa arrived moments later, her shoulders slumped, her eyes dull with exhaustion and regret. Venessa rose immediately and pulled her into a hug. The gesture surprised me but I understood. The Moon Goddess’ love for her children ran deep, even through Venessa.
Naturally, Venessa despised both Tyrell and Jalisa. I doubted that would ever change. But for now, she set her emotions aside for the greater good.
Jalisa seemed a little steadier afterward. Venessa returned to my side.
“You should begin, my love,” I said softly.
She nodded.
“I have lived this life before,” Venessa began. “Not this exact moment but this is my second chance. For all of us.”
Every eye locked onto her.
She told them everything. Her past life. Her death. Her return.
Shock rippled through the room.
Tyrell and Jalisa villains in that former timeline couldn’t even meet her gaze.
“But it didn’t end there,” Venessa continued, her voice steady despite the weight of her words. “After my beheading… Fabian betrayed you both. You tried to atone. Tried to fix what you had broken. But once you were no longer useful to the Werewolf King, he had you killed.”
Silence swallowed the room whole.
She went on to explain what followed the war, the devastation, and the eventual victory of the Silver Forest bandits.
Tyrell finally found his voice. “But… how do you know all this? You died.”
Venessa’s eyes flashed gold an unnatural, divine hue.
“Because Atabey showed me.”
They froze.
“Atabey?” Jalisa whispered. “You mean… the Moon Goddess?”
Venessa nodded. “Yes. Atabey. Mother of all shifters.”
No one spoke.
“I followed the blueprint she gave me,” Venessa said. “I exposed those who needed to be exposed. I saved those who needed saving. All to prevent the doom that was coming.”
Everyone in that room knew exactly where they stood in that truth.
Tyrell and Jalisa shifted uncomfortably. They deserved to.
“Then everything changed,” Venessa continued. “I was blind. Everything I knew stopped at my death. I was improvising guessing. And I couldn’t understand how I was meant to win like that. So Atabey came to me again. She explained what was happening… and what was required of us.”
She explained Eshera.
Understanding dawned across their faces. It fit too well to deny.
“So Eshera is the god those creatures serve,” Rayon said.
Venessa nodded.
“But if Eshera is meant to have one champion,” Jalisa asked quietly, “why is she corrupting so many people?”
There it was the hurt beneath her words. The feeling of being used.
I knew Jalisa. Eshera hadn’t corrupted her directly. Jalisa’s greed and choices had done that well enough on their own. But if blaming a god helped her cope, I wouldn’t take that from her.
“Any questions?” I asked.
No one spoke.
“Atabey’s original plan was unity,” I said. “Lycans and weres standing together against corruption. That’s why Danisha Gordon and King Jamar were joined. That plan failed. I became her champion… and I was killed. We all know what followed.”
I straightened.
“As General of Atabey’s army, I propose we draw a clear line between Atabey and Eshera. We begin by calling a meeting of all Alphas.”
They nodded in agreement.
“Devon and I will educate our people about Eshera,” Rayon said, stepping forward. “We’ll make sure they’re guarded. The non-warriors will be moved underground.”
I nodded.
This time, we would be ready.