Chapter 162 Chapter 162
Chapter 162 Chapter 162
Gabriel’s POV
The ruins filled slowly. I thought everyone else would be running away and not wanting to come back here, but I was wrong when I saw that the wolves were coming back. They had gone the way earlier because of the overwhelming power the Moon was showing over them. We didn't have any choice but to obey the moon.
Wolves stepped out of the shadows, one by one, then in groups, then in numbers too large to count. They moved like they were being controlled, and no matter how much I tried to get some of them to stay away from her, they were still moving towards her.
They were drawn to her. They looked like they were going to obey her and be loyal to her in anything else without lifting a flick of her fingers, and with the help of the moon he was able to raise an army that would help her if they needed to. Is it because they were being controlled by the moon, or they still wanted to be loyal to her because they saw her as someone else other than the moon's heir being controlled by the moon?
I stood back and watched them gather around Carlota, lowering their heads, baring their throats, pressing fists to the ground. No one ordered them to kneel. They just did because they couldn't control it either.
They didn’t look at her like an heir waiting to be crowned. They didn’t look like they were going to question or test her identity. They looked at her like the moon itself had stepped into flesh. Do they finally believe that she's not someone who should be killed but rather someone they should bow down to?
They were looking at her like she was the moon goddess herself—someone divine, beautiful, and probably terrible at the same time. My heart raced as I witnessed all of this unfolding in front of me. It took all of me to be able to control myself and not fall into the temptation anymore.
I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that we were already together. I wanted her for myself. What could I have her to myself now? She had more important things to think about, yet just looking at her made me feel so strange all the time.
The bond pulsed inside me, slow and heavy, like a second heart beating beneath my ribs. I could feel her breathing every single time. Every time she moved, my wolf leaned toward her, restless, aching.
I loved her. That truth hit harder than any blade. But I wasn’t alone in it. I wasn't the only one who was supposed to love her, and I couldn't have her all to myself even if I wanted to. Thanks to what the moon has prepared for us, we don't have any place than to accept it.
But telling us we need to die for this to be complete is something that we cannot accept at all. If we die, she might not be happy for the rest of her life, and even if we have to die, we have to make sure that she's going to be okay. But it doesn't look like it. The moon wants her to end us and also herself. Why should we have to sacrifice ourselves for no reason?
I didn’t have to turn to know Paxton was there. I felt him the same way I felt the bond. When he stepped beside me, the air between us crackled with everything we’d never resolved.
For once, there was no challenge in his eyes. I mean, he had been the one avoiding me earlier, and every time I try to argue with him he has been refusing to argue back—maybe probably because he was finally listening to Carlota, making me look like the bad person.
But it didn't matter anyway. I was willing to listen to her now, and I didn't want to fight him. This is a time that we need to put our strength together if we want to protect her from the moon. It's not something we can do on our own anyway, but we can try to achieve something and make sure that she's okay.
“Do you have something to say to me?” I asked as he looked at me.
“I just thought it's strange that you're not arguing with me right now,” he replied.
“Do you think this is the time that we need to be arguing? We need to stand together if we are going to win anything. This is the moon we are fighting against.”
“She’ll need both of us,” he said quietly. “I hope you can keep your promise and not fight for now.”
I swallowed and nodded once. “Then she’ll have both.”
The words scraped something raw inside me. I felt so much urge to say she’s mine and mean it in every way that mattered. My jaw locked as my wolf pushed hard against my control. I wanted to tell him that this was something I was meant to do anyway and for him to do his part in protecting her.
But I looked at Carlota. She was wrapped in the moonlight while looking at everyone. She looked like she had a lot of burden on her shoulders. From what I can see, the moon was trying to control her like it already did to us, but she was already resisting it.
According to what her powers were supposed to be, she was supposed to end all of us, but now it seemed like she could control herself and not be under the influence of the moon—even though it wasn't exactly everything yet, she could still do a portion of it, and she had a lot of loyal werewolves that would be willing to help her in terms of a war.
I knew Paxton was right. She needed the both of us at a time like this. I wasn't going to fight with him and not keep my promise.
He glanced at me, surprise flickering across his face. “This is the first time I see you actually agree with me on something.”
“It's not that I agree with you. It's the will of the Moon anyway. Since the moon wants to control us, then we can do whatever we can to make sure that doesn't happen,” I said to him.
He nodded. “Don't worry. I will make sure we see this through to the end.”
When we were talking about this, everywhere suddenly went silent, and it felt like something was about to happen. We looked at each other again. What is it this time around?