CHAPTER 60

Kavi’s POV:

No warriors from the moon realm had returned, and the rogue wolves were kept chained in an unconscious state within the prison covered with silver bars in our snow land created specifically for them. I wanted to end the war before they regained consciousness, but this was more complicated than it appeared. When Layla died, I transferred my divine powers to Maayan. But unless Chandran transferred or gave up his divine powers, I couldn't kill him. It would impact every planet. Days on earth would speed up due to the lack of the Moon's pull. And the balance would affect the Solar System.

Moon wasn't in his realm, and my dark hounds confirmed his presence in the Green Ocean pack. That worried me because the people in the Green Ocean pack were my family. My mom was at the council when I last checked with Alpha Ashwin. She had been having a hard time handling everything about my identity, and the nightmares that kept her away from me had come true now. She sought her mate's support to comprehend everything. I didn't even know how that man had taken this issue.

The council let the magical creatures decide whether they wanted to join the war or not because each variety of creatures had been created one way or another by each divine. Vampires started recognizing the darkness resting within them as they were descendants of my people. Chandran would surely make the werewolves fight against me. With my consolidated powers now, I could easily defeat any army, but I didn't want to hurt anyone. Like Maayan and Layla fell for Chandran's lies, these people weren't aware of the truth.

I looked at Surya and nodded my head. My eyes had gone back to normal. They turned black only when I was using the power of the darkness.

"Did Aadhira come back?" I asked him. Before he could reply, a knock on the door interrupted our conversation. Aadhira peeked in and entered after I nodded my head.

"I have conveyed your message to him, Goddess. He wasn't sure about it, but he agreed to meet you later this evening."

I nodded at her and directed my mind to think about the possibility of the plan I had in my mind.

Akhilan was preparing some strong potions. Jasmine was aiding him.

I looked at Surya and found him rubbing his chest like he was in slight pain with a frown. His aura wasn't good. He let out a scream in a few seconds and fell to the ground clutching his chest. Aadhira started freaking out. I asked her to calm down and touched his head, and I realized he felt his mate's pain. I used my power to put him to sleep and teleported him to his room. I assured Aadhira that he would be okay.

"We are going to the cult where Vibha, Mithun, and Rakshana are staying," I told Aadhira and teleported us to the location of the cult that Surya had told me about.

It was the Elder Cult. I had been here. These people were descendants of the vampires previously affected by the Moondust.

The eastern side of the cult had been surrounded by fire, and the vampires were trying to save the people from the fire. People were running here and there to fetch water, and no one seemed to notice us. I turned towards Aadhira.

"Bring the primus of this cult."

She nodded and stopped a person and asked for their primus.

I walked over and used my divine powers to bring a rain cloud over the building, and the flame was put out within a few seconds. People stilled, and a few rushed into the building to save their families. The other vampires had now sensed the presence of something powerful inside their cult. People formed a circle around me and hissed, baring their teeth. I closed my eyes, and with a deep breath, I healed everyone's wounds. They gasped, and everyone looked confused but stepped away from me.

Aadhira rushed towards me with a grey-haired man. When his eyes met mine, he fell to his knees and joined his palms showing his devotion. His lips uttered 'Goddess of Darkness!'

He sensed me!

The vampires submitted to me on seeing their primus's submission. The cut on his forehead told me what might have happened. I smiled at him and touched his forehead, healing his cut. And I knew where to go. The shield was intact, but some wolves had entered the place, attacked the primus, burnt their main house, and kidnapped Vibha and Akhilan's parents.

"Aadhira! If you want to check with Surya, you can go back. I am going to the Green Ocean pack. Let me see what that cunning scoundrel has for me!" I gave her the option, despite knowing she wouldn't leave me alone. I smiled when she shook her head and teleported near the packhouse. I just wanted to see what was going on there first. But our presence was immediately recognized, and the wolves started lunging towards us. How could I expect Chandran to leave the perimeter unsupervised?

Aadhira jumped into action as she started fighting the wolves one by one before I could stop. I stayed silent, admiring my warrior's skill when I noticed she was just defending herself and putting them to sleep by pressing on the pressure point behind their neck. I grinned when I inhaled the jackfruit smell. It felt like years since I met that idiot. I searched for him, and I saw him running towards us in his wolf form. He jumped in Aadhira's direction but caught a wolf trying to attack her from behind and threw him away. I looked at him in surprise, but bells rang in my head as my smile widened. Aadhira didn't notice and turned around, kicking his maw, and punching his snout.

"Aadhira!" I exclaimed as she didn't hit anyone else, so why him?

He whined, backing away, but his jaw was healing. I used my powers to make the other wolves around us fall unconscious and moved towards Mukilan. He let out a growl, and a kick was delivered to his rib.

"Hey Aadhira, cool down! He is my friend. Stop this!"

I could see confusion and fury in her eyes. Had she recognized him?

The smell of oranges and a stronger aura reached my sense. Logan and Dhayalan were coming our way. I smiled at them, but Dhaya just sighed. Logan's lips curled a little, but his face was etched with sadness. Dhaya growled, seeing his pack warriors lying unconscious around us. Aadhira took a step towards him, but I caught her wrist. Dhaya growled at Aadhira, sensing her furious aura. The Alpha couldn't expect everyone to submit to him.

"Kavithanjali, I demand that you leave my pack land immediately. I can't allow you to trespass and harm my pack!" His voice came loud and clear, laced with his Alpha dominance.

Aadhira was enraged, and she was about to kick Dhayalan, but Mukilan blocked her in his human form. Dhaya growled again, but Mukilan turned around, blocking her, and growling back at his Alpha. Recognition passed Dhaya's eyes, and he hit his forehead with his palm. Aadhira scowled, moved behind me, and muttered 'shameless dog!' as he was butt naked. I would have laughed if there wasn't a fuming Alpha standing in front of me. Mukilan just growled slightly and went near a tree hole to fetch shorts.

"Dhaya! We have been good friends! I don't want to change that. I know that dustball is hiding here. Ask him to come out. And I want you to send Vibha and Akhilan's parents with me. You can't hold them captive without their consent. When did you guys start kidnapping people?"

"Dustball? Are you talking about the Moon God!?" Logan asked me with wide eyes, but his eyes were smiling at my nickname.

"No one was kidnapped! Some vampires had been holding my people as captives. Moon God helped us retrieve them back..."

"Send them with me, and I will leave right now. I know how to bring him outside the earth. And I didn't realize he had turned such a coward that he didn't even have the guts to see my face. And you know I don't fight with weak people, Dhaya! But I won't let him continue his cruelty in this Solar System. His end is not so far."

A peal of humorless laughter filled my ears, and my inner darkness was smirking at the thought of eating the tainted soul that appeared in front of me. My wolf was still affected by his presence.

"Ah! Layla…Sorry, sweetheart! I kept you waiting. Why are you fighting with my children? I want to give you a gift, which was delivered a bit late. But you will surely like it because it won't be completely strange to you. You dreamt about it yesterday, and I am going to make it happen today. Dhaya, take your men and go inside the packhouse."

He smiled sweetly and showed me a small vial filled with brown liquid. They walked a few steps, but Mukilan halted, looking longingly at Aadhira. Dhaya and Logan, too, stood there as if they would interfere if anything went wrong.

I didn't understand how Chandran knew about my nightmare. Did his control over my wolf have something to do with this? Might be! I let my darkness create a shield over my wolf's soul. I should have done this earlier! I could see his face showing a slight recognition confirming my doubt. My nostril flared as I recognized the contents of the potion, and my body shivered in disgust.

"You think that was so easy? If you lay a finger on me, I will turn you into dust. I don't give a fuck about what would happen to this Solar System. I will burn every part of your body and enjoy it as you rot in my pit of hell."

My friends looked at me in shock, but I glared at Chandran, unfazed. I told my wolf to mind-link Akhilan to come to the Green Ocean pack with the same antidote just in case that bastard used this heat-inducing potion on me.

He laughed again.

"You won't be in a situation to even talk, Layla. This is the most powerful potion that will make any female submit to me. And it contains my essence. You couldn't seek solace from anyone except me. Maayan and Akhilan will feel the pain I give to you. Poor lame girl! You came straight to my trap. You are going to beg me to take you. I will let everyone enjoy the show—humiliating and abusing you in front of the people you consider family. People have to know that darkness won't stand before the light," he venomously spat out.

A woman peeked from the packhouse. I remembered her—Nina, the witch that tortured me at the council that day, trying to learn about Maayan's whereabouts. Aadhira was fuming at his disrespectful words, but she knew better to behave.

I felt a teleportation portal next to us, and my man gloriously walked out. I kept my face unaffected while my heart fluttered just by seeing him. The pack members were looking at my man in disappointment.

"Oh! See here...Who do we have? A traitor... Did you come alone? Where is that stupid wizard?" Chandran asked mockingly and studied my face for a reaction.

Akhilan stood unfazed at Moon's loud words. Chandran was going to be surprised to know Maayan and Akhilan were one and the same. He still wasn't unaware of it and thought Akhilan's red eyes were due to him becoming a rogue. I smiled widely at Chandran as I felt a newfound strength with the presence of my man.

"Chandran! You have aged. So let me remind you that no magician is more powerful than my beloved! If you can make a witch brew a potion, my man can brew an antidote to that. And remember, he is the one who suffered the most from your twisted brain, so he will make your soul bleed. I swear!" I warned him expressively, showing how much he repulsed me. He scowled when I mentioned him as an old man.

"Layla, I might look aged, but I attained equal knowledge and experience. Do you think I don't know Maayan was on his death bed? I might have incorrectly predicted your heat. But I won't let go of the happiness of seeing you in tears again.

“How do you think Aadhavan got the idea of giving Bright ashes to him? That man avoided me a few years after your demise. But the rumors about divine darkness gave me enough warning. Aadhavan’s curse to erase your memory from the people on earth had been broken, which implied your return. I should have looked deeply into all the werewolf packs. I was busy searching for you outside the world of werewolves.

“I realized that you would be returning to avenge the past. So, whenever I got the chance to speak with Aadhavan, I injected this idea as the only way to get back your powers. Also, the people he interacted with have said the same to him repeatedly. That's why he paid a great fortune to collect bright ash from the earth. He was too immersed in guilt and misery.

“It was a great surprise when he actually helped me bring you down in the past. He had a huge crush on you, but I turned that into hatred when you started your relationship with Maayan. But Aadhavan started missing you and started seeking a way to bring you back. You really should thank him. He has done so much research to bring life to you. He could have simply taken back his curse, and everything would have been back in a jiffy! But his failures only made his mind weak.

“Just as I planned, he made Maayan take the bright ashes. You rejected us to live with him, right? He will never be in your life, Layla! Even if you kill me, I will die with happiness from the success of ruining your life.

“See the pack you birthed? They still love you but pretend to be repulsed by you for me. I will punish them after I punish you. Now sweetheart, ready to be one with me? Shh! Don't cry! No one is going to help an arrogant bitch like you!"

He slowly opened the lid of the vial and raised his hand to pour the contents on me, but Akhilan was fast enough to throw it away with his magic, and his magical rope bound Chandran’s hands behind his body. Chandran looked at Akhilan with a look of wonder and surprise. I could see Chandran reading Akhilan's soul. The great thing I learned from his lengthy speech was that Aadhavan had really regretted his actions, and he deserved my forgiveness. And here, the oblivious Man of the Moon was going to get his justice.

"Does it look like I’m crying? They’re happy tears, dustball! My friend has his forgiveness from me. If you hadn't revealed how cruel you are, I would have taken more time to trust Aadhavan. Thanks to you.

“And what did you say? I could never live with Maayan, and you will die satisfied! Sorry, dustball. You aren't going to get that satisfaction. Now you have seen Maayan didn’t die. He is here—the most powerful wizard. You didn’t incorrectly predict my heat cycle. I went into heat. But he prepared a potion to stop that. And now you can do whatever you want with this dirty potion. My people are here. They won't let anything go wrong, and I am not the same old Layla. I'm Kavithanjali! The wolf in me made me immune to bright ashes! Maayan's magic and Akhilan's determination made me more powerful, and no one in my realm is vulnerable to bright ashes anymore!

“In fact, this wasn't a trap for me, and now you have been caught in the trap you set." I let the darkness flare off my skin and my eyes turned black, "Now you are going to get what you deserve!"

I summoned the darkness from the celestial and trapped Chandran within a bubble.

He thrashed around, but the celestial darkness had the power to dull the Moon's light, and Akhilan's magical rope had him tied. His limited powers made him helpless, and I drained his energy, making him go unconscious. I noticed Dhaya trying to shift to his wolf, but Alpha Sezhiyan stopped him.

"Dad! She is going to take our Moon God. She might kill him...."

"Shut up, Dhaya! Vibha gained her consciousness. I have seen the memories that her mate shared. Not everything that glitters is gold! Let her go!"

"But Dad..."

"Are you challenging me, son?" Sezhiyan's Alpha voice shut Dhaya up effectively. He looked in my direction with regret and guilt.

He was the first one to get a clue about my real identity. I looked into his eyes, seeing the memory of the past.

***

Three-year-old Kavi ran towards him with a bright smile but halted in her steps and fell to her knees with a small mewl. Alpha Sezhiyan could sense she was going to shift. He took a step forward, but a big black lotus emerged from the earth and swallowed the little girl. He rushed over in a panic, but the petals blossomed, and a shining silver-furred wolf pup was sitting inside the flower with her tongue out. He froze in his steps, mesmerized at the sight, and the flowers went back into the earth. The pup ran towards him and bit and dragged the bottom of his pants, breaking his stunned features.

***

I nodded at Aadhira and teleported Chandran to Sun's realm. She knew the plan, and she could take care, for now. I walked to Alpha Sezhiyan.

"Kavi...Um...Goddess..."

I hugged him, and he went silent. I could feel he was out of words.

"I wish I was born to you. You took care of me like a father until I left the pack. What you did wasn't your fault. No one can change destiny. In fact, I should thank you for helping me solve the mystery of who I am. Don't feel guilty or ashamed. I am so proud of you, Dad. And I will always love you. As I took the oath while joining the pack, I will even give my life for this pack.

“Dhaya and Logan, I know the love you carry for me in your heart. Don't think that you failed to save the Moon God. The truth will be revealed soon. And I am taking your third-in-command with me. He needs to make his mate accept him. I can't stay long as I have a long-overdue duty. I promise to visit again. Mukilan, I am teleporting you to my realm. You will get dizzy from your first teleportation. I hope we will be back before you wake up."

I used my powers to teleport him. Aadhira wasn't going to be happy to see Mukilan in the realm. I smiled at them and turned around and saw the ruby-eyed man looking at me with much adoration and love. I had grown used to that, but I would never get tired of it. I furrowed my eyebrows and kept my lips in a thin line to mock him.

I teleported to Sun's realm without a word to Akhilan, with an internal smirk at the thought of annoying my lovely mate. I hoped my little plan went as expected!