Chapter 77: CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN: THE BEAUTIFUL GARDEN
-Queen Amira –
The knife Malcolm had stabbed into my throat seemed trivial at first, its cruelty blunted by the shock of my fall. Yet as I lay crumpled on the cold, unforgiving tiles at the foot of my throne, the slow, searing pain began to blossom, a stark reminder of my corporeal fragility. For years, Malcolm's routine of calculated starvation was designed not just to weaken my body, but to constrain my spirit in chains of despair. Yet now, even as my muscles quivered with exhaustion, a defiant fire smoldered within me.
I clung to the ember of my resolve, vowing never to cede my powers to Malcolm’s twisted desires. His ambitions demanded not just subjugation, but the intimacy of a union—an act that would bond my abilities to his through the ritual of the mark. The very notion of his touch was abomination, a violation so profound that it summoned an instinctual dread, threatening to erode my will to endure. But therein lay my silent victory: his need for my wholehearted consent to access my power. It was a condition I reveled in, for regardless of the agony he cast upon my flesh, the sanctum of my heart and soul would remain forever barred to him. Malcolm, in his vile conquest, failed to recognize that some fortresses cannot be breached by force, and my essence would forever elude his grasp.
Beneath the surface of my resignation, a part of me longed for oblivion, to pass my powers onto Ashina and her true mate. With such a sacrifice, the scales of war might tip effortlessly in our favor. My silent prayer to the Goddess was to be taken, to bestow upon Ashina the legacy of strength I had failed to nurture within her. As history would have it, I was but a young mother, torn from my child's embrace by cruel circumstance. The weight of my absence lay heavy on my heart, a heart that dared to dream she lived a life draped in joy and affection. In the act of surrendering to death, I envisioned gifting her the crown she deserved.
As the void enveloped me, treading the fine line between life and death, a vision emerged—my mate, an imposing Alpha with shoulders wide as the horizon, and eyes that delved deep into my very essence. There he stood, unchanged by time, the echo of our first encounter when his stumble had laid him at my feet, endearing in his awkwardness. The memory coaxed a reluctant smile from my lips. With abandon, I leapt into his welcoming embrace, legs entwined securely around him. His relief was intense, dispelling any fears of rejection, reaffirming the unshakeable tie between us as fated mates.
The last time we saw each other was so long ago, even though I know this is part of a dream. He only informed me that my mate was alive in a sadistic manner, denying me the chance to see him. In any case, I would have known if he had died, since when a mate dies, the bond is broken, causing a great deal of pain. Often, I feel his pain and am crippled by it as a result of his beatings. A laugh breaks out when Malcolm sees me keeling over and retching on the floor in pain.
Amidst the darkness, my mate rushed to me and hugged me immediately. My cheeks are embraced in the palms of his hands, and my lips are caressed by the thumbs of his fingers. His eyes were fixed on my lips as he stared down at them. The fullness of his lips embraced mine, how I missed this so much after all these years apart. I felt the warmth encompass my heart.
I can barely hear him speaking and pleading with me to stay alive. The warmth of his arms surrounds my heart. As if you were engulfed in the warmth of a fireplace during the winter after a long, cold day. He is begging me to stay alive, my mate, my love. It's difficult to describe how conflicted I feel right now. It seemed like death would bring me peace, but then I would lose my mate and my daughter.
As soon as I walk into a field, I see my mate, my king, to my dismay he vanishes from the darkness. The garden is full of lilies and several varieties of beautiful flowers. Although I do not know if I have died, I no longer feel pain. There are wolves everywhere in the forest, and the trees are so tall that one cannot see their tops. In spite of this, the sun still shines through the trees.
The wind sings in my ears as I sit on a log next to a lake that seems to sparkle with magic. As I pray to the moon goddess, I ask her if I have passed away. To my left, I heard the moon goddess sitting on a log with a soft melodic voice. My face must have looked shocked when she appeared suddenly and quietly, as she hadn't been there when I first sat down. Softly speaking, I could feel the all-encompassing love in her voice.
In her speech, she talked about God's care, love, and protection of her, Apollo, and others. Consequently, he had to sometimes given his children tough love so that they could grow and learn. As minor gods, it was their responsibility to teach and guide his children. Werewolf shifters were protected by the moon goddess herself. She has loved us since God let her create us.
There is always a choice between right and wrong, as explained by the moon goddess. Mate bonds don't take away our choice; they just guide us to the person who shares our soul from the moment we were created. Despite the moon goddess' gift to us, as her creation, her children, we still have the option of rejecting the mate bond. In spite of rejecting the mate bond she gave us, rejecting her gift still hurts.
I was shown a life review by the moon goddess and all the people I had touched with my kindness and suffering. During our conversation, she explained how my death would negatively affect my mate and Ashina, as well as how their pain would ripple throughout the kingdom. She showed me the strength that the magic I contained would indeed help end the war sooner. However, Ashina would hate that gift because she would rather have her parents by her side when the pups are born between her and her partner.
When the moon goddess looked at me, I knew she could feel my pain, fear, and heartache. What do you choose? She asks me. Her question was whether I should pass away in this lovely garden or remain in pain and still be happy.
When I replied to her, my heart had decided that...