Chapter 308
Chapter 308
Ashley pov
The witch rises from her kneeling position, dusting off her hands as though this moment is as ordinary as clearing a table. But nothing about it feels ordinary to me. My mind is still spinning, trying to piece together what she just said.
Descendant of the Goddess? Key to everything? None of it makes sense.
I open my mouth to demand answers, but her sharp gaze cuts to Kaiden. She exhales a long, weary sigh, her shoulders slumping slightly.
“Of course,” she murmurs, mostly to herself. “He never listened. Always too stubborn, too blinded by his own desires.”
Kaiden is still caged, pacing like a trapped animal, his eyes wild and glowing faintly with a sickly yellow light. He bangs on the golden bars, his voice hoarse from shouting.
“Release me!” He roars. “You think this changes anything? You think you’ve won? You’re nothing! All of you are nothing!”
The witch shakes her head slowly. “This is the end of the road for him,” she says softly, almost like she’s mourning him.
“What do you mean?” I ask, my voice shaking.
She turns to me, her eyes steady and serious. “Kaiden is lost. The darkness inside him has consumed what little humanity he had left. The only thing tethering him to this world was your bond. It was keeping him alive - feeding his power, his rage. Now is your chance to sever it, to free yourself from his influence before it’s too late.”
I take a shaky step back, my stomach twisting into knots. “Sever it? You mean accept his rejection?”
“Yes,” the witch says, her tone firm. “You must. If you don’t, his darkness will try to use your bond to pull you down with him. He’ll destroy you. But if you break the bond, you will finally be free of him, and he will be forced to face the consequences of his own choices.”
Kaiden’s eyes lock onto mine, and for a brief moment, I see a flicker of something - desperation, maybe fear - but it’s gone as quickly as it came.
“Do it,” the witch urges gently. “Say the words. Set yourself free.”
My throat feels tight, my chest heavy, but I take a deep breath and force myself to meet Kaiden’s gaze.
“I, Ashley Kingston,” I begin, my voice trembling, “accept your rejection and refuse the role of your Luna queen.”
The words hang in the air. I feel the bond snap like a thread pulled too tight, and the absence of it is almost dizzying.
Kaiden lets out a guttural roar, clutching at his chest as if he can feel it breaking too. He staggers back, his glowing eyes flickering. “No, no, no, no!” he gasps, voice filled with rage and pain. “You can’t! You can’t do this!”
His body begins to tremble, his breaths coming in shallow, ragged gasps. The glow in his eyes dims, and his knees buckle beneath him. He collapses to the ground inside the cage, his head hitting the golden bars with a hollow thud.
For a moment, there’s silence. Then the witch steps closer, kneeling beside the cage. She presses two fingers to Kaiden’s neck, her expression grim.
“It’s over,” she whispers. “His heart has stopped. The darkness consumed him, and without the bond to sustain it, there was nothing left.”
The witch rises slowly, turning to face the gathering crowd. The people who sneak out of the gates, the bears, Constantine, Dominic, everyone is silent, their faces a mixture of shock and disbelief.
“The prince is dead,” the witch announces, her voice carrying over the silence. “And with his death, this war ends here.”
A rustling sound draws my attention to the castle gates. Slowly, they creak open wider, revealing the king himself. He steps out, his face pale, his expression unreadable.
He looks older than I remember, his once-imposing figure now seems smaller. His eyes sweep over the scene - the bodies, the blood, the cage containing his son’s lifeless form. For a long moment, he says nothing, and the silence is deafening.
Finally, he takes a deep breath and steps forward.“ I never wanted this,” he begins, his voice low and shaking. “I only wanted to protect my kingdom, to keep it strong. But I see now, my choices have led to this. The bloodshed, the chaos, the pain - it is my doing.”
He turns to the gathered Council members who have emerged from the castle behind him. They look just as stunned as everyone else, their faces pale and drawn.
“I have failed you,” the king says, his voice growing stronger. “I have failed this kingdom. And for that, I take full responsibility. I can’t undo the damage I’ve caused, but I can step aside and let this kingdom heal.”
The Council murmurs among themselves. The king’s gaze shifts to me, his eyes heavy with regret.
“You, Ashley,” he says, his voice softening. “I see now what the witch meant. You are the future of this kingdom. You carry the strength of the Goddess herself. Perhaps you are the one who can guide us out of this darkness.”
I open my mouth to protest, to say I’m not ready for something like that, but the words don’t come. The weight of everything presses down on me - the loss, the responsibility, the strange things the witch spoke of.
The king takes one last look at Kaiden’s lifeless body, his shoulders sagging with grief. Then, without another word, he turns and walks back toward the castle, leaving the gate open behind him.
The witch steps beside me, her presence steady and calm. “This is only the beginning,” she says softly, her eyes meeting mine. “The kingdom is broken, but it can be rebuilt. And you, Ashley, will play a part in that. Whether you believe it or not, the Goddess chose you for a reason.”
I don’t know what to say. My chest feels heavy, my mind is swirling with questions and doubts. However, as I look around at the faces of those who survived, at Constantine holding Dominic close, at Gio, at the bears standing strong despite their wounds, I realize that maybe she’s right. Maybe it’s my turn to return the favor to those who have stood beside me all this time.