Chapter 119 119
Venessa’s POV
“You have cheated, Atabey,” Eshera said through Kimberly’s lips.
I stepped back and let Nyla rise fully to the surface.
“Venessa is my champion, Eshera,” I said my voice no longer entirely my own. “Are these mindless husks your champions?”
Eshera laughed.
“Death is hunting you,” she replied smoothly. “Stealing a damned soul is a crime. Your time is finished, Atabey. These clowns cannot defeat me. I hold the hearts of kings alliances you cannot even imagine. Just like before, you will fall.”
Her smile widened, vicious and certain.
“They can’t even protect their own hearts. I will turn them against one another and dismantle your army from the inside.”
I understood then why her confidence was so absolute.
“You will answer for your crimes, Eshera,” I said coldly. “I know Tremaine is your son. You disgust me.”
She laughed louder.
“When you did it, it was love,” she mocked. “When I do it, it’s filth?”
Rage flared, white-hot.
“I acted from love,” Atabey thundered through me. “I bore a child born of devotion. You sought only power. You used that man knowing it would destroy his body, hollow him out, leave him sick.”
The truth slammed into place.
Now I understood why my grandfather had been beyond my mother’s ability to heal.
“I am coming for them,” Eshera said lazily. “Once I weaken your army, victory will be effortless. One champion cannot stand against hundreds.”
She laughed again.
“It didn’t seem that way to me,” I replied.
Her eyes gleamed.
“Did it never occur to you,” she purred, “that this was always meant to happen? Your champion was supposed to slaughter those creatures with her bare hands. She was meant to find this fool I’m speaking through.”
Fear stirred in my gut.
It wasn’t intentional, Atabey said firmly within me. Do not overthink it, Venessa. Her plan failed.
I chose to trust her.
“Oh?” I asked aloud. “Then what exactly have you achieved?”
Eshera’s laughter softened dangerously.
“Those feelings you had earlier,” she said sweetly. “Jealousy. Anger. Bitterness. I touched you. I can reach your mind now.”
Panic surged but Atabey anchored me.
“You may whisper,” I said calmly, “but you have no access to my mind, Eshera.”
Her smile vanished.
“What else do you have to say?” I pressed.
The blackness drained from Kimberly’s eyes.
“Kill her,” I said.
Denzel stiffened.
“She is already being consumed,” I continued. “If she remains, she will be used to corrupt others. If you cannot kill her, exile her but she cannot stay.”
Denzel met my gaze, then turned to Rayon.
“End it,” he ordered.
Kimberly began to beg.
I knew that voice wasn’t hers.
“Enough deception, Eshera,” I said. “Find another host.”
I let my claws extend, slit her throat cleanly, and severed her head.
No blood spilled.
Instead, a black, tar-like substance seeped out, swallowing her form until her body turned to ash and vanished.
Silence followed.
“What just happened?” Devon asked shakily.
“Kimberly died before they arrived,” I said quietly. “Eshera’s essence kept her moving unaware she was already dead.”
I faced them all.
“Guard your hearts. Do not cling to anger, revenge, jealousy, or desire. Do not covet what belongs to others. Control your rage those are the cracks she uses to enter.”
Their faces paled.
“You all touched her vessel,” I continued. “That means she can whisper to you.”
Devon swallowed hard. “So we’re vulnerable… because we touched Kimberly?”
“Yes,” I answered. “That was the point. Her capture was deliberate.”
I turned away.
Denzel followed me.
“I’ve summoned all the Alphas,” he said quietly. “And King Fabian.”
“Be careful with Fabian,” I warned. “She used him once she can do it again. She said she holds the hearts of kings. We must not underestimate that.”
He nodded gravely.
“The meeting will take place after your coronation.”
I already knew.
Atabey’s presence inside me granted knowledge I wasn’t meant to have necessary knowledge. The future was fluid, shaped by choice, but I could glimpse its shape.
We departed for the Lycan Kingdom the next day.
Though Denzel had invited everyone initially, circumstances forced restraint. Only Rayon came with us. Devon and Tyrell remained behind, entrusted with leadership.
Unknowingly, Atabey blessed them.
If the creatures returned, they would be ready.
We sought passage through the bears’ territory. King Donovan requested an audience before we continued.
I knew why.
“Do not tell Donovan I am the heir,” I told Denzel quietly. “I don’t trust him. His loyalty isn’t like my father’s.”
Denzel agreed.
Rayon was visibly excited. I was too though the time I’d been given always dulled my joy.
“I am sorry, my beloved Venessa,” Atabey whispered within me. “I will try when this war is won but I cannot promise more. You were taken from one who had claim to you. You have corrected your path, but fate remains uncertain.”
I was no longer angry.
After crying alone after Denzel spoke his fears aloud I had made peace with it all.
I had seen what Eshera was capable of.
This was no longer about my salvation.
Our world stood on the brink.
Our kind needed survival and I would not allow us to fall into the hands of the goddess of deception.
No matter the cost.