Chapter 149 149
Venessa’s POV
I woke as though dragged out of a long, bottomless sleep. My vision swam, edges blurred, and for a fleeting moment I wondered if I was standing before judgment or if I had been cast back into the underworld itself.
But something was… off.
The air was warm. Gentle. Familiar.
Even through the haze, sunlight spilled softly around me, and the breeze carried the clean scent of morning. Then I smelled it waffles, sweet and golden, topped with strawberries. The exact kind my mother used to make for breakfast in our small cottage tucked away in Grey Wood.
My chest tightened. Tears burned my eyes.
Perhaps my soul was drifting through a sea of memories, condemned to relive what it loved most. If this was eternity, then this was a cruelly beautiful way to spend it.
“Nyla,” I whispered, reaching inward for my wolf.
“Venessa,” she answered instantly.
Relief crashed through me. We were still together.
I didn’t know whether to laugh or sob. Both emotions fought for release.
Where was Denzel? Was he safe? Had my sacrifice meant anything at all? Did he forgive me? Had it worked had they gone on to live a normal life?
Questions swarmed me, but I doubted this version of heaven would offer answers.
“Venessa, get up. We have herbs to pick this morning.”
My mother’s voice.
I blinked again once, twice until the world sharpened into focus.
The cottage.
Our cottage in Grey Wood.
Every detail stood exactly as it had been. The worn wooden table. The familiar hearth. My mother at the stove, flipping waffles as if nothing had ever gone wrong.
My breath caught.
I didn’t know whether to scream, run, cry, or throw myself into her arms.
There she was alive. Graceful. Brown hair pulled back, her shapely figure moving effortlessly as she cooked. My mother had always been beautiful. Now, seeing her again, I understood all over why my father had never recovered after losing her.
The memory of his death in battle clawed at my heart.
I slid off the small bed and crossed the room on trembling legs. When I reached her, I wrapped my arms around her from behind, holding her tighter than I ever had before.
She laughed softly and tried to pull away, but I refused to let go.
“Momma,” I breathed.
She froze.
Slowly, she turned to face me, cerulean blue eyes searching my dark ones, filled with emotion and surprise. I hadn’t called her that since I was five.
I knew I had been difficult once. Rebellious. Reckless.
But living two lifetimes without her had carved the truth into my soul she was everything.
If this was eternity, then I would use every moment to make things right.
“I love you, Momma,” I said.
She smiled and reached up, cupping my cheek gently.
“Of course you do,” she teased. “I’m the only person you know. Now eat. We have herbs to pick by the Blood Moon pack’s border.”
My ears pricked at the mention of my mate’s pack, and a strange unease crept over me.
Déjà vu.
The realization hit me like a blade to the chest.
We had lived this day before.
This was the day my mother died.
The day my world shattered beyond repair.
Why would my paradise be tied to this moment?
And yet… she was alive here.
For that alone, I was grateful.
We sat together at the small wooden table, eating breakfast. The waffles tasted exactly the same warm, sweet, perfect. I could barely take my eyes off her.
“One day, you’ll take over from me, Venessa,” she said gently. “You’ll be a great healer if only you learn to be bolder. More assertive.”
The same words.
The exact same words she had spoken on the day the Lycans killed her.
I could only nod, my throat too tight to speak.
This had to be a memory replaying itself some fragment of my past looping endlessly. Still, I welcomed it.
“We have four Alphas to visit today,” she continued, finishing the last bite of her waffles. “We must be quick. I don’t want to stay outside too long.”
She paused, then added, “That issue I mentioned the reason we live here alone? They’re starting again. As long as we stay within these woods, we’ll be safe.”
Now I understood exactly what she meant.
“When we gather the herbs, we’ll stay far from the Blood Moon pack,” she said with a wink. “Their Alpha is ruthless and married to the werewolf King’s daughter. They don’t tolerate trespassers, so we must be fast.”
I giggled softly.
She had said all of this before. Every word. And I had ignored her then, too foolish to understand the danger.
My mother cleared the table and packed our supplies.
“Thank you for this memory,” I whispered in prayer.
Silence answered me.
Sadness settled deep in my chest. Atabey was gone. Truly gone. The battle was over and I had lost.
We stepped outside, greeted by a beautiful morning. Birds sang. The grass gleamed green. Flowers bloomed in quiet abundance.
The air felt exactly as it had on the day my mother was murdered.
We walked the familiar path toward the herb field, and dread wrapped around my spine. I knew what waited for us there.
The Lycans.
Her death.
My escape.
My flight to Denzel’s pack.
“Thank you for this memory,” I prayed again, my steps slowing. “But I can’t endure this.”
“Who said this is a memory, Venessa?” Nyla said.
I froze.
Her words sent a shock through me. Something snapped into place, and for the first time, I dared to hope to act differently.
On impulse, I grabbed my mother’s hands and tugged hard.
“Come on, Momma. We’re not going that way today.”
She frowned in confusion, but I didn’t hesitate. I used my command the one I had mastered before my death and forced her to follow.
We ran.
Straight toward Denzel’s pack.
I didn’t care whether this was real or illusion. I knew him. I knew his heart. He was nothing like the monster people claimed he was.
“It’s not a memory,” Nyla insisted. “Venessa, we’re alive.”
I ignored her.
Branches tore at us as we burst through the woods and onto the dusty road. My mother’s breathing grew uneven, fear flashing across her face.
“We’re in exile,” she cried.
“Not if I can help it,” I said fiercely. “The Alpha of the Blood Moon pack will protect us.”
She tried to resist, but my command held her fast.
We were almost there when the Lycans began to chase us.
“Come on, Alpha Danisha,” I urged.
She gasped at the name, shock flashing across her features, but there was no time to explain.
“We’re almost there,” I promised.
We ran until the pursuit stopped until armed men surrounded us.
Denzel’s men.
I recognized their faces instantly. They were the same ones who had arrested me in both of my previous lives.
This time, however, I wasn’t surprised at all.