Chapter 78 78
Venessa’s POV
“Please let me remain in your pack, Denzel. I’ll do anything,” Tyrell begged, his voice wild, unraveling as though he’d lost his mind. In his frenzy, he didn’t even notice me sitting there.
Denzel leaned back, forcing calm into his posture. “What is the matter?” he asked evenly.
“King Fabian wants to marry Jalisa off to Tremaine,” Tyrell blurted out. “He wants to abort my child and give her to Tremaine to secure an alliance.”
My breath caught. Abort his child? I frowned, trying to place the name.
“Who is Tremaine?” Denzel asked, voicing the same question forming in my mind.
“The leader of the Silver Forest Clan,” Tyrell said quickly. “Fabian said they’ve promised to disband if he hands her over.”
Denzel slammed his palm against the table, the sound echoing through the room. “How is that my problem? Handle it yourself.”
The dismissal was sharp. Final.
Tyrell turned to leave and then he saw me.
He dropped instantly, sinking to his knees at my feet, desperation etched into every line of his face.
“Please, Luna Venessa,” he pleaded. “Please speak to him for me. She is my mate. She’s carrying my child. You’re a woman you understand. I can’t stop him alone. I need help. Please.”
I stared down at him, stunned.
Love truly made fools of people.
How could he kneel before me—me after everything he had done? After every insult, every act of cruelty he’d allowed? And yet here he was, stripped of pride, clinging to hope like a drowning man.
I looked at Denzel.
He looked back at me, conflicted, unsure.
“I’ll have Rayon handle it,” Denzel finally said. “Jalisa will have to formally denounce her father’s pack and swear full allegiance to the Blood Moon Pack. Only then will I have jurisdiction.”
Tyrell bowed so low his forehead nearly touched the floor.
He had completely lost himself.
In that moment, I saw it clearly Jalisa had claimed him. Fully. Officially. I supposed learning she wasn’t truly a princess had forced reality into focus for her. Survival had a way of doing that.
I didn’t feel sorry for either of them.
And I knew Denzel was only stepping in because of the unborn child. We both hoped this decision wouldn’t come back to haunt us.
“Our arrangement stands, Tyrell,” Denzel added coolly. “This changes nothing.”
Tyrell nodded fervently, thanking us both over and over again. His gratitude felt strange unsettling.
That night, Denzel and I clung to each other, making love until exhaustion finally pulled us under.
DREAM STATE
“Venessa… Venessa…”
A woman’s voice called my name.
I was surrounded by darkness not frightening, not heavy just vast. Empty. Peaceful. Too peaceful. It felt like death, and fear crept into me despite the calm.
The silence shifted.
A woman appeared before me, glowing as though light lived inside her skin. She looked exactly like me but she wasn’t me.
“Venessa,” she said.
I tried to speak. Nothing came.
“We don’t have much time,” she continued. “You will speak when I am finished.”
Her presence was overwhelming.
“Nyla is still fractured,” she said gently. “I am doing everything I can to restore her. Know this your gifts and even your appearance will adapt to what each situation requires.”
The darkness peeled away, and suddenly I was seeing the world from above. I stood in what looked like the Outlands.
Death lay everywhere.
Wolves. Bears. Lycans.
Bodies littered the ground, torn apart, piled in ruin. A battle had been fought brutal, merciless and no one had won.
“This is what happened before we sent you back,” she said. “We didn’t return you immediately. We allowed time to pass, hoping the world would correct itself without its key players. We were wrong.”
My chest tightened.
“What King Fabian seeks will only lead to annihilation,” she continued. “Everyone will cancel each other out. Only rogues and bandits will survive.”
Her gaze turned solemn. “That is why we sent you back, Venessa. You were already damned. I used my power to cheat death to return you so you could fix what was broken.”
The truth slammed into me.
“Saving Denzel is only one piece,” she said. “You must also save Rayon, Tyrell, Jalisa and another player you will meet soon.”
I strained to speak.
“I can’t tell you what hasn’t happened yet,” she went on. “You must discover the rest on your own. But I am granting you more gifts vision, strength, speed, and accelerated healing to support your fractured wolf. Your visions will come more frequently now. If you continue to see what you are seeing now, it means you have failed.”
Her voice softened.
“My precious child… you are more important than you realize. Stronger than you believe.”
I fought through the weight crushing my chest and finally spoke.
“What about my happiness?” I asked, my voice breaking. “What about my life? A few months to live is cruel. It’s unfair.”
Tears streamed down her face tears identical to my own.
“My darling Venessa,” she said, aching. “I did not give you that time. That is simply how long we can hide you from the damned world. We defied fate by sending back a wolf who was no longer alive.”
Her glow dimmed slightly.
“The essence keeping you alive will burn out in one year. That is beyond even me.”
Anger ripped through me. I cried openly now.
“So if I succeed… will I still be damned?” I demanded.
She shook her head.
“You have saved Denzel. You have atoned for your crimes. Damnation is no longer your fate.”
The words brought no comfort.
I wanted a lifetime with him. Children. Wrinkles. Growing old together.
“I will return,” she promised. “I will bring more gifts to help you win this war. I swear it, my child.”
The world faded. She faded.
Darkness swallowed everything.
END OF DREAM STATE
I jolted awake, gasping, soaked in sweat.
Denzel was already awake terrified.
“Venessa… Venessa,” he whispered urgently.
I looked at him.
“What happened?” he asked, voice shaking. “You were ice cold. You weren’t breathing.”
I couldn’t answer.
I only buried myself in his arms and wept.