Rejection Three

Khalid POV

Before I could get an answer, a sharp, piercing pain shot through my chest, as if an invisible blade was tearing me apart from the inside. My gaze shot to Sophia. She was kneeling inside the circle, her eyes wide, her body trembling in involuntary spasms. A trickle of blood ran from her mouth, followed by an intense flow from her eyes, nose, and chest. The metallic smell spread through the air, permeating every corner of the hall.

I stood up immediately, my instincts screaming in alarm. I placed myself between Aquiles and Hélios, a firm barrier preventing any rash advance.

"No!" My voice came out firm, unquestionable, filled with determination.

At the same time, Ivar stood up and took a determined step towards Sophia. But something was different about him. His gaze, once filled with arrogance and superiority, now showed genuine concern. His aura was no longer as oppressive, and his stance seemed to differ from the ruthless man he had become over the years.

"Naomi!" He called out, his voice filled with urgency.

"Her name is Sophia Turner!" Azrik retorted, his tone sharp as blades.

The Alpha turned to the dragon, his eyes momentarily confused. It was as if he was seeing Azrik for the first time, as if the world around him had abruptly and irreversibly changed.

"Shangō, cast a healing spell!" Azrik ordered, impatient.

"I can't!" Shangō immediately rebuffed, the tension clear in his expression. "If I do that, it will interfere with the ritual! It was already difficult to break the bond between Ivar and Sophia, and we still don't know where the greenish energy went!"

"She is just a human! She won't be able to withstand the weight of three mates!" Azrik exclaimed, desperation overflowing in his voice. "We need to break these bonds!"

Then, a laugh filled the hall.

Aquiles, Hélios, and I laughed together. There was no irony in our laughter, only a silent certainty, an unshakable confidence that burned in our eyes.

"No!" Aquiles said with a smile, his voice filled with conviction. "She is not JUST a human."

We were worried, of course. Seeing Sophia there, bleeding, on the brink of collapse, tore us apart inside. But we knew. We knew this would not be her end.

"She is A HUMAN." Hélios said firmly, his gaze flashing with something primal and powerful. "And if there is one thing we have learned recently, from Sophia herself, it is that humans are one of the strongest races that exist."

"They adapt, evolve, and keep moving forward." I completed and took a deep breath, preparing myself for what was to come.

Ivar, still watching Sophia, let his wolf's energy expand. The air around him vibrated, electricity crackling on his skin. The aura of Stormrath, his wolf, joined with Shangō's, merging into a spectacle of power. Lightning serpents danced in the space between them, and then, the first drop of rain fell inside the circle.

One, two, dozens.

The drops fell at a steady rhythm, small sparks of light reflecting in them. The sound of thunder echoed like a war drum, an announcement of what was to come. Sophia's blood, once a death sentence, began to be washed away before it even touched the edges of the circle, as if the storm itself was taking care of her.

"Sophia..." Ivar called, his voice filled with something rare: a plea. "Hold on."

A storm can destroy, but at the same time, it can rebuild. A place long dry, with a storm, rises green again, even more imposing. There is something sublime and cruel in this cycle, an uncontrollable force that sweeps away everything in its path, but also brings life. I see this power within Ivar and his wolf. With each drop of rain that touches the ground, with each thunderclap that echoes, I feel Sophia's pain ebb away a little more.

After a few minutes, the storm dispersed, leaving the air smelling of wet earth and electricity. The runes of Shangō's spell glowed one last time before disappearing. A heavy silence settled, broken only by our accelerated breathing. We didn't hesitate. The three of us advanced at the same time, while Ivar, as if he felt he no longer belonged to that moment, retreated.

Hélios was the first to hold Sophia's body. His arms wrapped around her carefully, as if he feared she would fall apart in his hands. Her face was pale, her eyes closed, but her breathing was steady. Her heart beat rhythmically, with no sign of collapse. It was almost unbelievable, considering what she had just endured.

I looked up at Ivar. He remained standing, immobile like a statue. But his expression said it all. The pain was there, etched in every line of his face. It wasn't just the suffering of seeing her alive in the arms of another, but the crushing weight of what he almost did. Of what, in another scenario, he would have done.

And then I understood.

The curse and Gáta's spells had corrupted him. The witch must have had her eyes on Sophia when she was still Naomi. From the moment she found her destined one, Gáta must have started acting, manipulating invisible threads to lead them to this outcome.

If Ivar had killed Sophia, the curse would have been unleashed. The bond between destined ones is sacred, and destroying that carries terrible consequences. The weight of guilt, the punishment imposed by destiny itself, the curse that would follow... Maybe that was what Gáta wanted. But Sophia survived. And a coven of witches protected her, ensuring she had a second chance.

None of this, however, absolved Ivar. He made choices. Choices that led him here. He could have fought against the curse, against the spells, against the darkness that enveloped him. But he didn't fight. He gave in. And for that, now, he was alone.

I looked at Hélios, feeling a shiver run down my spine. Ivar's fate could have been Perseus's, but it didn't happen… On the contrary, Hélios, his wolf, fought to prevent it.

The main difference was that Hélios never let himself be corrupted and evolved into something much greater. Like a cursed storm, I felt my skin tingle and turned my body to see Azrik's gaze before us.

He was not satisfied with our explanations, definitely the dragon was suspicious that something much bigger was happening and that we were hiding it from him. Well, that wasn't a lie.

“I have never seen a mere human unite with three powerful beings and still remain alive.” Azrik spoke, his voice dangerously low.

“Many humans have been able to carry the children of Gods.” Hélios replied. “That's why there are demigods.”

“Demigods married humans and had children…” Aquiles completed. “The thing is that over many generations, it has been believed that humans are inferior.”

“Azrik, don't forget that the Hunters are one of the most dangerous groups that exist.” I spoke and met the dragon's gaze. “We both know that they are only hiding in the shadows, that they can appear at any moment… So don't come saying that humans are weak, because these weak creatures were responsible for many things, good and bad… Just like all races.”

I held the dragon's gaze, which, although not satisfied with our answers, could not do anything, because if Sophia was alive and if the Gods allowed her bond to be divided into three, he could not do anything.