Chapter 230

Chapter 230
WREN

The wind howled through the trees, whipping my hair across my face as the candles flickered in the darkness. The priestess stood before me, her hands raised toward the moon.

“Wren,” she whispered, “step into the center.”

My heart hammered so loudly I could barely breathe. I looked back toward the estate one last time. Cassian was still unconscious. Eliana was fast asleep. Christina was watching over them both.

This was it.

This was the only way to save them.

I stepped fully into the circle.

The air grew colder.

The priestess lifted her staff, and the symbols carved in the ground began to glow.

“By the light of the moon goddes,” she called, her voice echoing unnaturally, “by the blood of the fox and the breath of the first mother, I invoke the nine-tailed spirit.”

The wind died instantly.

Silence.

Then....
A pulse of power rippled through the clearing like thunder in my chest. The candles flared, stretching higher than a normal flame should. My lungs locked.

“Wren,” the priestess said gently, “you may speak to the fox spirit now. Be quick, I can only keep the veil open for a little while.”

I opened my mouth....

And the world ripped away.

I gasped as darkness swallowed everything.
Suddenly, a figure stepped out of the glow.

A fox.

Small. Plump. Beautiful. Her hair dark as night, her eyes molten silver, her nine swirling tails drifting behind her like clouds.

She looked at me with an expression I couldn’t place. Sadness? Anger? Regret?

“Maelys?” I whispered, instantly knowing.

She nodded slowly. “Blood of my blood.”

My heart slammed painfully.

“What?”

Her voice was soft, yet it vibrated through my bones. “You called upon me. Or rather… you tried to. But I came because I had to stop you.”

“Stop me?” I stepped forward. “I’m doing this for my husband and my daughter."

Her expression darkened. “You would break the curse for wolves?”

“Yes.”

Maelys’s eyes flashed. “Then you are a fool.”

My breath caught. “Why would you say that?”

She stepped closer, her face suddenly etched with centuries of pain.

“You ask why I created the curse,” she said quietly. “You ask why I used the last drops of my life to bind the Knight bloodline and everyone cursed enough to be in their pack."

I nodded, trembling.

Maelys lifted her hand, and the world shifted around us, showing glowing memories like scenes painted in smoke.

I saw a village of fox shifters living peacefully.

I saw wolves, storming the village at night.

I saw blood.

So much blood.

“My four children,” she whispered. “Slaughtered. Before my eyes.”

One by one, the images appeared:

A boy with short black hair, cut down.

A little girl, dragged out screaming.

Twins, cornered, begging.

I covered my mouth, tears streaming.

“Cassian’s great-great-grandfather, Angus, the most powerful wolf during that time,” Maelys said, her voice shaking with rage, “led the massacre. He killed one hundred foxes in a single night."

The scene changed, Maelys holding a tiny infant, her last living child, shielding the baby with her broken, bleeding body.

“Only one survived,” she whispered. “Because I gave my life to protect her.”

“Was… was that child?” I breathed. “Was she related to Alexander?”

Maelys nodded. “My only living daughter Elara. She lived. She gave birth to two daughters. Clara and Cora. And those daughters bore children. Your father Archer, Clara was his great-grandmother."

The world shook as realization washed over me.

I was the heir of the nine-tailed fox.

The one born to break the curse.

And Alexander… was related to me.

Maelys stepped forward, her eyes sharp. “You carry my full bloodline. My power. My curse.”

I swallowed hard. “Then… I could’ve broken it at all this time?”

“Yes,” she said simply.

A sob crawled up my throat.

All the fear.

All the suffering.

All the danger Cassian endured.

He had hunted, bled, and almost died for a curse I alone had the power to end.

“But Maelys,” I whispered, “they’ve paid for their sins. Haven’t they? It’s been four hundred years.”

She laughed, cold and bitter.

“Paid?” she echoed. “Child, have they ever treated you with respect? Did they greet you as kin when you arrived? Did they offer mercy to your kind?”

I flinched.

She wasn’t wrong.

But...

“But Cassian did,” I said fiercely. “Cassian saved me. Cassian protected me. Cassian fought against his own pack to keep foxes safe.”

Maelys grew quiet.

I continued, my voice breaking. “He killed wolves who tried to hurt our kind. He turned against his own blood. his own people, to save me. He loved me when nobody else did.”

Her gaze softened, just a little.

“And the pack?” she asked. “They hate you.”

“They've learned,” I whispered. “They changed. They grew to respect me. Some… even love me.”

Maelys frowned. “And you believe them to be genuine?"

I nodded, my voice shaking. “Please!!! The curse will take my daughter!"

She stilled completely.

“Eliana is half fox,” I continued softly. “She has my blood. My spirit. Your spirit!!"

Maelys’s lips parted in surprise. For the first time, she looked uncertain.

“You would lose her,” I whispered. “Just like you lost your children. You’ve punished a family for centuries… but now it’s punishing your own blood too. My baby. Your descendant.”

Silence.

“Maelys,” I begged, tears falling freely, “four hundred years is enough. Please. Let the grudge go.”

She stared at me for a long, long moment.

Then she sighed.

“If you want to break the curse, go ahead. I won't help you."

My chest tightened painfully.

“But....” Maelys lifted her hand, placing it against my cheek. “I can promise you this. You will not lose your daughter. She will live.”

My breath caught.

“You swear it?” I whispered.

“I swear by my tails,” she said. “By my blood. By my name.”

And with that....

She vanished.

I gasped and stumbled backward, falling to one knee. The world snapped back into focus. The candles flickered wildly. The priestess rushed toward me.

“Wren!” she cried. “What happened? I couldn't keep the veil open for much longer! I can't open it anymore!"

I opened my fist and saw the ritual knife still there. I handed it back to her.

“I’m not doing it,” I said quietly.

“What… what do you mean?”

I took a shaking breath.

“I Wren, descendant of Maelys, denounce the curse of the Knight bloodline. I do this of my own free will, I do this willingly."

The priestess stared at me like I had grown wings. “Child… you can’t just..."

“Don't worry.” My voice was steady. “It is done.”

I turned away from the ritual circle and began dragging myself toward the estate, my body heavy, my heart pounding.

“I have to see my husband,” I whispered.

......................

The moonlight lit the hall as I entered Cassian’s room. Christina was asleep with Eliana in her arms, exhausted. Cassian lay still, pale, unmoving.

I touched his cheek.

“Cassian,” I whispered, choking. “Wake up.”

I closed my eyes and let the electricity in my blood rise. Power sparked at my fingertips, crackling softly. I pressed my hand to his chest.

“Come back to me,” I whispered. “Come back to your daughter.”

The lightning flowed through him...

His chest jerked.

His fingers twitched.

His lashes fluttered.

And then...

Slowly…

Cassian’s eyes opened.