Chapter 96
TERESA’S P.O.V.
My heart raced as I stared at the baby lying on the cold, damp ground. His cries shattered the stillness of the night, echoing through the forest like a haunting melody. Nearby, the mother—or whatever shred of humanity she had left—had disappeared into the darkness. Her torn white dress billowed behind her, a ghostly silhouette swallowed by the shadows of the towering trees.
“Let me go!” I hissed, thrashing against Lucian’s grip. His hand was firm over my mouth, his silence pleading for patience. The moment he loosened his hold, I spun around, glaring up at him. Fury bubbled inside me, a hot, uncontrollable torrent.
Before I could storm forward, Juliette stepped out from our hiding place. Her usually calculated demeanor was replaced by a strange urgency as she knelt beside the baby. With a tenderness that she usually used on the twins, she scooped him into her arms, holding him as though he might break.
“It’s a boy,” she whispered, her voice trembling with awe and sadness.
I edged closer, my breath catching at the sight of him. The baby’s hair was as white as freshly fallen snow, a stark contrast to the night around us. His tiny fists trembled with each piercing cry, his wails cutting through me like jagged glass.
Behind me, the sound of Ollie and Mai stirring pulled me back to reality. Strapped to my chest, Mai whimpered softly, her little face burrowing against me, while Ollie’s cries merged with the baby’s, a chaotic symphony of distress.
“This is madness,” I muttered under my breath, bouncing on my toes to soothe my babies. My voice grew louder as the storm of emotions inside me swirled—anger, disbelief, heartbreak. “I could’ve stopped her! We should’ve stopped her!” My words broke, leaving a bitter edge hanging in the air.
“Teresa,” Adrian said, his tone calm but commanding, like velvet wrapped around steel. “The Moon Goddess warned us not to interfere p>
I rounded on him, my glare sharper than any blade. “Oh, for heaven’s sake!” I snapped, my voice dripping with incredulity. “You’re grown men— exposed men —hiding behind the warnings of some mythical goddess? You let a woman abandon her child because of a fairytale? Listen to yourselves p>
Lucian’s green eyes flashed, irritation rippling across his face. His jaw clenched before he spoke, his voice tight and measured. “It’s not a fairytale, Teresa. The Moon Goddess is real, and her warnings are not to be dismissed lightly p>
“Real or not,” I shot back, throwing my hands up in exasperation, “there’s a living, breathing baby in our arms right now! And you stood by while his mother left him to die. That is what’s real p>
“Teresa Elizabeth’s gentle voice cut through the tension, her tone placating, almost maternal. “I know this is difficult to understand, but p>
“No,” I interrupted, shaking my head vehemently. “Don’t patronize me. You’re all insane. Completely, certifiably insane p>
And then, it happened.
The air shifted.
It wasn’t just the stillness that descended—it was as if the entire world paused, holding its breath. The breeze died, the rustling of leaves silenced, and the clearing was bathed in an ethereal silver light.
My heart faltered. My arms tightened instinctively around Mai and Ollie as my skin prickled with the sensation of something other. Something ancient. Something divine.
Out of the glowing haze, a figure emerged, and my words crumbled into nothingness.
She was…beyond description. Her presence was at once breathtaking and unnerving. Silver hair cascaded down her back, shimmering like a river of moonlight, and her eyes glowed with a piercing, all-knowing light. Her gown, woven with the shimmer of starlight, clung to her form as if alive, and her feet hovered just above the ground. She didn’t walk—she floated, serene yet commanding.
The Moon Goddess herself had come.
I blinked, certain my mind was playing tricks on me. My breath hitched as I took a shaky step back, my legs trembling beneath me. “No… no way I whispered, my voice barely audible over the pounding of my heart.
She moved toward me, gliding as though carried by the very air itself. Her presence was overwhelming yet oddly comforting, her gaze radiating warmth and an impossibly kind wisdom. When she stopped in front of me, her hand rose to gently touch my cheek.
Her touch was cool, like the first breeze of dawn after a long, suffocating night. Yet beneath the calm was something electric, something alive. A shiver raced down my spine, my skin alight with her power.
“Teresa,” she said softly, her voice wrapping around me like a lullaby. It was a sound that soothed every nerve and melted every fear. “Everything will be alright. You must learn to trust and open your heart again. The life I have planned for you will be beautiful if you allow it to be p>
I nodded mutely, unable to summon words. Her presence held me in place, leaving no room for disbelief or doubt. This was no illusion, no fantasy born from desperation.
Her gaze shifted to the babies strapped to me, and a smile softened her ethereal features. Kneeling slightly, she reached out to Ollie, tweaking his tiny nose with a playful touch. His cries ceased instantly, replaced by giggles that rang out like bells. My chest tightened at the sight—how could someone so small, so innocent, recover so quickly in her presence?
Then she turned to Mai, her delicate fingers brushing through her soft curls. Mai’s whimpering stilled, and she leaned into the touch, her little face glowing with peace.
“Please,” I croaked, my voice breaking as I found the courage to speak. My grip on Mai tightened protectively. “Save her. She’s so small… please save her.” I know I flipped like a switch but I didn’t care. She was real so she could actually be of help to Mai.
The goddess smiled gently, she nodded, her nod a silent promise. But as her attention shifted to Lucian, her expression grew serious, the warmth in her eyes tempered by authority.
“You must sacrifice something in return,” she said, her voice firm yet compassionate. “This is your mistake, Lucian p>
“What?” I asked, my confusion bubbling into panic as I looked between them. “What does she mean, your doing p>
Lucian stepped forward without hesitation, his shoulders squared and his green eyes steady. “Anything,” he said, his voice unwavering. “Whatever it takes, I’ll give it. Just save my daughter p>
The goddess’s gaze softened, a flicker of approval gleaming in her luminous eyes. “An eye for an eye,” she declared, her words weighted with finality.
The air seemed to leave my lungs. My knees buckled, and I sank to the ground, clutching Mai as if she were my lifeline. “What does that mean?” I demanded, my voice rising in fear and desperation. “What are you asking him to do p>
Lucian’s face was a mask of calm, his expression unreadable, but his fists clenched tightly at his sides. There was no hesitation in his voice as he answered. “Whatever you need,” he said simply, as though the weight of his words was nothing compared to the stakes.
“It is settled,” the goddess said, her voice carrying a resonance that made the very earth beneath us seem to hum. “We begin now p>