Chapter 19

DAY 5; REALM OF THE GODS (ALYNTHI)

“She killed him without thinking twice.” Fitia commented as she looked into a flowing river. She often mated souls here.

“She’s stronger than you think.” Aspro said, and she spun to look at him. “Lift that curse, Fitia.”

“Why should I do that? Her kind disobeyed me and they must pay.”

“Do you realize how stupid you sound? Valeria wasn’t even born when that she-wolf disobeyed you. Why must she suffer for a crime she didn’t commit?”

“I don’t care if she wasn’t the one. They must all die.”

Aspro stared at her incredulously. In all his years, he never thought he would hear Fitia speak unreasonably. It just wasn’t like her to act in such a manner.

“You aren’t even mad at them, are you?”

“What?”

“Don’t play dumb, Fitia. It doesn’t suit you.” He took a step towards her, “You are mad at Ophelia for disobeying you and you’re taking out that anger on innocent people.”

“I am not.”

“Yes, you are.”

Fitia’s raised her hand midair to stop Aspro from saying whatever it was he was going to say next. She created them so she could take them out real quick. Mavros soon appeared beside his brother, and his anger wasn’t that hard to notice. He was furious his brother had helped ruin his plans, but he wouldn’t talk about it.

“I have come to a conclusion.” She said.

“Which is?” Mavros questioned, already impatient.

“I will kill Valeria myself. When I am done, you can take over, Mavros.”

It was obvious that Mávros was in support of what Selene wanted to do, but Áspro wasn’t.

“Beautiful. I am really tired of having to deal with that mortal.” Mávros said with a smile.

“You cannot kill her. I won’t let you.” Áspro went to stand in front of the orb Fitia would use to cut Valeria’s life off of herself. They were from her, after all.

She massaged her temple and let out a sigh. “What is wrong with you?”

Aspro ignored her question and went ahead to say something else. “You created that woman, so why do you hate werewolves so much? Why did you create them in the first place if you were going to be so unforgiving?”

Mávros watched his brother closely as he spoke. What could be so important about that mortal? In all his years, he had never seen Áspro take so much interest in any mortal. It was truly unusual. What did that Alpha female have that made Áspro want to protect her?

“Brother,” Mávros finally spoke. “I have a question to ask you.”

Fitia looked at Mávros before walking off in the opposite direction. She didn’t want to hear Áspro tell her she was being unforgiving. No one had the right to speak to her about forgiveness.

“What question?”

“What is so important about that mortal?” He crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes never leaving his brother’s face. “What is she to you? I am very sure she is not your mate because you are a god and gods do not have mates. So tell me, who is she to you?”

“They reincarnated her into Zariya’s body.”

FLASH BACK

Thousands of years ago.

Zariya was down on one knee in front of the council of the gods. She could not look up at the men and women in cloaks, for it was considered disrespectful.

“Zariya,” A woman called, but she didn’t dare look up. “You know what you have done wrong, right?”

“Yes, I do.” She swallowed thickly.

“So, why did you let yourself fall for a god? It is against the law for a being like you to be associated with a god.” The woman said, her voice portraying nothing but disgust for Zariya.

A man amongst the council cleared his throat. “She is aware of it. Zariya knows what will happen if she falls for a god. Of all the beings in Alynthi, you chose to fall for Áspro.”

Zariya felt tears fill her eyes, but she would not let them fall down her cheeks. Crying at a moment like this would only make her seem a lot more pathetic than she already was, and she didn’t want that. Even though she knew she would lose her life in the end, she wanted to die as a strong woman.

“It’s not her fault. Blame me.”

All eyes turned to the entrance of the room to see a heartbroken Aspro. He took slow steps towards Zariya who could not find it in her to look into his eyes. She was scared of what she would see if she looked.

“I’m sorry.” He wrapped his arms around her.

“Leave.” Zariya pushed him away from herself. “I don’t want to see you.” Aspro watched as she got on her feet and bowed her head. “I accept my punishment. Do what you have to do.”

One by one, the members of the council formed a circle around her. They then held hands before speaking in a foreign language that translated to this;

“That which holds you together shall be lost. One to another world, far from the other.”

Zariya let out a blood-curdling scream when she felt something get pulled out of her body. Her blue eyes turned amber, her black hair turned grey, and her olive skin rotted. She was dying.

Aspro rushed to her and held her in his arms before she could fall. He didn’t need anyone to tell him she was a goner. She would not survive no matter what.

“I’m sorry.” He said, pulling her body closer to his chest.

“I don’t blame you for anything. I chose to love you and I knew there would be consequences. Forgive me for coming into your life and living like this. I hope that one day, I will get to see you again.”

She lifted her hand to touch his face and when she did, a smile formed on her lips.

“I love you.”

Aspro knew he had failed to protect her this time, but if they were to ever meet again, he knew he would do everything in his power to keep her safe.

PRESENT TIME (ROYAL PACK)

Valeria sat on her brother’s bed as she went through his phone to look at the pictures they had taken together. From the time they were teenagers and even photos, their father wasn’t aware he had taken. A small laugh escaped her when she saw a particular picture. She was holding a bottle of shampoo in hand and her hair was dyed green. Zayne’s handiwork.

A soft knock on the door interrupted her lonely but happy moment. She missed him so much.

“Come in.” She placed the phone on the bed and forced a smile.

Maya walked in with a cup of coffee in hand. At this point, everyone knew what was going on and that they had just two days left. Fortunately, the horrid mark had disappeared; a reminder that her mate was dead. She was mate-less and had no twin.

“V, are you okay?” She sat on the bed before handing the cup to Valeria.

“I’m fine.” She lied.

“That’s a lie we tell every day of our lives.” She said, “I may not be your twin, but I am your sister. You can talk to me about anything.”

“I’m fine, really.” She took a sip from the cup, hoping Maya wouldn’t ask further questions.

“How many days do we have before hell lets loose?”

Valeria brought the cup down to look at her sister. She hadn’t really thought about it since last night. Heck, no one was even excited about the blood moon. They were all scared.

“Two days.” Her voice came out squeaky and she cleared her throat. “Two days.”

Maya scooted closer and placed her hand on Valeria’s thigh. “You did your best. I’m certain father is very proud of you.”

“You think?” A tear rolled down her cheek. “What about Zayne? I watched him die, you know.” She placed the cup on the nightstand. “He was in my arms like this.” She recreated the moment so Maya could see, “Just like that, and he died in my arms. He hates me.”

Maya was getting emotional. She knew she had to be the strong one in this situation.

“Zayne would never hate you, V. He loves you and you know it.”

“I miss him.” She admitted, moving closer to Maya so she could rest her head on her shoulder.

She stroked Valeria’s hair as she cried. It was the best thing she could think of at the moment. “We all miss him.”

The two stayed like that until Azura burst in through the door with excitement written all over her face.

“I have news from the goddess.” Valeria was quick to get out of bed and wipe her tears as she followed Hannah to the living room where the others were seated. They all seemed pretty nervous, and that sent a feeling of fear through Valeria’s body.

“Azura, what’s going on?” Rhea questioned, taking a sit beside Logan.

Azura drew in a deep breath before speaking. “The goddess will switch the hands of time and force the Aima Fengari.”

“Meaning?” Carter asked, raising a brow at her.

“The goddess appears tonight.”