Chapter 234

Raven growled. “What the hell is your problem?”

Lucien lowered his hand and just stared at me. His lips twitched into something bittersweet.

“Do you truly love him?” he asked. “Candido, right?”

“Of course, I do,” I said.

His lips twitched, and he chuckled. “You sound like her too… very well.”

He shook his head. “There is no helping it. You will not even reconsider what that will mean? Your destiny--”

I glared at him. “I’m a werewolf. My destiny is to be with Candido as his luna.”

He chuckled at that. “I suppose you are right… She said so, but I had hoped…”

He sighed and shook his head. “I suppose hope is what got us all here in the first place, but there is no place for hope any longer.”

He sighed again. He looked so much older now. “Where… did I go wrong, I wonder?”

Raven’s eyes widened. “G-Grandpa—”

He cupped Raven’s face. “You cannot force someone to want that which they do not wish for themselves… Her choice does not change the fact that your mother loved you.”

“But—”

“It changes nothing,” he said. Then, he turned to Ian. “Marius… will get his wish.”

He placed a hand on Marius’. “I only wish… that I could have told him that sooner.”

Ian went pale, and he looked down at Marius. “Does… that mean….”

“Yes,” Lucien said. “There is… nothing more I can say.”

“I suppose… everyone’s mercy runs out sooner rather than later…”

“Yes,” Lucien said. “It does… I have nothing left to give… You have my blessing, my dearest son.”

Ian went pale, and he reached out to Lucien. “Y-You can’t. I can’t, father—”

Lucien chuckled, and I stared at him. I was shocked. I had never seen Ian look so uncertain. For a moment, I could believe he was my age and panicking about being left without his father. He looked vulnerable.

Lucien chuckled and cupped his face. “You have been… every bit of the great leader I knew you would be. You have my blessing and the blessing of the goddess to continue with your plan.”

He stroked Ian’s cheek before cupping Raven’s jaw. “As do you, my little princess. Hm? Enjoy your eternity with whom you wish however you wish. It will all be over soon.”

“But father…”

“We have no time right now. The last artifact is not an object. It’s a person.”

My heart jolted. Was he talking about the Heart of the Moon or something else? What did he mean by the last artifact is a person?

“Two people to be exact. One on each side of the wall: one by choice and one by force.”

My heart leaped, and I went still. One by choice? One by force? They had to be talking about me. Were they going to force me to go to Lunae?

“I will never go to Lunae,” I hissed. “I won’t be separated from Candido!”

Lucien stared at Ian. “You need only worry about the one.”

Ian grit his teeth. “Is there… any truth to it, father?”

He chuckled. “In love? There is so much truth, my dearest son. In the Goddess? In Fate? Of course.”

He glanced at me with a sly, almost vicious smile. “No matter how much someone wishes for something, no matter how devout they are, there is a difference between their plan and the will of the Goddess. And the Goddess will always win. Perhaps not in mere seconds. Perhaps not in mere decades, but she will win.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “I wished that Hedwig had learned that, but she was such a stubborn little thing… Hedy seemed to have inherited that in spades.”

Ian’s eyes narrowed. “Does that mean you’ll stop?”

He shrugged. “My loyalty has always been to my family… I am certain she will find a way to live without help, or she will fall into darkness with the rest of Solare.”

He groaned and swooned in place. “It is not my place to say, and I… honestly cannot care any longer. I have spoken with Hedwig many times over these long years, and as much as I wish to believe that she could be saved, she cannot be.”

Ian’s gaze dropped. Raven looked between Lucien and Ian with a confused look.

“Grandpa… What do you mean by that?”

“I’ll explain,” Ian said softly. “I… I promise.”

Lucien chuckled. “There is nothing wrong with wanting to protect Raven from the truth, Ian.”

“Uncle Ian?” Raven asked.

Ian let out a low breath. “I’ll tell you, Raven. I promise. I just… didn’t want you to resent her.”

“You cannot seek to manage the feelings of others with regards to the truth… especially when you have not come to terms with it yourself.”

Ian looked up. His eyes glowing red.

“To mourn… To wish for better… To attempt to ease that pain is the mark of a kind and loving heart.”

I scoffed. “Vampires are incapable of love. They’re evil. They just want to--”

Raven lifted her head. Her eyes were blazing red and surrounded by darkness. She took on a golden glow before shrieking at me.

“You are not welcome here!”

Something slammed into me, carrying me off the platform and slamming me into the far stone wall.

“Raven,” Lucien’s voice said, soft and pleading.

“Get out!” Raven hissed. “You aren’t a part of this family then get out!”

“I’m not leaving him alive!” I yelled back.

She lifted her staff and it started to glow. “I will kill you here.”

“Stop,” Lucien’s voice shook the air. The stone behind me seemed to melt and wrap around me. Then, I was flying away and through the air.

I landed in the soft dirt of a courtyard I didn’t recognize. I looked up and saw the moon over the forest in Candido’s territory.

“Hedy?” I looked up and saw Cillian coming towards me. He cocked an eyebrow at me. “He’s awakened, hasn’t he?”

I swallowed and struggled to my feet. I went searching for a way in, but there were no doors or windows. I banged on the stone.

“Let me back in! He can’t be allowed to live!” I growled. “Candido deserves justice!”

Cillian shook his head and walked past me to a small pool. He leaned over it and started murmuring. Then, I heard Lucien’s voice again.

“…when Lunae is fully restored, I will rise again…” Lucien chuckled. I turned towards the sound.

Cillian let out a soft gasp. “He has truly… risen.”

I rushed over to see what was happening. My heart thudding. Rise again? How did that work? How much time did I have? How was I going to stop it?

Ian’s eyes were wide and so young as he looked at his father. Then, Lucien pulled him into his arms and stroked his hair.

“You must let it go, son. You cannot let her choices consume you. There… There was nothing you could have done.”

“I could have thrown her under the dungeon.”

He laughed. “You did not have the heart to then, as you should not have. Stop this before it tears you apart. She is dead… She made her choice, and… she pays for it every moment.”

Ian pulled back. His eyes wide, his face pale. Lucien stroked his face.

“Raven is the only one left now. The Goddess has… washed her hands of it all. You must move forward, as there is no going back.” Lucien smiled and pressed a kiss to Ian’s forehead. “You have made me so proud, my regent. My son… Finish this task. Finish this last thing and it will all be over.”

Ian took in a shuddering breath. “I understand, father.”

Ian squeezed him tightly and turned his head. “And… what about him?”

“You know what has to be done. Marius… Marius has needed rest for a long time. He is… broken, Ian.”

“Because of her.”

“She was… his favorite.”

I frowned. Who was he talking about?

“I understand,” Ian said and lifted his head. “Raven, set the casket back into place. I’ll take care of the rest.”

Raven nodded and stood. I heard the grinding stone and Cillian leaned forward, watching with so much attention, he didn’t even seem to care that I was there.

“Cillian… you’ve improved so much…” Cillian went still then it seemed that Lucien was looking right at him with a soft smile. “You too… have to let her go. You will… look after dear Raven, won’t you?”

His lips twitched and he nodded. “Until the end of time… Even after you rise again.”

He nodded as Ian helped him back into the casket. I couldn’t see his face but as they put him inside, Ian started to murmur and the casket filled with liquid again.

“Sleep, father. There will be… a grand celebration when you awaken.”

Lucien smiled and closed his eyes. “Be well until then, my son.”

Then, the top of the casket closed and the pool went dark.