WINTER'S POV:I kept staring at my mother, memories of Helios warning me about my children trying to hide the necklace flooding back.This must be the level of danger he had mentioned. The gravity of the situation was pronounced in my mother's expression; she wasn't joking.And I doubted she'd ever joke about something like this."I haven't been the best mother to you," she whispered, her voice cracking toward the end. I thought she might start crying, but even though she didn't, I could see tears welling up in her eyes."I'm sorry, darling. I should have let you make your own choices. I wrongly assumed I could make better decisions for you. I went wrong right from the beginning when you took that oath..." She paused, took a deep breath, and continued."Your father had warned me against it, but I chose to follow my own path. I'm truly sorry, and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me." She murmured, her grip on my face gentle. "We can talk about whatever you want when you

RAFAEL'S POVI groaned and rolled out of the sleeping bag. My eyes ached from barely getting any sleep.Ever since I embarked on this journey, which I believed to be a suicidal mission, shutting my eyes had become difficult. Even the slightest movement made it nearly impossible. I didn't think I had traveled far, but it was still distant enough for anyone to reach me—anyone like Winter. I had intentionally left without telling her because I knew she would have tried to stop me.Additionally, I noticed that the mark on Naomi was the same as the mark that had been on James when he was attacked. If powerful werewolves like James and Naomi had been injured as though they hadn't even tried to defend themselves, it indicated that their opponents were formidable enemies. Strangely, the marks on them matched the ones I had seen on the people the night before. I was certain they were connected.My hands clenched into fists as I lifted myself off the ground, groaning as my stomach rumbled. I g

WINTER's POVRafael ignored me for a while, refusing to speak. I couldn't help but wonder if his silence was due to his anger over my presence. Yet, that was something I wouldn't apologize for. In fact, it should be me who was angry at him, not the other way around. He was redirecting all his anger towards me."What's our plan?" I mumbled, trying to start a conversation. The earlier tornado had obliterated everything, and I suspected the goddess had lent a hand in the destruction as well.I distinctly remember being pulled into its powerful grip and pushed into Rafael. The tornado had slammed into him numerous times. It seemed like he should have suffered from serious injuries, maybe even broken bones, but astonishingly, he appeared unscathed, as if nothing had occurred.While I couldn't say the same for myself, although I might not have any physical injury, I felt pain internally."You should be asking yourself that," Rafael responded. "After all, you caused this.""I'm not referring

SLADE'S POVWinter was still in my arms, sobbing softly. I struggled to understand our situation and how we ended up in the forest, but my mind felt empty and confused.The more I attempted to inquire about what was happening, the more Winter's sobs continued. So, I chose to let her cry it out and patiently awaited her explanation.After a while, her tears gradually subsided, and as soon as she met my gaze, I couldn't help but stare back. Her eyes were rimmed with red."What's happening? Why are we here?" I inquired."I can't believe you're alive," she whispered, clutching my shirt in her hands. "Oh my god, you're alive, and it feels like a dream!"She exclaimed, her eyes welling up with more tears."As long as I understand the situation, I don't think I can fathom what's going on," I admitted, guiding her to a nearby timber."It's complicated, Slade," she sighed."I'm all ears for a story like that, and I've got all day," I reassured her.Winter shook her head, wincing slightly, her

WINTER'S POV"Winter, you're hurting me!" Slade cried out."Please, stop!" Rafael choked."You can't kill me without killing them!" chuckled the monstrous figure before me. "I told you, but you're too stubborn to listen!"Stunned, I let go and stumbled backward, my eyes widening as I tried to make sense of the situation. I thought I had finally achieved what I wanted, but it seemed like wishful thinking.I couldn't hurt the monstrous figure without hurting them.Now, I was a pawn in the goddess's twisted game, and I couldn't find a way out, no matter how hard I thought.It felt as if there was no escape for me. Whatever I did, it seemed certain that I would either end up harming Slade or Rafael. Shaking my head slightly, I asked, "Who sent you? Are you here to kill me, and why?""Who sent me?" He scoffed, his lips twisting into a sneer as if I had said something absurd and awful. "Who sent me doesn't matter. What matters is that I'm here to kill you so that the darkness within you nev