Chapter 494: Spear of Darkness
All of the power that Violet had gathered from the fury that was shared amongst the pack members from her hallucinations sharpened to a point inside of her heart once again, and this time it had one target. One individual was going to receive its full force rather than it being spread out and divided amongst many. It would be enough to end them.
"I never wanted you hurt," August shook her head, and Violet scoffed.
"But I was," she snarled. "I was hurt. Over and over and over again."
"We could have helped you. I know Graeme must have tried," August said, feeling the truth of it.
Clearly, if things had progressed to this point, Graeme had been much too lenient on her. August thought back to the day of Samhain when she had argued with him, wishing to visit Violet—wishing to speak with her to see how she was doing. She should have insisted. Could she have helped her? Could she have helped prevent this?
And with August gone, Graeme must have been hesitant to come down too harshly on a survivor of the kind of violence and trauma that Violet had been through. August had been through something similar, and he was aware of it. His empathy for his mate gave him a unique understanding of how delicate of a situation this was for anyone, particularly a female member of his pack.
"He forgot you," Violet said, jolting August from her thoughts. "He forgot his one true mate. He forgot every single thing about you. Did you know that? If your connection is so strong, how could he forget?"
August remained staring at the girl, focusing on the fact that she had been through so much, trying not to be affected by the way Violet was trying to manipulate her emotions. But the reminder that Graeme had forgotten her hit its mark, and Violet saw it. And how did Violet even know?
"But do you know who he didn’t forget? Who he remembered? Who he sought out and wanted comfort from? Do you know whose bed he was in while you were away?" Violet smirked.
"Violet!" Graeme roared from above, but the sound of his voice calling out her name somehow made it worse.
August grimaced, feeling the deep pain of that accusation like a knife in the chest. Her eyes lifted to find Graeme’s, and what she saw there made her heart stutter and the pain sink deeper, creating a horribly vicious ache that spread. There was some kind of truth to Violet’s words. She could see it in Graeme’s eyes like an apology. She could hear it in the echo of his voice that had called Violet’s name.
Had he truly been in Violet’s bed? Why? Why... there was no reason she could think of that would suffice even if Penelope’s enchantment had made him forget her for a time. Could he have truly forgotten her to the extent that he returned to Violet? There was no excuse for that, and the betrayal of it blinded her long enough that she didn’t notice the spear of darkness that erupted from Violet’s aura and was headed straight toward her.
"Luna!" Someone shouted, drawing her attention just in time to see the darkness that was ready to pierce her abdomen right where the round of her belly curved over her unborn child.
But just as she was gasping in surprise, too late to deflect the spear of Violet’s hatred headed for her womb, a body flew in front of her just in time to take the dark energy into itself instead.
A collective gasp filled the chambers as everyone saw their glowing Luna fall under the weight of another. Had someone attacked her? For those who did not have sight of the Veiled, they did not realize what had been directed at her from Violet. All they saw was someone leap into the air in front of her and then both of them fall.
August was on the floor, cradling the body of the one who had saved her. The girl had launched herself in front of her, taking all of that dark energy into herself like a spear in the gut. And now she was lifeless in August’s arms.
"Goddess, Zoe," August gasped, recognizing only the female who she had known as Zosime before she had been renamed by the river. Zoe had saved her... Zoe, the one who had been used and manipulated by Andreas and created by Zagan. This was not right. This was not right.
"Goddess, no. No, no, no. Why?" August wrapped her arms around her, tears welling in her eyes at the weight of this sacrifice. The girl was gone. She was already gone.
Violet stared in disbelief. Her one surge of power that contained all of her hatred and fury that was intended to kill Graeme’s false mate and his heir had failed. How had it failed? Why would someone sacrifice themselves for that intruder? Why would the Goddess allow her to be saved?
Sam tackled Violet from behind, pinning her to the ground as Maggie approached and bound her hands with an enchantment. Violet didn’t even seem to notice. She was too stunned by her failure to even try to resist. All of this had been for nothing.
Graeme slid next to August’s side and began fussing over her, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her forehead and cheeks, checking to make sure she was truly okay. He tried to take Zoe from her arms, but she refused. She couldn’t even look at him.
This was his fault. This was all his fault. She still felt the pain of Violet’s accusation and the guilty look in his eyes afterward. And now someone innocent had sacrificed themselves for her when they never should have needed to. Zoe had another chance here. She was one of the alyko who had paid such a steep price just for being who she was. She had suffered so much, and now she was gone. It wasn’t right.
An immense sense of grief overcame her as she held Zoe, stunned by what had just happened.
"No!" Lucas arrived next to them, his face pale. "No," he shook his head, stunned and unable to utter anything else but that one word. He lifted the girl’s body into his arms. Not again—she had not sacrificed herself again!
The howl of grief that arose from within him shook the whole room and everyone in it. They all felt the immense sorrow of their brother resonate deep within, calling them to share in the recognition of this loss. Howls lifted to join his—a family weeping for one who had fallen.
