Beneath the Alpha's Moon
Chapter 223: The Shield

Chapter 223: The Shield

Mai’s P.O.V.

The room felt hot—too hot, like someone had set the entire place on fire. The tension crackled, raw and strangling. My papa’s growl still echoed in my ears, a low, thunderous sound laced with unspoken fury.

Eldur was still on his knees, unmoving, his head bowed, his gaze locked onto the floor as if the very foundation beneath him had shattered.

And maybe it had.

My parents, Ollie, Elizabeth and aunt Juliette were all speechless like they weren’t even in the room.

The goddess, calm and unshaken, turned her piercing gaze to my papa. "Calm yourself, dear Adrian," she commanded, her voice ringing with divine authority. It wasn’t loud, but it carried the kind of power that made the very air tremble. "You must listen before you pass judgment."

Papa’s jaw clenched so hard I thought his teeth might hurt. His fists curled tight at his sides, his entire body vibrating with barely contained rage. But he didn’t speak.

The goddess exhaled, slow and measured, her expression controlled. Then her gaze shifted—to me. Blazing silver eyes met my silver, pinning me in place.

"Laevira," she said, her voice steady. "The witch inside you. She is no ordinary spirit."

My throat tightened.

"She was a force of destruction in her time," the goddess continued, her words sharp as a sword. "She thrived on chaos, wielding dark magic to bend the world to her will. Ruthless. Feared. Utterly without mercy."

The room blurred around me. My heartbeat slammed in my ears.

I did not want to hear this.

But she didn’t stop.

"Laevira slaughtered many, cursed entire bloodlines, and sought power above all else. Her reign was so dangerous that the gods themselves were forced to intervene."

A silence settled over the room, thick and absolute. The kind that crushed everything in its wake.

I couldn’t breathe.

"Laevira’s life was cut short," the goddess continued, "but she knew it was coming. Before her downfall, she commanded her most loyal followers to bring her back—through dark and forbidden means. And they tried. For centuries, they searched for the perfect vessel for her rebirth."

I didn’t want to ask.

I didn’t want to know.

But the words escaped anyway.

"Me?"

The goddess didn’t hesitate. "Yes."

A sharp shiver ran down my spine. My lungs felt too tight. My hands—my entire body—went numb.

"It was prophesied that she would return in the body of a werewolf and reunite with her long-lost mate, Raivo who had been locked away by me. Together, they were destined to bring havoc upon the world."

No. No, no, no.

This wasn’t happening.

"They tried to use Lucian and his bloodline to fulfill this prophecy. They tricked Lucian into releasing Raivo," the goddess went on, her voice unwavering. "But they did not know that the gods were watching—preparing."

They tricked my father? I wanted to scream. To claw at my own skin. To rip Laevira out of me and burn her to nothing.

But I couldn’t.

Because I was her vessel.

Because I was a part of her.

"The only way to permanently destroy Laevira and Raivo is to kill them on the night of the Crimson Red Moon," the goddess declared, her voice carrying the weight of an unshakable truth. "That night comes only once every sixteen years. Only then will their spirits be unable to return."

A cold dread coiled in my stomach. My nails dug into my palms, sharp enough to sting. "And until then?" My voice came out rough, almost breaking.

The goddess held my gaze. "We have just a little while before the Red Moon rises. Until then, Raivo will remain inside Eldur’s body."

Eldur flinched. His hands trembled at his sides, but he said nothing.

Then, the goddess turned to me.

"And you," she said, her voice carrying something... something softer, but no less firm. "Your situation was never meant to be. But fate led you to carry Laevira." She paused, then added, "I did not remove her from you because, if I had—before your eighteenth birthday—you would have died."

The breath in my lungs turned to ice. A strangled sound escaped my throat.

She wasn’t done.

"And to ensure that you were not lost to her possession," she continued, "I placed someone in your life to protect you. A shield. A tether to your humanity."

Then she turned.

To him.

To Liam.

The room suddenly felt too small. The walls, the air—I could barely breathe.

Liam stood frozen, blue eyes wide with shock. His fingers twitched at his sides, like his body was trying to move, to react, but his mind couldn’t keep up.

I blinked. "What?"

The goddess’s expression softened just slightly. "Without Liam, Mai, you would have been lost to Laevira’s whispers a long time ago."

Her words hit like a physical force, knocking the air out of me.

I felt sick.

Liam—Liam—I had always known that somehow, when he was around, the whispers faded. But I never knew why. Never realized that he had been made for me. That he was the reason I hadn’t lost myself.

I turned to him, searching his face for... for something. Answers. Understanding. A sign that he had always known.

But he looked just as shaken as I was.

His voice came out barely above a whisper. "I... I don’t understand."

The goddess smiled, just a little. "You were chosen, Liam. Long before you ever realized it. You were chosen to keep Mai safe."

Her gaze sharpened, as if making sure he understood the weight of what came next.

"And now, your duty must extend to Eldur too."

I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

Liam... He had always been there. My entire life, through everything—through all my mean behaviors—he had come to me. Unshaken. Unwavering. And now, I finally understood why.

A sharp twist clenched my stomach, like something inside me had snapped into place too suddenly.

Eldur let out a short, humorless laugh, shaking his head in disbelief. "So what? You’re telling me we have to stick with him until the Red Moon?" His voice carried a sharp edge, frustration crackling beneath the surface.

"Yes," the goddess said, calm and unwavering. "Liam is your shield, whether you accept it or not."

Liam paled. He looked like he wanted to sink into the floor, to vanish before all the weight of this attention crushed him.

"That’s ridiculous," Eldur spat. "He’s just some weird—"

"Enough." The goddess’s voice sliced through the air, final and absolute. "You have done a great service by holding such darkness within you, Eldur. But do not mistake your suffering for abandonment."

Eldur’s frown deepened. His jaw clenched. "And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

The goddess met his glare with a knowing look, her expression turned into something I couldn’t decipher. "I know you aren’t happy that your mate isn’t Mai, but I want you to understand—I have already created the perfect mate for you. One who will match you in every way. When you meet her, you will know. And you will be happy."

For the first time, Eldur had no retort.

Silence stretched through the room, thick and suffocating.

Papa Adrian and Aunt Juliette stood frozen, their faces blank with shock, as if their minds had short-circuited from everything that had just been revealed. No one could process it.

It was too much.

Too fast.

Too impossible.

And then, the goddess delivered the final blow.

"The Red Moon will take place in one month’s time," she announced, her voice calm yet absolute. She let the silence stretch, allowing the weight of her words to settle before adding, "On Liam’s birthday, to be precise."

A chill coiled around my spine, sinking deep into my bones.

I swallowed hard, my throat dry. "Why?" My voice came out quiet, but I forced myself to meet her gaze. "Why does it have to be on Liam’s birthday?"

The goddess held my stare, unshaken. "All will be explained in due time."

That answer did nothing to soothe the unease curling in my gut.

"Until then," she continued, her piercing gaze sweeping over the room, "Lucian, Teresa, Adrian, Juliette, Elizabeth, and Ollie—you must ensure that Mai and Eldur remain with Liam at all times. Laevira and Raivo will attempt to seize complete control over their bodies during this period. Liam will be their anchor. Their only shield against the darkness inside them."

Liam stiffened beside me. His fingers twitched before curling into fists. "You’re joking," he muttered, his voice sounding small—hollow, disbelieving.

The goddess didn’t blink. "I do not joke about fate."

Liam exhaled sharply, like the air had been punched from his lungs. His face said it all—doubt, disbelief...

Fear.

He didn’t want this.

And neither did I.

But fate had never cared about what we wanted.

And neither did I. The idea of Eldur being glued to our side for an entire month made my skin itch.

But beneath the frustration, something else curled inside me. A feeling I couldn’t quite name.

Liam was my shield.

A laugh bubbled up in my throat—dry, ironic, exhausted. I rubbed my temples, shaking my head.

"Well," I muttered. "This is going to be fun."