Beneath the Alpha's Moon
Chapter 241: Freedom

Chapter 241: Freedom

Liam’s P.O.V.

The moment the golden light faded, the space around us seemed to crackle with an invisible force. My heartbeat slammed against my ribs as the two figures—Laevira and Raivo—remained eerily still before me.

The Moon Goddess stood between us, her ethereal presence made the air feel heavier. Then, with the simplest flick of her wrist, their eyes snapped into focus.

A sharp inhale left my lips as Laevira’s deep violet gaze landed on me, her irises swirling like a violent storm. She blinked once, her long white lashes sweeping down before her lips curled into a slow, knowing smirk.

"Well," she murmured, her voice like silk laced with venom, "this is unexpected."

Raivo, the red-haired, battle-worn menace beside her, cracked his neck with a low, predatory chuckle. His crimson eyes locked onto the Moon Goddess with a look that sent a chill down my spine.

"I must say," he mused, his voice deep and taunting, "it has been a while since I’ve been free from a cage."

They stood there—powerful, ancient, terrifying. And yet, the Moon Goddess remained unmoved.

"You have caused enough havoc in this world," she said, her voice quiet but carrying an undeniable weight. "Far too long have you tormented innocent souls, bending them to your will, poisoning their minds, destroying what was never yours to break."

A flicker of something crossed Laevira’s face—amusement? Annoyance? Whatever it was, it disappeared just as quickly as it had come. She crossed her arms, tilting her head slightly.

"Havoc?" she echoed, feigning innocence. "Oh, Moon Goddess, we merely gave the world what it needed—fire, chaos, a little... unpredictability."

Raivo let out a low, gravelly laugh, stepping forward.

"And if two little children suffered in the process?" He shrugged. "Well, isn’t that how the world works? The weak break. The strong survive."

My fists clenched. I barely knew these two—didn’t even fully understand what the hell was happening—but the sheer arrogance dripping from their words sent a hot surge of anger through my veins.

Mai and Eldur—two people who had suffered their entire lives, twisted into something unrecognizable because of these monsters—and they spoke about it like it was nothing.

"Mai and Eldur were children!" I snapped, my voice sharp enough to cut through the thick air. "You ruined them! You infested them with whatever darkness you carry, and you enjoyed it!"

Raivo turned to me, his crimson gaze scrutinizing, calculating. Then, in one fluid motion, he let out a scoff.

"And who might you be, boy?" he mused, eyes gleaming with curiosity.

Laevira’s smirk widened, her gaze dragging over me with an eerie sort of fascination.

"Ah," she purred, "so you’re the little spark that changed things."

I tensed.

The Moon Goddess exhaled softly before stepping closer, her presence radiating something ancient, unshakable.

"You will never harm anyone again," she stated simply. "You will be caged in the endless void for the rest of eternity."

For the first time since waking, Laevira’s smirk faltered.

Raivo’s expression darkened. "You can’t keep us caged forever," he said, his voice dipping into something dangerous. "You know this as well as I do. We always find a way back."

Laevira nodded, her violet gaze glinting with something dark and knowing. "You’ve locked us away before," she murmured, "and yet, here we are. We always return, always find a way through the cracks. You cannot stop what is inevitable."

The Moon Goddess did not waver.

"You will not return," she said.

Raivo scoffed. "And why is that?"

Her gaze turned toward me.

I stiffened as she lifted a hand, gesturing to me like I was some grand secret she was unveiling.

"Because," she said simply, "as long as Liam Rivers and his descendants walk this earth, you will never see the light of this world again."

They both became silent.

I blinked.

"Excuse me?"

Raivo and Laevira froze, their faces shifting from amusement to something sharp, something I couldn’t decipher. But one thing was clear, their arrogance cracked.

Laevira’s lips parted slightly. "That’s impossible."

Raivo’s jaw ticked, a muscle feathering in his cheek. "A boy? You dare tell me that a boy—" His voice curled into something lethal. "—is our prison?"

The Moon Goddess didn’t so much as flinch.

"He is not just a boy," she said, her voice like a whispered prophecy. "He is a shield, a force you will never break. You cannot touch him. You cannot breathe near him. As long as he and his bloodline exist, you will remain nothing but shadows lost in an endless void."

Raivo turned to me then, truly looked at me, his crimson gaze burning with something fierce.

I swallowed hard.

Laevira tilted her head, examining me like a puzzle she couldn’t quite solve.

"Him?" she said softly, almost to herself. "He doesn’t even know how to wield it."

My thoughts stuttered.

Wait—

Raivo’s lips curled into a snarl. "That means nothing."

"It means everything," the Goddess corrected.

I was still stuck on the part where I apparently had some shield power I didn’t even know about. How the hell was I supposed to use something I didn’t even understand?

I stared at the Moon Goddess, my mouth opening slightly before closing again. I was still processing.

The Moon Goddess lifted her hand once more.

Raivo took a sharp step forward, his entire body thrumming with raw, unchained fury.

"You think you’ve won?" he hissed. "You think locking us away will stop us forever?" His voice dropped into something cold, something full of ancient hatred. "We will find a way. We always do."

Laevira’s voice was softer but just as venomous. "We will rip through your precious shield the moment it weakens."

The Moon Goddess met their words with nothing but a serene, knowing smile.

Her fingers snapped.

A violent crack split the air.

Raivo and Laevira screamed.

A force unlike anything I’d ever felt surged through the space, coiling around them like unseen chains dragging them backward. They thrashed, fought, but it was useless.

"No!" Laevira shrieked. "You cannot—!"

Raivo’s face twisted with rage, his red eyes burning with fury as he was pulled further and further away.

And then—

They were gone.

Silence slammed down like a gavel.

My heart pounded wildly in my chest. My breath came in sharp, uneven bursts.

I stared at the empty space where they had been.

Then, slowly, I turned to the Moon Goddess.

"...What the hell just happened?"

Her gaze softened as she turned toward me.

"It is finished," she murmured.

I swallowed, my throat tight. "So that’s it? They’re gone?"

She nodded.

A strange sensation—one I couldn’t quite name—settled over me.

"Really? That’s it?" My voice came out hoarse, my throat tight with disbelief. "That’s all it took?"

For so long, Mai, Eldur, and I had been shackled by something we never fully understood. The weight of it had pressed against us for years, a suffocating force that turned every breath into a battle. And now... it was gone? Just like that?

The Moon Goddess smiled, a serene warmth radiating from her. "Yes, Liam. It is over."

I shook my head. "No. No, it can’t be that simple. You’re telling me all the pain, all the suffering we endured—it just ends like that?"

Her eyes held mine, soft yet unwavering. "Yes, because of you."

My heart pounded against my ribs. "But I didn’t do anything!" I blurted. "I just stood there! I was—" I swallowed. "I didn’t fight. I didn’t wield some great power. I didn’t even know what was happening half the time!"

The Moon Goddess chuckled, a sound like the rustling of leaves in the wind. "Oh, Liam," she murmured. "You did everything."

I blinked. "What?"

"You were the anchor," she said simply. "The shield. Without you, Mai and Eldur would have been lost to the darkness forever. It is because of you that they are free."

I opened my mouth to argue, but her hand lifted, pressing gently against my forehead.

"It is time to wake up now," she whispered. "Take care of Mai and Eldur for me."

I frowned. "Wait—"

But before I could say another word, the world around me fractured. Light shattered into a million pieces, swallowing me whole.

And then—

I gasped awake.

My body jerked violently as if I’d been pulled from deep waters. My lungs burned. My head spun.

The scent of herbs, firewood, and something faintly floral filled my nose. My vision was blurry at first, but as I blinked rapidly, the room came into focus.

There were people.

A lot of people.

Alpha Lucian.

Luna Teresa.

Elizabeth.

Ollie.

Master Adrian.

Gamma Juliette.

Beta Rylan.

All gathered around.

The tension in the air snapped the moment I stirred. A chorus of gasps filled the room. Someone let out a choked sob.

"Liam!" Luna Teresa was the first to move, her hands flying to her mouth as tears welled in her eyes.

Alpha Lucian, usually composed, looked like he’d been punched in the gut.

"Well, I’ll be damned," Beta Rylan muttered, rubbing a hand over his face.

"Liam, can you hear us?" Master Adrian’s cool, measured voice cut through the noise, but I barely processed it.

Because that’s when I smelled her.

Mai.

Everything in me froze.

My senses sharpened, every inch of my body going taut as I turned my head towards the second bed in the room.

She was lying there.

Peaceful. Still. Her long, curly light brown hair spilled over the pillows, her lashes resting against her cheeks.

But she smelled different.

She smelled like wild flowers and apples. She smelled like home.

Like something that belonged to me.

A low, guttural growl rumbled in my chest before I even realized it.

"Mate."

North stirred to life in my head, his voice raw with absolute certainty.

"She’s ours. She’s finally ours."

A sharp inhale echoed through the room.

"Liam?" Gamma Juliette’s voice was cautious now.

I barely heard her.

I swung my legs off the bed, my body moving on instinct.

"Liam, wait—"

A hand reached out, but Alpha Lucian’s voice sliced through the room.

"Let him be."

The command was absolute.

No one dared move.

I stepped forward, drawn by an invisible force, my feet carrying me to Mai’s bedside.

I could hear my own heartbeat—thundering, wild, erratic.

I could hear hers, too.

Soft. Steady. Familiar.

Mine.

The possessiveness hit me like waves, raw and untamed.

I reached out. My fingers brushed against her hand.

Sparks.

A bolt of warmth shot up my arm, spreading like wildfire through my veins.

Gasps rang out around me.

"Mine," I said, the word falling from my lips like a vow.

Mai stirred.

Her lashes fluttered. Her breathing hitched.

My grip tightened around her hand.

She belonged to me.

She was mine.

My mate.

The realization crashed over me, suffocating and exhilarating all at once.

A small, delicate sound escaped her lips as her eyes finally opened. They weren’t silver anymore, they were green. Forest green, just like that of Ollie and Alpha Lucian’s. They were beautiful.

They locked onto mine.

For a moment, the world ceased to exist.

Only her.

Only us.

"Liam?" Her voice was groggy, confused.

Without thinking, I bent down, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.

She shivered beneath my touch.

Something flickered in her gaze—recognition, understanding, something deep and primal.

And then—

Her lips parted.

"...Mate?"

The room exploded into chaos.