The Lycan King's Second Chance Mate: Rise of the Traitor's Daughter
Chapter 254: The First Gods

Chapter 254: The First Gods

Zane~

I didn’t flinch. Didn’t blink.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," I said calmly, taking another step forward. "But I do know one thing..."

I raised my hand. Energy pulsed in my palm, light and darkness coiled together.

"I will end you... for ever laying a finger on my mate. For threatening my family, friends and kingdom." I bared my teeth ready to shift and attack but suddenly—

Light erupted behind me. Blinding. Warm. Infinite.

I spun around, shielding my eyes—

Two figures emerged from the brilliance.

A woman cloaked in silver, her skin glowing like moonlight on still water. Her eyes held the reflection of stars—gentle, eternal.

And beside her stood a man tall and radiant, golden warmth rippling from him like sunlight after a storm. His presence calmed the wind. His eyes were fire and kindness all at once.

Shadow shrieked behind me, a sound full of ancient hatred. "YOU!"

The man’s voice was steady, deep, as calm as the eye of a hurricane. "You’ve run long enough, Shadow."

The woman looked at me, her expression soft, full of something I only felt when I was near Natalie.

Peace.

"Zane..." she said, voice like a lullaby woven from galaxies. "Child of Balance. It’s time."

I stumbled back instinctively, heart hammering. My guard went up. I squared my stance, trying to look brave even though I was suddenly shaking inside.

"Who are you?" I asked, voice low. "What are you?"

The woman stepped forward, her feet not touching the ground.

"I am Selene," she said, her smile sad and serene. "The Moon Goddess. Guardian of secrets, keeper of the night, mother of tides and of your beloved Natalie."

A loud gasp left my lips.

The man placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded at me.

"And I am Solas," he said. "The God of Light. Bringer of dawn. Protector of truth and flame."

My mouth was completely open now. My brain... couldn’t process it. I blinked at them like they were mirages. Like if I moved too fast, they’d vanish into mist.

"You’re—real?" I whispered. "You’re... them? You’re Natalie’s mother?"

Selene nodded.

"We have watched you from afar, Zane. Born of blood and shadow. Shaped by betrayal and sorrow. The balance in you... it was never a curse. It was a key."

Solas’s golden eyes met mine. "You were never broken, child. You were becoming."

Shadow screamed from behind me, fury vibrating through the wasteland. "He’s mine! He belongs to me! You can’t have him!"

But I didn’t turn.

I couldn’t.

I was frozen—caught between disbelief and something else. Something like awe.

"I..." I looked down at my hands, at the silver threads in my skin, the swirling aura around me. "I don’t understand."

Selene stepped closer, placing her hand lightly on my chest.

"You don’t have to understand yet," she whispered. "You only have to choose."

Solas raised his hand, and a sword of golden fire shimmered into existence.

"Will you claim what has always been yours, Zane? Will you become what you were born to be?"

I stared at them.

At the light.

At the dark.

At the path splitting before me.

I didn’t think. I just nodded.

And the moment I did, something ancient stirred.

A golden cage shimmered into existence between us—etched with runes older than the stars, pulsing with divine energy. It hummed like a heartbeat, sacred and final.

"Step inside," the Moon Goddess said, her voice calm but unshakable.

I blinked. "Wait... what?"

The God of Light extended his hand. "Trust us, kid. You’ve done all you can. But you can’t keep him caged in your body forever. This will pull him out—completely. And once he’s gone... he’s gone for good."

Shadow howled inside me, his voice twisting the wind itself. "NO! He’s mine! You can’t do this! Not again! You betrayed me once—you don’t get to do it twice!"

The Moon Goddess turned, her voice cutting through the fury like a ice of moonlight. "You were never betrayed. You betrayed us."

"He carries my power now!" Shadow hissed, his form churning like storm clouds behind my ribs.

"And ours," the God of Light said gently. "His soul was forged in dusk and dawn. He was never yours to begin with."

I hesitated. My hand hovered near the bars not understanding a thing they were saying. "But... if I go in... what if I don’t come out?"

The Moon Goddess stepped closer, her gaze tender, her voice softer than the moonlight she radiated. "Zane, my daughter chose you. Mara saw your heart. Do you truly believe I would ever harm the one she loves?"

My breath caught.

Mara.

She meant Natalie.

I didn’t wait for my mind to catch up. My body moved first.

I stepped into the cage.

Shadow screamed.

I felt him thrashing inside me, clawing for an exit, slithering like smoke beneath skin, desperate to escape. He tried to slip away, to anchor himself inside me one last time—

And then the cage snapped shut.

A sound like thunder sealed the sky.

Agony tore through me—white-hot, cosmic pain. My body convulsed.

And then...

There was silence.

Not empty silence.

Clean silence.

The Moon Goddess reached forward. "Come on, Zane. Step out. You’re free now."

Confused, I stumbled out.

And Shadow?

He didn’t follow.

He was ripped from me—screaming, howling, fighting the pull like a beast being exorcised from the soul. His smoky form slammed against the divine bars, wild and desperate.

"NO!" he shrieked. "ZANE! YOU’LL REGRET THIS! ALL OF YOU WILL!"

The Moon Goddess raised her hand, light flowing from her palm like a river. "We’ve heard your promises before."

The God of Light placed his hand on the opposite side of the cage. Together, they whispered something ancient—words the world had long forgotten, words that made the stars pause.

Then—light.

Soft and absolute.

The cage vanished.

And with it... Shadow.

Gone.

Silence fell again. But this time... it echoed with peace.

A hand brushed my cheek. I turned.

The Moon Goddess stood before me, her eyes full of something I couldn’t name—sadness, pride, love.

"Thank you, Zane," she whispered. "For your courage. For loving my daughter."

She leaned forward and kissed my forehead.

"The moon will always guard your path."

Then the God of Light stepped forward. He took my hand in both of his, his touch warm, grounding.

"From now on," he said, "everything you touch with this hand... will carry the spark of change."

I swallowed. My voice cracked. "I didn’t do this to be special. I did it for Natalie."

His smile deepened. "And that’s exactly why you were chosen."

And then—

Light exploded behind my eyes.

I gasped as I woke up.

The mug in Fox’s hand crashed to the floor.

Bubble wheezed like he’d forgotten how to breathe.

"HOLY HELL," Fox blurted, eyes bulging. "You were—Zane—you were GLOWING! Like actual moonlight pouring out of your damn ears!"

"Sunshine from your eyes," Bubble added, completely stunned. "You looked like an overpowered anime god."

I sat up slowly. Energy hummed under my skin like a symphony still echoing in the distance. I glanced at my hands—soft silver and gold shimmered across them before fading into normalcy.

"I saw them," I said, breathless. "I met her. Your mom. The Moon Goddess. And him too. The God of Light."

Fox nearly passed out. "You met the First Gods?! You’re one lucky mortal!"

Bubble stepped forward. "And Shadow?"

"Gone," I whispered. "Sealed. For good."

They just stood there.

Staring at me.

Then Fox let out a roar of celebration. "YES! Hell yes! You did it! Zane, you did it!"

But I wasn’t listening anymore.

Because my eyes were on her.

Natalie.

Still unconscious. Still silent. Still cold.

But not lost.

Not this time.

Something deep in me had awakened—something ancient and wild. I could feel it pulsing through me now, like a second heartbeat.

The Night Alpha was here.

And he wasn’t done.

I rose to my feet, the room seeming to shift around me. Even Fox and Bubble stepped back without a word. They could feel it too.

I knelt beside her, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

"I’m here," I whispered. "I’m not leaving."

Her skin shimmered faintly, as if touched by the hands of gods themselves.

"I made them a promise," I murmured, voice shaking. "I said I’d take care of you. And I will."

I took her hand.

And this time... I felt it.

Her power answered mine.

A connection sparking to life between us.