CHAPTER 217: CHAPTER 217 ECHO OF THE PAST

Liora froze.

His words hit like a slap, louder than all her screams combined.

"You speak of her like you’ve earned the right to call her yours," Zeir said, each word laced with venom. "Tell me, Liora, where was your maternal instinct when you sealed her fate before she was even old enough to walk? When you decided she would marry for power... did she feel like your child then?"

She flinched from his words, they were sharper than a two-edged sword.

"Don’t act like you suddenly care now that she’s slipped through your fingers."

"I did what I had to!" Liora shouted, stepping forward, her voice rising again. "I did what any mother in my shoes would have done." She sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

Zeir scoffed, he turned around and walked back to his throne, but he stopped midway when he heard her speak.

"I just don’t want her to end up like Princess Anastasia." Liora’s words were barely a whisper but they echoed through the wall.

More tears streamed down her cheeks. "Am I wrong to protect her? I gave her away to her father not because I don’t love her." She walked dejectedly towards the window.

She stood there, gazing into the far distance. "I loved her so much Zeir, but when I learnt she was the next Chosen, I had to send her to the werewolf realm to change her fate... I only wanted to change her fate." She whispered the last part to herself.

"I would never have given my child away if not because of that, even if I had to bear the shame of being the black sheep of the family." she sniffled.

"The irony is, I still am the black sheep. Raising her and loving her would not have made a difference." she began to sob.

"I wished for her to live happily, sealing her powers at birth. I wanted her to live a normal life... I wanted her to be normal." She clenched her fist, her nails digging into her flesh.

"But all the sacrifices I had made are like a slap to my face. What I wanted to keep her away from, she’s the one chasing after it now. When she came into the fae realm bloodied, and a breath away from death." She swallowed, her eyes flickering with fear.

"I have never been as scared as that day. The daughter I thought was living a happy life appeared covered in blood, her wings were deformed. She was stuck between her wolf and her fae side. And worse of all she had a mate mark on her neck." She clenched her chest, sobbing bitterly.

"I halved my life span to save her. I thought it would be better if she forgot about it all. So, I sealed her powers, shackled her wolf, and erased her memories, giving her a new beginning.

I gave her false memories... There was an imagination I had wishing she had grown up with me. I shared those memories with her, and... I thought she would be happy getting married.

If she gets married... it will totally break the bond between her and the Lycan King... I planned everything efficiently, but now... fate is laughing at my face... mocking me.

All I ever wanted was her happiness and safety. But I became the very reason she had to leave." Her shoulders shook violently.

A hand grabbed her shoulder, giving her a small squeeze, when she turned around, Zeir stood behind her, his eyes were sad and guilty.

"I apologize Liora... You are a good mother... though she wouldn’t understand that... but you gave so much for her." He whispered, wiping her tears away.

His act made Liora weep, and he slowly pulled her into a hug. "I know why you are afraid, after all being a Chosen comes with a heavy responsibility."

...

(Aeris POV)

My chest rose and fell fast as I ran, gasping for air like I’d been running for hours. The trees around me blurred past, tall and dark, stretching into a forest that felt too quiet to be real.

But something about this place tugged at the back of my mind. It felt familiar. Like I’d been here before. I just couldn’t remember when.

Every step pounded against the earth, twigs snapping under my feet as I pushed forward. I didn’t know what I was running from, but my body moved like it already knew the danger.

Then a low, blood-chilling howl echoed behind me. It vibrated through the ground, followed by the metallic clinking sound of chains.

’Who the hell drags chains across the ground? And wasn’t I just in the cave earlier? How did I end up here?’

My heart skipped.

I pushed harder, forcing my legs to move faster even though they already felt like they were about to give out. The air grew thicker, and the trees looked like they were closing in on me.

Then my foot caught on a root that was sticking out of the ground, and before I could react, I was on the ground.

Pain burst across my knees, palms, and elbows. The sharp sting of scraped skin made my eyes blur with tears.

I pushed myself up, ignoring the dirt and blood, and kept running.

Branches scratched at my face and arms. Some tore at my skin, but I barely felt them. My only focus was to keep going. To get away from whatever was behind me.

Suddenly, the trees cleared and I skidded to a halt.

My toes touched the edge of a cliff.

I stared at the open drop, my body frozen as I tried to catch my breath. Mist rolled up from below, covering everything under me. I couldn’t see the bottom, but my stomach turned anyway. Something about this place sent a cold chill down my spine.

It wasn’t just fear. It felt like I had stood here before. Like I had been in this exact spot.

I couldn’t remember when.

I swallowed hard and turned around, but my breath caught in my throat.

A massive black wolf stood just a few feet away. Its fur was thick and wild, with black chains wrapped tight around its neck and front leg. The metal dragged against the dirt as it moved.