Chapter 197

Holden stood before me in the gloom of the pack’s war room, his features shaded but those razor eyes with unchanging determination. An unruly presence, the unsettling marriage of calm and volatility that didn’t allow complete trust. But the options were few and desperation is known to blur judgment.

I crossed my arms over my chest, while a storm started inside me; my eyes were unyielding.

“What is it that you want, Holden? What is this really about?”

He lifted an eyebrow; the trace of a smile danced upon his lips. “Straight to the point–I like that in you, Aurora.”

“Don’t flatter me,” I snapped. “You’re not here out of the goodness of your heart. So either tell me the truth or leave.”

Holden chuckled. There was no humor in the sound. He leaned closer, his carriage loose but his eyes ablaze. “Very well. The truth, then.”

I tensed, my eyes focused on him. He leaned against the edge of the table, his fingers tracing the wood grain absent-mindedly, as if he collected his thoughts.

“I was once a priest of the Moon Goddess,” he said in a low tone, steady. “I served her, faithful to every utterance, devoted my life to her teachings, and she blessed my family and me with her light.”

I scowled, taken aback by his words. “You? A priest?”

He nodded, something – pain? Regret? – flashing across his face. “Yes. My faith was everything in my life. But faith does not save you from cruelty.”

Holden’s eyes fell to the floor, and for the first time, his confident figure finally cracked.

“My family was taken from me–my wife, my daughter. Slaughtered by raiders, while I was off praying in the temple.”

My breath caught in my throat at the raw emotion in his tone. Against my will, a sign of pity stirred within me. “Holden…”

He shook his head and cut me off. “Save your pity. It’s too late for that. When I found their bodies… I begged the Moon Goddess for justice. I prayed for vengeance. But all I got was silence.”

His hand had bunched into a fist, his knuckles going white.

“That’s when the Nameless came to me. He offered me power, a chance to strike back at those who had taken everything from me. And I took it.”

The room felt colder, the weight of his words settling heavy between us. “So you turned your back upon the goddess?” I asked softly.

He jerked his head high, his eyes filled with pain and agony.

“I did. And at first I enjoyed the power the Nameless gave to me. But everything is bought, Aurora–even the good things. And the Nameless came at the cost of my soul.”

Holden pushed off the table, pacing slowly.

“I thought I could control it, that I could use his power and still hold on to who I was. But the more I served him, the more I realized… the Nameless doesn’t just take your soul. He twists it, warps it into something unrecognizable.”

I swallowed hard as his words struck a chord of fear within me.

“And now?”

“Now, I see the truth,” Holden said, stopping and pivoting to face me. “The Nameless isn’t a savior. He’s a destroyer. And he’ll destroy you, too, if you let him.”

“Why help me, then?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. “What’s in it for you?”

Finally, Holden’s expression loosened, and for the first time, he seemed almost fragile.

“Because I want to recover what I lost. My faith. My humanity. If I can help you defeat the Nameless, perhaps the Moon Goddess will forgive me.”

I stared at him, the weight of his confession sinking in. There was truth in his words; I could feel it. But trusting him… that was another matter.

“And if I agree to your deal?” I asked hesitantly. “What then?”

Holden stepped closer, his tone unrelenting.

“I’ll give you everything you need to stop him. Information, resources, whatever is within my power. But in return… you help me find my way back to the light.”

The silence that followed was deafening. I studied him, searching for any hint of deception. But all I saw was a broken man, desperate for redemption.

“I’ll agree,” I said finally, my voice firm. “But betray me, Holden, and I’ll kill you myself.”

A flicker of a smile returned to his lips. “Fair enough.”

The pack’s reaction to my decision was immediate and intense.

“You can’t be serious, Aurora,” Piper said, her tone slicing. “After everything he’s done? How can you trust him?”

“I don’t trust him,” I returned calmly. “But he is our best chance right now. We do not have the luxury of turning away help, no matter whence it comes.”

Evander shook his head, still recovering from the mark. “This is ill-advised. We don’t know what his true intentions are.”

“Neither do I,” I said, but my eyes scanned the group. “But we’re running out of options. And if we don’t take action soon, we are going to lose everything that matters.”

Trajan’s voice cut through the tension, icy and bitter in my mind through the pack bond. “You’re making a mistake.”

“I’m doing what I have to,” I replied, low and level.

“And me?” Trajan asked hotly. “Still here, still fighting for this pack, still in captivity. And this is the thanks I get? You align yourself with someone like him?”

“Trajan…” I tried saying, but he was overtaken.

“No, Aurora,” he growled, shaking in his rage. “You have strayed. I believed in you; I trusted you to guide us. But now… now, I don’t know anything anymore.”

His words cut a lot deeper than I ever imagined they would, and for a moment, I didn’t know what to say. The bond that used to be the most unbreakable between us was now so weak and fragile.

“I’m doing this for all of us,” I finally said, my voice little more than a whisper.

“Then for our sakes,” Trajan rejoined, the merest hint of bitter tinge in his voice.

The bond between us snapped, and there was a chasm.

Later in the night, under the lonely sky, I was standing atop the ridge. The night breeze danced across my skin as I looked into the forest. A lot happened that day, and yet I made myself strong.

The reminder of how fragile it was between us still echoed in my mind. I couldn’t trust him, yet neither could I refuse the conviction swimming in his eyes. He too, was desperate–just like me.

In the moonlight that bathed the landscape with its ethereal glow, I closed my eyes and sent a silent prayer to the goddess above.

“Please,” I whispered, “guide me.”