Chapter 4
Helena's POV
The pain was gone. The chilling scent of silver and the agonizing weight of betrayal had vanished.
I found myself in an unfamiliar world, in an abyss of tranquility, a world without sound or hurt. The forest trees looming over me like a shadow.
I heard Romie's desperate, tormented sobs… it's distant and muted, but they held no power over me here.
My eyes roamed around, trying to catch a glimpse of familiarity… then I saw her— a majestic silver wolf coming towards me.
"Oh, it's my wolf!" I exclaimed, a warm smile spreading over my face. "I had waited for you all my life." I added as fingers ran over her delicate fur.
As her eyes locked onto mine, she let out a low, rumbling growl, her tail wagging gently behind her. It was as if she was saying, "I've been waiting for you too."
Suddenly, the darkness exploded. A blinding, silver-white light consumed me. Before me stood a towering figure, her eyes shining like distant stars.
"Welcome, child. I am the Moon Goddess."
I trembled, falling instantly to my knees. The terror of my death and the violation I had endured melted away, replaced by an overwhelming sense of ancient reverence
.
"Thank you for granting me my Wolf," I whispered, tears of gratitude finally flowing as I gazed at the majestic, silver Wolf that now stood faithfully beside me. I reached out again, and her soft fur brushed my hand, a confirmation of the bond I had always longed for.
Finally, I am whole.
"Your Wolf is but a shield for the power you truly hold," the Goddess said, her voice ancient and resonant. She gestured, and the air around me shimmered, reflecting a cascade of elemental light. "You are the last of the Zephyr Line, Helena. The Elemental Protector."
"Zephyr?" I asked, utterly confused, struggling to my feet. "What does that mean? I've never heard of such a thing. Why me?"
"The Zephyr Line holds the balance of the elements on Earth," the Goddess explained gently. "But your power, now unbound by the necklace your mother wore, is too vast, too chaotic for your human body to control. It is like an ocean without shores. You will burn yourself and the world if you do not find stability."
My breath hitched as I felt the cold, immense energy coiling in my gut, waiting to be unleashed. "How do I stabilize it? What must I do?"
The Goddess pointed to a dark, powerful figure shrouded in silver light, standing on the edge of the forest. The figure radiated strength, raw Alpha authority, and an inescapable, sickening familiarity.
"You must mate with your Shield, Alpha Romie. He is your true, destined mate. You must bind your lives together quickly, or your power will destroy you both."
I screamed, a soundless wail of sheer agony and protest. "No! I can't! He killed my father! He abused me! I will never forgive him!"
"Your father, though an Alpha, acted without the Goddess's decree, but this destiny is not about vengeance. It is about survival," the Goddess commanded, her voice turning firm. "He is the only grounding force that can contain the Zephyr. He is your Shield."
"But why is he my Shield? Why the killer of my father?" I pleaded, my heart shattering.
"Because you must be bound to the one who can match your power's volatile energy," the Goddess replied, her expression sorrowful. "And because your awakening has alerted your ancient enemy. Lisa, the sorceress, who murdered your mother, has found you. She seeks to destroy the Zephyr to gain ultimate power and control the elemental balance. You must bind yourselves quickly."
My mind whirled with shock, grief, and terror. Lisa? My mother was murdered by her? And I was mated to the son of the man my father killed? The web of death and destiny was impossibly tangled. I was a weapon, and my mate was the killer of my blood.
The need to live, to understand, and to exact justice finally surged through my terror. I had to survive.
"I will do it," I whispered, the words tasting like ash, but my resolve hardening into iron. "I will marry him. I will bind myself to him."
The Goddess smiled, but there was a warning in her eyes. "Remember your oath, Zephyr. Your power is chaos; your mate is the calm. You must always be together."
I looked at the powerful, dark figure of Romie on the edge of the forest. He would be my Shield. He would keep me alive and stabilized. And when I had mastered the colossal, beautiful power of Zephyr, when I no longer needed his stabilizing presence, I would have my own revenge.
The plan was clear: I will marry him to survive. I will use the bond to control the power. And when I am strong enough, I will kill Romie with the very power he helped me contain.
The vow was a cold, absolute promise in the silent world of the Goddess. He killed my father. He is my enemy. His death will be my final price.
Then, the world shattered. The silver light intensified, and I felt myself being violently hurled back into my broken body.
I jolted back to full consciousness, a raw, uncontrollable power bursting from me like an invisible storm. My eyes snapped open, blazing with the terrifying, supernatural energy of Zephyr. The sound of the Alpha's heart monitors flatlining was deafening.
A wave of pure, chaotic force erupted from my core. The two guards who had been standing beside the bed, stunned witnesses to my resurrection, were caught in the silent explosion.
They were carried across the room, hitting the stone wall with sickening, wet finality before collapsing to the floor—lifeless and still.
The Zephyr power, terrified by its own lethal awakening, receded just as quickly, leaving me panting, terrified, but impossibly alive.
I looked at the two dead men, then at my hands, realizing the terrible, cold cost of my destiny.