Tangled Hearts - The Alpha's Baby Mama-Chapter 287: The path forward...

Narrator POV

The heavy air in the dimly lit chamber was filled with tension as Kragen’s father, Verrian, paced restlessly. His footsteps echoed off the stone walls, his mind troubled by a storm of thoughts he could not shake. It had been almost a week since he had seen the Moon Goddess in person, and yet, her presence now did little to comfort him. Instead, it reminded him of how deeply he had failed—failed his wife, failed Kragen, and, in the end, failed himself.

Verrian’s dark hair fell into his eyes as he stopped abruptly, his jaw tight, fists clenched. He turned to face the Moon Goddess, who stood still as a statue by the flickering flames of the hearth. Her ethereal form shimmered faintly in the light, her eyes dark pools of wisdom and sorrow. But there was a coldness there too, a distance that had always unnerved Verrian.

"They are coming, you know," he muttered, his voice rough. "The witches. They will come for him. They’ll come for Kragen."

The Moon Goddess did not immediately respond, her gaze never wavering. Verrian couldn’t stand it—the calmness, the patience. It enraged him in the face of the danger they were all facing. He threw his arms wide as if trying to grasp the enormity of the situation.

"They won’t hold back this time," Verrian continued, his voice rising in desperation. "The witches have grown in power. Their magic is dark, darker than it’s ever been. They’ll use everything at their disposal, including exploiting the evil that lies dormant in Kragen. I see it in him. The anger. The bitterness. It’s a seed they’ll water until it consumes him."

At that, the Moon Goddess blinked a subtle motion that spoke volumes. But Verrian wasn’t finished.

"And what have I done to stop it?" he asked, his voice breaking. "What have I done, except fail at every turn? I promised her... I promised my wife, Tehilia, that I would protect him. That I would care for him."

His voice trembled as he spoke his wife’s name, the ache of old wounds rising to the surface. Tehilia had been the love of his life, a light in the darkness, a beacon of hope when everything else had fallen apart. Her death had been the beginning of his failures.

"I told her," Verrian went on, his eyes wet with unshed tears, "I swore on my soul that I would guide Kragen. That I would never let him walk the path of darkness that his blood calls for. But I’ve failed, haven’t I?"

The Moon Goddess remained still, her face as unreadable as ever. But there was a shift in the air, a faint hum of energy that signalled she was listening.

"I’ve tried," Verrian continued, his hands trembling now. "I’ve tried to show him the way, but I was never enough. He was always drawn to the darkness, to power, and the witches would see that in him. They’ll see it and they’ll use it against us. And when that happens..."

His voice broke, and he fell to his knees, clutching his head as if the weight of his failure was too much to bear. "When that happens, it will be my fault. It’s always been my fault."

Silence filled the room for a long moment, punctuated only by the crackle of the fire. The Moon Goddess finally moved, stepping toward Verrian with a grace that made her seem less a being of flesh and more like a dream. She knelt beside him, her hand hovering just above his shoulder, though she did not touch him.

"You have not failed as completely as you believe," she said, her voice soft but with an undertone of authority. "Kragen’s fate is not sealed. He still has a choice."

"A choice?" Verrian scoffed, lifting his head to meet her gaze. His eyes were wild, pained. "What choice does he have when his blood sings for darkness? I see it every time I look at him. He’s his mother’s son, yes, but he’s also my son. And you know what that means. You know what’s inside him."

The Moon Goddess’s eyes flickered for a moment, a shadow passing over her face. "His heart is still capable of good," she replied, her tone steady. "There is light in him, buried perhaps, but it is there. It can still be nurtured."

Verrian let out a bitter laugh, pushing himself up to his feet with a shaky hand. "Nurtured by whom? Certainly not by me. I failed his mother, I’ve failed him, and I’ve failed you."

He turned away from her, facing the flames instead. "I promised Tehilia," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "I promised her I would care for our child, but I’ve done nothing but lead him down the same path I walked. The same mistakes. The same hunger for power. And now look where we are."

"You cannot carry the burden of all things," the Moon Goddess said gently. "Kragen’s choices are his own."

"His choices were shaped by me!" Verrian snapped, spinning around to face her again, his eyes blazing. "I was supposed to be his father! I was supposed to keep him from this madness! Instead, I watched him drift away, and now the witches will use him, just like they once used me."

His voice dropped to a whisper, filled with pain and regret. "Tehilia deserved better than this. She deserved a husband who could keep his promises."

The Moon Goddess’s expression softened slightly, a rare glimpse of emotion in her ancient eyes. "You did what you could, Verrian," she said quietly. "And there is still time."

"Time for what?" Verrian asked bitterly. "For me to watch my son fall, just like I did?"

"Perhaps, it is time to tell him the truth. All these half-truths will lead them nowhere. The girl too has to know what she’s up against."

"I did that," Verrian countered. "I told them."

"You only told them a part of the story. Now, I have to watch my children being ambushed by these creatures of magic. I underestimated those witches, would have wiped them out before they grew powerful and all these for revenge, that is centuries old. I am as tired as you are and one more of these attacks, I might just lose it. It’s getting annoying."

"They’ll find a way to fix it!" Verrian said as he continued to pace the room. "They always do, they’re smarter than most creatures but that’s not what’s important now. We must stop the High Priestess. If she gets to Kragen, now that he has Selene beside him, it’ll be dangerous. The Fates would move in and you know they’re never gentle in things like this."

"So, you want me to kill Selene? You think Kragen would be happy with this?"

"There’s nothing else we can do except that. We don’t have a lot of choices. Look around you..."

"Just tell Kragen that he’s not a god as he thinks he is. He has a lot of special abilities but he’s not like one of us. Tell him the truth behind his birth and then if anyone should die, it should be him or with Selene but..."

The Moon Goddess hesitated for a fraction of a second before speaking again, her voice more serious now. "There is a path forward, but it is dangerous. We have little time before the witches strike in full force, and Kragen will be at the centre of it. If they awaken the darkness inside him..."

She trailed off, her eyes distant, as if seeing something only she could see. Verrian felt a chill run down his spine.

"What are you saying?" Verrian asked warily.

The Moon Goddess turned her gaze back to him, her eyes now hard, determined. "We must take action. The witches are moving swiftly, and if we do not act, they will use Kragen as a weapon. I must inform the Fates."

"No," Verrian said sharply, his heart hammering in his chest. "You can’t. You know what they’ll do. If the Fates get involved, they’ll strip Kragen of everything. His power, his life. They’ll see him as a threat, not as someone to be saved."

"I understand the risk," the Moon Goddess said, her voice steely, "but we have no other choice. If Kragen falls to the darkness, the witches will win, and all will be lost."

Verrian shook his head, his face pale. "There has to be another way."

The Moon Goddess stepped forward, her presence looming over him. "There isn’t. The Fates have the power to intervene, and I will not allow Kragen to be used as a tool of destruction. I will not allow the witches to win."

Verrian’s throat tightened, panic clawing at him. "Please," he whispered, his voice desperate. "Don’t do this."

The Moon Goddess gazed at him with pity, but her resolve did not waver. "It is the only way, Verrian."

The words hung in the air like a death sentence, and Verrian felt the weight of them crush him. The Fates would not show mercy—not to Kragen, not to anyone.

"No," Verrian said again, his voice barely a whisper. "You’re condemning him."

The Moon Goddess turned, her decision made. "I must do what is necessary."

Verrian could only watch, helpless, as she prepared to make a choice that could doom his son forever.