Chapter 117: The Web Unravels

ALEX

I barely even notice myself slipping back into my human form, my wolf receding to the back of my mind.

~I killed him.~

~I finally did it.~

My wolf growls in satisfaction, relishing the feeling of revenge.

But me…

I don’t feel anything at all.

I’ve sentenced people to death before, but this is different.

This was personal.

Suddenly I notice the icy coldness in this cavern, and I start to shake from the chill against my bare skin.

I glance one more time at Xavier lying next to me, lifeless, bloody, and still.

He caused nothing but pain for everyone he touched. And I promised myself that the next time I saw him, he wouldn’t survive.

Now I’ve made good on that promise.

And I would do it again if it meant keeping Ariel safe.

I feel Ariel’s arms wrap around me. Goddess, her arms are so warm.

“I’ll never let anything bad happen to you,” I whisper to her. “Never.”

ARIEL

It’s over.

Fate has nothing on me anymore.

Xavier is dead, and there isn’t anything she can do about it.

I’m finally free.

As I help Alex to his feet, I glance over at Natalia, who’s sitting up in a daze.

I’m about to go over and comfort her when suddenly her eyes go wide in terror.

She points behind me.

~Oh, for Goddess’ sake, can’t I catch a bre—?~

“YOU DESTROYED YOUR FATE!” Fate shrieks out, descending from the ceiling on a web, her voice like a dagger through my eardrum.

“No,” I say, pulling out my moonstone dagger and turning to face her. “I freed myself from it.”

Suddenly the entire cave starts to shake. Thunderous vibrations send cracks up the walls, and the ground feels like it’s about to shatter into a million pieces.

My heart begins to race when I see what the furious goddess has transformed into.

~She looks straight out of a nightmare!~

All eight of her beady eyes have turned red with murderous fury, and she’s grown twice as big as before. Her jaws are frothing with silvery venom.

Normally, my first instinct is to fight.

But right now, it’s the exact opposite.

“RUN!” I yell, pulling Natalia to her feet right before a rock falls from above and lands right where she was sitting.

~That would’ve crushed her.~

Fate’s anger is tearing the cave apart.

And we’re right in the middle of it.

We need to get out of here.

~Now.~

We run toward the tunnel that led us in here, dodging the falling debris.

But my heart sinks when I see the only exit from this place has collapsed in on itself, blocking our path.

I scan for any other way out of here, but I realize we’re trapped.

I turn and look at Fate, her massive, razor-sharp spider legs looking like they could slice us in half effortlessly.

“Ariel, look up there!” Natalia calls out next to me.

Above us, small gaps have appeared in the thick layer of webs. Glowing beams of moonlight stream in like spotlights, partially illuminating the cave floor.

~That’s it! The moonbeams!~

But Fate scuttles closer, backing us against the wall.

“You’ve killed your destined mate, and now all hope of balance is destroyed!” she cries out, her voice rumbling the entire cave.

“I told you, I’ll never let someone choose my fate!” I cry back.

This is ~my~ fight, but Alex and Natalia stand their ground beside me.

I can’t help but allow a small smile.

Whatever happens, these two are with me until the end.

“Then there’s only one part of your destiny left…,” she says, baring her fangs. “~Death~.”

Fate lunges at me with a lightning-fast slash of her legs; I roll to the side and swipe at her with my moonstone dagger.

But it doesn’t even make a mark on her black, spidery armor.

~Shit.~

~Figured regular weapons wouldn’t work.~

~Time for plan B.~

Fate slashes at me again, carefully avoiding the moonbeams.

I roll away from another attack, glancing up at the light streaming in through the webs above.

I rip the mooncatcher from my chest and toss it over to Natalia.

“Use that to redirect the moonlight at her,” I command, barely dodging this time as Fate tries to bite me in half with her massive jaws.

I send two slashes to her underbelly, but the wounds just heal instantly.

She raises a foreleg to attack me, and, this time, I realize there’s nowhere to dodge.

But right as I’m about to meet my fate for good, Alex’s wolf lunges at her, knocking her off-balance and buying me enough time to roll back to safety.

“Natalia, now!” I cry out.

Natalia holds up the mooncatcher into a stream of moonlight, using it like a mirror to direct the light toward Fate, who screams in agony as it burns through her foreleg like a laser.

I smirk.

~Got you now, bitch.~

“Keep it coming!” I call out as Natalia climbs up on a smashed boulder so she can have a better vantage point.

Fate darts for cover to avoid the light, but Alex stays on her trail, swiping her where he can. His claws do nothing against her, but the important thing is she’s distracted.

I don’t have a second to waste.

I bolt over to the rocky wall, climbing up as fast as I can. Some of the rocks tumble away under my weight, and I almost lose my footing multiple times.

But soon, I reach the top of the cavern.

Stealing a glance back down, I’m at a dizzying height.

~Goddess, I hope this works.~

I pull out my dagger, just barely in arm’s reach of the giant web that makes up the remainder of the ceiling.

I reach out and slice as big of a hole as I can through the sticky material.

As soon as I do, the moonlight from above comes pouring in, flooding the entire cave with its bluish, vibrant glow.

Fate shrieks as she’s burned by the light, scuttling around desperately for any dark place to hide.

I keep slashing, the moonstone on my dagger catching the light and causing the webs to burn up, till there’s no place she can hide.

She drops to the floor, trapped, her skin hissing and bubbling as white smoke rises from it.

I grab a large rope of web hanging nearby and swing down toward her, the wind whipping through my hair.

I leap off at the last moment, letting out a battle cry as I bring my dagger down with all my strength into Fate.

My blade slices right into her soft, melting chest.

Her red glowing eyes widen in shock, staring at me as they return to their usual black color.

“Bet you didn’t foresee that, bitch,” I whisper as I rip the dagger from her chest.

She opens her mouth to speak, but she can only let out one last hiss before her entire body and face melt down, pooling into a glistening puddle on the cave’s floor.

The cave stops shaking, and the debris settles.

I stand above what’s left of Fate, catching my breath.

~I can’t believe it.~

~The Goddess Fate is gone.~

~I did it.~

Suddenly a scream rips me from my silent celebration.

I whip my head around to see Natalia drop to her knees, clutching at her heart. Tears start to stream down her face.

She begins to weep hysterically, and I sprint over.

“Natalia, did you get injured?” I ask, checking her body for wounds.

But there’s no blood anywhere.

Natalia is barely able to speak, choking on her sobs.

“Chuck…,” she cries out. “I can’t feel him anymore…”

A fresh wave of agony washes over her as she falls back down to the ground, crying out for her destined mate.

“It’s gone…,” she weeps. “It’s all gone.”

~Oh no.~

In an instant, it dawns on me what I’ve just done.

I know that exact pain. I’ve felt it before with Xavier.

Natalia is feeling the excruciating heartbreak of losing a destined mating bond.

But I have a feeling it’s not just Natalia…

By killing Fate, I think I’ve broken ~every~ destined mating bond in existence.

~Oh Goddess…~

~What have I done?~