A Gift from the Goddess

Chapter 91

Chapter Ninety–One 

There was only one choice. 

Only one that would allow me to salvage what little I did have left. I‘d already burnt bridges, destroyed faith... ruined any chance of having the life I used to so desperately crave. I couldn‘t necessarily fix what I‘d already done but I once used to believe that more bloodshed wasn‘t the way to solve the past, and that was probably still true now. Even if Thea made it harder to see things that way. 

No, I needed to save him... even if it proved more difficult than worthwhile. 

Calm down and think. I needed to consider this very carefully. 

There was always a logical explanation for these things when analysed, some sort of strategy. She could mess with my emotions and how I perceived things, but she couldn‘t change the hard facts. They were there if I just focused enough. I just needed to push past what I felt I needed to do, and concentrate on what the situation was actually telling me to do. 

I needed to put myself in her shoes... and see the incentive behind her actions. 

And so, I quickly closed my eyes and tried to see myself as her, thinking through what her decisions might have been that led her here, to this very moment.... 

*...I entered the vault and grabbed the sword because I need it to break the protection... but I’m caught. The young boy who came with Aria isn‘t with her but instead is in the weapons section... but maybe I wanted that to be the case. Maybe I waited so long because I needed to catch him alone.‘* 

*‘I don‘t kill him... because there is something else I require to break the protection. Something Aria has or is located next to. If that wasn‘t the case, I would have just disposed of him and attacked her immediately. But, no, I need him alive and to come with me because I still can‘t injure her directly; I need collateral. Something to use as a shield... someone to be a hostage.‘* 

*‘l approach Aria with the boy and talk to her... Partly because I want to... partly because there is another reason. I try to force her into a situation where she has two options; to attack me or to flee.‘* 

*... Why though? Am I gambling that Aria will do one over the other? And how would either of them help m e?‘* 

| opened my eyes again and looked at the scene in front of me, frowning in thought. Without more key information, I wasn‘t sure which path was the one she was betting on. Both of them were plausible and yet had their own issues. 

... But then I realised something. Something I was overlooking.... 

She was talking to me. 

It might not be in my head anymore but it was still the same thing she‘d always done; bringing up memories, making me lose hope... trying to make me scared and angry. Her weapon of choice was, and always has been, her voice. 

So maybe I didn‘t need to know which one she ‘wanted‘ me to do. Maybe all I needed to know was which one she didn‘t. 

...Which left only one thing I could do. 

“I surrender,” I suddenly said, standing up from the table in defeat. 

“...What?” 

A look of surprise and confusion immediately crossed her and Brayden‘s faces... though Brayden‘s erring 

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Chapter Ninety Ono 

more on the side of terror than shock. 

“I surrender,” I repeated. “You got me. I‘m contained in silver, underground, my bodyguard hostage... What am I supposed to do? You win.” 

“What is this? You don‘t care whether I kill him, is that it?” she said and proceeded to throw Brayden to the ground before her, sword still pointed to his throat. “You think I won‘t?” 

I paused for a second, taking in her abrupt reaction calmly. “No... I don‘t doubt that you will. I just don‘t know what you expect me to do here. I‘ve fought long enough, am both mentally and physically drained to my limit. I surrender, Thea. You win. Give Selene my regards when you finally face her.” 

Hesitation. She‘s hesitating, unsure what to do here. But, more importantly, it proved my theory correct; she couldn‘t hurt me yet. Which meant she couldn‘t kill Brayden either, her only leverage against me. Not yet anyway 

She had tried to push me to act out of emotion, to elicit a reaction that would make me flee or attack her. Which meant there was only one option left. By process of elimination, surrendering was the only thing! could do, the only thing I knew she didn‘t* want me to do. I was basically having to read myself and do the opposite of what I felt I was being persuaded to do. 

‘Your move, Thea.‘ 

Quickly, she then looked around the room, scanning the area around us before her eyes finally settled on a book stacked by the table. Was that what she was after? A book? But why would a creature as old as time need a book? 

I didn‘t get a chance to think on it more though as suddenly she kicked Brayden towards me, sending him flying across the ground. 

was going to try and run. I called her bluff and she couldn‘t do anything

sprinting towards the exit. But she made a fatal mistake though, one

Brayden alive.

“Get up. You need to shift and follow her. Do not engage in combat.

must have thought I‘d waste time to make sure he was okay first but that was a bad assumption. We weren‘t civilians. We were trained, ranked members in one of the most elite packs in the whole country. If a kick to the gut was enough to keep us down, we didn‘t deserve the title. Sure, Brayden might be annoying and arrogant, but he had been trained since

didn‘t disappoint.

without saying another word, ran after her, shifting mid–air to take advantage of the better speed and senses.

for the

encircling my wrist and gritted

3...2… 1… 

*Pop.* 

all the while wasting no

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UTUPILY UNC 

prepared myself for this situation years ago but it didn‘t lessen the pain. After being sent to my death i n handcuffs already once before, I made a point of learning how to escape from them in this life should I ever find myself in another life–threatening emergency. I‘d told myself that, if they were going to send met o the trial grounds again, it

free of the silver. A small part of me wondered if maybe I should be thanking Cai for the cuffs instead of the old silver collar... After

only be able to defend myself with just my left; the hand that wasn‘t my dominant one. It also meant I couldn‘t shift right now as running with only three good legs

the scents of both Brayden and Thea as it led

staying hidden this whole time. That she‘d found an entrance that wasn‘t through the packhouse door upstairs. This meant | couldn‘t rely on her hopefully being slowed by warriors upstairs because she probably wasn‘t

was almost back at the vault entrance, I heard it. Loud growls and snapping noises coming from just outside. It sounded as though Brayden had engaged

outside, only to see

need to shift back if he was planning to do close combat like that. Wolf form

that if he tried to shift now, Thea would just use that time he was

ordered as I

I was a second too late.

going to be enough to

predicted, Thea didn‘t look like she was going to wait. She‘d already made the error of letting him live once, I doubted she was going to do that twice.

waiting for the moment he‘d be mid–transition as that would be when he was weakest...

turned to me as he

it was too late to stop what he had

a man who knew he was about to

I did the only thing I thought would

she brought the sword down, I threw myself in front of Brayden, using myself a sa shield. If she needed the book inside then it meant she still

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Chapter Ninety–One 

–Sillliiiiiiickkkk. 

my shoulder, slicing into

stared in shock. Frozen in place.

from where the sword was embedded inside me… up to where Thea was looking down at me

but that didn‘t mean I expected it to be fulfilled. In fact, I didn‘t understand how this was possible at all. I‘d thought through everything so carefully. If she‘d been able to hurt me this entire time then why had she waited so long? Why had she bothered to capture Brayden and flee when I tried

pain

face. The silver mixed in with the injury was one of the most excruciating things I‘d ever felt. Perhaps it had been a blessing that this sword had killed me with just

be

yelled, now finished

wall for support but the sword made that difficult.

the blade back out, forcing another cry of paint o escape my

then. My expiration date was

I had time to heal. The poison from the silver would prevent my accelerated healing from closing the wound quickly. So even if she decided not to finish the job herself, the silver

down to look me in the eyes, forcing contact so he wouldn‘t be

Of. Here,” I commanded through gritted teeth, pouring as much authority into it as I could.

to

his legs out from under him, forcing him to hit the ground just as he narrowly avoided her attack. The difference in speed between the two of them was obvious. There was no chance Brayden would be able to take her on by himself. He couldn‘t even see her attacks coming, let alone defend against them. Thea was far stronger than even an Alpha. A

get out of here,

look of hesitation towards me, he finally carried out my instructions, jumping back and shifting mid–air

free. He was safe.

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