Chapter 69: Ally Or Another Foe
The morning seemed exceptionally beautiful, but only to Ryder, who wore an uncontainable grin, like a triumphant trophy winner. He greeted nearly everyone who crossed his path, humming what sounded like a worship chant, except it wasn’t - it was a victory chant, a silent offering to the goddess, as if gloating at her failure to stop him from tasting victory again.
His first victory was locating Reana early on, his second victory was making her fall for him, and his third was claiming her.
Gloat about what, one would ask, but to Ryder, claiming Reana’s first time was a huge accomplishment.
In his past life, Ryder had toiled endlessly for Reana, dedicating 115 years to finding her. But when he finally did, fate dealt him a cruel twist; she was reborn as a man, mated to her destined partner, Mirian, with three grown sons.
Ryder’s world shattered, his sanity teetering on the brink. Realizing that Reana’s love for him persisted - his love for her wasn’t one-sided, only fueled his obsession.
Desperate, he proposed they be together, but Reana rejected him, unwilling to swing that way, unwilling to abandon her [his] mate, Mirian, the children, and the life they’d built.
Ryder’s heart shattered, his mind consumed by darkness. In a desperate bid to alter fate, he unleashed unholy wrath upon the world, targeting everything sacred to the goddess.
He slaughtered her devoted worshippers, razed her temples to the ground, and desecrated her holy relics. The goddess’s wrath was not something to be trifled with, but Ryder’s madness knew no bounds.
Reana, horrified by Ryder’s atrocities, severed all ties with him, refusing to associate with a monster who had declared war on the goddess.
This rejection only fueled Ryder’s fury. In a heinous display of brutality, he annihilated Reana’s pack, butchering everyone she [he] held dear, including her sons.
Mirian, her mate, suffered a fate worse than death for instigating Reana to reject him, a cruel torment that haunted Reana’s memories until she [he] couldn’t bear it anymore.