Chapter 96: Type of Sacrifice
TERESA’S P.O.V.
My heart raced as I stared at the baby lying on the cold, damp ground. His cries shattered the stillness of the night, echoing through the forest like a haunting melody. Nearby, the mother—or whatever shred of humanity she had left—had disappeared into the darkness. Her torn white dress billowed behind her, a ghostly silhouette swallowed by the shadows of the towering trees.
"Let me go!" I hissed, thrashing against Lucian’s grip. His hand was firm over my mouth, his silence pleading for patience. The moment he loosened his hold, I spun around, glaring up at him. Fury bubbled inside me, a hot, uncontrollable torrent.
Before I could storm forward, Juliette stepped out from our hiding place. Her usually calculated demeanor was replaced by a strange urgency as she knelt beside the baby. With a tenderness that she usually used on the twins, she scooped him into her arms, holding him as though he might break.
"It’s a boy," she whispered, her voice trembling with awe and sadness.
I edged closer, my breath catching at the sight of him. The baby’s hair was as white as freshly fallen snow, a stark contrast to the night around us. His tiny fists trembled with each piercing cry, his wails cutting through me like jagged glass.
Behind me, the sound of Ollie and Mai stirring pulled me back to reality. Strapped to my chest, Mai whimpered softly, her little face burrowing against me, while Ollie’s cries merged with the baby’s, a chaotic symphony of distress.
"This is madness," I muttered under my breath, bouncing on my toes to soothe my babies. My voice grew louder as the storm of emotions inside me swirled—anger, disbelief, heartbreak. "I could’ve stopped her! We should’ve stopped her!" My words broke, leaving a bitter edge hanging in the air.
"Teresa," Adrian said, his tone calm but commanding, like velvet wrapped around steel. "The Moon Goddess warned us not to interfere."