Chapter 649: The Last Gift Before Waking

Selene’s gaze lingered on Sophia for a moment longer after her last words.

Then something in her expression shifted—subtle, but enough to change the air between them.

"Surely you remember what you read in the book?" she asked quietly.

At first, confusion flickered across Sophia’s face as she tried to make sense of what Selene was saying.

Then it clicked.

"The one with the crescent moon..." she murmured.

Selene nodded once.

"Yes."

Sophia almost chuckled. The same book that Holly had destroyed in a fire, the same one she had taken from Sophia’s home—Sophia had read it when she was younger. Though not everything, she had read further than what she did when she had found the same book in the library of the Nightshade Pack.

"Oculum himself has already told you, but that book was more than what a normal book contains. It was a diary, a recording of everything when I had walked this earth with your kind," Selene said.

Sophia nodded.

"But," she said, "I thought there was only one. The book was written by Oculum, was it not? He had given me the one I found in the Nightshade Pack, after all."

"That is true, but Oculum was unaware that someone had made a copy that became lost with time. It was a wonder how it ended up in Victoria’s library. The one you read when you were younger was written by Dolion’s twin... Kaelith."

Selene continued, "You have read the book, and it has answers to some things you seek answers for. Especially about the mark you and Orion share."

Sophia already knew that. She exhaled slowly but said nothing.

Selene’s expression shifted again, something deeper moving beneath the surface now.

"And Noctis..." she continued.

Sophia’s head lifted slightly.

Selene met her gaze fully.

"He is exactly who you believe him to be."

A faint tension settled in Sophia’s shoulders.

Selene did not look away.

"I bound him to Orion," she said. "But it was as a punishment. For Orion was part of Dolion’s bloodline, and because of the sins of Noctis himself, who sought forgiveness for failing to do what he should have done."

Sophia frowned, wanting to ask more, but she only swallowed.

"And also," Selene continued, "the ability to detect lies which Orion has was less a gift and more a curse."

"Let me guess," Sophia said dryly. "For the sins of Dolion too?"

"Yes," Selene said. "I understand how it sounds, rather foolish of me, especially when I am to blame for the beginning of these trying times."

"If it is any consolation," she added, "he was never meant to have either of them."

"It is not," Sophia said firmly.

Selene only smiled. "You love him, do you not?" she asked.

Sophia swallowed, then gave a small nod.

"Do not feel burdened by the past that you question your right to love him," Selene told her.

Sophia didn’t say anything. She only swallowed, her throat bobbing with the motion.

Selene’s gaze shifted once more, as though looking beyond the moment.

"The end is approaching," she said softly.

The words settled heavily.

"You are closer now," she continued. "Closer to the truth. Closer to what all of this has been leading to."

Sophia stared at her.

"You must not stop," Selene said. "Continue searching. Continue questioning. Continue understanding."

"There are still answers you need," Selene added.

Sophia hesitated, then spoke.

"Regarding seeking the truth... could you at least tell me more about the trine of ash and vein?"

Selene’s gaze flickered faintly.

"That answer..." she said slowly, "is not mine to give."

Sophia frowned.

"Then whose is it?"

Selene’s lips curved slightly.

"It is already within your reach," she said.

Sophia blinked.

"Someone within the pack holds that knowledge."

A quiet pause followed.

"And soon," Selene added, "everything will begin to unravel."

Sophia didn’t know if that was reassuring or not.

"You are stepping into something far older than you understand," Selene continued.

Her voice softened.

"History does not fade as easily as your kind believes." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Sophia’s chest tightened slightly.

"It lingers," Selene said. "It shapes. It waits."

Another shift in space, and suddenly she was standing directly in front of Sophia.

Closer than before.

Sophia didn’t move.

Selene lifted a hand slowly.

Then, gently, she pressed a soft kiss against Sophia’s hair.

The contact was light.

But it carried weight.

"You are my messenger," Selene whispered.

Sophia’s breath caught.

"The one who will stand where I no longer can."

Her voice was softer now.

"You carry what I once did."

Sophia’s fingers curled slightly.

"You are my representation," Selene continued. "Do not forget that."

A quiet warmth spread faintly through Sophia’s chest.

"And do not forget the power you hold," Selene added.

Her voice lowered further.

"It is more than just visions."

Sophia’s brows tightened slightly.

Selene’s gaze deepened.

"You have the power to take what makes one a werewolf... to rid your kind of that power if they abuse it. Because you are me, and I am you. That power... will be needed when the final battle arrives, when you face Victoria."

And just like that, something changed.

Sophia blinked, but her vision blurred slightly.

A heaviness crept into her limbs.

Her thoughts began to slow.

"...What..." she murmured faintly.

Selene watched her, her expression calm.

"It is time," she said softly.

Sophia tried to stay upright.

Tried to hold onto the moment.

But the weight pulled her down.

Her body felt distant.

Her mind slipping away from the moment.

Selene’s gaze softened.

"Rest, child," she said gently. "You need it."

Sophia’s eyes fluttered. She tried to fight it, but the pull was too intense.

"One more thing," Selene said to her, but her voice sounded distant, though Sophia could make out the words.

"You may call on me, and I will answer... but only at the right place."

Sophia wanted to ask what the right place was. Where it was located.

She had more questions.

But she couldn’t ask any before sleep took over.