CHAPTER FORTY FIVE
THE GODMOTHER'S POV
From the very beginning…
Something inside me refused to let Daniel die.
Even when the ancestors ordered me to spare him, I knew there was another reason hidden deep within my heart.
I just did not understand it.
Humans feared us.
They trembled before witches.
Some fainted from terror before even stepping near the covenant.
But Daniel…
That young prince stood before death itself without fear.
Even when Tanya's dark powers surrounded him for the first time, his eyes never carried hatred or terror.
Instead—
There was familiarity.
And every time I looked at him, my heart felt strangely restless.
At first, I ignored it.
I convinced myself it was because Tanya cared for him.
But the more I watched him…
The more uneasy I became.
Especially after I saw the golden ring.
The moment my eyes landed on Daniel's finger, my entire body froze.
That ring.
Impossible.
My breathing became uneven as memories I buried long ago came rushing back into my mind like a violent storm.
Prince Alouis.
The snake pack.
Forbidden love.
Our child.
"No…" I whispered under my breath.
Daniel frowned slightly.
"What is wrong?"
I stepped closer slowly, my eyes fixed on the ring.
"Where did you get this?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly.
Daniel looked confused by my reaction.
"My mother gave it to me."
My heart nearly stopped.
That ring…
I would recognize it anywhere in the world.
Because I was the one who placed it around my child's neck.
Suddenly, my hands began to shake.
The ancestors…
The sacred baobab tree…
The spirits protecting Daniel again and again…
Everything started making sense.
No wonder destiny kept dragging him back to the covenant.
No wonder Tanya's fate became tied to his.
I looked at Daniel again.
And for the first time—
I truly saw him.
Not as a prince.
Not as Tanya's lover.
But as something far more terrifying.
A secret buried by fate itself.
"We need to confirm something immediately," I said firmly.
Before Daniel could ask another question, I raised my staff and began chanting sacred words.
Dark wind exploded around us instantly.
The ground trembled beneath our feet.
Then—
WHOOSH!
The world around us disappeared.
Seconds later, we appeared inside my private chamber deep within the covenant.
The room was ancient.
Cold.
The walls were covered with strange symbols glowing faintly in blue light.
At the center of the chamber stood the sacred mirror.
A massive silver mirror surrounded by black candles and ancient bones.
Daniel stared at it cautiously.
"What is this place?" he asked quietly.
"The place where truth cannot hide," I answered.
I walked toward the mirror slowly.
Then turned toward him.
"Cut your finger."
Daniel looked confused but obeyed without question.
Using a small dagger, he cut his finger lightly.
Drops of blood fell onto the surface of the sacred mirror.
The moment his blood touched it—
The mirror began to shake violently.
The candles extinguished instantly.
Dark smoke filled the chamber.
Then I closed my eyes and started chanting ancient sacred words.
The room trembled harder.
The mirror turned black completely.
And slowly—
Images began to appear.
A woman screamed painfully inside a small candlelit room.
Daniel froze instantly.
"That's my mother…" he whispered.
I stared silently.
Queen Eleanor lay on a bed soaked in sweat and blood as a midwife helped her through labor.
But suddenly—
Another scream echoed beside her.
The mirror shifted slightly.
And my entire body froze.
On another bed…
Was me.
Younger.
Weak.
Terrified.
I was also in labor.
Daniel looked at me in shock.
"What is happening?"
I could not answer.
Because my own heart was breaking.
The vision continued.
Queen Eleanor gave birth first.
But moments later—
The midwife lowered her head sadly.
"Your Majesty…" she whispered painfully.
"The child did not survive."
Queen Eleanor screamed in heartbreak, clutching the lifeless child tightly against her chest.
Tears streamed down Daniel's face silently as he watched his mother crying desperately.
Then suddenly—
The chamber doors opened.
And another woman entered.
The Great Queen of Witches.
My mother.
The former ruler of the covenant.
Her face was cold but worried.
She walked toward the bed where my younger self lay exhausted after giving birth to a healthy baby boy.
My breath stopped completely.
The baby…
Daniel.
My mother looked at the child sadly before turning toward the midwife.
"You must tell her the child died," she ordered firmly.
The midwife gasped in shock.
"But Your Majesty—"
"She cannot keep this child," my mother interrupted sharply.
"The wolf pack prince will kill her if he discovers the truth."
Tears filled my eyes.
The vision continued mercilessly.
My younger self was too weak to move.
Too weak to fight.
And while I drifted in and out of consciousness—
The midwife took the baby away.
Daniel stepped backward slowly, unable to breathe properly.
"No…" he whispered.
Then suddenly—
Queen Eleanor grabbed the midwife desperately.
"Please…" she cried.
"My marriage is already falling apart."
Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
"The king planned to take another wife because I failed to give him a child."
She looked toward the dead infant beside her.
Then toward Daniel.
"I beg you… give me the child."
The midwife hesitated.
Queen Eleanor quickly removed expensive gold jewelry and bags filled with money.
"Please save my marriage," she begged painfully.
The midwife looked conflicted.
Then slowly—
She exchanged the babies.
Daniel's breathing became uneven.
His entire body shook violently.
The vision shifted again.
Queen Eleanor held Daniel tightly against her chest while crying tears of relief.
"My son…"
Meanwhile—
My younger self woke up weakly.
Immediately searching for her child.
"My baby…" I whispered weakly.
The midwife lowered her head.
"I'm sorry…"
"Your son died after birth."
The scream that escaped my younger self shattered my heart all over again.
I removed the golden ring Prince Alouis gave me as a token of love, and I begged the midwife to let me place it around my child's neck before they buried him.
Even after all these years…
The vision ended instantly.
The mirror cracked violently.
BOOM!
The chamber became silent.
Daniel stood frozen.
Completely speechless.
His entire world had just collapsed.
He looked at me slowly.
Painfully.
And for the first time in many years—
I cried.
Not as a queen.
Not as a witch.
But as a mother.
"My son…" I whispered brokenly.
The words escaped before I could stop them.
Daniel's eyes widened painfully.
Tears rolled freely down his face.
"Prince Alouis…" I whispered again, remembering the man I once loved more than life itself.
The man who died without ever knowing his child survived.
I wanted to hug Daniel.
To comfort him.
To tell him how many years I mourned him.
But suddenly—
The sacred drums outside echoed loudly across the covenant.
DOOM!
DOOM!
DOOM!
My heart stopped instantly.
The sacrifice.
Tanya.
Daniel looked toward the chamber doors immediately.
Fear filled his eyes.
"Tanya…" he breathed.
I wiped my tears quickly and grabbed my staff.
"There is no more time," I said firmly.
My voice hardened instantly.
"They are going to kill her."
Daniel's expression darkened with fury.
"No one touches my family."
Dark wind exploded around us violently.
And together—
Mother and son prepared to face destiny itself.
END OF CHAPTER FORTY FIVE