Triple Moon Rising: An Omega's Destiny
Chapter 66: Morrigan’s End

Chapter 66: Morrigan’s End

Aiden POV

Morrigan stumbled backward, holding her chest where her heart should be. Without her stolen wolf bonds, she looked like what she really was - a broken old woman who had lived way too long.

"Stay back!" she screamed, but her voice cracked like dry leaves. "I still have power!"

She raised her hands, trying to summon the dark magic that had terrorized packs for ages. Nothing happened. Not even a spark.

"It’s over, Morrigan," I said, moving closer with my brothers beside me. "Lily broke your spell. You can’t hurt anyone anymore."

The old witch laughed, but it sounded more like crying. "You think this ends with me? You stupid boy, I was just the beginning!"

Behind us, those shadow things were still surrounding Lily, treating her like some kind of dark queen. My stomach twisted watching her stand there so calmly, like she didn’t care that she was becoming something frightening. But right now, I had to focus on Morrigan. One problem at a time.

"You stole bonds from thousands of wolves," Brock growled, his hands clenched. "Families forgot they loved each other because of you."

"Because I was in pain!" Morrigan shrieked. "My mate died! My children died! I lost everything, so why should anyone else get to be happy?"

I felt a stab of pity for her, which shocked me. As the future Alpha, I’d been trained to see enemies as just that - enemies. But looking at this broken woman, I could almost understand how sadness had twisted her into something evil.

"Losing people doesn’t give you the right to destroy other families," I said strongly. "There were other ways to handle your pain."

"Easy words from someone who’s never lost anything," she spat.

That hit harder than I expected. She was right. I’d never lost a mate or children. I’d never felt the kind of sadness that could drive someone insane. What if I had? Would I have made better choices?

"Maybe," I admitted. "But that doesn’t make what you did okay."

Morrigan’s face sagged. For a moment, she looked less like an ancient evil witch and more like someone’s grandma. "I know," she whispered. "I’ve known for so long, but I couldn’t stop. The hatred became all I had left."

Caleb stepped forward, and I could see him struggling with his own feelings. Without his memories of loving Lily, he seemed lost, like he was trying to figure out who he was supposed to be.

"It’s not too late," he said softly. "You could try to make things right."

Morrigan laughed bitterly. "Make things right? Boy, I’ve been stealing love for three hundred years. There’s no coming back from that."

"Then why are you still fighting?" I asked.

She went very still. "Because if I stop fighting, I have to face what I’ve become. And I don’t think I’m strong enough for that."

The honesty in her voice caught me off guard. This wasn’t the powerful sorceress who’d terrified the wolf world. This was just a scared, broken woman who’d been running from her guilt for ages.

"You don’t have to face it alone," I said, shocking myself. "The pack council could—"

"No!" Morrigan’s eyes blazed with sudden anger. "You don’t understand! I didn’t just steal bonds because I was angry. I was hiding them. Protecting them!"

"Protecting them from what?" Brock asked.

Morrigan’s look shifted to Lily, who was still standing calmly among those shadow creatures. "From her. From what she was always meant to become."

My blood ran cold. "What are you talking about?"

"The Triple Moon Bearer," Morrigan said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "You think she was born to save wolves? She was born to rule them. To control every bond, every link, every feeling between mates and families."

"That’s impossible," I said, but doubt was creeping into my voice. "Lily would never—"

"Lily already is," Morrigan interrupted. "Look at her! She absorbed that Shadow Beast like it was nothing. Those animals bow to her because they recognize what she’s becoming - the Dark Moon."

The Dark Moon. I’d heard whispers of that legend, stories so old most wolves thought they were just fairy tales. A Triple Moon Bearer who turned to darkness, who could control love itself instead of just healing broken ties.

"You’re lying," Caleb said furiously. "Lily saved everyone. She’s a hero."

"Heroes who sacrifice everything often become the very thing they fought against," Morrigan replied sadly. "I should know. I was a hero once too."

That stopped us all cold. Morrigan had been a hero?

"Surprised?" she asked, seeing our looks. "Three hundred years ago, I was just like your sweet Lily. I had the Triple Moon Mark. I saved my pack from a terrible curse. And in doing so, I emptied myself of all love and warmth, leaving only darkness behind."

"No," I breathed. "That’s not possible."

Morrigan pulled back the sleeve of her torn robe, showing her own wrist. There, faded but still visible, were three black crescents exactly like the ones now marking Lily’s skin.

"The cycle repeats," she said. "Every few centuries, a new Triple Moon Bearer appears. They save the world from some great evil, sacrifice their ability to love, and then become the next great evil for the following Bearer to fight."

I felt sick. "So you’re saying Lily is going to become like you?"

"Worse," Morrigan whispered. "I only stole love. She can order it. Make wolves love who she wants them to love, hate who she wants them to hate. She could change every relationship in the world according to her will."

"But she wouldn’t do that," Brock objected. "She’s not evil."

"Neither was I," Morrigan said. "Evil isn’t born, boys. It’s formed by good people who lose everything that made them good."

Behind us, I heard Lily laugh - a cold, empty sound that made my skin crawl. When I turned, she was petting one of the shadow things like it was a friendly dog.

"The emptiness grows," Morrigan continued. "First she won’t be able to feel love. Then she won’t be able to remember why love matters. Then she’ll decide that love is just weakness holding wolves back from their true potential."

"How do we stop it?" I asked desperately.

Morrigan’s smile was sad. "You can’t. The only way to break the circle is for a Triple Moon Bearer to choose love over power. But how can she choose something she can no longer feel?"

"There has to be a way," I maintained.

"There is," Morrigan said quietly. "But you won’t like it."

"Tell us!"

She looked directly at Caleb. "The mate bond. If he can somehow remember loving her - really remember, not just know it happened - it might support her humanity. But—"

Her words were cut off as something huge crashed through the trees. Not another dark creature, but something far worse. It looked like a dragon made of pure black, with eyes like burning coals and wings that blotted out the moon.

"What is that thing?" Brock shouted.

Morrigan’s face went white with fear. "The Void Eater. The thing I’ve been running from for three centuries."

The thing landed between us and Lily, who turned to face it with no fear at all. If anything, she looked happy.

"Hello, old friend," she said to the monster, her voice booming with dark power.

"Lily, get away from that thing!" I yelled.

But she just smiled, and for the first time since losing her feelings, she looked truly happy. "Why would I run from my destiny?"

The Void Eater dropped its massive head, and Lily reached out to stroke its snout like she was greeting a beloved pet.

"My queen," the thing rumbled in a voice like thunder. "I have waited so long for your awakening."

Morrigan grabbed my arm with shaking hands. "It’s too late," she whispered. "She’s already chosen her side."