Chapter 142

Skylar

The need to prevent Aron from raping me in the future is too strong, and I jump over him while in my

wolf form. He falls down on his back, eyes. widened with fear as his eyes meet mine.

At this time, he isn’t the cold–blooded person I met as a child, but a teenage boy who has not yet

committed the atrocities of his future self. Still, my heart hardens at the sight of him, for I know the

monster he will become.

“Skylar… that’s your name, right?” he whispers, eyes filled with terror and confusion. “Don’t kill me…”

Jinx’s pleas echo in my mind, but I push them away. This is my choice and my future I’m changing. I

open my mouth, ready to tear him apart, but freeze when I hear Lucas‘ voice coming from behind me.

“If you want him dead, go ahead. I won’t stop you. Just remember that you’re sinking down to his level,

Skylar. I know what he did to you. It was terrible and something you will never truly recover from, but

don’t you think it all worked out in the end, anyway? You’re with me now.”

‘I know,’ I respond through the mind–link. ‘But if this man didn’t ruin me, I wouldn’t have rejected you

the first time we met, Lucas. We wouldn’t have to suffer!*

…but is killing him truly the answer? You could just threaten him, you

know.

I snarl, my mind consumed with the thirst for vengeance. How dare he suggest threatening a monster

who will grow up to ruin countless lives! Yet… I can’t ignore the whisper of reason in his words.

‘He is also your mate, Skylar,‘ Jinx reminds me in a soft voice. ‘Lucas. doesn’t mean you any harm. If

you kill Aron, however, there is no telling. what will happen to the future you built…hell, we don’t even

know how it

has changed with this little fix we’ve just made.‘

The weight of Jinx’s words freezes me in place. My beastly claws hover just inches from Aron’s throat,

my pulse thrumming in my ears.

Aron swallows hard, his fear–saturated scent hitting my nose, triggering another wave of uncontrolled

rage. His eyes beg for mercy. What shall I do with him? It’s a decision between the monster he is and

the innocent boy he is.

“Skylar…” Lucas whispers, reaching out to touch my fluffy shoulder lightly, careful not to startle me. The

burning light has died down now, leaving him as his normal human self again – albeit with wings. “Think

about this.”

He’s right. Killing Aron wouldn’t make me any better than him. But the thought of leaving him alive after

everything he will do in the future…

‘Lucas… I whisper hoarsely through the mind–link, turning to look at him. for the first time since

everything ended. ‘I…can’t kill him. I want to, but I can’t. Does that mean I’m weak?‘

Lucas’s gaze is soft yet strong as he meets mine, understanding washing over his handsome features.

For a moment, we just stand there–two souls interlocked in a silent conversation.

…but eventually, I can’t stand it. I want to hug him so badly that I shape- shift back into a human and

run into his arms. He is just as eager to hold

1. me.

“It’s okay,” he murmurs against my forehead, pulling me into a gentle. embrace. His angel wings

blanket us both, giving us a brief moment of privacy.

“I want to go back,” I tell him. “Can I open a portal now?”

“I don’t see why not,” he says. “We are done here, aren’t we?”

I smile at him then, and Jinx smiles inside my head when I use my powers. to take us back to our time.

A portal opens underneath us, and suddenly, we are back inside my parents‘ kitchen, no longer at

Lucas‘ place. Nothing

much has changed, but I immediately notice that the light is back, and the eternal darkness is long

gone.

“Welcome back,” my Dad says and I turn around to see him and my Mom sitting by the kitchen table.

I blink at them. “Did…something change?”

“Change?” my Dad blinks. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I see that you took care of

Lucian. It’s no longer dark, and guess what?”

“What?”

“Your Mom will live a long, healthy life,” he grins. “We found the well, and I’m proud to say we are

currently sharing my life force. Her cancer is but a memory.”

Joy blooms in my chest, and I look over at Mom. She’s glowing, her cheeks flushed with life, and her

eyes sparkling with unshed tears.

“Oh, Skylar…” she breathes, standing to pull me into a tight hug. “I’m so proud of you for having

defeated that terrible demon all on your own.”

Happiness swells within me at the words, pushing back the dark clouds. that had threatened to

consume my thoughts. We’ve won. There’s no longer darkness hanging over our heads, no prophecy

of doom waiting to snatch away the happiness we’ve fought so hard for.

Lucas squeezes my hand. “I’m proud of you, too,” he says quietly.

“Yes,” I murmur, leaning into him. “We did it together.”

But even as joy swells in my chest, a thought nags at the back of my mind:

what had become of him? Had I made the right call sparing his

Aron

life?

“Your memories aren’t different,’ Jinx points out. ‘So maybe everything is exactly the same, and Lucian

disappeared right at this moment? I have no idea how it works…”

‘So that bastard still raped me…‘

“Yup…”

‘I guess not everyone can be helped…well, whatever. He is dead in this timeline anyway.”

“True.’

I look around the kitchen some more, pausing, when I realize my sister and her fairy mate are nowhere

to be seen. “Umm…where the hell is Irma?”

My parents exchange a smile before my Mom looks at me, her face sweet but serious. “Irma is waiting

for you guys in the magical realm so she can show you the way to the well. I mean, you probably want

to share your lifespan with my daughter, right?” She asks Lucas with a pointed look, and I have to stifle

a laugh.

Does he even have a choice at this point?

Lucas, however, doesn’t look startled. “I do, and I also imagine my parents. would like the same thing

for them. Is it okay if I call them?”

“Of course, Lucas,” my mother’s voice is warm and inviting. “I’m sure they will want this too.”