In that moment, a sudden realization dawned on me. Even after everything I’d done, even after I’d hurt my friend and forced Enyo’s unweaving, I didn’t truly regret my transformation.
“Callista. I am a monster. A Cerberus. I knew, when I saw you in Agrion, that you were mine. That we were meant to be.”
I looked past her at the Acheron’s still surface. How many times had I stood at this pier, never understanding what power waited beneath those dark waters? How many times had I failed to grasp its true connection to Thanatos himself? Did it matter?
“I think now that no matter what Charon had done, this was meant to happen. I would have always come for you. Even if the Moirae had torn me apart, I’d have somehow found a way to come back.”
Callista’s eyes widened. “That’s possible?”
The water below us reflected nothing, darker than the sky above. If it had answers for us, it wouldn’t provide them. “I don’t know,” I said. “But I think it must be. Whatever the lake might have wanted or needed, I think it guided us to each other for a reason.”
Callista fell silent. The temperature had dropped since we’d emerged from the workshop, cold air rising off the water and making her shiver against me. I tightened my hold, sharing what warmth I could.
“Well, you’re not wrong,” a familiar voice suddenly said from behind us. “The Acheron has many secrets and desires. Some matter more than others.”
I yelped and shot to my feet, shielding my mate with my body for the second time that day. My claws scraped against stone as I spun to face the threat.
Loxias stood at the dock’s entrance. He arched a brow at me, not seeming very intimidated by my display. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I thought for sure you’d hear me coming.”
For a few moments, we just stared at each other. The last time we’d spoken, he’d accepted imprisonment for my sake. I’d heard the Moirae had pardoned him, but the experience must have still weighed on him.
“Brother, it’s good to see you,” I greeted him at last, meaning every single word.
“And you. I heard about your transformation from the Moirae, but seeing you recovered is different from simply knowing it.”
“Theron was worried after… After everything,” Callista said as she got up. “How are you handling things?”
Loxias huffed under his breath. “There’s nothing to handle, Callista. I told Theron at the Erebus Cells. The Moirae are always right.”
Callista looked like she wanted to protest, and why wouldn’t she? Regardless of the result, the Moirae had in fact ordered my imprisonment. Loxias stopped her before she could say a word. “My actions followed the nature they wove into my soul when they created me. They always knew what I’d choose.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. How had I missed just how self-sacrificing he could be? “You still chose it. You could have found a way to avoid getting involved in my mess entirely.”
“Could I really?” Loxias tilted his head with genuine curiosity, as if the question truly puzzled him. “When your littermate needs help, you help. It’s as simple as breathing for creatures like us.”
“I suppose it is,” Callista mused. “I feel like we humans like to overcomplicate things. But truths here are far more straightforward, aren’t they?”
We weren’t talking about Loxias any longer, and we all knew it. It was just as well that Loxias wasn’t very inclined to pretend. “Indeed. Which brings me to why I’m here instead of simply sending word.”
“Official business?” I asked, recognizing the subtle change in his posture.
“The Moirae request your presence.” His voice took on the formal cadence he used when delivering our leaders’ messages. “They’re waiting for you both in the Weavers’ Hall.”
Callista leaned in closer to me, and I could hear her heart starting to race. “Are we in trouble?”
“Only the Moirae ever know their true intent,” Loxias replied, “but if you want my opinion… I think you both know what this is about.”
The claiming ceremony. But we both knew it was time, and clearly, so did the Moirae. The realization sent excitement and nervousness through me in equal measure.
“Are you ready?” I asked Callista, squeezing her fingers gently.
Callista looked at me, and there was no uncertainty lurking in her gaze. Only the same determination that had kept her fighting in Agrion, the fierceness that had made her slap Charon. “I’ve been ready since you bought me at the bride market.”
We both had been, and now, there would be no one getting in our way. I would finally claim my soulmate, forever.
Chapter 13
The Final Claim
