All Chapters of The Goddess' Vessel : Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

41. Rachael. The next morning, an air of forced conviviality hung heavy in the air as Edgar summoned us all to breakfast. It was a transparent attempt to impress Naomi, a display of familial harmony that felt strained and artificial. He wanted to showcase his hospitality, his power, and perhaps, his control over the situation.Last night, Ethan had been conspicuously absent. I had half-expected him to be delayed, given the late-night meeting with his father, but a flicker of disappointment had still flickered within me. A part of me, a foolish, vulnerable part, had hoped he would find a way to slip away, to steal a moment with me, to offer some reassurance.The family breakfast, however, meant a forced gathering, a mandatory display of unity. It also meant that Ethan would be present, a fact that both excited and unsettled me. I would see him, but under the watchful eyes of others, in a setting that demanded civility and restraint.As I made my way down the long, echoing corridor, I

43. Rachael.Ethan's departure, though abrupt, was a welcome reprieve from the stifling atmosphere of the breakfast table. The tension, thick and suffocating, had begun to grate on my nerves, and his sudden exit, coupled with the subtle wink he directed my way, offered a sliver of reassurance. He was leaving, but not abandoning me.The silence that followed his departure was heavy, laden with unspoken questions and lingering unease. Naomi's gaze, sharp and calculating, lingered on the empty space Ethan had occupied, a flicker of something unreadable in her eyes. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, feeling her scrutiny like a physical weight."I don't really feel like eating now," Naomi said. "My appetite is gone.""Well," Nathan drawled, his voice cutting through the silence, "that was...efficient. Ethan, as always, is a man of action." He chuckled, a low, sardonic sound that echoed through the dining room. "Perhaps a little too much action for a breakfast table, but who am I to judge

45. Rachael. I was still in shock, processing what was happening. Everything was happening very fast, all at the same time. My thoughts were muffled in my head, and I was having a hard time thinking. I was dragged between fear and confusion about the following events. A sharp cry, like something out of this world, wheezed past me, and my eyes only caught it for a second as it hit the distant wall and exploded like a deadly firework at close range."Rachael! Look out!—"Sarah had screamed, but I was a little slow to react. Maybe I hadn't even reacted to it at all because everything slowed down before me, like time itself had been stretched to its limits. Another screamer wheezed past me, its eerie, inhuman cry piercing the air, but it crashed on the floor twenty meters away, sending shockwaves and debris flying in all directions. The impact was intense, causing the ground to shudder beneath my feet, and the sound of shattering glass and crunching metal filled my ears. I stood frozen

47. Ethan. 20 MINUTES EARLIER. I peered over the broken walls to assess the situation. It was hard to see more than ten meters in any direction because of the unsettled dust. And there was the occasional sound of gunfire around us, with silver bullets, which was a problem for werewolves. I moved away from the wall, keeping my head in a constant swivel. Chekov had gone out for a while to gather our remaining men. It had just been five minutes since he left, an hour since the attack began and there was no use. It was safe to say at this point, a section of the main building in the castle had been blown away. It was just shy of the living quarters of the maids, which gave some relief. The ceiling above me seemed unstable like the first floor would come crashing down with all that damage. My communicator chirped and I held it to my ears. I looked for cover so that I wouldn't be vulnerable in all that ruin. "Speak to me, Chekov.""Sire, Squad One and I are making our way to you. The

49. Ethan. I bent over the rubble, examining a portrait that had fallen face-first against the ground, and talked into my earpiece. "Any luck with taking the rogues prisoner?" I picked up the portrait and hissed, it was a piece from the one that displayed our pack's insignia. "No, my lord. We were going under heavy fire, and we might have gone out a little too hard." The captain of the second squad spoke. I could just imagine the heavy creases on her face. "Understandable." I got on my feet and sighed. It was going to cost a fortune to rebuild, but the real problem was getting back the rare portraits and ornaments that were destroyed. "Assemble the rest of the guys, get some rest. I will see you when I'm done," I said. "Yes, my lord." I ended it and stepped outside. A lot of guards, mostly the common guards walked over the place with the police and some of our forces. I felt a breeze in my chest, and I realised my jacket was still open. I zipped up and continued walking until I s