CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
DANIEL'S POV
I made my decision.
No more hesitation.
No more confusion.
No more weakness.
I was a prince before anything else.
Before love.
Before guilt.
Before her.
For days, I had been fighting with my thoughts, trying to find another way.
But there was none.
Every path led to the same truth.
Tanya was dangerous.
Her power… her anger… her past.
If I allowed myself to fall for her, I would be betraying my kingdom, my people, and everything I stood for.
And I could not allow that.
"I will end this," I whispered to myself.
Even if it meant becoming the very monster I hated.
That night, the covenant was quiet.
Most of the witches had returned to their packs after the full moon celebrations.
The air was still.
Too still.
I moved silently through the shadows, careful not to make a sound.
My heart was beating fast—not from fear, but from determination.
Tonight, I would take the roots of the baobab tree.
After that…
I would burn everything.
The thought sent a cold wave through my chest.
But I pushed it away.
"This is for my people," I reminded myself.
As I got closer to the sacred baobab tree, I suddenly heard voices.
I froze.
Carefully, I stepped closer and hid behind the thick roots, controlling my breathing.
"My princess," a witch spoke softly, "our spy has returned from the human territory."
My heart skipped.
A spy?
"Speak," Tanya's voice commanded, cold and steady.
"The information has been confirmed," the witch continued. "Tomorrow morning, there will be a board meeting at Zarion Global Enterprises—the company your parents left behind."
My body tensed instantly.
"They are planning to officially hand over everything to Marah," she added. "Your cousin will be announced as the new CEO."
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
Then Tanya laughed softly.
But there was no joy in it.
Only pain.
Only anger.
"So… they finally decided to erase me completely," she said.
Her voice sent chills down my spine.
"They think I am dead," she continued slowly. "They think they can take what belongs to me… and walk away."
"No, my princess," another witch said. "We are ready. Just give us the command."
I leaned closer, my heart pounding harder.
"Tomorrow," Tanya said.
"One day… is all they have left."
My breath caught.
"I will go there myself," she continued.
"They will see me. They will remember everything they did to me."
Her voice dropped lower.
Colder.
"And this time…"
"No one will save them."
A murmur of approval spread among the witches.
"We will stand with you, Princess," one of them said.
"No," Tanya replied firmly.
Silence fell again.
"This is mine," she said.
"I will take back what belongs to me."
Her voice turned deadly.
"And anyone who stands in my way…"
"Will fall."
My chest tightened.
This was not just revenge.
This was personal.
Tanya wasn't going to attack a kingdom.
She was going back…
To reclaim her life.
But the way she planned to do it—
That was what terrified me.
I stepped back slowly, my mind racing.
Everything had changed.
Without wasting another second, I turned and ran.
I didn't stop until I reached the Snake Pack.
"Jerry," I called urgently.
He appeared moments later, his expression serious.
"What happened?" he asked.
"They are planning something," I said, trying to catch my breath. "Tanya… she is going back to the human world."
Jerry frowned. "For what?"
"To take revenge," I replied. "Tomorrow there is a board meeting at Zarion Global Enterprises. They are giving her inheritance to her cousin."
His eyes widened slightly.
"She is going there to reclaim everything," I continued. "And I don't think she plans to do it peacefully."
Silence.
"I am going to take the roots tonight," I said firmly. "Before she leaves."
Jerry's expression hardened.
"No."
I frowned.
"We can still stop this," I insisted. "If I take the roots and destroy this place, she won't have the power to harm anyone."
"And you think that is justice?" Jerry asked calmly.
"It is necessary," I snapped.
"No," he said. "It is evil."
His words struck me.
"You are becoming the very thing you hate," he continued.
I clenched my fists.
"They will destroy innocent lives!"
"And you will burn an entire covenant?" he replied. "Are they all your enemies?"
Silence filled the space between us.
"She is going to kill them," I said quietly.
"Or she is going to confront them," Jerry corrected. "You don't know that."
I looked away.
"Go with her," he said.
"What?"
"Follow her to the human world," Jerry continued. "Stand there. Face her. Tell her the truth."
I stared at him in disbelief.
"She will kill me the moment she finds out who I am."
"Maybe," he said.
"That's your plan?" I asked bitterly.
"It's better than becoming a monster," he replied.
His words stayed with me.
"You said it yourself," he added. "She was not born evil."
I closed my eyes.
Tanya's face appeared in my mind.
Her anger.
Her pain.
The way she saved me.
Then her voice echoed again—
"You chose me."
My chest tightened.
"I don't know what to do," I admitted quietly.
Jerry nodded.
"Then choose the path you can live with."
Silence.
War.
Or truth.
Destruction.
Or redemption.
And somewhere between those choices…
Stood Tanya.
END OF CHAPTER EIGHTEEN