CHAPTER FORTY
TANYA'S POV
The covenant no longer felt like home.
Every corner of the sacred forest carried whispers about me.
About my child.
About the calamity that was coming.
I walked slowly through the dark pathways of the covenant with one hand resting protectively on my stomach. The night wind moved gently through the ancient trees, but it did nothing to calm the storm inside my heart.
For the first time in my life—
I understood fear differently.
Not fear for myself.
But fear for someone else.
My child.
The innocent life growing inside me.
Two months ago, I would have laughed at the idea of becoming a mother.
I was Tanya.
The feared witch of the covenant.
Cruel.
Cold.
Merciless.
Yet now—
Everything inside me had changed.
Ever since my godmother revealed the sacrifice required to cleanse the covenant, I could no longer sleep peacefully.
The spirits demanded innocent blood.
My baby's blood.
Every time I thought about it, my chest tightened painfully.
How could they ask me to destroy the only pure thing I had ever created?
I closed my eyes briefly.
Daniel's face appeared inside my mind immediately.
Even after erasing his memories…
Even after running away from him…
My heart still belonged to him completely.
And that was the greatest weakness of all.
The covenant hated weakness.
Especially love.
That was why I avoided everyone.
I stopped attending gatherings.
Stopped participating in rituals.
Even the witches who once feared and respected me now looked at me differently.
Some pitied me.
Others hated me openly.
To them, I was no longer Tanya the powerful witch.
I was the woman who brought calamity.
The woman carrying an abomination.
That evening, dark clouds gathered heavily above the covenant. The sacred baobab tree stood silently at the center of the territory, its branches unusually still.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
As I walked near the royal chambers, familiar voices suddenly reached my ears.
I stopped immediately.
Prince Raymond.
My expression darkened instantly.
Slowly, I stepped closer before using magic to conceal my presence completely.
Inside the chamber stood Prince Raymond and several elders from the western witch covenant.
My godmother sat upon her throne quietly, but I could already sense the tension filling the room.
Prince Raymond looked exactly the same as before.
Arrogant.
Proud.
Dangerous.
His sharp eyes burned with anger as he stared at my godmother.
"You are risking everyone's lives because of one reborn witch," he said coldly.
The elders beside him nodded in agreement.
My godmother remained calm.
"Tanya is still part of this covenant," she replied firmly.
Raymond laughed bitterly.
"A part of the covenant?" he mocked. "She carries a forbidden child inside her womb. The gods themselves have gone silent because of her sins."
Silence filled the room.
Even hearing those words hurt me deeply.
But Raymond was not finished.
"If Tanya and that unborn child are not eliminated," he continued darkly, "war will fall upon this covenant."
My breathing became uneven.
War?
One elderly witch stepped forward angrily.
"Prince Raymond is right," she said loudly. "The spirits are angry. The covenant is already weakening."
Another elder spoke immediately after.
"All this destruction because of a human reborn as a witch."
My hands clenched tightly beside me.
Human.
Even after all these years, they still saw me as an outsider.
A mistake.
Raymond turned toward my godmother again.
"You are blinded because Tanya is your favorite," he accused coldly. "But a true queen protects her people first."
My godmother's expression hardened instantly.
"She is my daughter."
"She is your downfall," Raymond snapped back.
The room exploded into arguments immediately.
Several elders began demanding Tanya's execution openly.
Others accused my godmother of endangering the covenant because of emotion.
Then the words that shattered my heart completely were finally spoken.
"If the queen refuses to protect the covenant," one elder declared loudly, "then perhaps she is no longer fit to rule."
The room fell silent instantly.
My heartbeat slowed painfully.
They wanted to dethrone her.
Another elder lowered his head respectfully toward Raymond.
"Prince Raymond should become the next ruler of the united covenants."
My eyes widened in shock.
So this was his true goal all along.
Power.
He was using my child as an excuse to seize control.
Raymond remained silent, but the victorious smirk on his face revealed everything.
My godmother slowly stood from her throne.
Dark energy surrounded her instantly.
"I am still your queen," she warned coldly.
The room trembled slightly beneath her power.
But even then—
Fear remained inside the elders' eyes.
Not fear of her.
Fear of the prophecy.
Fear of the calamity.
And suddenly…
I understood something painful.
This was no longer only about me.
My existence was destroying the person who loved me most.
My godmother.
The woman who saved me when I was dying.
The woman who gave me a home.
And now—
Because of me—
They wanted her throne.
Her life.
Tears burned painfully inside my eyes.
Quietly, I stepped away from the chamber before anyone sensed me.
The forest suddenly felt colder than before.
I walked aimlessly until I reached my chambers.
Then finally—
I broke down.
For the first time in many years, helpless tears fell freely down my face.
"I'm sorry…" I whispered weakly while holding my stomach.
My child shifted slightly inside me as if responding to my pain.
That only made crying harder.
I had spent my entire life surviving.
Fighting.
Hating.
Seeking revenge.
But now—
The people I loved were suffering because of me.
Hours later, I made my decision.
The next morning, I walked directly into the royal chamber where my godmother waited alone.
The moment she saw my face, sadness filled her eyes immediately.
"Tanya—"
"I will do it," I interrupted softly.
Her expression froze.
"Within three market days," I continued painfully, "I will sacrifice myself and the child."
"No," she whispered immediately.
But I shook my head slowly.
"This covenant has already suffered enough because of me."
My godmother's eyes became glossy with tears.
"You are my daughter."
"And you are my mother," I whispered brokenly. "That is exactly why I cannot destroy everything you protected for centuries."
Silence filled the room.
Even the spirits seemed quiet.
That night, my godmother visited my chambers secretly.
She sat beside me silently for a long time before finally speaking.
"Run away."
I looked at her slowly.
"Take the child and leave the covenant," she pleaded softly. "I will handle the rest."
Pain stabbed deeply into my chest.
I knew what that meant.
If I escaped—
The elders and Raymond would turn against her completely.
"She will die," I thought painfully.
I shook my head slowly.
"I can't."
"Tanya—"
"If I leave, they will destroy you."
My godmother looked away silently because she knew I was right.
The room became painfully quiet.
Then finally—
I made one final decision.
Before I died…
I wanted to see Daniel one last time.
Not Sandra.
Not a stranger hiding behind lies.
But Tanya.
The real Tanya.
And before the end came—
I would return his memories.
Even if it destroyed him.
Even if he hated me afterward.
At least…
He deserved the truth.