Banishment and Redemption
This chapter contains spoilers for the entire series. It’s taken from The Lost Moments, so if you haven’t read the books yet, read at your own risk. For those who have—and who want to understand why Sierra did the awful things she did in Books Three and Four—this is your chance to follow along. Each week, I’ll be posting a new chapter from Sierra’s POV in order, showing her side of the story as it unfolds during the events of Books Three and Four.
Justin didn’t return until late in the afternoon. I wasn’t sure exactly what time he’d left, but it had been dark, probably around three in the morning.
The hours dragged on as I stayed rooted in the living room, too anxious to explore the house and see what had changed in my absence.
When he finally walked back in alone, I let out a sigh of relief. No guards. No one here to arrest me.
“They’ve decided against it,” he said when I rose to meet him. “But I have sole custody of Elijah now. And you’re officially banned from the magical realms. I’m taking you to the portal to the Mortal Realm. From this moment forward, you’re not allowed to set foot in any magical realm ever again.”
A part of me had prepared for the worst all morning and afternoon, imagining being dragged off to spend my life in a cell. Losing custody of Elijah hurt more than I could express, but compared to what I feared, it felt almost like mercy. I had already known Justin would win sole custody.
“Why isn’t it harsher?” I asked, wincing as he grabbed my arm, his grip painfully tight, likely preparing to teleport us.
“They think you saved lives with your plan,” he said, his voice dripping with disgust. “So no one is going to punish you, though we spent all day trying to convince them to sentence you to jail for kidnapping Amber and the twins. I’m sure you think you don’t deserve it—”
“I do, actually,” I interrupted. It wasn’t a lie.
I’d had hours to reflect on everything I’d done, all the deaths that were my fault—Sebastian, Scott, Hilda, Kellen. Their faces haunted me.
“If that had been the decision, I wouldn’t have fought it. Losing Elijah hurts, but I can’t deny it’s the right call. Justin, I’ve already told you, I didn’t enjoy any of it. I hated every second. Sleeping with Fergus—” I swallowed the bile rising in my throat. “That’s one of my deepest regrets. But I would do it all again if it meant saving the realms, preserving lives, even at the cost of losing you and Elijah.”
“You lost me a long time ago, Sierra,” Justin said coldly, his words like a blade slicing through me. Another wave of hurt, another scar for my soul. I just nodded.
His grip tightened, and within seconds, he teleported us to one of the busiest portals leading to the Mortal Realm.
Normally, when I used it, the area wasn’t crowded, but today it was. A long line of people waiting to get checked off stretched in front of us, and as soon as some of them recognized me, the insults began.
“Traitor!”
“Monster!”
Justin had to throw up a shield when a woman lunged at me, her fury palpable.
Because of the growing hostility, the guards moved us to the front of the line. The jeers, the hateful glares—they followed me like a storm. It wasn’t long before we passed through the portal, only for Justin to immediately teleport us again, this time to my father’s farmhouse.
“Your father agreed to let you stay here for now,” Justin said before I could even ask. “You have nowhere else to go. No one else wants you—not even your mother. We all hate you. If it weren’t for Elijah, I’d tell you goodbye forever. But unfortunately, that’s not possible.”
His voice turned venomous. “Get your life together, Sierra, or you won’t ever see him. You’re a horrible person. I regret the day I met you at sixteen. If it hadn’t been for my hormones, I might’ve seen you for what you really are.
“Marrying you was the worst mistake of my life. If I could go back in time, I’d tell myself to stay away—but then again, I wouldn’t have Elijah. Thank the stars he looks nothing like you. It’s bad enough that when I bring him to see you, I’ll have the constant reminder that you and I were ever together. You’re someone your mother should’ve swallowed or aborted. Even your mother admits you’re a mistake. I hate you more than words can describe and I reject you forever as my mate.”
The moon mate bond severed more viciously than I’d ever felt before. The pain was excruciating, far worse than his last rejection, cutting through my entire being like I was being torn apart from the inside out. I collapsed to my knees, the agony stealing my breath, but Justin had already teleported away.
I was left alone, kneeling in the snow, sobbing as the pain ripped through me again and again. It felt like shards of ice were stabbing my heart, my soul, and my mind, and I had no choice but to endure it alone.
I nearly leapt out of my skin when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Startled, I looked up, and to my surprise, I saw my father staring down at me with concern in his eyes.
He didn’t say a word as he gently pulled me up, wrapping his arms around me. The moment his embrace tightened, I broke again. The walls I had tried so hard to hold up crumbled as I buried my face in his chest, sobbing uncontrollably. His arms stayed firm, anchoring me as I let it all out.
I wasn’t sure how long we stood there in the biting winter wind, but eventually, he pulled away, his hand gripping mine, and led me toward the house.
“You don’t have to let me stay here,” I told him as we trudged through the snow. “I understand if you hate me, too.”
“I don’t hate you,” he responded, his voice low but steady. “I’m furious with you, Sierra. I won’t lie about that. But it’s hard to hate my child, no matter what you’ve done. Maybe I have a clearer head than the others, but I can see that while everything you did was messed up, your intentions were in the right place. I think many of them are being too harsh on you.”
“Good intentions aren’t always enough,” I said softly, wiping my tears with the back of my free hand. “Dad, I messed everything up. All I wanted was to save everyone. I didn’t want anyone else to die. I hated taking Amber’s and Carly’s kids. I hated keeping Elijah from Justin—”
“I know,” he interrupted. “I’ve seen all your memories. I saw them in the field and was at the Fae Enforcer Office when Madeline was showing them. I disagree with the others who think you deserve a harsh sentence. Life is going to be hard enough on you as it is. But that being said, you can’t stay here forever. You have six months to find a job and a place to live.”
Six months. My stomach twisted. I knew it was generous, but the weight of everything I’d done made it hard to imagine starting over.
“Billy won’t come back if you’re here,” Dad continued, his tone firm. “I still want you in my life, but you need to do something. You can rest for a week or two here, but I expect you to start looking for work after that. You’ll help me with the farm, of course. You’ve always been helpful, and I appreciate that. But this isn’t a vacation, Sierra. This isn’t a free ride. We can talk about it if you need more than six months, but you’ll be signing a contract once we’re inside.”
“A contract?” I asked, confused.
“It turns out I’m magical, too,” Dad explained, his expression softening as he gave me a small smile. “A light magic wielder, which I guess is where you got it from. I discovered it the more I spent time in the magical realms. And your mother… she’s my moon mate. She’s staying away while you’re here, but we plan to marry eventually.”
I blinked in shock, the flood of revelations hitting me all at once.
“Wait, what? Mom’s your moon mate?”
“Yeah, there’s a lot to catch you up on.” He gave me a gentle nudge toward the door. “Come on, let’s get inside.”