Chapter 77


    Chapter Seventy–Seven


    “This is fake,” I said,ing off far more flustered than I intended. “There is no way there are people out


    there just running around with... with god powers. That‘s... that‘s so stupid.”


    It‘s absurd. Insane. Some sort of joke.


    Because if it was real then that meant my life had been far more controlled than I initially realised. That


    there were powers at be far more advanced out there than just a Goddess mark. And it meant that Cai...


    I wanted to throw up.


    “Based on your reaction,” Elder Luke said, his eyes examining me, “I can‘t help but wonder if this


    discovery isn‘t actually all that foreign to you. Would I be correct in assuming that perhaps you have


    personal insight into the theory?”


    He was right. I was getting overly worked up because a part of me had already started piecing it together


    ... and it scared me. The more I thought about it, the more usible it became.


    Because, truthfully, there was something I was already all too familiar with; my visions. ‘Foresight‘. It fit


    perfectly with the attribute allegedly assigned to my house. But I‘d always thought the ability to see


    ahead was something new, something Selene gave to me only once I returned. What if I‘d always had


    thetent foundation inside me but couldn‘t harness it until after Selene had directly gifted me a piece of


    herself?


    ...What if, prior toing back, the ability had only had enough strength to manifest itself as something


    more diluted, something more normal.


    ...Like a keen interest in strategy; the art of being able to n ahead.


    So that meant the new piece of Selene was sort of like... a booster shot. It wasn‘t just a gift of authority


    and visions.... It was something already written inside my DNA, just enhancing me to the point of


    unnatural ability


    But what did this mean for Aleric and Cai then? What did this mean for all of us?


    And, quickly, I started to wonder something else too.


    ...Like if this had something to do with why Selene brought me back.


    In the past Aleric and I had joined together to kill Cai... and then Aleric had killed me. We ended up


    destroying each other. Was this what it hade down to the entire time? Some more bullshit because o


    f Selene? ...But then how did Thea equate into this?


    The room then started to sway as pangs of a headache began pulsing in my head.


    This was too much. Too much information to process all at once. And that was just with me ignoring


    every rabbit hole of dark thoughts I wanted to fall into rting to my prior rtionship with Cai. Was it


    even real or....?


    I gritted my teeth and closed my eyes, fighting against everything inside that wanted to let all of this get


    the better of me. I already thought I waspletely blind when it came to the seemingly never–ending


    war for the future… and yet it turns out i‘d just been looking inside of a cupboard this entire time, never


    seeing the much, muchrger room attached to it. This new information opened up theories I hadn‘t even


    considered, much less thought possible.


    “...Aria?” I heard Elder Luke‘s voice call out distantly.


    But it was enough to snap me out of my spiralling thoughts.


    Focus. I needed to focus on what was important right now. I needed as much information as possible sol


    Chapter Seventy–Seven


    could prepare myself.


    “No,” I lied, answering his earlier question about if I was familiar with the theory. “No, I don‘t know


    anything about it. I‘m just... trying to figure out if there is merit to any of this.”


    Whilst Elder Luke had never given me a reason not to trust him, he was still the kind of man who traded


    in secrets. I respected him only marginally more than I feared him and that, unfortunately, meant that


    there would need to be some truths kept hidden for the time being. Perhaps once I became Alpha I could


    look a t trusting him a little more.


    “The ah... families...,” I said, trying to concentrate back on acquiring more information. “The lineages


    rather ... how sure are you that there are only three of us left?”


    “I‘m almost certain,” he said, his manner now stern. “I did look but it appears there are just the three


    remaining.”


    Okay... so Thea wasn‘t one of us. That was at least one theory gone.


    “And is there some sort of... purpose for this?” I asked. “...I guess I just don‘t really understand why we


    would have these lines to begin with. Selene created families that each hold a diluted piece of her... and


    yet more than ny–nine–point–nine per cent of our kind‘s poption don‘t disy anything like this? |


    feel as though there should be a reason for it.”


    Elder Luke then gave me a humoured smile, breaking the tension slightly. “Yes, I suppose that‘s one way


    o flooking at it. It does seem strange. Truthfully, I agree with you. You‘d think having something like this


    would dictate that a higher divine n is in ce for you all.”


    He then rubbed his face in thought as he reclined back into his chair.


    “...However,” he continued, “if there is a purpose for the families then, unfortunately, it is not something I


    a m privy to yet.”


    Of course not. No, that would be too easy, right, Selene? Can‘t just give me all of these answers before


    you send me back. No, you have to make me find out on my own when clearly our information is so old


    that it‘s probably been lost by now.


    I sighed in frustration. Obviously, Thea was connected to this somehow but I would need to do more


    research into it. Maybe I’d find something Elder Luke missed or misinterpreted. 1


    “I‘ll be borrowing these books,” I stated, my tone not implying I was asking.


    Part of me was angry that the Elders felt they could keep this from Aleric and me for so long. Regardless


    o fif they thought it was true or not, we still had a right to know when they moulded our lives around it.


    “... That‘s fine,” he replied after mild hesitation. I could rte though. If I were him, I know I‘d definitely


    not want books this valuable leaving my study.


    “... appreciate the conversation today and thank you for your time,” I said, taking a moment to find the


    right words. “I think I‘ll probably head off now though. Was there anything else I should know before I


    go?”


    Elder Luke then stood up and slowly walked around the desk to politely follow me out.


    “Nothing thates to mind. I imagine you‘re going to be quite busy after today,” he said. “When can |


    expect your recent ah... research on the Blue Vale to be concluded by? I‘d be interested to know your


    thoughts oncepleted.”


    With everything that we‘d just spoken about, I‘d almostpletely forgotten about the initial reason for


    coming here. Tytus. I‘de to ask if he‘d support my im to take over the pack with Aleric. Seemed


    like such a minor thing in the grand scheme of things right now.


    “I think everything should be in ordere the day of *my birthdayt,” I answered, emphasising the date


    s


    o he could pick up on my meaning. “It always feels better to finish things such as study prior to any...


    celebrations.”


    “Then I‘m looking forward to celebrating with you on that day,” he said warmly.


    ...His attitude was a reminder that it wasn‘t Elder Luke I was angry with. No, he‘d given me the exact


    answers I‘d asked for and was offering to help me. My frustrations were better directed at his colleagues


    and Selene.


    And so I took another breath to calm myself once more and mustered up the best small smile I could


    manage. “I really do appreciate your assistance, Elder Luke. I‘ll have Lucy get in touch with you if


    anything


    elsees up prior to the date.”


    And with that, he walked with me out of the office, heading back into the lobby...


    ... Only to find Aleric had wandered in here and was waiting for me. He stood by one of the windows, the


    sun streaming in onto his face as he looked out onto the grounds of the estate.


    Upon hearing our footsteps he immediately looked up in surprise to see us.


    “Oh, you‘re done a lot sooner than I thought you would be,” he said, greeting me. “Good to see you


    again, too, Elder Luke.”


    But seeing him without having time to prepare myself first hadpletely taken me off guard.


    ‘Power‘. The word was ingrained in my mind now.


    He was one of the families... though I suppose it really shouldn‘t change my opinion of him by too much.


    I‘d already seen for myself how he could throw people around as though they weighed nothing, seen him


    take on a small army of rogue wolves by himself. And not just that either. He had been a strong leader in


    the past, bringing our pack to the status we obtained. There was no denying the power he held in the


    past.


    My eyes then wandered over his body, staring over his immacte physique. I‘d always thought it was


    an Alpha thing but maybe it had been more selective than that. If Selene hypothetically marked him, just


    how powerful would he be? How strong was a God?


    “Aria..?” he asked slowly when I hadn‘t spoken, a frown forming on his face.


    “Sorry,” I replied quietly, resuming to close the distance between Elder Luke and himself. “I didn‘t expect t


    o see you in here.”


    “I didn‘t know how long you‘d be so I ended up just deciding to wait inside,” he exined. “Lucky I did. If


    I‘d returned to the packhouse you would have been waiting a while for a lift home.”


    I missed being able to drive myself. Being escorted everywhere for my safety was getting tiresome.


    “Was your ah... reading session good?” he asked, looking pointedly between Elder Luke and me.


    It was then that I noticed how Elder Luke was staring at us with a keen fascination, as if studying how we


    were interacting with one another. Was he wondering how close we actually were given everything we‘d


    just spoken about? ...Was he wondering if that ‘prophecy‘ had any merit?


    “It was fine,” I muttered, shifting ufortably under the gaze of being examined. “... There won‘t be any


    problems with the deadline for that thing we‘ve been looking into.”


    But Aleric could probably sense something was off, his head tilting slightly as he looked down at me, his


    frown deepening. My demeanour most likely had changed significantly since when he‘d dropped me off,


    bing more unsettled, despite the confirmation that Elder Luke would side with us. He would want to


    know what happened.


    “We should get going,” I said, no longer wanting an audience anymore for our conversation. My head


    was still hurting and I needed time to process everything.


    Whapter Seventy Seven


    “...What? Oh, okay, sure,” he said to my abruptness before turning to Elder Luke. “Thanks for your time.


    I‘m looking forward to working closely with you one day.”


    Elder Luke smiled, “You, as well, Alpha heir.”


    Given Aleric‘s rank, there was nothing suspicious about his pleasantries. Anyone overhearing would


    think they were referring to when Aleric naturally became Alpha one day.


    “Until next time,” I quickly said, giving a small bow of my head to Elder Luke.


    And with that, I walked out of the lobby, heading towards the car park.


    “...Aria–.”


    But I held up a hand at him as we got into the car. “Not yet. Just… give me some time.”


    I wouldn‘t be able to keep this from him. It was his right to know just as much as it was mine. I just...


    needed to get my head around it first.


    He nodded, much to my relief, and drove us back to the packhouse in silence. My mind continued to


    swirl with the new information, wondering how this could y into a bigger picture. Wondering what this


    meant for the three of us...


    And so when we eventually found ourselves back in my quarters, facing the moment I‘d need to finally


    tell him, it was almost like I was at a loss for words. Where would I even begin?


    ro


    “...What do you know about the prophecy? The one... about us?” I started, staring across the room so I


    wouldn‘t have to see his face. This topic was already awkward enough as it were.


    “Just that the Elders predicted we‘d help bring prosperity to the pack together,” he said, confused. The


    out –of–the–blue subject matter was probably not what he‘d expected me to bring up. “Why? ... Did Elder


    Luke say something about it?”


    I walked over to the table and ced all the books down, grabbing only the one which had the diagram |


    needed to show Aleric. It took a little bit of flicking through to find the page again but soon the familiar


    triangle presented itself.


    “What‘s that?” Aleric asked,ing up behind to look over my shoulder.


    “The truth about the prophecy....”


    And so I proceeded to tell him everything Elder Luke had told me. About him, about Cai... about myself


    and my theories around my mark. About how I thought it had to be linked to Selene‘s warning… and


    Thea.


    And, as I spoke, I continued to think it through further as well. Just how much did it affect Cai and Aleric?


    Because though Aleric was strong with keen senses, for our kind that wasn‘t overly strange to witness; it


    was definitely impressive, but not strange. But Cai...? If it was what I thought it was, then his was


    infinitely more unusual. And the little things about him started to not look so normal anymore...


    I could recall how when I first met Cai, he had all the teachers wrapped around his finger, hanging on his


    every word. But it was just charisma. He was just... charming. Back then, I enjoyed being around him but


    it wasn‘t much more than that.


    However, when he came back, it was like that energy around him had magnified. And it wasn‘t just


    teachers anymore. Thatst day in the cells when I‘d said goodbye to him... that whole situation always


    sat wrong with me. The way he convinced James to disregard protocol so easily to give us privacy...


    No, it was definitely stronger upon his return to the Winter Mist. Being around him became so much more


    than just enjoying hispany... it became almost like an addiction. He consumed all of my thoughts, my


    feelings... something that wasn‘t satiated until I gave into itpletely.


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    Chapter Seventy Seven


    ...Until I made a decision that I knew was a mistake from the beginning. 1


    “You‘re shaking,” Aleric said, breaking me from my thoughts. “What‘s wrong?”


    I swallowed back and tried to calm myself but I couldn‘t help it.


    “...I‘m... I‘m pissed off,” | admitted. “I‘m pissed that the one thing I thought was my decision might not


    have been mine after all. That there is nothing in my life that hasn‘t been tainted by Selene in some


    way.”


    “...Are you talking about Cai?”


    “Yes,” I said, taking a few steps away to re towards the window. “I just... I know it was a mistake. But it


    was *my* mistake, you know? My choice. Yeah, it wasn‘t my smartest decision... but at least it was me


    who did that. And now...? Now it‘s like... did I even have feelings for him or… or was it artificial the entire


    time? How will I ever know for sure? Does he even know? Is he aware that he has that potential inside of


    him?”


    I folded my arms over my chest and turned back to look at Aleric.


    I felt... vulnerable. Insecure. Cai had been someone I could rely on, someone I could trust. Was there


    really no one I couldpletely depend on? Was this my fate regardless of which life I lived?


    “...And I get he has a mate now, I‘m not stupid,” I said, my voice now softer. “I wouldn‘t ever interfere with


    that. But it doesn‘t change how I feel... or how I thought I felt. Even if it‘s just a memory now, I wish I


    could still believe wholeheartedly that it was entirely mine... not Selene‘s.”


    | shuffled in my spot and awkwardly looked away. I‘d been so angry that it hadn‘t urred to me that I


    was venting all of this to Aleric. We hadn‘t spoken about his confession since the night I‘d returned to the


    pack and so, even though I had refused him, this topic of conversation probably wasn‘t appropriate.


    It was times like this I missed Myra, missed how we could talk about boy drama without it ever being


    weird or an issue. With her, it had been a constant reminder that not everything had to be about an


    impending apocalypse or survival. In fact, we rarely ever discussed the major pack issues or the dire


    problems that gued me. For all the uncertainty and fear that filled me upon my return, the days I spent


    with Myra were still the happiest I‘d been in either timeline.


    “Sorry,” | mumbled, rubbing my arm. “I don‘t know why... I just... I’m sorry.”


    “You‘re not the only one angry at Selene, Aria,” he said, thankfully not bringing attention to my faux pas.


    “I understand it. Really, I do. And not just because of all this shit you‘ve just told me now.”


    I was going to ask him for his other reasoning but he continued before I could get the words out.


    “But let‘s not lose focus on what we‘re working on right now,” he said. “Because all of this information


    you‘ve told me now is great and we can piece it together, but we‘ve got less than two months until your


    birthday, Aria. Two months to n an insurrection against one of thergest packs in the entire country.


    Finding out about direct lineages doesn‘t change anything for us right now, but sessfully executing


    this n will put us in a better position to focus on it after we‘re done.”


    He was right. I could continue my research in my downtime, but my main attention needed to be on


    preparing for the big day. It was at least something I could actually work on, as opposed to the uncertain


    questions I had about the lineage theory.


    “What do we still have left to do?” he asked, taking a seat by the table.


    | gave it a second of thought before I realised what was next... and it was yet another awkward topic of


    conversation.


    “Ah, I‘ve got a doctors appointment with my mother next week and I‘m going to use the time to go over


    the n with her,” I said, my tone a little stiff.


    “...Doctor appointment for what? Are you not feeling well?”


    “No, that‘s not... um... I have the doctors appointment,” I said. However, still no recognition showed on


    his face even after the emphasis. “You know… the one Luna‘s are required to undergo...? Tytus


    requested I get my... physical examination‘pleted and they decided to treat it as if I were a Luna


    given the circumstances.”


    Finally, he caught on to what I was telling him. “...Oh,” was all he said.


    “I would normally be angry that he was pushing that on me so soon,” I continued, “but I‘m trying to make


    the most of it. I suppose it‘s better to have the conversation in her office anyway in case we have to go


    over her medical books for the wolfsbane.”


    It was yet another part of my n I‘d been dreading. In fact, it was something I‘d been dreading since


    coming back. And though I‘d had this exact kind of examination before in the past, it was previously


    conducted by a man who I now believed to be a rogue.


    So what would my results say this time?


    Because whilst this kind of check–up covered standard physical health, it also covered one other major


    aspect too. An aspect that was seen as crucial for any Luna, bing a cause of yet more awkward air


    i n the room now between Aleric and I.


    ...And that aspect was a medical examination for my ability to conceive children. The very thing that had


    originally started so many of my problems.