40. Midnight II

forty

Midnight II

*ELDEN*

S omething has changed. When I watch Flora running towards the forest where we want to have our first shift together, away from prying eyes to keep Flora’s heritage a secret, I could swear there is some light around her. I haven’t seen it before. It must be true what she said, that now that we are marked, every ounce of her, every mystery, has accepted me too.

It’s such a humbling realization. Flora is a deity’s daughter; she is blessed in a different way than I, as a royal lycan, or anyone else could ever be. The fact the moon goddess saw me as worthy enough to be her granddaughter’s mate is mind-blowing. For a moment, I am stunned at the realization that I was chosen as her mate.

“I won’t disappoint her,” I say, hoping whoever needs to hear it, will hear it.

“Elden!” Flora turns around to wave me to hurry. “What are you doing? Hurry up!”

I grin at her. “Coming, babe!”

“You called me babe!” she beams. “I like that.”

“Really?” I ask when I have caught up with her.

“Yes, pet names are good, as long as they are cute,” she explains with a serious expression before breaking into a dashing smile. “Or hot.”

My heart skips a beat every time she smiles at me or says something or just looks at me. I know I am the biggest simp in the existence of mates, but I can’t help it. She is just everything to me, and now that the mate bond snapped into full place, and we are carrying each other’s marks, I feel it even more intensely. I think I have loved Flora before I even understood what love truly meant, but never in my wildest dreams had I thought it would be that intense to be fully bonded to her.

Further in the forest Flora strips off her clothes, and for a moment my eyes linger on my mark. Regis swells with pride at seeing it, and I can’t blame him. But there is no time to ogle her. Flora wants to shift.

We have picked a spot where we would be fully on our own with no guards around. Ersa has warned Flora more than once not to shift too often in front of others and to keep her identity a secret, and we both want to take this warning seriously.

“Do you need guidance when shifting?” I ask while I take off my clothes as well.

“No,” she beams. “Celeste said, she has it fully covered!”

Flora is not joking, because in front of my eyes I see her shift, with such ease that it takes my breath away. The first shift is not supposed to be easy. It’s painful, scary and also unsettling, the second time is much easier, and with the third most of us are usually used to it. But for Flora it truly seems to be second nature.

I can’t help but look at her lycan form in awe. Celeste has a majestic stance, and she is tall for a female lycan, but going by her heritage I am not surprised. Her fur is white at first glance, but when the moonlight touches it, it shimmers in silver. Now it makes sense why she isn’t supposed to shift in front of others. Celeste looks ethereal, like the otherworldly creature she partly is.

“Do you like what you see?” she asks.

For a moment, I am startled, but my surprise settles quickly. Royal lycans are able to talk in their lycan form. It easily weirds out other shifters, though, so we usually don’t do it and instead link each other. It strikes me again how many advantages we have. We are naturally bigger and taller than normal lycans, we can get up on our hind legs and stand even taller. It’s a lot of power and a lot of responsibility.

Celeste trots closer and I get down on my knees in front of her. “You look like something out of a dream, Celeste.”

Celeste nuzzles her snout into my hair, and I wrap my arms around her, feeling the warmth of her fur. Being so close to her, I am able to spot stripes going down her back, the fur there not so much white but rather silver. “Goddess, you are really magical. How did Regis and I get so lucky?”

“Flora and I got lucky, too,” she says. “You are selling yourself short!”

“Do you want to meet your counterpart now?” I ask.

As an answer, she nuzzles her snout into my neck to lick at my mark. I let Regis come forward and shift into his form, letting him meet his mate. He is obviously barely able to contain himself for finally being able to meet her in her lycan form. He is hard to control sometimes, with a bit of a temper, but here, I can’t blame him for not being able to keep his cool. Celeste doesn’t seem to mind either, in fact, she seems equally excited to meet him.

Soon, the two of them run through the forest next to each other, playfully chasing each other. I take a backseat to allow Regis to have some privacy with his mate. Celeste won’t be able to be in her form a lot, so every chance we have that she can shift, we should take it and allow her to appreciate it and live in the moment.

*FLORA*

We were outside for hours. Celeste just couldn’t stop chasing Regis and being chased by him. Regis himself is an intimidating-looking lycan with his pitch-black fur, and sometimes, only his glowing eyes can be seen. He must be terrifying if he is angry but to Celeste and me he is just our mate. Scary alpha or not, he is our cuddly pillow.

This night is probably one of the best I’ve ever had. Everything about it was perfect, starting from Elden and I mating and marking, up to finally being able to shift and for Celeste to run around through the wild.

“I can’t believe how tired I am,” Elden says when we drop into my bed, both of us exhausted.

“Me too, but in a good way.”

“Yes,” he agrees. “I am just bodily tired, but not mentally. Actually, my mind feels so refreshed.”

“Mine too. The shift was amazing.” I turn to look at him. “And everything else, as well.”

Elden pulls me into his arms, the mate bond helping me to relax so much easier now. I find myself drifting to sleep despite being excited about my birthday celebration the next day. It’s going to be small and relaxed, just like I wanted it to be. Without Grandma, I just didn’t feel like having a crazy party, instead, I want to be surrounded by my friends and chosen family. Until today, I felt sad whenever I thought of my birthday, but now there is a hint of joy too.

Child of Light.

I snap my eyes open at the whisper, finding myself amidst a broad meadow. I shouldn’t be as surprised as I am, as usually that’s how I meet my mom, but today it’s different. It feels different. The place is not where I usually meet Ersa, it’s not the same. It’s broader, and just a tad more surreal. The beings of light are fluttering around me, as if they want to push me in a certain direction. I decide to trust them, following their lead over the meadow and then further towards a stream. The water looks silvery, like out of a painting, and although I am barefoot, the ground doesn’t feel cold or wet. It just feels warm. Much to my surprise my little friends lead me upwards, not down the stream. Whenever I turn to look back, I notice a small lake in the distance, but unfortunately, that’s not our destination. Instead, we climb higher and higher, until the stream is only a little trickle and disappears behind some rocks. Taking the last part of the climb, I find myself on a hill, right in front of a castle made of white bricks, parts of it are covered in ivy, parts decorated with murals and ornaments. It reminds me of Ersa’s place, just that this one feels more ethereal. I should be intimidated, but instead, I am only curious.

“Look how confidently she strides forward,” I can hear a voice I easily detect as Ersa’s.

“You are here!” I exclaim.

“Of course,” she says with a smile, stepping out of the front entrance of the castle. I pick up my pace and run towards her. She wraps me in her arms. “Happy birthday to my dear child.”

“The Child of Light,” another voice says. “We finally meet.”

I gaze behind my mother, spotting another woman. She looks similar to Ersa with her white long hair and her pale skin, but it’s her eyes that instantly draw me in. I could swear I can spot the stars in them. “You are-“ I pause. “No way.”

“You turned eighteen today,” the Moon Goddess says, a smile lighting up her face. “I am beyond delighted to meet you at last.”

I keep staring at her until Ersa chuckles and nudges me. “I am surprised you are so shy.”

“I am not,” I say. “I just can’t wrap my mind around the fact that she is my grandmother.” I take a deep breath. “I have so many questions!”

Ersa puts a hand on my shoulder and leads me inside. “See,” she says to the goddess. “I told you she is one of a kind. She has to be.” Ersa shows me a warm smile. “She is mine after all.”

The Goddess reaches out her hand and takes mine, gently tugging me along. “Come inside. We have a birthday to celebrate.”

I don’t let her tell me twice. Who knows if I will ever see her again? This is a once in a lifetime chance. I don’t see much of the inside of the castle, instead the two goddesses lead me towards a surprisingly comfortable living room. On the table, there is tea, a delicious-looking cake, and an old-fashioned scale, sat in the middle of it. I wonder what this is for, but other questions are more pressing.

“You said you have questions,” the goddess prompts me while Ersa hands us each a cup with tea.

“Alright,” I take a deep breath. “What happens to wolves when they die, and is my dad around somewhere? Why didn’t you kill that asshat Caelum yet? Are you watching each of our moves? How did you hook up with Zeus? He is my mom’s dad, isn’t he? Why did you gift us the wolf spirits? Why are some of these alphas so full of themselves and abuse and shun their lunas, especially when they are lower rank – aren’t you mad about that?”

“I can’t answer the first,” Selene says. “And I don’t watch each of your steps, but I do watch your general decisions. As for Caelum… I don’t intervene in the life of an individual usually, but if necessary, I tend to give those around people like him the power to deal with them.”

“You mean Elden,” I say quietly.

“He has much more power than he believes he has,” she reassures me. “I know it might feel like he hasn’t been dealt the best cards, but I don’t plan out an individual’s life like that, not in detail. I bless certain individuals who show potential, I make sure to pick their mates that fit them, but I don’t involve myself in everything. That’s an important point you always need to remember. As deities, we can’t get involved with mortals and their history. It would take their free will away and tip the scales in one direction.”

“What about me?”

“Well, someone told me you do whatever you want anyway,” Selene says with amusement in her voice.

I glance at Ersa, who smiles at me. It seems like she always had my back, also in front of her own mother, the goddess!

“I can’t lie to my mate,” I say. “He knows that there are things I won’t be able to share with him, but I won’t live a second life right next to him. I love him too much to do that.”

“I have also already heard that,” Selene says. “Just be aware that you are taking a risk with it,” she adds, pointing at the scale. “As I said, if we intervene too much, the scale might tip in one direction, and that’s never good.”

“I trust Elden,” I say.

“Then it’s settled,” Selene says. “As for Zeus, that happened many years ago. We deities live differently. Time is a construct. I have no real relationship with him anymore.”

“Me neither,” Ersa adds.

None of the two seem to be upset, so I don’t push further. Maybe it’s something my human self can’t quite grasp.

“As for your last questions. I am mad, as you called it.”

“But you can’t do anything about it,” I muse.

“That’s not true. I said I don’t and shouldn’t intervene directly, but I can plant seeds. You and your mate will be an alpha and a luna like they have never seen before. Change comes slowly, but I have made sure to bless those who deserve it, to give them the tools to change their world.”

“So, it’s on Elden and me?” I say, furrowing my brows.

“I know this is a lot,” Ersa says. “If you need a moment-“

“No, I am perfectly fine,” I say. “This is actually amazing. I always knew Elden would rock it as alpha, and now I just heard that that’s always been the plan. As for me, I can’t wait to shock some of these stuck-up alphas. It will be so much fun!”

To my surprise, Selene laughs slightly. “You are truly one of a kind, Flora. Make the most of it. Don’t be scared to use your powers. That’s why we gifted them to you.”

Her words instantly put me even more at ease. I don’t need to hide my powers, so that will make things easier. “I will tell everyone it’s my gift as a royal lycan,” I say. “They don’t need to know more. Elden is a strong alpha, so no one will question him being mated to a gifted she-wolf.”

“I agree,” Ersa says. “In general, you will notice that people are much less perceptive than you think they are. They are often focused on themselves and their problems, and you being fated to the young royal alpha gives you a lot of leeway. Just make sure to always stick to one story. My advice would be to make it half the truth. It will be easier to remember, and you won’t feel bad for lying then.”

“Got you,” I say, rubbing my hands. “And I am not scared to take it up with the other wolves.”

“I am starting to believe they should rather be scared of you,” Selene says, her voice content.

“Since we were talking about gifts-“ Ersa says, gazing at her mother. The latter nods and brings forward a small box.

“This is from the both of us,” the goddess says. “We can’t always be at your side physically, but this is proof to you that we will always be with you in one way or another.”

I open the box, my gaze falling upon a small amulet. It doesn’t look particularly flashy, more like a good luck charm, but once Ersa helps me attach it to my wrist, I can feel a gentle warmth emitting from it. “What is this?” I ask, stunned. “I can feel that it’s special.”

“It’s to connect you to us,” Ersa says. “When you are in dire need, you can reach out to us.”

“No one can steal it from you,” Selene says. “I have protected it well enough. And with time, when you are well established as a luna, we might use it to reach out to you, too.”

I gaze at her curiously. “You mean, you might want me to do certain things for you?”

“Yes, you are part deity, after all. I will never ask anything impossible of you, but I might need your opinion sometimes, or I might even need you to stay out of a certain conflict. I know this is a lot to ask from you, but rest assured, we will never abuse our connection to you, just like we know that you won't either.”

“It’s fine,” I reassure them. “I am aware I have a certain responsibility towards both worlds,” I add. “As long as they don’t collide with Elden’s or my family’s happiness, I will always help.”

“That is a very smart promise,” Selene says, tilting her head thoughtfully. “The intriguing part about you is that your appearance is so innocent, yet your personality is cunning and very perceptive.”

“Is that bad?”

“No, it’s fantastic. And it’s going to take you far.”

The little child in me, who was called all kinds of names by other kids, feels like it heals a little by the goddess’s words. Nothing is wrong with me. She thinks the way I am is fine. I feel a well-known tug at my mind, an indication I am going to drift back soon. “I have so many more questions,” I admit.

“I know,” Selene says gently. “But you will need to save them for next time.”

Before I can leave though, Ersa hands me a beautiful flower crown. “Flowers are my love language,” she says. “And I know you have it too. Plants feel drawn to you. This flower crown will not wilt. You can use it for your Luna Ceremony or for your future wedding, or for whatever other reason.”

I press the item against my chest. “It’s beautiful,” I say. “Thank you so much.” I raise my arm slightly. “And thank you for the amulet.”

“I am looking forward to our next meeting,” the goddess says.

While I find myself drifting back to sleep, I can’t help but think how weird all of this is, not unpleasant, but so surreal.