A Gift from the Goddess

Chapter Ninety Seven 

Chapter Ninety–Seven 

I woke up with a long, satisfied stretch in bed, feeling more content than I had in years. 

The last few days had all blended together so much that I could barely keep track of time anymore. Was it a Tuesday? Morning? Night? I didn‘t know. All I knew was that my last week had been spent with Aleric, living and breathing every moment he could spare for me. 

I continued to stretch, trying to wake up but, as I did so, I suddenly felt a pulse of pain emanate from my shoulder. Something I‘d been ignoring the last few days despite my actual purpose in coming here. 

Well, if it gave another reason to stay here a little longer, it couldn‘t be all that bad, right? 

I sighed. 

I didn‘t want to leave. Of course, I didn‘t. It was so easy to ignore all my impending problems waiting form e at home, choosing to just live inside my own little bubble instead. I was happy here. Actually happy. Something I hadn‘t felt in so long. Given everything I‘d endured, surely I deserved even the tiniest bit of respite? 

And Aleric seemed happy, though he hadn‘t explicitly vocalised it. Not that I expected him to. He wasn‘t one to normally express feelings through words unless he was prompted, usually choosing to convey things in his actions instead. But I could tell by how he was acting that he seemed to be enjoying himself, appearing lighter and more relaxed in his mannerisms. 

Thinking back now, it seemed crazy that I‘d spent so many years of this life trying to run away from him. I had even planned to reject him. And I knew from previous experience how much that hurt, more than would warrant the benefits of going through with that process. The constant empty void it created inside was tortuous. 

It made me wonder how good things could have been from the beginning if we‘d just been allowed a chance to live our lives the way we were meant to. If there were no prophecy pressures, no Selene, no markings, or Thea. Just... two people from the same pack who found each other. Would the Aria and Aleric of that timeline, though no doubt very different from the people we are now, find themselves happily together too? 

However, it was strange to even think of the person I once was. My first life felt more like a bad nightmare and so did the person from that timeline. I‘d lived such a sheltered, structured life that the girl from back then could barely be considered anything more than a doll. And whilst I couldn‘t say I enjoyed‘ the journey, I couldn‘t exactly deny that the misfortunes I‘d experienced since dying hadn‘t matured me either; hadn‘t helped me grow up from the naïve, juvenile Luna I‘d once been. 

It was probably most evident in the way I‘d acted upon returning. As if I were sometimes more a bratty girl than a woman who had once held a high status. Far too much freedom and trauma given to a child all at once, driven by an intense motivation to escape and be their own person finally. Yet, all the while that was happening, also dealing with the basic body changes that came with being a teenager once more. 

So, who was I actually? Without Thea, without the naivety, without the fear and pain? If, by some miracle, I somehow survived this until the end, living to see a world where I was finally free of Thea entirely, what did that even look like for me? When I could finally just be myself without pressures or manipulation? Who will I eventually become? 

...But would I even survive? Selene coming to retrieve what was hers seemed more than likely for when this was over. She‘d told me herself how she considered the other saints, the ones that came before me, mistakes. Did victory mean getting to live? Or was that expiration still waiting for me regardless, only buying my time the more I procrastinated facing Thea? 

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...Would it mean saying a final goodbye to Aleric before we left to fight her? 

Trolled over and threw my legs over the side of the bed, no longer wanting to think about it anymore. The outcome for that was not something in my control so there was no point in mulling over it. 

For now... I just wanted to be happy for the time I was certain I did have. 

And so I left my room, walking down the stairs to the only place I wanted to be right now. 

“What are you reading?” I asked softly, standing in the doorway of the living area. 

It was gently raining outside, the sound of the drops hitting the roof in a soothing way. The clouds outside were also darkening the sky enough that, once again, I couldn‘t be sure what time it was. 

Aleric was sitting by the windowsill, book in hand, and only looked up after I spoke, a small smile warming on his face as he did so. His eyes reminded me of the moss and trees within the woods when he looked genuinely happy, almost as if he were a living personification of my little cottage sanctuary outside. 

“Nothing really,” he answered. “Did you have a good sleep?” 

“I don‘t know if I can call that ‘sleep‘, since there wasn‘t much of that happening... but it was good. Some might even say... great.” 

“...Is that so?” 

And I crept closer until I stood in front of him, intending to look at the book in his hands, but instead he reached out and pulled me into his lap, forcing a squeal of surprise out of me at the sudden movement. Not that I was complaining though. 

And, as he positioned me to sit comfortably against his broad chest, I‘d never felt so cosy and safe before. 

“This looks like one of my books,” I said, reading the words on the page. “Only a small portion of this is in the common tongue though.” 

“Well, it‘s raining and there isn‘t much else to do for entertainment around here...” 

And I felt as he then tilted his head down towards me, proceeding to nip at my ear. “Unless you had something else in mind.” 

A shiver ran through me, sending endless possibilities to run through my mind... though it was shortly followed by another dull ache in my shoulder, a reminder of why we were here. I had healed a lot since we‘d arrived, but our recent activities were probably regressing that process. 

“I need a little break... I‘m still healing, after all,” I said laughing, and I squirmed away from his teeth. “I‘m pretty sure these last few days have been the opposite of allowing my body to rest.” 

Much to my own disappointment, he then eased off just as I‘d asked, and went back to looking at the book instead. It was a situation where I didn‘t particularly want to be the responsible one. 

In fact, I could think of several more irresponsible things we could be doing right now.... 

“Aria,” he said in a low voice behind me. “Make up your mind.” 

my cheeks redden, realising we

needed to be more aware of myself.

even read this?”

on. “Not really. I didn‘t really bother with languages

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that pop up.”

can‘t say I’m fluent anymore but I‘ve been getting a lot better over the last

the vibrations

“...Sure,” he said. 

of pack dynamics several centuries ago, he sat and listened

with me. I‘d tried so hard to fight

asleep in his

woke up to the feeling of my hair being gently played with, the strands delicately tugging

up

my own, looking as if he‘d been caught doing something he shouldn‘t. A reaction that would have made me laugh if not for it being a

instantly tightened at the scene before me and I grabbed his hand

asked. “I never really did as a kid. The silver is like an

hair. Even when I was younger,

*Thump.* 

him, resting my head on the pillow next

do you like?” I whispered, though a

if I‘d given him many reasons to. It was something I‘d been wondering about for a

this sort of information from him was probably going to be impossible unless I

shifted a little next to me and cleared his throat,

think...,” he started and then paused, silently considering my request

smart... or at least, smart *sometimes,” he

laughed, but, before I could do much else, he then quickly grabbed

continued, now back to being serious once more. “I think... you became someone I looked forward to seeing every day, who I genuinely enjoyed being around… someone to give

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Chapter Ninety–Seven 

began to brim with tears, feeling overwhelmed by his response. I hadn’t

strength,” he continued, “your ability to change things around you; both people and the pack. You have a way of setting your mind to

stubborn,” I chimed in lightly, though my voice betrayed how emotional

quick peck on my forehead. “Speaking of which... were you going to train today? I couldn‘t help but

my eyes to the unwelcome

him watching me with amusement, his eyes holding

today. Just like how I have to patrol. Which..“He then

whined softly, enjoying our lazy day in bed too much.

more would be fine, surely. I didn‘t want him to

replied, mimicking my tone, and

little bit longer,” | said. “We can fight off intruders from

said, bending back over to

sensation his touch offered, and I grabbed his shoulder to draw him

were up to me, it wouldn‘t have stopped there but, before I

*ist tempting,” he reiterated, “but I prefer to be focused when fighting, *notdistracted by

I sat up as he went to get

me wrong,” he laughed, throwing on some

quietly grumbled again, making him

my side of the bed. “Stop

from where our lips met, and left before

it‘d be before he came home today, knowing sometimes he was gone

Wait... 

...A spark. 

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LHPRETTY even 

hand up to my lips

I‘d felt

spark from the mate bond. Just a small one. But it

out of bed, tripping over my own legs in haste, and made it to the top of the stairs.

follow after him, I heard

was already

have to tell him later,‘ I thought with a

would definitely be cause for