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? 

Scanned with CamScanner 

...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 were back at square

be more aware

you even read this?” I asked,

to look at the cover and back to the page he was on. “Not really. I didn‘t really bother with languages during study. I‘m mostly looking at the pictures and reading the

2/6 

Scanned with CamScanner 

pop

I’m fluent anymore but I‘ve been getting a

as his body then chuckled behind me, the

“...Sure,” he said. 

the book contained nothing but factual retellings of pack dynamics several centuries ago, he sat

awake, my lack of sleep finally coming to catch up with me. I‘d tried so hard to fight against it, willing myself not to let the moment go. But, in the end, it

I fell asleep in his arms.

of my hair being gently played with, the strands delicately tugging in a pleasant way, and a

I murmured softly, waking up to see

shouldn‘t. A reaction that would have made me laugh if not for it being a

at the scene before me and I grabbed his

you like it?” I asked. “I never really did as a kid. The silver is like an old

pretty colour,” he replied. “I‘ve always liked your hair. Even when I was younger, I thought

*Thump.* 

until I was flush up against him, resting my head on the pillow next to him so

like?” I

in me. From what I could tell, it wasn‘t as if I‘d given him many reasons to. It was something I‘d been wondering about for a while now, always secretly speculating why, but in

as it was, getting this sort of information from him was probably going to be impossible unless I directly asked him.

to me and cleared his throat, a small frown

and then paused, silently considering my request

beautiful... funny... smart... or at least, smart *sometimes,”

hit his shoulder as he laughed, but, before I could do much else, he then quickly grabbed my hand in his and kissed it to restrain me.

once more. “I think... you became someone I looked

Scanned with CamScanner 

Chapter Ninety–Seven 

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

have a way of setting your mind to do something and sticking

chimed in lightly, though my voice betrayed how emotional I

said and cupped my face, placing a quick peck on my forehead. “Speaking of which... were you going to train today? I couldn‘t help but notice you haven‘t

my eyes to the unwelcome change in topic.

started to silently chuckle though, and I quickly looked back to see him watching me with amusement, his eyes holding that

on his lips. “Go train today. Just like how I have to patrol. Which..“He then looked out towards the window, gauging the time. “... Which is probably about time

lazy day in

want him to go yet. Not after all the sweet things

mimicking my tone, and pulled himself away to

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

tempting,” he said, bending back over to kiss

as I revelled in the sensation his touch offered, and I grabbed his shoulder to

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

“but I prefer to be focused when fighting, *notdistracted by a lazy seductress in

pouted, and I sat up as he

laughed, throwing on

quietly grumbled again,

back around to my side of the bed. “Stop looking so forlorn. I‘ll see you

tiny spark erupting from where our

be before he came home today, knowing sometimes he was gone for a few hours. He was right

Wait... 

...A spark. 

Scanned with CamScanner 

LHPRETTY even 

quickly brought a hand up to

that. I‘d felt that.*

bond.

bed, tripping over my own legs in

could follow after him, I heard the front door to

already gone.

him later,‘ I

definitely be cause for some... scientific research. To test when I could and couldn‘t feel it, of course. Probably some ‘extensive physical contact‘ would do