A Gift from the Goddess

Chapter Fifty–Eight 

‘So handsome,‘ I thought to myself as I watched Cai sleeping next to me. 

I wasn‘t sure how long I‘d slept for but I‘d woken up to find him by my side. He looked so peaceful; his hair had tousled into a mess as his chest softly rose and fell. I could have watched him for hours. 

I lost track of time as I recounted the events that had transpired the evening prior but soon Cai stirred next to me. In his slumber, a strand of hair fell across his face and I couldn‘t help but reach out and gently brush it away back into place. It was so silky to touch. 

As my eyes drifted back to his face though I froze, realising he was now awake and watching me. 

“Morning,” he mumbled sleepily, reaching out to pull me close to him. 

Thad fallen asleep in one of his t–shirts but could still feel his warmth through the fabric. If not for the confusion of his words, I would have melted myself into his touch willingly. But the nagging in my mind prevented me, forcing me to pick up on the oddity. How could it still be morning when I knew I‘d slept for a t least a few hours? 

“...Morning?” I asked slowly. “How long have I been asleep?” 

“Just over a day. You were dead to the world, completely comatose.” 

I tensed up immediately realising that, if that were true, then I‘d disappeared without notice for over an entire day. Were my parents freaked out? I knew I was exhausted from using that newfound authority but I hadn‘t realised I‘d be out cold for so long. The tax it took on my body must have been far more severe than I thought. 

I sat up and knew I needed to leave as soon as possible. If they already had people out looking for me then this was the last place they should find me. 

“Why didn‘t you wake me?!” 

I tried to squirm off the bed but he held me back, his arm around my waist. 

“Relax! I already handled it all. I told your attendant you were safe but had a rough night and were staying with a friend.” 

I turned back to look at him. “...No one can know I‘m here, Cai.” 

With a sleepy sigh and completely unphased by my stress, he shifted into a sitting position to tighten his grip on me. “I already figured you‘d say that so I told her to be discreet with the information.” 

It took a few seconds to fully process his words but finally, I exhaled in relief knowing that Lucy would make up an adequate excuse to appease my parents. At least there was no search party out looking for m 

“Come on,” he said, guiding me to lie back down again. 

He pulled me up against his chest once more so we were face–to–face and softly kissed my forehead between my knitted brows. I could already guess what he was thinking. 

“You worry too much,” he grumbled, confirming my suspicion. 

“You need to take this seriously, Cai,” I said quietly. ‘Do you realise what would happen if word got out?” 

“I‘m aware,” he replied, much to my surprise. 

“...If you know then why did you pursue me in the first place? ...Why come back to the Winter Mist?” 

wanity Light 

His eyes were serious, a sharpness to them I rarely saw. He was like a different person when he was this focused, so contrasted to his normally playful manner. 

“Because it‘s avoidable,” he said. “The issues are surrounding our positions and Aleric, right? There are ways around it.” 

looked at him incredulously. If he knew the ramifications of this so well then he was just as insane as m e for trying to pull

really worth starting

remained deep in thought. “...Maybe,” he said distantly.

is because of my future status, then maybe I‘ll just... let it go. Personally, I think I‘ve missed my

was joking, I still stared at him in disbelief. He really was

you can‘t just abandon your pack like

anyway? You‘d probably be terrible at it. Only those with *seven years o

him much to his amusement. He quickly restrained me within his

me. If it means being with you then I‘m happy to do whatever,

literally the worst decision I‘ve

shrugged. “Possibly, possibly.”

a way where we can ever

for a second. We have plenty of time to argue about whether we go public or not. And besides, it‘s not really much of

spread throughout my whole body. I could picture it so clearly and knew how amazing it would feel to wear that

how mates completed their bond, a requirement for showing full commitment and becoming one. But a mark had its own complicated downsides; one of which was that if we were to go through a mate rejection post–marking, the process would potentially kill us. Our wolves were unlikely to

rejection, a mark meant that there could be no other mate until one of the bonded died. It was unquestionable, final. And whilst the normal death of

would want to prevent at all costs... And yet a part

would be too

internal battle inside me raging as he continued to kiss me along that area of m y neck. “... Stop that.” It was a weak

me,” he

not today, but the excitement it caused was involuntary. That feeling of knowing it was so wrong that it made it feel even better; as if tempting fate.

up under the fabric of his shirt I wore, working its way along my waist and upwards towards my chest. These feelings he gave me, this... intense… desire to be close to him, as if he were a force of nature pulling me in via gravity... It was intoxicating. The

to feel

once more, wrapped in

be anywhere...,” Cai asked softly afterwards, holding me against him, “doing anything at all right now in a perfect world,

thing as a perfect world, just one where death was lurking

thought about it...,”

could do but couldn‘t? You‘ve lived two lives but it feels like you‘ve barely

think. What would

another few moments, I knew.

have nothing I needed to do. I would be living as far away as possible from the pack and all associated responsibilities. I would be living a quiet life where no one knew me or was looking

nodded his head thoughtfully as he took it all in. “Living in a house? Whereabouts?”

a small smile forming on my lips as I envisioned it. “In the woods. A small house just big enough for me that

you? No partner?” he asked, hinting at the fact

to join me in my little cottage? I thought you‘d be too busy in this alternate reality, living up a more exciting life. Why bother entertaining a forest witch?”

the idea if it meant I got you to myself. In this world maybe no one will come looking for me

house planner to build some extra rooms then. I‘ll definitely need the extra space if it means putting up with you twenty–four

the extra space is probably a good

assaulting me over something I‘d become uncertain

his eyes. “I need to tell you... I‘m not sure... ... -”

“It‘s okay, you don‘t need to explain. I already had a feeling based on the things you told me

However, if it turned out to be irrelevant then I didn‘t want to give him false hope prematurely... and besides, it was way too soon to be thinking of anything like that. We shouldn‘t

you…?” I finally asked after a few moments of silence. “If you could be doing

“...You. I‘d be doing you in