A Gift from the Goddess

Chapter 84

“... You need to tell me where she is,” I demanded, stepping back towards him again. “Tell me where she is right now or I swear I will burn every fucking bridge to get that information out of you. I don‘t care what it costs.” 

“Aria... I don‘t–” 

“No!” I cut off, grabbing his shirt in my fists and pushing him back up against the door once more. “No, you don‘t get to tell me you don‘t know. I smell her on you, Cai. Tell me where the fuck she is right now!” 

He mustered up enough strength to push me back, but I didn‘t release my grip on his shirt. 

“Aria! I don‘t know where she is. She comes and goes a lot since I‘ve mostly been in bed these days,” he explained. “And she has family. Not in a pack but–” | 

“A human family,” I finished for him. “Yeah, it‘s the same bullshit line she fed everyone here when she turned up after killing Myra. You‘re all morons for believing her. I assume you didn‘t even bother to ask her about it.” 

He just pushed me again in reply, confirming my thoughts, and I finally relinquished my grip, but not for his sake. 

Without looking at him, I then quickly walked over to the cabinet and threw across the room whatever ornament had been sitting on top of it, needing to physically vent my anger somehow. 

“I don‘t understand any of this. How can it feel like she‘s my mate but she‘s not? I mean... it always felt a bit... weak, but the signs were all there. Whenever I look at her, it‘s like something inside tells me she is m y mate. How can you fake something like that?” 

“Who the fuck knows, Cai? Why don‘t you ask her next time you‘re both sitting down together for dinner?” 

“Stop blaming me, Aria!” he then growled back. “I never knew what she looked like! When she was living in the Winter Mist, I was living in your goddamn cells, remember?” 

“Oh, shut up, Cai!” I snapped back, finally losing the last shred of restraint. “You don‘t get to play the victim here. In fact, I‘m done. I‘m so done with all of this. Of you... of Aleric. Somehow both of you have found your way into her bed no matter what I do! Is this why Selene actually brought me back? Entertainment to see how long it takes before I completely lose it?! Because I‘m there. I‘m there, Selene!” 1 

‘What if he‘s lying and he knew it was Thea the whole time, the voice inside finally piped up. ‘What if he knew and is in league with her? What if he just wants you to think he isn‘t on her side so you‘ll open up 

and let him steer you in the wrong direction?‘ 

“Aria! Get it together! I can help you find her but you need to calm down,” he said, taking a step towards m 

  1. e. 

...It was just as my other self had cautioned me about. 

And so I quickly took a step back, now doubting even his presence here. 

“No... no you stay the hell away from me,” I warned, my hand resting on the dagger by my hip. “I want you off my territory immediately. I don‘t even care if you talk to Tobias or not anymore. In fact, don‘t. I dare you. Don‘t join back into the alliance and I *promise you* I will wipe your pack off the map again, just like! did in the last timeline. This meeting was only a courtesy... for you.” ? 

“Aria! Wait––” 

“No! I said I‘m done.” 

“Aria–” 

“Get the fuck out of my office, Cai!” I finally screamed, my eyes ablaze. 

He just stared at me, his eyes glazing for a split second under my order, before breaking early, 

It seemed my Saintess authority wouldn‘t work on him. 

Not to say I was aiming to order him like that but it did open up an interesting revelation I hadn‘t expected. 

If I had to take a guess why, it would probably have something to do with him also possessing attributes o f the Goddess. Perhaps it was the same for Aleric too. Maybe this was always the way things were going o end up. That there was no outcome where I could have commanded Aleric or Tytus to stand down given their lineage. 

“You don‘t need to order me,” he growled, finding his composure. “I‘ll leave myself.” 

And, with that, he finally walked out, leaving behind the solitude I had so badly craved. 

In fact, now in the empty office, the only thing that filled the silence was the sound of my breathing, threatening to turn into sobs at any second. 

But I couldn‘t give in to that. 

No, not today. 

We‘d made a promise on my birthday to never shed tears for anyone again. 

If Cai was working with Thea, then so be it. We‘d get to her somehow now we had a link. 

More so than that though, I just couldn‘t believe that all of these months had passed and she‘d literally been across the border in Cai‘s bed the entire time. Given how easily girls seem to fall into his lap, .. perhaps I should have checked there first. 

But all of this boiled down to Selene. Because she had sent me back with no information on the powers–at –be that extended far beyond the normal I knew of. It was as if she had wanted me to fail, setting me upt o lose when the enemy clearly wasn‘t ordinary. 

No, Selene had sat back and watched me slowly die during my first life. 

...And now she was watching it happen again, only this time with more variables. 

Did the first death bore her too much? 

Did she just need a bit more spice for the second time around? 

Well fine. 

I‘d bring it to her 

Since she liked watching so much, I‘d give her a front–row seat. 

And with that, I stormed out of my office, out of the packhouse, and into the forest behind it. 

to go running in. The forest where I‘d apparently forgotten

overlooked now, yet had somehow retained nonetheless. Perhaps Selene had intentionally tried

through here to

seen a

had seemingly made it over

presence and magically disappeared into thin air when I‘d

Chapter Eighty–Three 

weeks later resembled the Goddess herself, only once I’d met with her in the

involve herself in our affairs, but it didn‘t stop her from watching us anyway. After

truly done. Done with her neglect, her omissions, her ability to send me back without even a shred of

me to change our fate so badly, then

screamed into the forest. “I know you‘re watching me!”

sky was already darkening as the afternoon was turning into night, and I knew the conditions were almost the same as that day I‘d first seen her.

“Selene! Show yourself!” 

silence followed.

out, or I swear to you that I‘ll make the decision for both of us

to my throat, threatening

shit about saving anyone anymore? Everyone who loved me either lied or is dead. I have nothing left Selene,

more, waiting for

still, no one

I get it

not matter as much

she really was committed to calling my bluff. Maybe once I was gone she would just send someone else back to try and stop Thea.

could I really do this? I‘d come out here to demand answers on the assumption she needed me more than I needed her, that she couldn‘t take the risk of me

said. ‘To have lived and lost everything in both lives is no small thing to endure.

words were

with no result. “Have it your way. I‘ll see

that, I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and prepared myself

be that hard, right? There would be no Aleric, no Cai, no Thea, no wars, no packs, no heartaches or loss. A sanctuary away from all of that was

wapagay intee 

could see my parents and Myra again. Maybe I

on the blade, my heart now

would be enough

And my eyes flew back open to see who had spoken.

Chapter Eighty Four 

Chapter Eighty–Four 

second I saw her standing there, I quickly collapsed to my knees, my grip releasing from the dagger

it. From ending it.

yet I was still alive.

gasped at the air around me, my body shaking from adrenaline as it pulsed

had started as just a bluff... but somehow I‘d

I really fallen to that point?

of the means though, I couldn‘t dispute the

glory, her silver eyes

made me want to give myself over to her.

so had passed, I finally managed to calm down, my heart now back at a semi–normal rate. And so I proceeded to address her directly, Selene still having remained silent

even the right word. Tell

tight line as she continued to scrutinise me.

of us?” I proceeded to ask, slowly getting back to my feet. “Is she one of the original lineages descended from

another moment, considering, before

said, her

her. “Because, on the possibility that Cai is telling the truth, then what she did to

“...It is... complicated.” 

me... or we‘re done. You can find someone else to do this. I‘m not participating in your rigged game anymore.”

a moment, I wondered whether or not she really would just leave me here. Become just another number in the lives she

she finally spoke once more.

could possibly begin to imagine. You are merely a child in a world of adults who have lived and ruled over everything since

this war you threw me into. It‘s clear you need me to stop whatever triggers the end of my kind and yet you give me nothing but a mark that only made my life infinitely more difficult. I don‘t

chowie Eighty Four 

me stop her.”

This

understand... but perhaps I can try and show you instead,” she finally said

of my face, little sparks erupting from where my skin met hers, and, gently, she brought her face in, kissing my forehead. But it was as she brought her

I began to scream.

I knew now that whatever she was doing was not

vision and a burst of knowledge combined; my brain now overcome with intense overwhelming sensations all at once.

stopped when I saw it.

saw it

spanning

out like a story in my

she wanted to show

story that

before man drew breath, the Gods

the universe and amongst

caring and doting over them always, and helping them wherever possible. And, as

and she had no desire for children of her own. And so,

of what people saw. She could create value and sway others‘ minds, and things that previously might have meant nothing, she could manipulate the image in their heads to her own will, making them see what she desired them to. It made her exceptionally great at earning the trust and love of those around her, and her power of true sight also gave her a

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