A Gift from the Goddess

A week. 

I lasted a week before I started to get restless, wondering how much longer I‘d need to wait before my body could finally cope again. 

But surely a week was long enough, right? Enough that I would be allowed to begin what I wanted to? 

And so I quickly grabbed the clipboard at the end of my bed, the one that was for my medical chart, and flipped the pages over to start writing on the blank side. 

...And I closed my eyes, concentrating as I gave myself over to the old side of me that knew how to effectively strategise an enemy. 

It took several hours over the course of three days before I finally finished. To be safe, I only worked within small windows every day, choosing to do so between when I would get another dose of pain medication and when I would need to let myself sleep. This was something delicate and I knew I needed t o be at my most relaxed for it to work. 

By the time I was done, it was an in–depth timeline of everything since I‘d been reborn. Correlating the different events to everything I knew Thea had done, and then using those to theorise why it had been done the way it had been. Even in the moments she hadn‘t done something, I was still able to use it to better understand it all. 

… This was it. 

This was a 101 guide to Thea over the last four years 

Now I just needed to have a meeting with the others to let them know. Something I was sure Aleric would be less than pleased with considering I was meant to still be resting. 

Fuck it. 

I knew the time window was perfect. This would be my only chance until tomorrow. 

...Not to mention, that thing* had finally arrived earlier. 

And so I threw my legs over the side of the bed, getting slowly dressed into some normal clothes, and started heading towards the meeting hall. Knowing Aleric, he was probably going to be there this time of the day. 

“Where are you going?” a voice then said behind me, making me jump in surprise. 

| quickly turned around to see Brayden there, right outside my hospital room. 

“… To see Aleric,” I replied, my voice a little tense at seeing him. 

It was because of him. 

If he had just done what he was told, none of this would have happened. 

But as I looked at him more closely, I noticed how he looked exhausted. He had dark circles under his eyes and didn‘t have that normal confident air about him that used to annoy me so much. 

“You‘re not supposed to be leaving your room,” he said. “Aleric was pretty strict on that.” 

“So, you follow orders now?” | replied back a bit coldly. 

*Breathe.* 

And I sighed, clearing my head. I needed to remember that there was no reason for me to get angry now. 

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“..I‘m sorry, Arla,” he said, his face crumbling a bit 10 show how quilty he felt, “I didn‘t. I didn‘t realise. I Just wanted to stop her from getting away. If I‘d known she was going to do that 10 you, I never would have engaged in battle. I feel terrible.” 

“Don‘t apologise to me,” I said. “Just.. learn and do better.” 

And with that, I turned around, continuing on iny way to where I wanted to go. 

injured. You can‘t just leave. Please. I don‘t want you to get hurt again

said calmly, turning back around to face him. “Stop If I thought I couldn‘t cope with this then I would still be in bed. I‘ve been stuck inside for over

begrudgingly. Going as far as to drive me

sure that Thea wouldn‘t publicly attack m e on my way

voice speak from the

adjoined meeting rooms and found the door slightly ajar, allowing for me to hear inside.

hiding her somewhere else for a while,” Cai‘s voice then replied, “You‘re basically using all your available people to just keep her safe right now. Clearly, Thea knows where she is o r she wouldn‘t keep sending rogue attacks along the border to split your people and weaken your defences. It won‘t be long before you‘re fighting

you‘re wrong but–.” Aleric‘s voice then cut off abruptly mid–sentence, followed only

Aria,” he

forgotten how sharp his senses

open and entered, finding the two of them alone as they discussed the current issues the pack was facing Things they‘d obviously been keeping from me while I was resting. And they were probably right to do so. If I‘d known we had been suffering attacks because of me,

to be here,” Aleric

know...,” I replied, coming over to sit opposite them at

just walk,” he said, staring down at all the pages of writing

the inside of my

about Thea. Everything I was able to figure out. If we really are undergoing attacks then this might be able to help us come up with a better

his expression still stony, eyes narrowed. It wasn‘t as bad as it was... but he still didn‘t trust

important you all understand. The only

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Chapter Ninety–Four 

he was going to at least give me that

pages in front of me. “I‘ve used the events I‘ve experienced in this lifetime in conjunction with the things I‘ve learnt about Thea‘s history, to try and figure out how she operates. Luckily for us, she

on a fresh

learn how to control it due to being stuck in the collar. The most important thing to know is that these abilities are primarily powered by emotional energy.

create an atmosphere of devotion. It‘s something you probably won‘t understand completely unless you ever meet a proper God in person. Basically, it‘s like an intense pressure to give in and appease them, gravitating without even fully realising it‘s happening. A form

he instantly averted his gaze, realising what I

weaknesses – ‘detachment‘. All of her moves against me since the beginning were solely aimed at triggering a negative reaction. Because the more emotional I felt in that moment, the easier it was for her to weave her way in and magnify those already existing fears I had. It‘s how she eventually ended up taking over too;

seemed to earn me a few confused

him in the same way it does on me… or, if looking at the previous timeline, Aleric.”

messing with me for months. No, actually, it was worse than that. Thinking about it

Where hers is an outward focus in swaying others to see things her way, yours is more internal in how people perceive you specifically, both stemming from a manipulation in perception. She said it‘s like two magnets of the same polar, pushing away from each other. I take that to mean she convinced you of the physical effects of the mate–bond, like sparks, scent etc, opposed to you actually *feeling the attachment to her. You sort of never expressed that much interest in her emotionally when you spoke about ‘Caitlyn... something that was truthfully a bad sign from the beginning. If you are ever able to experience a mate bond one day, and I mean a *real one*, you‘ll know exactly what

to see Aleric staring at me

jump down that rabbit

back down at the pages. “The whole thing ended with you just getting sick from her trying to do it anyway. This means you‘re the

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bhupter Ninety–tout 

interference should make you feel sick, something you need 10 start keeping an eye out for as an early warning system. It‘s important to note though that this sickness was something you were only able t o start recovering from once she left the Silver Lake... bringing me to

wrote the next few notes down before looking up to see Cai had gone completely pale. I took that to mean that I must have correctly figured out his questionable commitment to Caitlyn perfectly, if his reaction was anything to

limited in how many she can focus on at once. Cai, you mentioned to me in my office that she started leaving for longer periods of time after you started to get more ill... I‘d wager those times she was away from you would match up perfectly to when I was at my worst, moments that took place after I‘d turned eighteen when she was required to be here more. I‘d also guess she never returned to the Silver Lake after I broke the news to you about who ‘Caitlyn‘ really

pointed out. “Fighting is pretty emotionally fuelling and so, really, that would just leave running away. Doesn‘t

I agreed. “Which brings me to the last

creature that

was something she gave away during our fight and it was how I managed to keep her guard down. Stupidly, she admitted to me that she considered us pretty similar and, well, though I don‘t like to consider it, it did get me thinking about a few similarities we actually did share. Namely, her own reactions and history.”

more notes down.

origin. She used to be pretty normal. Hardworking, dedicated to the people

can

to distract her, just like they were with me. Both of us became blinded, unable to see clearly ahead when things turned bad. Back when Selene robbed her of her powers, she wasn‘t able to use her ability to see ahead because, in that moment, she was solely focused on her revenge. She is her own worst enemy, not to mention arrogant with a bad superiority

mirror image of the way she‘d made me angrily react to things in the past. Seeing the comparison now had made me realise how painfully obvious her influence was.

just need to get her

also stemming from a strong emotional response. If she learns how to overcome her urge to just immediately attack in a pure rage, she could always use that emotional energy to her own benefit instead. Then we‘d probably be in a lot of trouble. I was only able to