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. 

can‘t just leave. Please. I

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 a week now. If you‘re so

though begrudgingly. Going as far as to drive me

wouldn‘t publicly attack m e on my way there in broad daylight, it didn’t mean the

heard Aleric‘s voice speak from the other side of the meeting hall‘s

rooms and found the door slightly ajar,

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

Aleric‘s voice then cut off abruptly mid–sentence, followed

Aria,”

how sharp his senses were. Sharper than anyone else‘s.

slowly pushed the door 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, I probably wouldn‘t have been able to

be here,” Aleric said.

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

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

inside of my cheek.

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

important you all understand. The only way this works is if we start to trust each other implicitly. Any doubt or concerns over what the others are doing and she‘ll

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Chapter Ninety–Four 

enough to tell me he was going to at least give me that much.

the things I‘ve learnt about Thea‘s history, to try and figure out how she operates. Luckily for us, she unintentionally told

wrote it down on

“You two probably have never tried to figure it out since you‘ve just let it flow naturally. I, on the other hand, wasn‘t that fortunate and had to 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. The more intense feeling you‘re experiencing, the easier it is to utilise. So, for Aleric, that would usually be in the heat of battle when you‘re in high–stress

up to meet his. “An emotional drive helps create an atmosphere of devotion. It‘s something you probably won‘t understand completely unless you ever meet a proper God in person. Basically,

instantly averted his gaze, realising what I

*not* Selene,” I continued, turning back to the pages on the table. “So if that‘s how our abilities work, it‘s logical to assume that it‘s also how hers work too. Which brings me to the first of her 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; waiting until I was completely at rock bottom so I would give in to everything she was saying. Detaching yourself and reducing those spikes in emotional changes will help with keeping her out. The only one of us

to earn me a few confused

in the same way it does

Cai spoke up finally. “She was messing with me for months. No, actually, it was worse than that. Thinking about it now, it was a few months short of a whole

you didn‘t lose your sanity like I did,” I pointed out. “She can only manipulate you on a surface level because you‘re both too similar. 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 I mean. When that bond is formed... it‘s like nothing

up to see Aleric staring at

not yet. I couldn‘t jump down that rabbit hole right

with you just getting sick from her trying to do it anyway. This means you‘re the only one of us who is capable of resisting her internal manipulations and should be able

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bhupter Ninety–tout 

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 the next weakness;

looking up to see Cai had gone completely pale. I took that to mean that I must have correctly figured out his questionable commitment

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

Aleric then pointed out. “Fighting is pretty

agreed. “Which brings me to the last

creature that

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

started writing more notes

I continued. “Rather, I saw Thea‘s origin. She used to be pretty normal. Hardworking, dedicated to the people she cared for. She gave up her entire life just to make them happy. But when she was finally at

if she has nothing left, what can you possibly do to catch her

emotions that are her weakness 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,

image of the way she‘d made me angrily react to things in the past. Seeing

we just need to get her

it could change at any minute without warning. We need t o keep in mind that this weakness could still very easily turn into a strength for her, what with it also stemming from a strong emotional response. If she learns how to overcome her urge to just