Page 191 of The Alpha's Pen Pal

HAVEN

As I stared at the symbol on the page, Wesley’s arms wound around my waist, pulling me back against his chest. “Breathe, Sugar Plum,” he whispered in my ear, and I inhaled immediately as if his voice held some sort of power over my body.

“You said you recognized it,” I murmured, glancing at him. “That you knew you’d seen it but couldn’t remember exactly where.”

“This story was Maddie’s favorite,” he said, his eyes flicking towards his sister, where she still stood in front of our chair. “She couldn’t say Asteria when she was little, so called her ‘Ria’ instead.”

“‘Selene’s Gift?’” I asked as I read the title on the page. “What’s Selene’s gift?”

“Lycans,” Harrison said.

“Fated mates,” Sebastian chimed in.

“Second chances,” Nolan added.

“And Ria,” Maddie told me. “Just read it!” she said, her excitement and anticipation palpable.

“It will make more sense if you read it,” Wesley agreed. “It’s easier than explaining, I promise.”

I looked around the room again at everyone and their waiting faces then took a deep breath and began to read.

“A long time ago, before you and I were even a distant thought in the Moon Goddess’s plans, Selene gave birth to a daughter. She named her daughter Asteria, for she was born on a night with no moon, a night when the only light was that of the infinite stars in the sky.

“Selene had longed for a daughter for centuries. For although she had taken many lovers in her life, she had never had a companion who would match her own lifespan. Her hope was that, in time, her daughter would grow and raise a family of her own.

“Her daughter and her daughter’s offspring would have the same lifespan as the gods. All of them would live and love each other forever as the world changed and the mortal beings around them faded into memory.

“Selene loved Asteria more than she’d ever loved anyone, and she was fiercely protective of her precious child. She never let Asteria out of her sight. Asteria traveled with Selene everywhere, from her realm on the moon to the city of the gods in the clouds to the werewolf packs Selene visited frequently.

“In each pack, the wolves had created a home for Selene and her daughter, and the packs all looked forward to when she would visit with Asteria. The wolves loved spending time with their creator, and they adored her daughter. They were happy that their goddess had someone to keep her company in her immortal life, and they treated Asteria as one of their own pups.

“As Asteria grew, so did her beauty and her kindness, and wherever she and Selene went, everyone was in awe of her. When she reached adulthood, she had many suitors—human, god, and werewolf.

“But Asteria only had eyes for one: Conan, a wolf who was a descendant of Karl and Eydis, the first werewolves. The two had grown closer to each other with each of Asteria’s visits, going from childhood playmates to teenage companions and, finally, to lovers.

“Conan made his intentions known to Selene, asking her permission to take her daughter as his lifelong mate.

“Now, at this time, fated mates did not exist. The werewolves still chose their own mates in the same way that the warriors of Eydis and Karl’s time would choose their mates. They would then mark their mates as their own, claiming each other for all to see.

“Selene, being protective of her daughter as she had always been, worried others would be jealous of Conan and Asteria and would try to hurt them. So, she blessed Conan and the other males of his family.

“She granted them unprecedented strength and skills in combat, creating in them the first lycans. She hoped they would use these gifts to protect her precious daughter.

“Conan and his brothers were delighted with their newfound abilities. And Conan was especially pleased that he would have the means to protect Asteria, as well as any children she would give him in the coming years.

“The pack also celebrated the family’s blessing. They named Conan’s father, Ulric, as the prime, or alpha, of their pack and Conan as his heir, as he was the oldest of Ulric’s sons.

“As the days passed, and the pack prepared for the ceremony in which Conan and Asteria would unite, Selene noticed the pack growing and thriving because of the designated leader they looked to for guidance and strength.

“Alpha Ulric and alpha heir Conan used their strength and dominance to make the pack stronger, and the members of the pack also became stronger. The wolves grew closer together, their bond with each other healthier than Selene had seen in any other pack.

“Because of this, she decided to create lycan alphas for all the other packs, hoping to see the same prosperity among all of her wolves that she had seen in Ulric’s pack.

“She traveled around the world, visiting all the packs that had formed since her creation of the first werewolf. She granted the lycan alpha power to one family in each pack that she deemed worthy of being the leaders.

“Selene planned her travels so she would return to Ulric’s pack in time for Asteria’s union ceremony, where he would mark her under the new moon. She left Asteria behind for the first time since she had been born, knowing Conan could keep her safe with his lycan alpha.

“While waiting for her mother’s return, Asteria enjoyed the freedom of being out from under her mother’s watchful eye. She especially enjoyed being able to spend more time with her soon-to-be mate.

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