Page 10 of Beyond the Grasslands

“He had a feeling that you might prove to be the mate his son was waiting for.”

“None of this makes sense. It feels like you’re telling me that Thorin was supposed to be my choice.”

“Normally, I would leave it up to fate, but someone else keeps interfering…” She paused and glanced over her shoulder. “I’ve stayed in your dream too long, Nika. Please, think things over and trust in your initial decision. I will try to help as much as I can.”

“I don’t understand what it is you want from me.”

“Follow your heart, Nika. That is all I want you to do. Follow your heart and remember your pledge to the women who have been discarded on that godless island.”

Before I could question anything else, the moon’s light was once again covered by thick black clouds and they seemed to swallow Selene up with them while I was dropped back into the dark, quiet oblivion.

“Nika,I swear, if I had control that would have never happened. It was supposed to be a rescue. You were meant to come back to my pack willingly, where we would be mated in a ceremony as we planned before. Please, know that I never intended to harm you. I am so sorry.” The sound of an Alpha sobbing by my bedside felt devastating. I moved my fingers to reach for Thorin, but he jumped up and left the room before I managed to peel my eyes open.

His scent lingered in the room, otherwise, I might have chalked what I heard up to a dream. I knew from my talk with Selene, and what I’d heard Thorin admit to, that the way his wolf attacked me hadn’t been his fault. More to the point, it wasn’t what the man wanted. The problem was that wolf and man were tied together and his wolf had proven to me in the worst way that he wasn’t to be trusted.

How in the world did Selene expect me to move forward with Thorin as a mate after what happened?

I hated that we had our original choice taken from us, that his wolf had tainted what we’d started to build together. I hated even more that Thorin’s pack mates were partially responsible for the outcome. If Miriam hadn’t attacked me and handed me over to Aiden, I would be officially mated to Thorin, the Luna of the Grasslands Pack, and most likely happy with the outcome.

Instead, I was left to question everything. It was obvious that Selene wanted me with Thorin, even if she said the choice was mine. I could only assume that meant that I’d be the best version of a Luna with him and his pack. There was no doubt in my mind about that.

Aiden had proven himself a shitty Alpha on numerous occasions. I wasn’t sure what he thought he could accomplish by kidnapping me, but it wouldn’t have worked out for him. I meant what I said all those months ago. He made his choice and there was no way I’d go back on mine.

Thorin came to mind then. I’d made another choice, too. Our agreement to become mates had already been set in place. Technically, Thorin’s wolf didn’t go against my wishes. While I understood that, it was still hard to wrap my mind around what happened. It was made even harder to grasp by my physical and emotional state at the time.

The door to my room opened and I glanced up to find Janella standing there. Her lip wobbled just as tears started to fall free on her face. “I thought you were gone forever!” She proclaimed as her tiny body flew toward me. It was only at the last minute that she stopped and glanced down at me, as if to assess any injuries that she might make worse.

“It was my head, neck, and pride that were injured. You won’t kill me with a hug,” I teased.

Her mouth dropped open in shock and then her shoulders shook with her sobs. “I thought you were dead.”

“I’m here,” I hushed her sobs, not that it did any good. “Come here, my friend.” I opened my arms and she crawled into them. While Janella was most likely somewhere around my age, moments like this made me think of her as a little sister. She had never had someone to take care of her and hold her when she was scared. I wondered if anyone had been there for her while she was worried about me or if she had been forgotten then too.

“I promise to always make my way back to you, so long as I’m still breathing.”

“Don’t ever stop breathing!” She demanded as her arms wrapped tighter around my middle.

“I don’t plan to stop any time soon. I’m sorry you were so worried.”

“It wasn’t your fault. I saw them take you and ran for help, but I was too late.”

“No, you did the right thing. If you had stuck around and tried to help me, you might have been lost to me instead.”

Janella heard the serious tone in my voice and leaned back to look up into my eyes. “You sound very sure of that.”

“I am. Selene visited me in a dream.”

Janella gasped. “Another dream from the Goddess? How is that possible?”

I shrugged and immediately regretted the gesture as pain lanced through the healing bite and the wound on the back of my head.

“She said Miriam is responsible for Thorin not finding his original mate.”

Another gasp came from my friend and then a male voice rang out in the room. “I need you to elaborate on that for me.”

I glanced up to see Warren there. Selene never told me to keep that information from Thorin, so I saw no harm in giving it to his Beta. I told both of them what the Goddess relayed to me in the dream.

“She said Bethany?” Warren asked quietly.

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