Page 9 of Beyond the Grasslands

“I don’t understand.” Despite my earlier attempt to speak, the words came out perfectly. The pain in my head, neck, and heart had subsided too. It was then I realized this must be a dream.

“I know you don’t. I’m so sorry, Nika. Please, understand that you were not given more than you could handle. You are being tested for a reason. We need a strong shifter to move your people into a better place. Too many blessed-mates are being abandoned. It cannot continue.”

“So, I get to be the poster child for what happens if some asshole decides to have a harem instead, or I don’t know, nearly takes my head off in a mating frenzy.”

“I am happy to hear you understand what happened to Thorin and his wolf. He has been too long without a mate in his position.”

“Whose fault is that? What happened to his real mate? I know it couldn’t have been me.”

Instead of speaking to the moon, a beautiful, ethereal woman appeared in front of me. Her hair might as well have been made from moonbeams or stardust for the way it seemed illuminated from within and sparkled with her every movement.

“Thorin did have another mate. She came to find him years ago.” Selene - because the woman before me could be no one else - appeared saddened by this news.

“Thorin said he never found his mate. Was that a lie?”

“No, it wasn’t. She went in search of him, but never made it there. Unfortunately, Bethany bragged to the wrong people about who her moon-blessed mate was before she headed out. The same female responsible for your attack and kidnapping made sure that Beth never made it inside the Grasslands Pack to meet with Thorin.”

“Miriam,” I whispered.

Selene nodded. “She had aspirations for her daughter that were not meant to be hers. Catalina was never a strong enough shifter to help lead a pack. She wasn’t even strong enough to lead her family. That didn’t stop her mother from trying to fix the situation for her and Thorin.”

“Catalina never had a mate dream.”

Selene shook her head. “That much was true because it was her fate to die early. We all foresaw what might happen, and planned accordingly.”

“You planned for her to die?” I questioned. When Selene said nothing, I huffed. “So, instead of planning for Miriam to meet an unfortunate end, you punished her daughter.”

Selene opened her mouth to say something and then closed it again quickly. “We don’t always get things right. When we saw the possibility of Thorin and Catalina, everyone assumed that it was because of the woman herself. It wasn’t until later we realized that we had missed a very crucial part of the puzzle.”

“You are a Goddess. How in the world could you miss something like that?”

“We only get glimpses. Despite our interferences, you are all capable of exerting free will that can change circumstances and outcomes. That is why some mates are rejected and others are accepted. The choice is still there.”

“What if I choose to not take a mate, despite the mark upon my neck?”

“Then that will be a scenario none of us saw coming. You are meant to choose between the two Alphas. I did warn you that neither would appear to be a good choice at first.”

“One who is selfish beyond measure and another who is half mad already.” I tapped my finger on my lip, as if I had to think about it. “And you expect me to choose between them?”

“Nika, you did make a choice already. You were set to mate with Thorin before Miriam and Aidan interfered. Ask yourself why you made that choice and if anything truly has changed.”

“He attacked me!”

“His wolf attacked you. The man was pushed out of that scenario.”

“And who is to say that won’t happen again? I can’t help others if I will be in danger.”

Selene’s shoulders drooped. “You were supposed to meet him sooner. It almost feels as if another God has whispered theplans in Miriam’s ears. I am not supposed to tell you this, but you were meant to meet Thorin years ago when you made the trek to his pack.”

“When I met his father?” Selene nodded. “He wasn’t there and that was years before my final transition and the mate dreams.”

“You would have known immediately that you were to be his mate.”

“Then what happened?”

“Miriam insisted that Thorin needed to go save her daughter from some disaster or other and he accepted it at face value and took off despite his father warning him against doing so.”

“Why would his father have stopped him?”

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