Page 45 of Rejecting the Future Moon Goddess

“He’s done similar things to me because of the Blakes.” I admit, seeing the shocked look cross Cassandra’s face.

“Well that man must die then. Centuries of tyranny in the shadows have been caused by Coro. If I am not mistaken, Alexander is being controlled by his some-time great-grandfather as well.” The room grows silent as the sudden realization that Coro rules the werewolf world from the shadows brings one more problem to light. The possibility of him taking over from Alexander and regaining control of the nation something no one wants to come true.

“That means the true Princess will have to become Queen.” Dominic chimes in.

“What do you mean by that?” The witch asks, staring at us with both confusion and hope in her eyes.

“We believe that Crystalline Thorn is not named after the lost Princess.” Ariven begins, looking at me as if asking for approval to tell Cassandra the truth. I smile, turning to look at Cassandra, the hope in her eyes shining so bright that I feel a warmth of happiness radiate off of her in waves.

“Amberle and I believe that Crystalline is in fact the Lost Princess. If her brother Coro is still alive, thensomething happened to her that caused her to be suspended in time as a baby until the time was right.” I finish, seeing tears build in the witch’s eyes.

“Morai had a hand in that. The Goddess of Destiny protected the Princess like I asked all those years ago.” She mutters softly. Hearing about Morai, I think back to a moment during training and how she mentioned a witch that has been her Patron and the protector of all Moon Goddesses.

“Are you the one who made this necklace?” I ask the witch, revealing the snowflake charm from under my shirt. Cassandra smile as she touches the moonstone before nodding.

“Yes. I had a feeling that the Moon Goddess Selene would hand this down to her descendants. Please keep this with you when you meet Crystalline. If she is truly my lost Princess, this stone will confirm the truth.”

“I will.” I answer, seeing the reassurance in her eyes.

“Now, how do we find that demented Prince who I wish I drowned as a babe?” Her voice is filled with venom as Cassandra speaks about Coro, and I realize she too wants to have a hand in his death.

“If I have learned anything about Coro, it’s that he will be like the shadows and gone when light is shone on him. The only thing we can do now is plan for the final battle, and I believe that will have to happen once we have Princess Crystalline on our side.” I voice my thoughts, seeing Cassandra nod in agreement. She soon asks to retire, her body exhausted from the strong spells performed, so Lace has a guard help the Witch to her rooms. With Cassandra the Ancient Witch on our side, the chances of winning this war are high. Of course, as I have learned through my life, destiny is not set in stone and Morai has many paths for us to follow.

“Why the grim look? Tonight is the last night for bothyour packs to be here. Let’s go get cleaned up and enjoy the last bonfire of the night before you all have to leave!” Mika chimes in with his easy-going smile that I remembered as a child. I chuckle, motioning for him to lead the way as we all file out of the room with Dominic and Ira carrying the new stack of paperwork away. Tonight, we need a break.

Tomorrow, we can continue to plan for thewar to come.

?Chapter 43 – A Friendship Rekindle?

I smile as I watch the wolves of Blood Moon, Hidden Claws, and my Silver Crystal Crescent mingle in the field outside of the pack house. Ariven and Dominic man the grill, the smell of burgers, steaks, sausages, and other delicious barbecue-worthy meats wafting in the breeze. Amberle is doing her best to get Lace drunk by the bonfire while some wolves sneak off into the night. I chuckle, realizing we may have to shuffle the packs around if my hunch is correct and some have found their mates.

“Gemmy.” A voice calls out softly, and I turn to see Mika standing beside the table I sit at, a small smile on his lips and his hands holding two cans of cola.

“You think I can sit and talk with you for a bit? I brought you a drink.” I chuckle, motioning for him to take the seat across from me and see a relieved look cross his face as he slides the cola in front of me and quickly sits before I could change my mind.

“What do you want to talk about?” I ask, cracking open the can and taking a gulp.

“I’m sorry.” He blurts out, catching my attention. I stay silent, waiting for him to elaborate.

“I am sorry for not standing up for you when my parents were killed. I am sorry for standing by while Bastian abused you, and for abusing you as well. Most of all, I am sorry for rejecting you. I hurt you, and even when you came to help, I treated you like shit a few times.” Shame and regret are coming off him insmall waves. I can see his apology is sincere.

“To be honest, I regret the moment I rejected you. But Bastian scared the hell out of me. If we could go back in time to that day when my parents were killed, I would change everything.” Mika continues, his fingers playing with the can of cola in his hands as he looks down. I sigh, reaching out and taking his hand in mine, causing the wolf before me to snap his head up in surprise.

“Unfortunately, we cannot go back in time. If things had been different and I had grown up with my father in Northern Snow, we would have met last year when I was twenty. But the Blakes fucked that up for both of us and changed our fates.” He nods sadly, a small smile on his lips as he takes in my words.

“I am happy with how my life is now and I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world, considering Ariven and I are expecting a pup and I have a pack of my own, a family that loves me, and friends who mean the world to me.” I smile looking at the crowd of wolves that are celebrating our victory in our first battle with Prince Coro.

“Our past made us the better version of ourselves, and one day you’ll have a second-chance mate. For now, know that you can always call me when you need a friend.” I continue, feeling happy to end the pain and suffering caused by our past that is clouded by pain because of the Blakes. Ariven was right, I needed this trip to confront my past and move on.

“We’re friends?” I chuckle at Mika’s meek question and nod, standing from my chair as I spot Ariven giving me a questioning gaze.

“Yes, Mika, we are friends. You make a great Beta for Lace, but we both know that this won’t last long. Trust me when I say your next mate will be kicking your ass in no time.” With those final words, I give my friend a smile beforewalking over to Ariven who promptly wraps an arm around me and pulls me into a hug, his scent enveloping me.

“You okay, darling?” He asks, his free hand running through my hair.

“Yes.” I answer, leaning into my mate and enjoying the sparks that ignite from our contact.

“Safe to say you’re still mine.” He chuckles. I smile, turning my head to nip at the mark I left on his neck.

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