Charmeine shook her head, “So very smart, yet so very blind about yourself. Alexander will not reject you.” Well, Freya did have the Ashley Griffen loophole idea. I replied, “He promised Jason.” Ajax growled. Charmeine asked, “Did he?” I replied, “Jason said he did.” Charmeine repeated, “Did he?”
I angrily answered, “Uh yeah. I’m surprised the writing hasn’t faded from his letter. I’ve read it so many times over the years.” I’d read every letter Jason had sent me over the years’ time and time again. I could practically recite them. I kept them all and logged the, into my system. Even if they were mean… they were what I had of my family. There were a lot of them too. Jason wrote to me often.
Even Luna Chelsea sent me letters. I rubbed the chain on my neck. She was the one who’d sent me my parents wedding rings. She could’ve gotten in trouble, but she sent them anyway. Her letters gave me hope. She told me about how Jason, Kai, and Everly were doing. She wasn’t mad in her letters anymore. Her tone was mostly sad, but she still insisted I call her Luna Chelsea instead of just Chelsea, or Momma Chelsea as I once did.
Charmeine asked, “Before you woke up in Nashville, do you remember someone telling you everything is not as it seems?” I replied, “Maybe.” When I really thought about it after I’d answered her, I did remember that guy, barely. I couldn’t picture him. It didn’t make sense though.
Charmeine threw back her head and laughed, “Oh my dear for someone who has amassed such an expansive network fighting the Ring you’d think you would be better at lying.” I snorted, “I’m better at evasions. I learned that from Fairies…in my home pack…. when I realized I was not getting better at lying.”
Charmeine smiled, “Yes, I know. I came to answer some questions of yours, but I fear you got me off task.” I laughed, “You came to answers to my questions? Oh, you’ve got to be joking.” Charmeine told me, “Look at your foot.” I sighed and looked at my foot.
I shrieked, “WHAT THE HELL?! I have a WHITE tattoo?! A WHITE SPARKLY TATTOO?! Who gets a white tattoo?” The white wolf snorted. I sighed, “Well of course you like white… you’re the white wolf. This actually does look like your fur. Did you give me a tattoo?”
Charmeine answered, “You are special. You are chosen.” That wasn’t a complete sentence. I frowned asking, “Chosen for what exactly?” Charmeine replied, “I cannot answer that.” I laughed, “Of course you can’t. What was I thinking?”
I snapped my fingers saying, “Oh yeah... I was thinking you said you came here to answer my questions. Why am I not surprised you are now not answering my questions, after answering something I DIDN’T EVEN ASK! You giving me questions not answering them!”
I really could swear Apollo and Ajax were laughing. I glared at them, but it held a loving gaze. We used to be like this. Charmeine drew my attention back to her saying, “I am not your goddess.” I snorted, “I got that. You have wings and Selene doesn’t. I’ve also heard her described and you don’t look like her.”
She asked, “How did you know I wasn’t Azoney?” I threw my head back and groaned. Then grumbled, “Sure… ask me questions after saying you were going to answer mine. OH MY GOOD LORD! Is ANYONE more annoying than the goddesses?”
“I know which goddess you are because you CLEARLY have Angel wings… not Fairy wings, or any other type of wings in case you were going to ask. There is a difference between all the different types of wings out there.”
Charmeine nodded, “A difference you will see. Fairy wings reflect themselves. You’ll see that soon enough.” I told her, “I’ve seen Sharon’s wings. The former Gamma Female of Red Run. Jared took over… so she’s not the Gamma Female anymore… which…I mean…he hasn’t met his mate…so…”
Charmeine nodded, “Sure. Those were not the Wings I was referring to. You will be the reason Alexander unlocks his wings.” Several vile things to call her were on the tip of my tongue. How dare she! How dare she try to use ME to hurt Xander!
I screamed and launched myself at her while the white wolf growled at her. Charmeine flew into the air. I screamed, “GET BACK DOWN HERE! Don’t you DARE upset him! I know he can only get his wings when he gets so upset … it’s beyond any rage he’s ever felt before… about something. That’s the only way any member of his family can get them!”
Charmeine sighed, “You cannot stop that from happening.” I shouted, “Oh yes, I can! It’s about ME! Don’t underestimate me… that ends badly. Everything I do is for him! He should NOT be in mental anguish… not over me! Don’t you dare do that to him.”
She told me, “Forces stronger than you reveal things to him.” I demanded to know, “What things?” Charmeine sighed and came back down, “I cannot tell you.” I glared at her asking, “What CAN you tell me?” Charmeine repeated, “I can tell you that you’re special.”
I rolled my eyes grumbling, “Cool. You’re super helpful. I’m so glad you came here to ruin the first happy moment I have with my brothers’ wolves again. No, really, it’s great. I will probably never see Apollo again….” I choked off a sob.
Apollo growled at her until I reached out to pet him. Ajax whined until I pet him too. I said, “I might be able to see you, Ajax. Everything’s different. Beta Jason might forgive me and… umm… centuries is, like a long time… to get over the last umm… several years… that’s a thing.” I rubbed between his ears.
Charmeine laughed, “I like you. You remind me a lot of Alexander's mother. Though she was a bit more….” I interrupted, “Apt to play the political goddess butt kissing game like a Princess? Sorry to break it to you sister… I’m not a Princess.”
I declared, “I am a protector of the innocent. You know… it’s my job…when in fact it’s all of your jobs. I do it for you because you’re inept and incapable. Can you tell me why I have a half moon and stars on the bottom of my foot?”
The white wolf nudged my opposite hip with her feet. I sighed then checked my other foot. I groaned, “Oh great! Two white tattoos of the exact same thing on BOTH of my feet. How am I going to explain this in the morning? Do you goddesses just sit together and chat about how you can make Melanie’s life harder?”
I ranted, “I mean…you must say she’s doing our jobs... and it’s making us look bad... which makes people not like us…. So, let’s throw another wrench into things for fun. Her life hasn’t been hard enough these last six, almost seven, freaking years.”
I listed off, “The whippings… the attempted marking… one of which people claim almost happened but I DO NOT REMEMBER… the fighting… the constant on the go to cultivate our network… not to mention saving the Omegas that people are offering up like lambs to the slaughter… oh gosh, holding events to train people... coordinating training efforts across THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES, EUROPE, ASIA AND EVERY FREAKING WHERE ELSE!”
“Plus, I fully believe we will be in other realms…heck I have a few of those too! Training those who we are preparing to take over packs so they can train others is clearly not time consuming enough for me for you… it’s not enough... you’ll all up there like LET’S ADD MORE! You all are such horrible beings it’s actually insane. There’s just not a true, defining word for how awful you all are.”
Charmeine tried to talk. I laughed, “Oh no. Your time to talk is over. I am speaking. Do you all get off on it? Are you trying to kill me? I mean you must be….now that I think about it. I crossed paths with Alexander. Freya is weak….BECAUSE I JUST GOT HER! WHICH WAS CLEARLY MAGICAL BECAUSE SHE WAS KEPT FROM ME! She can’t handle a rejection right now.” The white wolf whined again.
Ajax and Apollo roared much like they did the first time I’d said it. It was like a warm blanket on a cold day. The wolf halves of my brothers still loved me. I closed my eyes and asked, “Will it kill me if he rejects me? When he finds out who I am… is he going to reject me?” I needed to know.
I whispered, “I can still run away from my entire created life… after these two weeks. I have plenty of places I’ve been offered sanctuary to stay. Every hidden Supernatural… and more. Hell, I could stay with K. Maybe we could both stay with the Yule Cats. I can rotate between packs, training… it’s doable.”
I shouted angrily, “I still have work to do. I still need to make Slade Carter pay for what he did to my family. GOSH! You guys suck! I don’t want to run from Xander! Am I going to have to? That’s the LEAST you can do for me, answer that question. Do I have to give up my entire heart and run from the ONE man I want to in the arms of forever?”
Charmeine said, “No, you do not need to run from him. A rejection would not kill you, and I already told you he will not do that.” I snorted, “Pardon me if your word means little to nothing to me.” She studied me, “So I see.”
