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Chapter 69: A Pact
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2024-10-29 19:42:56
Lola EversonDrop a comment, like, or gem if you are reading along!
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The moon looms large in the sky. I have seen it for the last few days, a little fuller each day, sometimes even visible before nightfall. It hangs like a pocket watch, steadily keeping the pace, the arms of time racing towards midnight, the rhythmic tics of a bomb about to explode. The full moon is only a few days away. Seems like all the stars collide then. My powers set to more clearly manifest, a naming ceremony, a potential mate, Theia and I fully realizing our bond— destiny and lines of power converging, all colliding with one another at the same point in time. My witch, my wolf, and myself all coming together, a triad of energies intertwined, forever woven into the tapestry of life, together. I shift my focus from the sky to the woods. The window in my mothers suite is fit for viewing but not escaping. The woods are thick and dark. It’s hard to see anything with true clarity after twenty paces past the tree line. The woods seem to swallow everything, even the light. Why do th
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The Great Mother reaches towards me, instructing me to follow her. I reach towards her hand and grasp it, eager to leave the circle now shrouded in silence. She leads me down a path deeper into the woods. A small trail marked by moss and mushrooms, cuts through the thick brush and dark trees. Snakes lay in wait under the oak trees camouflaged by leaves and debris, foothold traps begging to be sprung. The further we venture from the fire, the darker it becomes. My eyes are struggling to adjust. She pulls me down a steep embankment and we trudge through deep rocks, small and rounded, clanking together like marbles as we cut our path through. My thick robe dragging in the muck leaving a smooth trail in my wake. “This will be cold.” The Great Mother says, before we plunge into the river to cross it. The stones slick and smooth, tiny minnows and slippery grass tickle my ankles, making me feel unsteady. The current is strong and the sound of a waterfall rushes in the distance. My cloak d
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The Great Mother clasps my hand tightly and leads me along the path. We do not cross any river nor do I hear any waterfall rumbling in the distance. A short walk through the thick trees and the circle is again visible, the fire more subdued, providing a warm glow of light painting shadows across the clearing in the trees. My mother stands at the fire, staring intensely at the dancing flame. Several men and women standing near, talking to each other and her, but she does not seem to pay any mind to their words. As we step from the shadows into the reach of the fire’s glow, silence falls. My mother’s eyes snap to mine, scanning me and the Great Mother for any clues of what has happened. “Let us welcome our new sister to the coven. The Goddess Hecate has smiled upon her and we shall embrace her with open arms!” The Great Mother says loudly. “Blessed be!” The crowd gathered calls back. “Blessed be!” The Great Mother echos in refrain. “The Blood Moon is to be auspicious for our dear
A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 73: Dynasties
“Steer clear of that line.” My mother said as we stepped back into her room through her chalk door portal. “Constance and her ilk are nothing but trouble. None of her witchlings ever made it to ascension, only her boy survived.” She said with little compassion for the gravity of her words. “What a pity to have your line reduced to a stud.” Her tone devoid of pity. “Who?” I ask, still trying to absorb all that has occurred. “Constance. The last one we were speaking to. Honestly, Ceres. How can I teach you if you do not pay attention?” She asks. Her tone is sharp and biting. “Kai— Anchises and his mother?” I correct myself. My mother laughs heartily. “You will learn soon we care little for men.” She says after several hearty laughs. “A coven is not a packhouse, men carry no power. Their value is in forming alliances and gaining power in marriage.” “Do you not bow to your alpha?” I snap back. Her smile fades. “I do what I must to protect what is mine.” An uncomfortable silen
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“Everything I have done has always been to keep you and your brother—“ My mother begins as I pack her room, as the horses are being prepared. “Don’t.” I say forcefully. “Just. Don’t.” I say almost pleading. “It doesn’t really matter right now.”“It matters! I am a good mother!” She exclaims. “To someone, maybe.” I respond coldly. “It seems to matter to you, you hold such a grudge against me!” She argues. “Your perception of reality is filtered through the lens of your guilt.” I say as if quoting scripture. “What did the Ancient Sisters say about the moon ceremony?” She asks directly. “That none of the coven should interfere.” I say pointedly. “Very well. Blessed be on your journey and claiming your destiny.” A wound had been inflicted but quickly buried with a detached smile. “You will be returning to the estate after the ceremony, correct?” She asks quietly. “Correct. I will come to retrieve my brother and meager belongings.” I confirm. “We may be able to figure something ou
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“M’lady.” He says with a bow at the edge of my small table. “Would you care to join me?” I ask, offering the vacant chair tucked in neatly across from where I sit. A small smile tugs the corners of his mouth upward, only for a moment, before his unaffected expression settles back on his face. His eyes cold and steely, framed by thick lashes. The Gods always waste the best lashes on men. His eyes are shaped like almonds with a defined brow, making any expression he has both sultry and mysterious. He pulls the chair from the table and gracefully sits down. His movements are so fluid like a perfectly choreographed dance. “Ceres, how lovely to see you.” He greets as if we randomly bumped into each other at a spot we both frequented. “Yes, it is lovely to see you as well, Kai, and quite surprising.” I say and then gracefully lift my teacup and take a sip of tea. My eyes looking to him directly over the edge of my cup, as I try to make sense of this visit. “Don’t worry, none of the
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“May the Goddess anoint you with her love and bless you with your dreams.” “We give our devotion to the Goddess!” My mate and I reply. The priestesses are all around us. Their voices echoing off the walls of the cave, it’s impossible to tell how many are speaking as the voices echo around us. Our naked bodies only inches away from one another as we stand in the pool, his intoxicating scent masked by the abundance of minerals in the spring. “We ask our Goddess to cleanse you of all your impurities. Remove any malice from your hearts.” The priestesses chant around us. My body feels drawn to him. The urge I have to touch him is overwhelming, to just feel his skin pressed against mine. Any doubts I have floating away the second I am near him. I look ahead to the priestesses. I do not dare look at him in all his glory. One glance at him may be what breaks the dam holding back my urges, my last vestige of control. “Tonight, you are to shift into your true nature. The greatest trea
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A Daughter’s Revenge Chapter 128: Rigid as the Great Mountain
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