Chapter 21 - Repercussions
After the vision from last night, no matter what I tried, I couldn't shake the cold that clung to my bones. As soon as the sun had risen to greet the sky, I jumped out of bed and made my way to Tom and Greta to explain what I had experienced, Erik hot on my tail.
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"Is there any way we can tell when they will arrive?" Erik snapped. His emotions were thick and heavy with worry and anger. Anger that he couldn't protect me from what was coming and the fear of losing me. It made me feel guilty that I was putting him through so much stress in such a short time.
"That's the problem with seeing some visions. If we don't know their origin, we can't pinpoint their time frame. That could have happened days ago and ha
Chapter 22 - Magic My eyes fluttered open as I felt a warm hand grip my shoulder, giving me a gentle shake. My cheek was wet with drool as I slowly sat up and let my eyes adjust to the lighting change. My face turned red as I wiped my face, and I looked at Eriks' shirt to see it wet where I had slept. "We're here. We better get going if we want to make it to Viridis valley before sunrise." Erik said, standing up, ignoring my embarrassment. My body ached as I moved to stand up too. Not only were planes terrifying, but they were also extremely uncomfortable. "Someone slept well." Drake laughed as he looked at Erik's shirt and then back at me. "At least she didn't have to hear you and
Chapter 23 - Blood The hike up Rubrum mountains was long and treacherous. Even in our wolf form, we felt the exhaustion set in. What started as a wide, steep trail became ridged and narrow. The air thinned the higher we climbed, and the wind became harsher as it whistled past us. Our fur kept us warm and protected us from its stinging lashes, but it also threw off our already scares footing. "Im not sure how much longer we can stay with way." Phoenix huffed, her breathing heavily as she tried to push forward. The rock under her back paw slipped we tried to jump to the next footing. Causing her to slip, all that we could see was thick mist beneath us as we looked down. We were above most of the heavy clouds but knew that jagged rocks sat below, waiting to pierce us if we fell. We somehow managed to gain enough strength
Chapter 24 - Deal "How do I know you will follow through on your end," I asked, my voice strong and steady—the exact opposite of how I was feeling. The dark energy they gave off made my skin feel sticky. The smell of the air was enough to make anyone toss. "Such a naive girl, isn't she." One hissed. I swore I could feel spit drip onto my skin. "We never fail to deliver." Another laughed. The laughter was full of darkness. It caused my skin to crawl and my heart to sink. It sounded as if the soul had gone completely mad. Whether I wanted to accept the deal or not, it wasn't about me anymore. It was about protecting everyone who trusted me, protecting the future of those to come. "I
Chapter 25 - Doorways Phillips POV After agreeing to help Victoria and her daughter capture my brother's mate, I finally felt at peace. For the first time in years, I had a sense of relief flood my body. I felt no guilt. The plan was simple. I would have Rachel take Athena out for a hike. I would follow behind, and once we got to the creak on the neutral ground, they would step forth and grab her. Rachel would claim rogues attacked them and that they wanted Athena as bait. Once she was gone, Erik would go mad trying to find her. I would challenge him in his weakened state. He would be stripped of his title, and I would finally get what I deserved. I lay awake, staring up at the ceiling fan as it turned. The room felt uneasy as I tried to focus on som
Chapter 26 - Guilt "Yes, she was my closest friend. Even though I am Dacian, she never treated me any different. She treated me as if I was her equal and not a being to be considered a goddess. I tried my best to protect her, but when she gave herself up to protect you and leave the human realm, I lost all ability to contact her." Melody explained she held such love when she spoke of my mother. A smile graced her plush lips as she described their relationship. Only to have sadness spread across her face as she spoke of her loss. "Her sister is a cruel woman, and since she has dark magic, she managed to block out anyone's ability to see into the Fae realm. There was no way of knowing whether she was alive or..." she paused "it's been a long time since I heard her voice." "Wait, the dark Queen is my mother's sister?" I a
Chapter 27 - Disappearance "Phillip, what are you doing out here," I asked. His presence made me feel uncomfortable. The way he looked at me like I was prey he was waiting to attack made my stomach turn. "Since you haven't been officially made our Luna yet. Erik had sent out some members to keep a close eye on you." Phillip said as he walked closer to me. He reached his hand out and pushed my hair behind my ear. The gesture made my stomach tighten as chill rushed down my spine. I took a step back from him, trying to increase the distance between us. He smiled and continued to step forward. "Why didn't he just link me to ask where I was or come find me himself," I stated. If he were going to send anyone to watch me, it would have been Lucas or Drake. H
Chapter 28 - Unexpected Allies Athena's POV My body felt like it was coated in lead. The weight of exhaustion plagued my body. I could feel my energy constantly leaving my body in waves as I struggled to open my eyes. My mind, body and soul felt empty. I felt utterly alone in the darkness—no familiar scents to bring me comfort. I could hear the faint conversation as I tried to wake up. "I think we've drained enough of her powers for one day. If we continue, we might kill her." A woman's voice whispered. "If she isn't weak enough, she will be able to break free. I don't want to risk her escaping." Another hissed back.
Chapter 29 - Slow and steady Erik's POV I felt Creed step back as he pushed his anger aside. I felt our body shift as I came forward, my bones snapping into place. Malcolm threw me a pair of sweat pants, so I wasn't' completely naked. "Go on," I said as I stayed back, stepping into the pants. The thought of Phillip and the need to end him ate away at me. It took everything in us not to turn around and kill him. "I was able to talk to some of my friends on the dark side. They know of a few spells that will, not only, mask us but also the portal into the Fae realm." Malcolm smiled as he looked at me. Excitement filled his eyes. He only became this excited when a great deal of dark magi
Epilogue Three weeks later Damon The pressure of the crown was building as Alora and I settled into our new roles. My father was no longer here to keep the council at bay with their demands. But despite it all, I had found that I enjoyed this new life I had been given. The new responsibilities allowed me even more control over the Kingdom than the Captain of the guards ever could. All be it; I did miss the battle prep and daily training. But I still found holes in my busy schedule to take Alora out to the training fields at least once a week. I knew that eventually, our routine would become steady, and we would have more time to relax, but new rulers came with change and to have change, you needed to vote on old and new laws to pass. Alora and I had already made some big changes, like incorporating technology from the human realm into our daily lives to allow us easier communication with other realms. But there were still a lot of issues with the old ways of running our Kingdom
Chapter 49 - To Love and Cherish ErikPeace was something that was talked about constantly. During wars, it was what we fought for. While ruling a Kingdom, it was what we strived to maintain. But I had never truly known peace until now. The thought of finally being ridden of this pain inside of me, knowing that soon I would be with my love once again, was freeing. The final night with my family started out slow, but it eventually picked up and ran right into the night. There was laughter and tears exchanged around the table as we shared stories of my past and everyone got a chance to say goodbye, getting the closer they needed.And as everyone turned in for the night, I found myself alone again; unable to sleep, I found myself outside. I stayed up looking out at the stars waiting for the sun to rise. I closed my eyes, letting the warm breeze brush across my skin, engraving it into my mind. "So you really are going to spend your last moments alive, sitting in a field of flowers like
Chapter 48 - GoodbyesErikI watched as the sun set beyond the forest, the oranges and pinks of the sky blending together as the sun bid it farewell. It had been a long time since I had nothing to do, no responsibilities with the crown or of the guards. I thought it might help me move on from the hell that the last year had been without Athena, but now I realize that was a stupid notion. It was lonely, and the weight of losing my mate weighed heavier on my heart now than it did while I still ruled.I kept as busy as a retired King could, helping Damon when he needed to seek council or helping Apollo if he needed a hand with training recruits, but I knew that they both didn't really need my help. They just didn't want me to feel left out. Apollo was a natural at his role, and so was Damon. Despite what Damon said when he first discovered he would be the next in line to inherit the throne. He took to it as a bird took to the sky. He was a born leader and shined when he was in control o
Chapter 47 - Home Alora It had been a month since I had been crowned Queen of Gardenia, the days seeming to slip away as the kingdom welcomed the summer solstice and our ruling.I was busy learning my new role, Damon's father and Grandfather helping ease us both into the important roles we both now held. However, it was easier having Helga by my side. I was happy to have her as my royal advisor, and Rachel had said she was a natural already. I knew she would be, though; she always loved to take control and never gave up the opportunity to tell someone off. It was also working in my favour because Lord folic was so busy fighting with her that he always missed out on voting for new laws or changes to existing rulings. Damon loved it, and it made the council meetings less gruelling. It was absurd how many times we had to have a council meeting. At least once a day, and most of the things brought up were trivial problems. By the end of the day, I was just happy to get some alone time
Chapter 46 - The CrownDamon It felt like an eternity had passed as I waited in the royal chambers with my father. It felt even longer when we exchanged goodbyes at the throne room, and I waited at the dais while he sat on his throne. Melody stood in front of my father, a smile stretched across her face, glowing brightly. The room was full of people, some from the council, others from royal families, friends, family, and people from our Kingdom. All watching and waiting for the ceremony to begin.I was in a black royal jacket that was made with silver threading, and our family crest stitched into my left breast pocket. The wolves were placed proudly amongst the roses and the sword that separated them as they howled at the moon. My silver crown was placed on my head, but that would be changed once mine and Alora's vows were complete and only after the mothers accepted us as the new King and Queen to signal the dawn of a new era. Drake stood to the right of me, his mate, my mother's
Chapter 45 - Long Live The Queen Damon "Again," I commanded as Alora worked to keep the wings she had summoned to remain on her back. She had learned quickly how to handle the phoenix flames since she had already worked with the fire element. But now came the hard part, only half shifting. I did it all the time, especially in battle, morphing my nails into claws and elongating my canines. But nothing about that was easy; it came with time and practice, but Alora wanted to have it mastered. With the coronation and our mate ceremony happening tomorrow, she wanted to be better at it. Not only to prove to the council and our people that she was a worthy Queen but also to herself. I didn't want to be the one to tell her to slow down, not after she had spent so much of her life ruled under someone else thumb. But I had warned her of the risks of exhaustion and told her that when I saw fit, we would end the training for the evening.Alora begrudgingly accepted my condition, and I kept tr
Chapter 44 - Worship AloraI flipped through the pages of the phoenix book the jinx family had kept for generations. There was so much to process, like what abilities I now possessed because of what I was. It made my head hurt; there was so much to learn, so much to figure out. I was now different than normal fae; I was now a shifter. But, unlike most shifting fae, my order didn't communicate with me. Instead, it was a part of me; we were one and the same. I would still live an immortal life, only having one enemy that could stop me from ever being reborn, permanently ending my life. A Basilisk. A venous snake shifter that, like me, was rare, most believed them to be extinct. But now that I existed, one would be born, if not already—the universe now having to find balance in all forms. It was mindblowing the things I had already read about. For example, I could enchant items with my flames, similar to everlasting fire. But unlike everlasting fire, I couldn't break wards or spells w
Chapter 43 - WarningDamonI sat at the dais, my legs hanging over the edge as I waited for Cedric to arrive with the artifacts Alora and I asked for. Balor was right when he said the Jinx family would bargain for their priceless information. The smug look on their faces was wiped away and replaced with wide gaping mouths as they stared at the amulet in shock.Diana had muttered a curse under her breath. One I was sure she wanted me to hear because she said it so close to me. But I bit my tongue as I handed over the amulet, not wanting to risk them being stingy with their end of the deal.Alora was waiting in the Library, looking over whatever other books Audra had found for her. Now that Alora had her dream magic again, she was more determined than ever to find out what else she was capable of doing. I couldn't help but admire her for her devotion and eagerness. I was still reeling in from the mind-blowing realization that not only was Alora a rare Pheonix shifter, but she was also
Chapter 42 - Full CircleAloraIt's funny how even after you have overcome your deepest fears that they can still creep up on you. That was how it felt right now, anyways, as we arrived at the Dream realm. It was a ghost town, everyone seeming to either vanish with my mother's magic or flee as soon as they were freed from their promise to her. The streets were quiet, the ports empty, and the palace looked haunted. The golden paint was already losing its shine and fading with the faded magic. The windows were dark and unwelcoming as we approached the not-so-gilded gate. It was now that I felt the fear of my mother creep up on me. The well of my fears bubbled in the pit of my stomach. For decades I walked through these gates and made my way to my mother's throne room to report my findings and give her the things she requested I steal. The motions all felt so familiar, but with Damon by my side, they also felt different. I knew he could sense my hesitation as we approached the giant w