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11: The Aether
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Rite of Power 12: Wolves & Men
My eyelids fluttered open at the sound of Nathan’s voice in my head, ‘I’m supposed to try and talk you out of training this morning, and he all but ordered it last night because you seemed so tired.’ Nathan had never seemed to like me, but he at least seemed to respect my decision to push myself when it came to training. It’d been a source of contention between him and his Alpha, but he was the only one who remained impartial about my status and had enough skill to train me in the way that I needed. ‘Let’s let him have this one, just for today. If you’re still up for an early morning session, you could gather up Lalita and the girls for an impromptu set.’ If there was anyone he liked less than me, it was the female shifters I’d chosen to have trained as my enforcers, even if he did agree that strategically, they were less conspicuous out in public. ‘If it’s all the same, I’d like to run the perimeter this morning and check in with the
Rite of Power 13: Return to Sender
The smell hit my nostrils before I saw what everyone was standing around staring at. It was a familiar scent that made my blood boil and my teeth clench involuntarily. Logically, I knew that this pitiful wretch was no threat to me in any way that mattered, but there was a history and memories I’d never fully escape. Choking back my hatred, Dmitri and I walked away from the dirt road we’d arrived on towards the small gathering by the perimeter fence. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, and everyone standing around had the same expression on their faces. She was stripped down to her expensive lacey underwear, bound and gagged in the exact same way I had been when I’d first been brought to the pack house. Her hair had also been died a bright red color and curled into tight ringlets. Dmitri tried to move in my way, but it was too late, I’d already seen her. I looked to Nathan for an explanation. “The first patrol found her like this just before sunrise,”
Rite of Power 14: Nathan's Mate
I didn’t want to give him a chance to explain himself. He’d already had the chance to explain himself every day for the past few months. And now I felt completely betrayed by this secret that he’d kept. That they all had kept. “You should go find out what the scout found if anything,” I glared at Dmitri. I’d gotten over the fact that he’d been with other women before me, but this was a level of betrayal I couldn’t see past. “Nathan, you’re with me,” turned around and started to storm out of the little corridor, the air getting to thick in the small space to breathe. “And where are you going?” he followed us out into the main hall, anger, hurt and fear flooding our bond. “Anywhere you aren’t,” I glared up at him, pinching off the flow of emotions between us so I wouldn’t have to feel guilty about his feelings right now. I felt justified in my anger and I wanted to let it burn a while longer. I gave Nathan a meaningful look, “You will no
Rite of Power 15: Alone
I went straight to our suite and made a beeline to the closet. Looking around at all the fancy clothes that Sophia helped me curate for the life I thought I was going to have, sent another ripple of rage through me. I’d kept my end of the deal, I chose him, stayed here, became Alpha and learned to walk in heels. But he couldn’t find five minutes to tell me the truth about their twisted little revenge plot? Unable to stand the thought of his hands touching me, I threw some of my clothes into a bag and headed for one of the few guest suites in the house. Would I leave him over this? I might if I didn’t put some space between us until I had a chance to cool down. Sophie tried to convince me to stay with her, but even being on the same floor with the three of them made me queasy. The next few days were unusually tense throughout the pack. We never received word that my uncle had returned home. If I was still speaking to him, Dmitri would never agree to let
Rite of Power 16: Unbreakable
In my effort to avoid people, I’d been having my meals either in the kitchen or out in the greenhouse. But I promised Blake that I would talk to Sophie before the day was over to cease his nagging. I felt like the kitchen was my sanctuary away from everyone, so I had a dinner for two brought out to the greenhouse. “Um, Alpha…” Sophie’s timid voice drew my gaze from the view on the other side of the wall of glass to her. “You asked to see me?” she looked unsure but there was a tinge of hope in her voice. “I hope you don’t mind joining me for dinner tonight,” I gestured towards the other place setting, “I know how hard you work to make the community meals a regular thing, but I thought it would be best if we had a more private setting. So we could talk.” Guilt started to eat at me when I saw how eagerly she took up the other seat at the little table. “I was starting to think that you wouldn’t ever speak to me again, and I’ve been waiting
Rite of Power 17: The Menae
‘You’ve looked more and more troubled these past few visits,’ the black she-wolf that had met me the first time I found myself in the Aether greeted me with a look of concern. “Lover’s quarrel,” I shrugged, “virgins really should only lose their virginity to other virgins so they don’t have to compare themselves to past lovers.” She chuckled, curling up beside me as I sat on the inky black surface beneath me. ‘Old lovers are ghosts that haunt both parties for only as long as they let them,’ her silver eyes looked like they held all the knowledge of the world as she looked up at me. ‘But I don’t think that is why you called for me today.’ I shook my head, “I want to know more about the process of a potential patron calling for a wolf spirit.” ‘You think you’ve found someone worthy of a wolf that hasn’t been able to call for one themselves?’ “My Beta,” I nodded, “Sophie is the daughter of an Alpha, so sh
Rite of Power 18: Man Vs Wolf
She moved away from me as if I’d burned her, and I felt my despair claw at me, ripping me to ribbons once more. I’d give her anything or anyone if she’d just look at me without that burning rage making her eyes glow at me. To just let me hold her in my arms long enough to sooth the aching emptiness I felt. I couldn’t even stand to be in our suite anymore, with her fading scent in every corner reminding me that she’d abandoned those rooms. ‘How many times do you think you can fuck things up with her before she finally washes her hands of us?’ ‘I’m not in the mood for your lectures today Arkadi, at least she agreed to be in your presence. She won’t even talk to me and she flinches at my touch!’ I didn’t care about anything else, I just wanted to know how to fix this and my own wolf had turned against me instead of trying to help me. ‘You did this to us, not me,’ he growled, stalking away to the darkest corner of my mind.
Rite of Power 19: Bo
She sat in my mind, quietly observing while Blake continued to teach me a new combination of moves to use when I found the right opening in a fight. We stopped for a water break when she spoke up again, ‘Can I give it a go?’ ‘I don’t know how to share control; usually the goddess just grabs it and shoves me out of the way.’ ‘You just relax and don’t fight it when I move your body.’ I gave her a mental shrug, ‘I guess it couldn’t hurt to try, be my guest.’ I tried to relax and let my body go limp, almost falling to the floor before she surged forward and held me upright. It was harder than I thought it would be to not fight against her as she moved my body around. “Selene, are you alright,” Blake’s face twisted with concern, “we can stop for the day if we’re overdoing it.” “I’m okay, can we go again?” it was strange hearing my own voice without thinking the words out beforehand.
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Rite of Power Rite of War
If you've made it all the way to end of this chapter in Selene's journey, then I hope that you've enjoyed the ride thus far. The next and final chapter of her life "Rite of War" should start posting around December of 2023. If you feel like being encouraging, and you have a minute or two to spare, please add a book review/comment. I don't know if it helps boost the story, but I do know that they boost my mood
Rite of Power 120: The Alpha of Alphas
I didn’t know how long I stood there, just staring at the lump in my hand as the thumping slowed to a stop. But I could still feel its pulse in my fingertips. Not fingers exactly, something more akin to monster hands. I found myself wondering if they’d be as pristinely white as the short velvety fur coving my arm if they weren’t coated in blood. “Selene…” Someone said my name, but they sounded too far away for me to recognize the voice. The dead lump rolled off my fingertips, falling to the ground with a wet thud. I didn’t feel anything now that it wasn’t pulping in my hand. I was numb and hollowed out, just like the lifeless husk at my feet.&nb
Rite of Power 119: A Final Breath
The sky was completely free of even the barest wisp of a cloud. It was as if the gods were watching, and had declared that nothing obstruct their view of the fight they’d been promised. There weren’t even any birds singing in the forest around our little meadow in the middle of the woods. Someone was going to die here today. Sophie had done well. A ten foot circle was clearly marked in the center of the grass with a larger circle marked around it another ten feet out. Beyond that, two white tents stood up on opposite sides of each other. I was supposed to do all of this, but the goddess wouldn’t settle for anything less than a full twenty-four hours. I had to kill someone today. I knew that I was physically capable of doing it. I was just a little iffy on if I had the conviction to kill her in such a gruesome way. It would’ve been much easier to just order her to stop breathing. But blood had to be spilt. I’d be rem
Rite of Power 118: Death March
I felt a little guilty for leaving Blake to deal with Selene’s possession all night. Now I owed him, Kelly and Sophie big. I just couldn’t risk that she’d find a way to seduce me if we were alone together. She curled up beside Blake on the sofa, under a throw blanket with her head on his lap. At least he’d managed to get her to sleep before she was set to fight to death in a couple hours. Blake looked exhausted himself, like he hadn’t slept a wink and brought his finger to his lips in a shushing motion when he saw me. ‘How much trouble did she give you?’ His shrug
Rite of Power 117: A Long Day
It wasn’t too hard to babysit a goddess once I started approaching the situation like I was taking care of my own little sister when she much younger. Aside from having a filthy vocabulary and an overwhelming sense of entitlement, it was just like taking care of a ten year old girl. She played in the water like she was a nymph, basked in the sun until it got too warm, preferred sweets and junk food over veggies, playing dress up with the plethora of clothes in the closet, and sitting on the floor in front of me while I brushed and braided her long, unruly curly locks for her. “She chose well with you,” she sighed contentedly as she watched me clean up our dinner dishes.
Rite of Power 116: Tick-Tick-Tick
“I don’t understand, what is going on?” Alex stared at me as I watched Dmitri storm down the hall. I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her out of the hall, “I don’t know yet either, but I’ll let you know what I can when I find out. Ok love?” She frowned at me, “Meaning you have to leave early this morning.” “You know I don’t want too,” I brushed the hair out of her face, “and in just one more day, almost all of this craziness will be done and over. Then I can ask Dimi and Selene to let us have a few days out at the cabin.&rdq
Rite of Power 115: Babystitting
Nathan ran back to spend his day with Candice, some kind of last day with her mate bullshit. Dmitri had shifted back into his wolf to carry the goddess in Selene’s body out to their hideaway cabin, since she was deadlocked in human form. I was tasked with grabbing a motorbike for Dmitri to ride back on, since I’d be staying out there with Selene. ‘There’s been a change of plans,’ I linked to Kelly as soon as I was close enough. ‘Did you guys find Selene?’ ‘Yes, but she’s not herself today, so we’re spending the day out at the cabin,’ I expl
Rite of Power 114: Dark Deals
It wasn’t hard to see that everyone had picked up on Selene’s complete lack of interest in everything around her. But just like everyone else, I said nothing. After the report Nathan gave me of the test run he’d put together for her, she seemed broken in a way that none of us knew how to heal. I couldn’t help but feel that things were only going to get worse. If ‘killing’ a statue had this effect on her, what was going to happen when she actually took a life? I cursed myself for letting her set the terms to all or nothing. Someone had to die, and I was starting to worry that she’d let it be her instead of having to take a life herself. Traditions and laws be d
Rite of Power 113: Erie Calm
There was definitely something off about Selene tonight, but no one seemed to want to voice anything about it. I was willing to bet that the only person that would’ve spoken up, was Blake, but she’d ordered him to stay with his mate for the rest of the day and even arranged to have their diner brought up to them so that Kelly wouldn’t have to tax herself any further by dealing with more people. She kept staring off into space throughout the meal. Clearly her mind was somewhere else. But she still managed to fake a smile, and nod at the appropriate times as the conversations prompted. She didn’t even lean into Dmitri’s touch, which struck me as more odd than her lack of banter.&
