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17: The Menae
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
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.
Rite of Power 20: Hangover
I cracked my eyes open only to squeeze them shut against the blinding pain that radiated through my skull. Even the night I’d drank too much alcohol hadn’t left a hangover this bad. I groaned as I realized that the sun was already bright and shining in the sky, just how late had I slept in? I tried to open my eyes again and immediately shut them. I tried to open a link to Sophie and was met with the same piercing pain that the light caused. I couldn’t just lay in bed all day. Why hadn’t anyone woke me up before now? Keeping my eyes shut, I pushed myself up into a sitting position. I was still wearing the dress I’d put on the day before, but my shoes and jewelry had been removed. I barely remembered Blake helping me into bed last night. Pushing the blanked aside, I swung my legs over the side of the bed and slowly slid off the mattress until my feet landed on the floor. It took a lot of effort to push myself up into a standing position, but I managed. I
Rite of Power 21: Alliance
Sophie’s face contorted into a pained expression as the color drained from her face. “We need to get back to the pack house and meet Dimi and Nate in the main office, now,” her eyes were wide as she grabbed my hand and started pulling me down the corridor. “I already said all I have to say to him,” I huffed trying to pull my arm free. She stopped dragging me and took several deep breaths as she composed herself. “I get that, I really do. But you’re going to have to put on a nice big domestic bliss smile and act cozy with him, we have a guest.” I felt the color drain from my own face. I’d already been worried that my uncle had dropped Candice back into my life like a bomb. Was he here to see how much damage he’d caused? I clenched my teeth, “What do you mean we have a guest? Who’s here?” She swallowed hard. “Alpha Caleb has arrived with some news he felt compelled to personally deliver because of our packs’ alliance. Di
Rite of Power 22: Candice
I lunged out of the bed and rushed to the bathroom as my stomach twisted painfully until it emptied its contents. Dmitri’s concerned voice came from the doorway behind me as I crouched over the porcelain bowl, “Are you ok?” I tried to say I was fine, but only succeeded in dry heaving. “I don’t remember you ever getting sick before.” I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and sat back on the cold stone floor. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t bring myself to look up at him. The image of him letting himself being torn to ribbons was etched into my mind. “I’m fine,” my arms curled around my stomach, “I just need a minute to collect myself.” “Selene, if something’s wrong…” “I said I’m fine! I just need a minute,” I pushed myself up off the floor. “I’m going to take a shower and wash up. So, if you don’t mind,” I waved toward the door. He lingered there as if wanting to say something else, but pulled the door shut with a heavy sigh,
Rite of Power 23: Love is Cruel
“I’ll have an Alpha come hear your formal challenge just as soon as it’s done running it’s course,” I smiled back at her. “Let me know as soon as it’s done Isabel.” “Alpha?” Dr Martinez stared at me in confusion, the shock of Candice’s challenge still stunning her. I leaned in close to Candice, “Thank you for answering all my questions, you’ve finally been useful for the first time in your life. That pain I helped you shove away,” she sucked in a breath as if she knew what was coming, “go ahead and fully feel it again. Wallow in it until you can’t bear the pain anymore. And just when you feel like it might kill you; sleep peacefully. Then the moment you reopen your eyes, feel all it again. Repeat this until I feel like you’ve felt and toned for all the pain you’ve inflicted on my pack.” Standing up straight I looked at the doctor as Candice started to strain against the straps in pain, “Don’t give her anything for the pain and let me k
Rite of Power 24: Subterfuge
Dmitri stepped in behind me and rested his hands on my hips as I finished pulling my hair up. “We still have a lot to talk about,” I leaned back against his chest, “and I’m still mad at you.” He kissed the back of my neck, “I can take your anger. Just, please don’t shut me out like that again.” Our eyes met in the mirror’s reflection, the feeling of being whole resonated within me again. “Don’t ever try to hide anything from me or lie to me again,” I held his gaze in the reflection; “you forget too easily that part of me is a vengeful, vindictive goddess that cursed your whole bloodline for a single slight.” He hummed a simple, “Hmm,” into my shoulder, but didn’t argue or plead any further. It’d felt like we’d spent hours locked away in our suite until he’d had his fill, but our Betas were waiting for us in the hall adjoining our suites. Sophie’s cheeks and the tops of Nathan’s ears turned a bright red color as we walk
Rite of Power 25: Uneasy Trust
It was hard to watch her walk away and out the door, even though I knew Sophie and Blake were waiting to join her on the other side. Through all of this it was a comfort to know that she wasn’t behaving recklessly. At least she wasn’t until just now. Asking people to come and linger long enough to observe her was an unnecessary risk. Did every wolf immediately recognize her for what she was? Mine had certainly known long before either of them told me. But when she had exhibited rare abilities during her first shift with the pack, it hadn’t stopped Nathan from acting as if she were just another she-wolf at the time. Caleb still didn’t seem to have a clue either. “I respect that she is another Alpha and your mate, but you can’t give in to her like that in front of others when they get here. They won’t see it as devotion, but submission to the dominate Alpha.” Even as he said it, there was a look of awe on his face as he stared at the door she just walked
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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.&
