Chapter 46: Chapter 46

Katie groaned in pain as more of it shot through her body, a change threatening to shatter every bone in her body and an inhibition resisting it with an equal amount of force. This was the product of her anger when left unchecked. The pain was immense, but Katie didn’t mind it considering she was certain it was not going to kill her. Instead, she thought of all the students that were potentially dead by now without her even noticing it.

Katie was in so much agony that she didn’t notice the changes around her. Even when the moon goddess landed beside her with a heavy thud, she barely noticed her. She only focused on the pain and the memories that rocked her, generating more of the pain. The wolf within her tried to retract shunning its master’s fury to reduce the pain she was being put through. However, the anger and sense of justice that Katie had did not allow that so easily.

Fury gripped the werewolf as well forcing the transformation to progress even further. It was almost like Katie was punishing herself for what she had let happen right beneath her nose. She didn’t notice when a glowing hand settled calmly on her head, dispelling all the pain that coursed through her body almost in an instant. She collapsed, her body shivering with contractions from the ordeal she’d just been through. Her breath came out in shallow gasps as she regained her composure.

She looked up and had to shield her eyes from the light that glowed off the being that was currently in her presence, “Did someone turn out the lights or something?” she asked, trying to get up and failing.

“Don’t get up just yet. You’ve been through a lot of time and haven’t fully recovered yet,” a beautiful voice filled her ears, taking with it part of her senses with its lulling nature.

“What are you?” Katie asked, finally realizing the bizarre traits of the person she still couldn’t look at while her eyes adjusted to the fact that it was not night, “Why can’t I see anything? It’s like it’s midnight.”

“Maybe you could tell who I was if you just looked at me,” the voice came again, carrying with it a compelling desire to comply with the woman’s wishes.

.....

“You aren’t normal, that’s for sure. You are dulling my senses just by talking to me. You...”

“Just look at me already,” the lady commanded this time, Katie’s body involuntarily turning to meet the gaze of the flawless goddess before her. It was instant recognition. The thoughts of doubt completely vanished while she looked at the moon goddess. Her thoughts about the interrogation slipped out of her mind. She was slowly losing track of everything she had in her mind and filling it with images of the woman before who glowed with an otherworldly radiance.

“So you’re the moon goddess... I finally get to meet you,” she said.

“Yes, you do and I will answer any questions that you have. I have healed your affliction and taken care of your wolf. He will sleep until seven tomorrow when the effects of an eighteenth birthday start to take root. Before that time, even emotions of anger will not spur your wolf awake. I would hate for you to shift prematurely. I want to tell you that you also won’t need those pills after what I have done. So you can stop taking them now. In fact, I would prefer it if you completely forgot those pills for they will make your first shift even more painful.”

“What are you doing here?” Katie asked bluntly, shocking the moon goddess with her ignorance.

“I came to your rescue in a time of need. Why else do you think I’m here?”

“I was not in a time of need. I wasn’t going to die. The person that deserved this kind of intervention was Ash. Were you even watching when she was killed?” Katie asked.

“What I have done right now can only be done once in a generation of Royals? There will never be another time that I will appear to you during the day because I have squandered that opportunity,” she said.

“Oh, that sounds really smart. Of all the times you could have chosen, you chose now. When Shaemus’ mother lies in captivity, Ash is dead, the rogues have been infiltrating the school all this time and potentially been killing people. What makes now that no one is in danger so important that you would squander such a trump card?” Katie did not realise she was yelling as she talked back to the goddess who slowly backed away from the fuming teenager.

“Are you looking for someone to blame?” the moon goddess asked her calmly.

Katie took her time to think over her actions and words, realizing all that had happened wasn’t the moon goddess’ fault, for she had to watch much more than the town of Brigade. A power that came only once could not be squandered on one wolf that lay within her jurisdiction when multitudes of others all over the globe would have been in a similar situation. She struck her fist into the ground in frustration, “No, I’m not. I’m just so angry. I’ve never been this furious. I want to... I want to kill him.”

The moon goddess watched Katie stutter and cry through sad eyes and floated towards her, “Oh my child, you’ve been through so much. I’ve been watching, but I’ve been unable to touch you for a number of reasons. Do not despair in this situation. Learn from it. Anger is something you should never let get the better of you,” she said.

“How can I be calm after all that he said? Even for me, it seemed impossible. That’s why I had to get out of there. I don’t know how to move on from this,” Katie answered.

“Breath in two times, breathe out consequently. Destroy the images that attempt to crush your mental fortitude. Clear your mind of all negativities. Keep a smile on your face...”

“And when that all fails, punch yourself in the gut for your incompetence,” Katie finished the mantra that had been imprinted in her mind since she was a child. It was the way they were trained to deal with anger. The philosophy in the Chase family was that anger was merely a product of the mind that made people jump to the worst-case scenarios of everything and generated negative energy. It was true that anger provided adrenaline, but it also provided a clouded judgement.

Katie found herself going through the steps that she had just been reciting, the training she’d been through kicking in and bringing her back to normal. In a few seconds, she had stopped crying and sat cross-legged panting with exhaustion. “That fast, huh...” the moon goddess said, shaking her head in amusement by the speed of recovery.

“I’ve just done it so many times. Until you actually go through those motions, it feels impossible, but I know the power of that mantra well and I thank you. I don’t know what would have become of me. Losing control of myself made you squander such an important power on me. It should have been used for a more important event,” Katie rambled apologetically.

“I don’t get it. Why isn’t your mind flooded with thoughts of my flawless beauty?” the moon goddess whined, posing like a model and batting her eyelashes.

Katie couldn’t help, but burst into laughter at the action, “Probably because you put my wolf to sleep...” between laughs, “do you always like it when people fawn over you?”

“No, just my people, mainly the Royals,” she replied.

“Oh, in that case, oh dear goddess, there is none more beautiful than thee. Thou radiance shines upon the...”

“Okay, that’s enough of that. I’m even embarrassed I brought it up,” the two laughed at the sheer silliness of the acting. After having a good laugh, the moon goddess was able to relax after what she’d just witnessed.

“I know that you wouldn’t have come all this way just to save me from shifting. To you, I should be just another random werewolf. Do I get the full explanation?” Katie asked, leaning against a tree to listen to the goddess before her. Her beauty was undeniable and the glow that was constantly around her just made it seem unfair for anyone that had hopes of competing. Katie had finally calmed down to notice that night had descended upon the sky and that the moon stood high in the sky even though she was sure it was broad daylight.

“You’re right. I didn’t come all this way just to save you, say hello and leave. I’ll also explain why it was crucial that I came here,” she started, “You are half of the pair that I chose to bring this war into sight of an ending.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Katie asked.

“Eighteen years ago, a prophecy descended from the heavens, one from me, of course. I had chosen two children to be born from the two royal families. These children came with them a power that would put an end to this war between the rogues and the entire world,” she said.

“How is that supposed to work?”

“Upon the union of these two children when they’ve come of age, the Royals along with all the alphas in the world will lose the power of the curse that I place on them centuries ago and will not be able to turn a human into a werewolf ever again,” she said.

The information hit like a stone brick. Something like this would stop the increasing number of werewolves tremendously. “That sounds... too good to be true.”

“I know it does and not many believed it, but the Rogue King certainly did. And a few days after these children were born, the two palaces, homes to Sirius and Lycaon families were attacked. The Lycaons were able to fend off the attack, dispensing the entirety of the Chase family that was present as well as the head of the Chase family. On the other hand, the Sirius family was not so fortunate. I took numerous measures to protect you myself because you were in the most danger at the time. Your mother was tasked with secretly taking you away and handing you over to a handpicked couple of hunters also belonging to the Chase family,” she explained.

“That’s why they always reminded me to refer to them as my guardians and not my real parents...”

“Yes, that is why. It wouldn’t be ideal if your real parents showed up years later when you were capable of protecting yourself just to hear you refer to someone else as your mother and father,” the moon goddess said.

“You do realise how messed up this all is, don’t you?”

“Yes, I do. I realise that very much, but it couldn’t be helped. The Royal families are constantly watched by the public eye. Any contact they would have made with you would immediately leak out. Besides, your parents were asked to conceal your location as well. It’s only of recent that news of the famed Katie Chase has begun to spread that has caught their eye,” she said.

“I see... Is the other child the same one that I think it is?”

“Yes, Cole Lycaon is indeed your mate...” the moon goddess replied, “and if I had arrived a moment later, he would have found that out.”

Katie’s eyes widened in shock, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Every time your wolf is released... so is your scent. And every time that happens, Cole gets it and starts running your way. Today, since you lacked the mobility to escape, he almost caught up to you, but I came just in time to stop him,” she said.

“Why did you stop him?”

“So that you don’t have one more thing to deal with in this state you are in. Figure out Ash’s killer. I know you can. If you can do that before seven tomorrow, then you can gladly let one more thing into your mind. Focus, Katie,” she said. The moon was starting to dim while she spoke, her appearance becoming more and more translucent.

“Will I see you again?” Katie asked her.

“Yes, yes you will. I’ll be watching over you,” with that said, the moon goddess vanished and the light from the sun erupted once more violating Katie’s sensitive eyes and forcing her to cover them with her palm, ‘Something tells me, I’m only getting started,’ she thought before letting herself lean back into the tree.