Research

EVERETT

My little mate begins to tremble, half frozen as she was reaching for one of the books. I scan the section of my study she’s in. My private study.

Myths and Legends.

Hmm…

“Well?” I demand.

I see her take a breath and shyly turn to look at me, her face red with embarrassment at being caught.

“Sorry, Alpha,” she says. “I was just so curious. The librarian told me that you had so many more books here than in the library…” Her eyes widen. “But don’t get mad at Melissa, please! It was all my idea.”

I hear Chaos chuckle in my mind. “~Even when she knows she’s in trouble, she’s trying to protect others~.”

“You know you weren’t supposed to come in here,” I say.

Her eyes drop to the floor, guilty.

“Yes,” she whispers.

I glare at her, deciding what to do. But even when she’s breaking the rules, I can’t completely focus my anger on her.

“How will I be punished?” she asks. She meets my eyes, clearly afraid but resolute. She isn’t making any excuses, accepting responsibility.

Chaos rumbles with approval.

“Get out of here.” I sigh. Her eyebrows scrunch up in confusion. “Don’t let me catch you in here again.”

“Th-that’s it?” she asks, disbelieving.

“~Now,~” I growl. “Before I change my mind.”

“Y-y-yes, Alpha!” she stammers. “Thank you, Alpha!” She hurries past me, her intoxicating scent making me want to grab her and never let go. I see her hesitate, her eyes flickering back to the books on the shelf behind me before she stumbles outside into the hallway.

“~You know she’s going to sneak back in,~” Chaos snickers. “~Our little mate is too curious~.”

My lips twitch as I try not to smile. She’s braver than I give her credit for. I was afraid she’d be too timid. I don’t want an obedient puppet as a luna.

“We’ll see.”

RORY

As fast as I could, tripping along the way, I manage to get out of the packhouse. My heart still hasn’t calmed down, and I take some deep breaths of fresh air.

I was positive that Alpha Everett would have banished me after I got caught in his private study. Why is he letting a human like me get away with so much?

Maybe…because he likes me? Maybe the mate bond…

I sigh and shake my head. He’s probably just being nice to me because I’m so weak and frail. Still, I wish I’d gotten just a few more minutes in his study. I wanted so badly to read those books…

I walk around the town for a little until I decide to visit Orion to distract myself.

Knocking on the door of the orphanage, I’m greeted by a woman my height with a kind smile, short legs, and flour all over her body. I beam back at her and introduce myself.

“Hi, I’m Nellie,” she responds, opening the door wider to allow me inside. “The alpha saved you? He’s quite the hero. Everyone in the pack loves him. So are you staying here for a while?”

“Yes, I am. I met Orion yesterday and he mentioned this place, and I thought I would come visit,” I tell her and her face brightens up.

“You’re the reason Orion came back so happy yesterday? Bless him, he always comes back with puffy eyes. The pups at school can be cruel to outsiders.

“You’re welcome to stay a while. I could use the help. The kids are baking in the kitchen rather messily. Would you mind?”

“Of course not. I’m happy to help,” I declare and follow her into the kitchen. I’m greeted by six or so kids, all throwing cake ingredients at each other and giggling.

I notice Orion reading in the corner, and just as he glances up and sees me, he hurries over with a wide grin on his face.

“Rory!” he exclaims. “Hi.”

“Orion, hey. You seem happier,” I say with a smile. “Whatcha making?”

A couple of the other pups catch my scent and look over to me with curious eyes.

Most of them are younger than Orion, who is around nine I’m guessing, but then a scowling girl walks through the backdoor of the kitchen, tugging her headphones from her ears to her neck.

“Why is there a human here?” she asks in a disgusted tone. She must be a teenager, maybe fourteen.

“I’m a guest, courtesy of your alpha,” I tell her with confidence. “I’m Rory, it’s nice to meet you…”

“Cassidy. And it’s not nice to meet you,” she snarks with a glare. “Alpha Everett invited you here?”

“I was injured in rogue territory and he—”

“Rogue territory?” Her sudden interest almost startles me but I just nod at her question as I see her curiosity is piqued. “You were out there? How long?”

“A day really. I was exiled from my pack when I came back from school, and I slept overnight in the woods,” I reply as I begin to help two kids, Chloe and Wes with their cake.

The others play outside whilst Orion and Cassidy sit at the table just staring at me.

“How did you survive the night? You’re human,” Orion asks me.

“I was passed out, and I woke up in the morning to find a rogue protecting me from others for some reason. He shifted, and he told me I shouldn’t be out here and then left.”

“A rogue? My parents were killed by rogues,” Cassidy tells me in a sullen tone. “A rogue helped you?”

“Not all rogues are the same,” I answered.

“I was always taught that all rogues are vicious and selfish and dangerous, and I go by that because you don’t know what they’re like,” she spat out.

“You have to stay wary. But not all rogues leave their pack by choice.”

“Why did your pack run you out?” Cassidy questions.

“Because I’m human, and my pack was intolerant.” I help the kids pop the cake in the oven, and they go join the other little kids playing outside.

I join Orion and Cassidy after I make some coffee for myself and get sodas for the two of them.

“Thank you, Rory,” Nellie says as she enters the kitchen, plopping down on the seat next to me. “The kids were making quite a mess in here.”

“Well, the alpha hasn’t really given me anything to do, and I thought I’d help out around here if you’d like.”

“Yes,” she replies immediately, followed with a sigh. “Thank Goddess you said that. They are a handful!”

“Just don’t mention it to Alpha Everett. He always seems distressed or disappointed around me,” I tell them.

“Why?” Cassidy queries, narrowing her eyes.

“I’m quite clumsy, which is partly why he’s letting me stay, and the fact that I have nowhere else to go.

“I just think that he wants me to spend all my time locked up in the pack house where I can cause no damage,” I explain with a light chuckle. “Speaking of which, I should get back there soon.”

“Aw, really?” Orion complains with a pout and slumps onto the table.

“I’ll come back tomorrow if you like,” I tell him with my brightest smile, and it seems to appease him.

I bid my farewells to the other pups and Nellie before heading back to the pack house. On the way back, I can’t help but think about all those books in Alpha Everett’s study.

I need something. Something to tell me who I am, what I am. I can resurrect from the dead. I died. Twice that I know of now, and twice before that.

I died. And I came back. I need to know why. I need to know the limits of it all.

The clumsiest person alive can bring herself back from the dead, can heal wounds. The irony isn’t lost on me. The person who is most likely to die can bring herself back.

But I have to know why. I need answers. And, hopefully, if I read enough, I’ll find some answers. I could really help people, like I helped Ophelia.

I have a gift, but I need to understand it first.

I suddenly find myself standing before the closed door, the words ‘Private’ staring down at me. I cringe, remembering the alpha’s words from earlier. If he catches me again, I’m ~definitely~ ~going to get banished. But I have to know.~

I sneak inside and grab as many books as I can carry. I bring them back to our room and scatter the books on the bed to begin my research. I’ll have to be quick so I can return them before he notices.

I plague my thoughts with old and new texts, myths that were thought impossible, stories of the Greek Gods, the Moon Goddess too.

She created the bond between Everett and me. Yes, he is a wolf, thus would have a mate. But to be mated to a human is very rare, and the Goddess would have a good reason for it.

Those humans would be strong, fearless women with worthy hearts, destined to be powerful leaders.

I am not anything like that. I stumble over my own feet as a toddler would.

It becomes late at night, when I had warily hidden the books away in case of Everett returning, but the clock strikes one and yet he is probably still working, or hunting, or doing something alpha-associated.

So, I carry on reading, studying text after text, reading stories of powerful gods who fought among themselves and over humankind.

Can they make an immortal human is my question. Maybe in return for being so clumsy, nature balanced it with resurrecting. But I can heal others, save them from death even.

“Why am I not surprised?” A heavy sigh startles me out of my studies.

“Well? Do you have anything to say for yourself?” he asks. He doesn’t sound as angry as I thought he would. He sounds…resigned? Maybe a little tired.

Great. He didn’t even care enough to get angry anymore. There wasn’t even anything I could say. No excuse to save me.

I put on a brave face, trying to hide how terrified I was.

“No, Alpha.” I say. “But, can I stay for the night, at least?” I see him frown in confusion. “I don’t have to stay in your room,” I add quickly. I can sleep out in the hall. I just…I don’t want to leave at night.” I shiver. “I’ll leave at first light, I promise.”

“WHAT?” he thunders, his face filled with the fury that was missing before.

I cringe away from him, terrified. I couldn’t even stay the night. I’d have to go out and face the rogues alone…at night…

“You AREN’T leaving,” he fumes.

That brings me up short, and I look up at him with confused eyes.

“You aren’t banishing me?”

“No.”

“But I broke the rules. Twice.”

His lips twitch. It looks like he’s enjoying a private joke. “Yes.”

“So…?” I don’t finish, confusion plain in my voice.

“My order is final,” he says, suddenly angry again. “Don’t question it.”

I know better than to push him. I’ll be counting my lucky stars that I wasn’t getting banished again. I nod and keep my mouth shut, looking down submissively.

He’s silent for a while, and then I feel him sit down on the bed beside me.

“Why are you reading about Selene, the Moon Goddess?” he asks in a softer tone.

“I want to know why I am mated to you,” I mutter in response.

“Aurora, look at me,” he commands, and my eyes immediately snap to his in obedience. “You won’t find the answer to that in a book,” he tells me a little harshly and slaps the book down on the bedside cabinet.

“No one knows why the Goddess does the things she does. You can’t read about what our fates will be. There’s no such thing. We make our own futures, and you won’t find anything in these books.”

He picks up a few of the others and examines their covers with his eyebrows furrowed in what I would call a cute expression.

He slams more books down and inches closer to me, his eyes searching my face as if it were a puzzle.

“Years ago, my father, the previous alpha, taught me a lesson. He would teach me all sorts of lessons to prepare me for becoming the alpha, and one I mastered fairly quickly was whether someone is lying to me.

“You, my little mate, are an awful liar, which I suppose is a good thing. Good liars are practiced liars, bad ones are truth-tellers, most of the time.

“I don’t like liars, Aurora. And you are lying to me. What do you want with Greek gods? And what do you want with healing and resurrection books?”