92. The goddess has decreed it

Sebastian.

I take a sip of the amber liquid as I stare at the woman that has completely taken over my life.

She’s there in every thought. Every breath. And every beating of my heart. Her scent surrounds me and her beauty disarms me.

When we signed the contract, it was supposed to be easy. Get our revenge on the two people that made a fool out of us and then separate. I wasn’t supposed to get addicted to her. I wasn’t supposed to have any feelings towards her.

She wasn’t even my type for fucks sake yet that didn’t stop me from wanting her. My entire being craves to please her. To make her happy. To protect her. I have never felt this strongly for any other woman. I wasn’t ever planning to feel this way to any woman after my mate died.

“You don’t just feel strongly for her Bash. It goes deeper than that” Fang pops in my head.

“I know where you’re headed, Fang. I care for her but I’m not in love with her”

There was just no way I was. I don’t do love. Sure she has managed to shatter every rule I have but that doesn’t mean it’s because I love her.

“Are you sure about that? Are you sure you even know what the meaning of love is? In my opinion I'd say that you don’t. You wouldn’t recognize love even if it were to plow through you” he mumbles in irritation.

Just like me, Fang is also smitten by Red’s wolves and Red herself. He wants them for himself. I doubt he would ever let her go and neither would I.

The thought of someone else having her drives me to the brink of insanity. I want her by my side always because she is mine. I would be damned if another man gets her.

“And that should be you first fucking clue…That you don’t want anyone else to have. If it was just something physical between you two, do you fucking think you would react so crazily at the thought of her with someone else? Loving another man?” he asks.

“By the goddess Bash, the fact that she may still be in love with her bastard ex makes you want to go on a rampage. We’ve never reacted like that with Miranda, even after finding out that she was fucking other men”

“I’m not in love with her Fang…drop the damn subject” I growl.

He sighs as if I’m a difficult person to deal with. “Who are you trying to convince? You’re lying to yourself and that may come to bite you one day. My advice, be truthful with yourself before you ruin one of the best things that has ever happened to us”

He shuts himself and I am left alone. His words still ringing in my mind. Was he right? Was I in love with Red?

My eyes turn to the woman in question. She’s asleep and just like with the past couple of weeks she’s restless. Her eyes are moving rapidly behind her closed lids.

She keeps shifting on the bed. Her breathing is hard. Her forehead is scrunched up in what is probably pain. Small whimpers escape her lips and the sheet is balled in her tight fists.

I hate seeing her like this. Seeing her in so much pain. Seeing the fatigue in her eyes and not being able to do anything to ease what is happening to her. It fucking tears me to pieces every time she wakes up screaming in terror.

I talked to Sylvia and she told me that there is nothing to do except to be prepared. That I should always keep my warriors on call. Because when the time comes we will need them.

It wasn't helpful information because I still didn’t know how to help Red but I did as she told me. It would have been foolish of me to ignore her advice.

Putting my glass down. I stand up and go to the bathroom. I wet a face towel and come back with it.

Getting on the bed, I pat Red’s face and neck with it. Wiping away her sweat and cooling her at the same time. I gently kiss her temple before holding her hand.

She immediately calms down a bit. Her grip is strong. Almost as if she was trying to draw strength from me.

She doesn’t know it yet because I haven’t gotten a chance to tell her. But I found out who Mayra was. It took time but I was finally able to lock her name down. The fact that she was a werewolf made it a bit easier.

It was honestly a surprise to find out that she was missing. That she disappeared about ten or eleven years ago. Her family said that she was away at college and was supposed to come home for the holidays but she never showed up.

After days of her phone being off and with no idea about what happened. They filed a missing persons case. Days turned to weeks, then months, then years.

They never found her. The police threw out her case. Stating that she probably ran away. The family gave up after the second year. They assumed she might have been killed by rogues.

My P.I didn’t tell them the real reason he was asking about her. He made up some bullshit reason and they believed him.

I don’t know what to fucking think. Could it be that Mayra wasn’t dead? And if she wasn’t, where was she? And how is Red connected to her?

All I want is for Red to be happy. To be safe. This matter of Mayra had to be dealt with in order for that to happen. I will go to the ends of the world to make sure that Red has peace. I will protect her with everything I have.

Just as I finish that though, Lauren’s eyes snap open. They are pure obsidian. You couldn’t see the whites anywhere. She lets go of my hand and leaps on the bed. Her eyes surveying the room.

“Red” I call to her but she doesn’t answer.

It was like she wasn’t even there.

Before I can do anything. She rushes out the door. I immediately follow her. Fucking afraid that she might hurt herself in this state.

“Lauren!”

She rushes outside. Then stops and looks at the moon. She was mumbling something but I couldn’t hear.

“Hunter…Get the warriors” I command him through the link.

They would be on standby just in case we needed to subdue her.

I get closer to her and that’s when I clearly hear her words.

“The moon goddess’ will must be done. Every evil one will be vanquished by her left hand. None who hurt her children will live. The goddess has decreed it and so it will be done”

The moment the last word is out of her mouth. She shifts into Midnight, tearing her night dress. She releases a terrifying roar before she charges toward the forest.