Chapter 118

Dylan POV

I walked straight to the lake, it always seem quite sacred somehow. I had noticed the moon always shone directly on it whenever night fell across the sky, and so I sat down, crossed legged, on the grass by the water and waited for the moon to rise. Slowly but surly the full orb shone onto the lake creating a beautiful view of silver. I sighed, already finding this idea really stupid, as I looked up at the full moon.

"Ok... I'm here, Goddess Luna!" I knew that was what Lewis called her and so I decided to give it a try. "If you're real, then I need some answers..." Maybe I was doing it wrong! Did I need to join my hands like Christian's? Or maybe I had to kneel before the moon itself? "Please?!"

One large flash of light flew across the water and instantly, I was blinded. My sat body fell over from the shock and my back hit the grass below me with a heavy thump, my hands shot to my eyes in hopes to free me from the brightness that just flashed before me.

“Miss Riley!?” This was getting genuinely ridiculous, I knew that I needed a psych consult at this point, because I wouldn’t be able to move on from everything if I kept imagining that same stupid light, and hearing that specific ominous voice in my head.

I closed my eyes tight and tried my hardest to shake my hallucinations away but when I opened my eyes again, the light that had caused me temporary blindness was still very much there, floating directly in front of my now confused and scared form, only now, it appeared to be taking the form of a lady.

I blinked a few times, trying to come to terms with what had happened, my head shot around towards the lake, only it was no longer there, in its place, was a large golden tree! What the fuck had happened?

I let my sight travel towards the sky, it was dark, almost black in color, and yet where I sat, was bright and daring, the area around me was being lit up by thousands of stars twinkling over my head. The grass below my strangely now bare feet was damp yet the space around me, flushed my body with warmth.

Finally after looking everywhere else, my confused and slightly apprehensive sight landed on the glowing woman stood in front of me. Her long grey dress rippled and flew as if caught by a non existent, the invisible breeze also caused her long pure white hair to fly all over except for on her beautifully pale face. She floated deliberately in the air in front of me and smiled a warm unfamiliar smile.

“I have finally gone crazy!” I stated without even thinking about my words. In my mind it was truly the only explanation for what was occurring.

“”You have not allowed your mind to crumble, my child.” Her voice was deeper that I had imagined and seemed to have a slight echo coming from it. From her appearance I thought maybe she would sound girly, and perky, instead what I heard was the voice of someone extremely wise, and very ominous, her grey eyes seemed to bore into my own with n intensity that had me wanting to bow before her. “You asked for me… and so I have answered.”

“I didn’t ask for anyone.” I stated as I stood, I was understandably very confused by the whole thing. My facial expressions gave far too much away, because the lady in front of me began to produce a deep silvery giggle, almost sounding like the dong of an old church bell.

“You spoke of needing some answers, did you not?” I did, but I was speaking to a non existent entity, I didn’t actually expect someone to answer me.

“Who exactly are you?”

“I have allowed myself to materialize right before your very eyes and still, you refuse to acknowledge my existence.” No way is this lady trying to say she is actually the moon goddess herself?! I couldn’t help but let out a full belly laugh at the audacity of the situation. “I understand your skepticism, child, but I assure you, I have shown myself to you for a single purpose.”

“Ok, I’ll bite for now, what purpose might that be, all powerful goddess of the moon.” She smiled a half smile, even that was perfection. The lady was the epitome of beauty, and being stood next to her only highlighted every one of my flaws.

“To put your mind at ease.” That was simply impossible, my mind would never be able to relax, I had far too much to think about. “I admit, we do not have much time, it will drain me entirely the longer you stay here in the after world.” Now she had my attention, I’ll pretend she’s the moon goddess for the time being, but at this stage I was fairly certain that I was being pranked or something.

“The after world? Are you telling me that I’m currently dead?!” She shook her head, and let out a single breath of a chuckle.

“Does that frighten you?” It didn’t, not in the slightest actually, at the end of the day there really were only two possibilities for what was happening. The first being that I really was dead, and the second being that I really was insane. I much preferred the death option if I’m honest.

“I have never been afraid of death.” I admitted to the being in front of me.

“You are truly a rare find, my child, but you are not dead, you are simply in limbo between the dead and the living.” I wasn’t sure if her answer was worse than I was expecting or not. So I was currently in limbo? Or at the very least my soul was. “I am truly very sorry for everything you have had to endure.”

“You’re apology doesn’t mean much, considering you apparently are the one who threw me into this life.” Her gaze met mine and i almost crumpled underneath it. She said nothing for a while as she looked me over, her grey eyes began to glow slightly and I couldn’t help but be reminded of the actual moon.

“Unfortunately, it had to be you…” What? Surly some other poor soul would have been much happier with the king. Someone else would have accepted him in a heartbeat and wouldn’t have been tortured the way I had.

“There are billions of people in the world, and you’re telling me that out of all of them, I truly am meant to be with king Josh? You’re telling me that he really is my soulmate?” I couldn’t accept that, a mate is supposed to treasure you, they are supposed to thank the goddess every single day for being gifted so amazingly.

“I cannot explain much to you, we are running out of time, but I can inform you, that although you are Joshua’s mate, he doesn’t hold the same title in your heart.” I frowned deeply, what did she mean by that?

“So you’re saying that although I am his soulmate, he is not mine?” She nodded and with that nod her white hair moved elegantly. “But how can I even have a soulmate? I’m not a wolf.”

“Every human has someone that they are destined for, my child, they just do not have the ability to find them the way lycans do. It doesn’t make their love any less powerful. Your parents were a rare example of humans actually locating their other half.” What?! My parents were genuine soulmates? They did truly love each other, everyone used to say so. It also explains why my mom completely broke after my dads death, she had lost half of her soul. I shook my head slightly as to stop myself from shedding anymore tears.

“But then why would you make it so that I had to be with him? You just watched as he dragged me away from my life, my home! You watched on as he destroyed my mind, and tortured my body. You stood by and saw your precious king treating the so called love of his life, like a piece of butchers meat. How do you justify that?” Her face fell slightly as if knowing that no matter what she said next, there would be no justification for his actions towards me.

“My own actions are regrettable, however they were necessary. I know that you’re aware of the superiority complex that the Lycanthrope are expressing. When I first created the beautiful creatures I did so with intentions of an equal world. The lycans were created to provide peace and a better life to those who had suffered greatly. Joshua and his father took advantage of their abilities and created a new unjust world…” Everyone already knew the story of how the new world came into fruition, I didn’t want to listen to the events that lead humans to a life of poverty. “I had no other choice but to pair you with Joshua, for you are the only one capable of bringing his reign to its end.”

What the fuck did she expect me to do to him? It’s not like I could fight him off. I mean sure, I could help the rebellion in the fight against the uncompromising wolves, but singularly, there wasn’t a damn thing I could do against him.

“”How the hell do you expect me to usurp him?” She looked at me and allowed her glowing arm to reach out, resting her delicate fingers on my shoulder.

“It has been centuries since a lycan was created from my blessing alone…” That’s true. She transformed a single village, which in time created the population of wolves we have today, however I wasn’t at all sure where she was going with it. “Blessed wolves are naturally physically stronger than those born. Although, king Joshua and The previous royal Beta Lewis, show multiple skills which even surprise me sometimes. They are both more in touch with nature than anyone else, I believe them both to be direct descendants of the first wolf king.”

“Lewis? Is a direct descendant? So he could take over the throne instead, surely he has the ability to challenge King josh. Much more than I do. I’m too weak to do much.” I always knew Lewis to be strong, I often found myself comparing him to Josh in every way. I also happened to believe that he would make an excellent king.

“The humans would never accept a born Lycan as ruler, my child, the only hope for an equal world is you.” She looked at me in sympathy, and sighed as my eyes widened drastically. I think I was finally beginning to understand what she was trying to say. “There is a reason I have helped to heal your every injury, there is a reason I have watched over you all these years.”

I shook my head and felt tears begin to prick my eyes as I looked at the moon goddess in front of me. She was crazy.

“I would like you to receive my blessings, to be my only envoy on earth, to accept my power and the responsibilities that come with it. My dear Dylan, I need you to become a Lycan!” No! I would never, I would rather die than accept that as my destiny.

Becoming a lycan, turning into the very thing I hated most in the world would be my true downfall. Had I not sacrificed more than enough already? My entire life had been dictated for me, everything I had ever had or wanted had been ripped away from me. Must my humanity be stolen from me too?

“I can’t…” My head shook. “I won’t!.. I will never… accept that as my fate.”