CHAPTER SIXTY

**OLIVER**
I followed the footpath behind the house through the forest with a bright smile on my face. Happy to finally be home, to be in familiar surroundings, surrounded by familiar faces. I closed my eyes and allowed my feet to guide me to the river, smiling to myself as they sank into the cold, forest earth. The chirping of birds welcomed me, the cobwebs and twigs that hung low, and I smiled even wider.
It felt good to finally be home.
The river came into view, its pristine blue waters highlighted by the sun casting its rays down on her. My mind took a trip down memory lane to the last time I had been here. The day of the attack and I smiled wryly as the memories flooded back.
I sighed heavily as I slowly lowered myself down to the ground, crossed my legs, and watched as the river flowed on by, my mind straying to a million things at once. I thought of Joshua, if he was truly dead and gone, or if that had been a disappearing act. I thought of the two-pronged spear, and what it was. I thought of Sasha, despite everything, I felt sorry for her, and I wished that things had been different. And then I thought of my mother, I hadn’t been able to bring myself to ask Gabriel about her. I was too afraid of the answer. I thought wistfully about how in all the time that she had been here with me, my father had never thought to call in and know how she was. If she was dead, at least she got to experience love before she died.
I thought of the goddess again -she had taken up most of my thoughts- I wondered where she stopped and where I began. I rubbed my temples in circular motions, trying my darkest to fight off the headache that I could feel forming.
“Fancy seeing you here.”
I turned sharply to see Shanice standing behind me, a huge smile on her face. For a woman her age and size and with a disability, she had mastered the art of moving around without being noticed. Without knowing her, one might be forced to question if she really couldn’t see.
“Shanice! You’re okay!”
She chuckled. “Of course, I’m okay,” she said. “I’ve missed you, child. I had been so worried about you.”
I smiled at her fondly as she gently lowered herself to the floor next to me, and sighed heavily as she leaned her mass on me.
I wrapped an arm around her and kissed her on the head. “I’ve missed you too, you old head. And you don’t need to worry anymore, I’m back.”
We sat still, holding on to each other, lost and stewing in our thoughts and admiring the beauty of the river before us, and the sounds of nature around us.
“What’s the problem?” She asked.
My eyes opened in shock as my mind tried to make sense of the very unexpected question.
Shanice sighed and sat up straight. “You didn’t come out here for nothing, Oliver’s I can feel it. What’s bothering you?”
I sighed deeply. “It’s the goddess…”
“And what about her?”
“We umm…we bonded when Gabriel came to rescue me.”
I waited for the shock to spread through her face. Perhaps for her to jump back, any sort of reaction for me to know that she heard me. But no, she simply stared at me, her eyes unable to see me and yet staring pointedly at me.
“You know?”
Shanice scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Of course, I do. I could feel it the moment you stepped foot into the pack. I also knew that was the only way for you and Gabriel to come back alive. Is that what had you seated here moaning and groaning?”
“No. Well…yes. Bonding with her comes with certain…demands.”
Shanice nodded her head in understanding. “And what are these demands?”
She listened attentively as I recounted my encounter with the river goddess, how we bonded, and her request for a child…an heir. She sat with her back rod straight, and ears rapt with attention, swallowing every word that came from my mouth. By the time I was done, she still had the same expression on her face. Undisturbed after a disturbing story, and staring blankly into space.
“Well…what do you think?” I asked, impatient.
“I’m yet to see the problem in the request, Oliver.”
I stared at her, taken aback at her response. “What?! What about Gabriel? He would be devastated if he should ever find out!”
Shanice turned to me slowly. “Who would tell him?”
Grave silence followed her question, and my mind seemed to freeze. She couldn’t possibly be insinuating what I thought she was. Was she?
“I don’t understand…” I said slowly. “What do you mean?”
Shanice sighed and rolled her eyes, as though she was fed up with the conversation, as though she was giving basic instructions to a child.
“You want me to spell it out for you, don’t you?” She asked.
I nodded slowly, more than happy for her to do just that. At the moment, she wasn’t making sense. Far from it.
“By now, you should know that you do not have a normal mate bond with Gabriel. He wouldn’t be any wiser should you go ahead and fulfill the goddess’ wishes.”
“You’re asking me to cheat…” I said my voice barely above a whisper. Since the first time I met Gabriel, I had never envisioned that I would be having a conversation such as this.
Shanice shrugged. “Make no mistake. This isn’t a request. The goddess would have her way regardless, and it’s left for you to decide if Gabriel would be hurt in the process or not.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but Shanice was already trying to stand, her movements slow and unsteady. Without a second thought, I reached out and helped her up, my hand supporting her trembling arm. She offered me a tired, grateful look, and I nodded in quiet acknowledgment, not needing words between us. Her hand instinctively went to her waist, as though trying to hold herself together, and with a sigh, she turned to leave. Her steps were measured, her back slightly hunched, but the weight of her last words lingered in the air, etched deeply into my mind, destined to stay with me forever.
“Think deeply about it, Oliver,” she said. “And make the right decision.”
Those were her parting words. I sighed heavily lowered myself down to the damp earth and stared blankly at the peaceful waters. Suddenly too peaceful for my liking, I tossed a rock at it, watching as it broke the surface of the water and got swallowed up. Such was my life. Everything I loved, everything k wanted now received around the water…around the goddess of the river.
I closed my eyes and looked to the future, and for the first time, the future was bleak. And yet there was one constant; her. The goddess. Would I ever be free? I thought of Gabriel, j thought of discussing her request with him. I shook my head violently, as though to shake the perturbing thought out of my head. That wouldn’t go down well.
There were still a lot of unanswered questions. They pressed on me from every angle, demanding clarity I didn’t have. Who would take responsibility? Where could I turn? And how had things spiraled this far? The idea of raising a child was daunting enough, but explaining it? How could I possibly tell Gabriel? The thought of his reaction twisted something deep in my gut. And beyond him, what about everyone else? Their judgment, their questions, their scrutiny? The enormity of it all loomed over me, suffocating, with no clear way out.
I groaned and fell back on the sand, the weight of thinking suddenly too heavy for me. Now more than ever, I wanted to turn my brain off. But no, unfortunately, that wasn’t an option.


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