Chapter 11: Fake Silk

Ares and Vanya strolled silently until they arrived at the lake, at which point Are asked, "Are you sure you don't want me to stay?"
"I'm positive. I want to figure things out on my own first,” Vanya replied.
He cracked a grin. "You’re one hard-headed woman."
"I know." Vanya made no attempt to deny it.
When they were in front of Moira's door, he glanced at her and asked, "For the last time, are you sure you don't want me to go in there with you?" He pushed the door open and entered the hut without waiting for her response.
Vanya took a deep breath and just followed.
Moira frowned and muttered, "It's late at night," as she looked up from her teacup.
"Good evening, Moira," Ares said as he ignored her.
Vanya murmured, "Evening."
Moira sat silently staring at them at her small desk until Ares finally said, "Vanya has a question for you. And I'm guessing you have something to say to her as well."
"At this late hour? Certainly not, "the shaman snapped.
"On my next scout, I'll bring you some water hyacinth for your bunnies," Vanya said, and they both stared at her.
“Jo and Lex sure love those,” Moira said, her tone quickly shifting when she heard about the water plant.
"You two talk. I'll see you tomorrow," and with those words, Ares exited the hut.
The old shaman turned her pale blue eyes to Vanya as soon as they were alone. "How about a basket of hyacinth? Deal?"
Vanya gave a nod.
“Okay.” Moira's upper lip curled upwards. “So you've been dreaming of something that you think is worth a trip to my hut at this late hour? Are you all OK, girl?”
“I'm perfectly fine. And I’m sorry, Moira, but I simply couldn't wait until the morning.”
"Really?" She looked right through Vanya, and for a brief moment, she understood what the hunter felt. But suddenly her gaze was drawn to something behind Vanya.
Vanya turned around to see the closed door. “What is it?”
Moira smirked as she clicked her tongue. "I'm sure you'll find out soon. Now, tell me about your dream so that I may finally sleep."
Vanya raised her head to look at her, without caring to hide the puzzled expression on her face. "You seem to understand more about what I've been going through than I do."
Moira laughed condescendingly as she observed her. ""Oh, you have no idea what's going on inside my head, girl," she shook her head. "I suppose no one has. Now tell me about your dream and we'll see if it's worth the hassle."
"It's the same dream I had before," Vanya said hesitantly. "It's the same dream I had when I first came here, over and over again."
Moira gave her a quick look before nodding at the chair. “Sit down, girl.”
Vanya did as she was told and sat at the table.
“What do you recall about your past life? The life you had before arriving at Black Hollows.”
“I recall you asking me that question before.” Vanya exhaled loudly after taking a long breath. “I'm sorry. I still don't remember anything.”
Moira grunted. “If you say so.”
“And what do you mean exactly by that?”
“Forget about it. If you say you don't recall anything. Let's leave it at that. So let's get to the point of why you're here. Your dream?”
“ I-uh, I was on the run. Just running about in a castle. I couldn't tell if it was a castle because everything was faintly lighted. But I assumed it was. It gave me the impression of a castle. So I ran until...” Vanya took a deep breath. “Until he showed up.”
“Who?”
“The raven-haired boy.”
“It's the same boy. He'd turn up and start chasing after me. We'd wind up in a room crammed with book shelves. Then, no matter what I did, I'd always find myself caught between him and a shelf behind me. And he’d always say the same thing to me every time.”
Moira took a sip from her cup before asking, "What did he say?"
“That I am his.”
*I’m sure you wouldn’t mind if I had a taste of what’s mine*. Her mind rushed back to the exact words spoken by the boy in her dream, and her heart pounded hard in her chest.
But she certainly wasn't expecting the chuckle Moira gave her, as if she'd told her the dumbest joke she'd ever heard. A frown appeared on Vanya’s face. “Why are you laughing?”
“Because, based on what you just said, I'm starting to believe I'm right. And when I’m right, I’m happy. When I’m happy, I laugh.”
Well, I hope you're not mocking me," Vanya said as she averted her gaze. Because it angers me when others make fun of me. And when I'm angry－”
Moira waved at her. “Get to it, girl! I’m past my bed time already!”
Vanya opened her mouth to protest but decided against it and went on to tell the old shaman her dream instead, “So, as I was telling you, it’s the same dream I had for months until it abruptly ended. Then, seven years later, I dreamed about it again. I was on the run. But the raven-haired boy was no longer chasing me. Yet, I still found myself in the same room. Then...he called out my name.””
“The boy?”
“No. I'm certain the voice belonged to a grown man. It also sounds familiar. When I turned around, there he was, standing in a corner, staring at me. However, I couldn't see his face. A part of him was buried in shadow, especially his face,” Vanya recounted with an elated air around her, knowing Moira could easily feel the change in her energy.
*And I never imagined I'd be so eager to dream about him again tonight*, she added in her thought. She had hoped to meet him again in her dream, but her thought was drawn to Ares. Her mate.
“What do you think makes this man of your dreams so special? Why do you think you need to talk to be about him with me?”
“I'm not sure. It's just his voice. I've heard of it before. I'm certain. I just don't recall when or how. I think all I want is for you to shed some light on the situation. Why do I have such a strong connection to him?”
Moira let out an exaggerated sigh in response to her desperation. "I suppose it's because he's your other mate, girl."
“My other mate? I have another mate?” Vanya asked, her voice hushed.
“Yes. Aside from Ares, you do have other mates.”
Moira's comments piqued her brow. "You knew about Ares?! Wait! I'm not sure I understand what you're saying anymore.” She gestured to the shaman. “You previously stated that I couldn't have a mate because I wasn't a born-shifter, but rather a human. And now you're telling me I've got two? And you knew?
“Of course! Who did you think told Alpha Callum about it?”
“It was you who told the alpha?”
“Before you overreact, understand that my allegiance is to Alpha Callum. So, I said what I had to say. When I found out, I was stunned, and the alpha was outraged. And he didn't want to arouse any doubts or suspicions within the pack, so he ordered me to keep what I learned to myself and continue with the common law that humans who had turned shifters couldn't have mates."
"You lied to me. And Alpha Callum. And Ares."
"Before you hate on the young general, you have to understand that our hands are tied. It was the alpha's order, Vanya. Though, I knew you'd soon find out"
"You still lied though." Vanya pulled a red strand of hair away from her face. “This is absurd. I can't believe this is happening. Ares being my mate is already causing me problems, and now you’re telling me I’ve another one?”
“I saw your fate line. It’s intertwined with four lines.”
“Four mates? Are you kidding me?”
Moira smiled as she shook her head. “You sound exactly like Ares.”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing. Listen up, there's a storm on the way. Prepare your heart, your body, and your mind. I see a long and difficult journey ahead of you.” Moira paused, and the corners of her hut dimmed, her energy changing dark. Her eyes darkened and stared deeply into Vanya's.
“You're scaring me, Moira. What are you on about?”
“*Lupus Deus*.”
“What?”
“It may be the end of an era or the beginning of a new one,” Moira said with a caustic and hard tone, but there was also hope in her voice.
Vanya shook her head, crossing her arms across her chest. "You're not making any sense to me right now."
The shaman lifted an eyebrow and let out a *hmph*. "Right now, maybe I don't. But I'd already ventured into the unknown, and I'd caught a glimpse of the prophecy.”
“What prophecy?”
“I can talk about it, but I can't tell you what it's about. Your fate is something you'll have to face head on. Be prepared to make difficult choices. You'll be making a lot of them.” Moira gestured at Vanya's hands.
It was already around midnight when Vanya walked out of Moira's hut, frowning and feeling even more befuddled. It was clear that the shaman knew more, and Vanya tried not to irritate Moira by pressing for additional information. Nonetheless, this left her even more perplexed, so she grabbed a bottle of red wine from the cellar and sat by the lake.
As she sat on the soft grass, she took out the bottle of wine, opened it, and sipped from it. While looking out at the lake in front of her. The weather was considerably nicer tonight than usual. Because the sky was clear, the moonlight shone brilliantly on the lake's surface.
It was so serene that it felt out of this world.
Then she sensed footsteps behind her. When she raised her head to face the person who was interrupting her peace, her gaze fell on Randall, and the stern expression on her face vanished. Her father raised an eyebrow then sat next to her.
"Shouldn't you be in your bed right now?" Randall asked, grabbed the bottle from her hands, took a gulp from it, and returned it to her.
Vanya shook her head lightly "I couldn't sleep after my conversation with Moira.”
“Oh, you went to see her? Is there something bothering you?”
“I suppose so. In fact, quite a bit.”
“Would you mind sharing with your dad?”
As the wind played with her hair, she tucked it behind her ears. "Did you know that Ares is my mate? Moira knows. Alpha Callum definitely knows. And Ares, too, obviously.”
“Oh, Vanya.”
“Of course! You knew. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Alpha Callum doesn’t want the pack to know.”
“Why? Because I *was* human and he thinks his son deserves more?”
“IIt's not like that, Vanya. Don't even think for a moment that you're not good enough. You're a heck of a hunter, and you're my daughter,” Randall said calmly, a loving smile on his full lips.
“Then why?”
“Since the creation of the peace treaty, cohabitation between the three dominant variants: humans, lycans, and vampires has been strictly prohibited. Vanya, I may have transformed you into one of us, but your original imprint hasn't changed,” Randall explained, taking the bottle from Vanya's grip and bringing it to his lips. “I'm very sorry, child.”
“So I'm like satin. I may have the appearance and feel of silk, but,” she paused and groaned loudly. “I'm a fake silk.”
“Oh, Vanya, please don’t feel like you’re anything less than us. You’ve become so much so far.”
She nodded, her lips drawn into a thin line, her gaze fixed on the gleaming surface of the lake. "Yeah. So much, but not quite enough to be treated in the same manner as all natural-born shifters.”
“Don't think of it that way, child,” Randall replied, turning to face her. "There are a lot of naturally born shifters that want to be in your shoes.”
“I guess I’m lucky then,” Vanya mumbled cynically, before taking a large drink of wine and asked in a low voice.. “What－um,do you know about Lupus Deus, dad?”
Her father was visibly taken aback by the question, which he hadn't expected to hear from her. His cheeks was flushed with dread. "Why do you want to know about Lupus Deus, child?"
“Moira mentioned to me that it could be the end of an era or the beginning of a new one.”
“The prophecy.”
“Do you know about it?”
“Everyone who was born during *The Third War* is aware of it. However, as time went, it was buried and forgotten.”
"And what does it have to do with me?" Vanya pondered more to herself.
“I don't believe it has anything to do with you, Vanya. I'm not sure what Moira was thinking when she told you about Lupus Deus. Perhaps because the Moon Goddess rarely pairs humans with lycans. And since you don't know anything about your past, I'm guessing she's speculating,” Randall remarked, running his right hand over his golden hair.
Vanya's lips twitched as she listened to her father.
“However, only a few people now believe in the prophecy,” Randall added.
"Are you one of the few that still believe in the prophecy?"
“No.” Randall sipped the last of the wine from the bottle. "I'm one of many who is terrified about the prophecy coming true."
“Why?” Vanya asked, tilting her head to the side.
He took a deep breath. "Because if it's true, it'll mean the end of everything."