A Gift from the Goddess

Book Two – Ch.# 48

“What?!” I yelled, feeling as if my legs were going to give out from under me. “What did you just say?”

… You killed him,” she repeated, stating it in a matter-of-fact way. “Why are you so surprised? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you look so queasy about killing someone before.”

Was this some kind of sick joke? How could I not be surprised to hear that? I owed so much to Kieran that even the thought of ever physically hurting him seemed unthinkable.

“…Rheyna… the way you’re acting…,” she started, looking confused again. “It’s almost like… well, it’s just… you don’t have feelings for him, do you?”

Instantly, I became flustered feeling put on the spot. This conversation had taken such a turn that I didn’t know how to react.

“Well, I… I-I mean…,” I stuttered. “He did so much to help me….”

And Clarissa’s face paled even more, clearly not expecting that answer. “…I thought you were just joking. I never expected you of all people to fall for him, let alone give a shit about the mate bond. Rheyna, his sister literally tries to kill you, not to mention she brings doomsday. He’s just like the rest of them-.”

“-No,” I said, cutting her off. “No, he’s not. He’s different.”

But Clarissa just shook her head slowly in disbelief. “…This is a bad dream. I can’t believe this is happening right now,” she whispered to herself.

How could I be so different to my past self? None of this was making any sense. If this timeline was meant to align with the first one, then how was it that we had completely different mindsets towards Kieran? Let alone have it in me to… do that to him.

…Almost as if I’d never changed from the Raven I’d been for my father.

“You need to reject him as soon as possible,” she then said. “I mean it. There is a war coming, one that we will emerge victorious. But I can’t have you distracted from what needs to be done in order to achieve that.”

“Reject’? I already told him we couldn’t be together…,” I said, unsure of her meaning.

However, she sighed, clearly annoyed by my ignorance. “I mean you need to break the mate bond. Officially reject him. Normally, it’s one of the first things you do upon returning. Once there is no connection between you, it removes one more catalyst for Allison. Plus, it’s not like you usually care about magical bonds anyway.”

…But it wasn’t really the mate bond that had made me fall for Kieran. It was merely something that added to it.

“I need to warn you that it’ll be incredibly painful,” she added. “But the pain will become bearable if you just don’t pay attention to it. After a while, it’ll… sort of become like background noise. Or so you told me. Though I don’t think the dreams. ever truly stop, unfortunately.”

“That sounds horrific…,” I pointed out. How the hell would that help either of us?”

“…Because if there comes a time where you finally have a chance to end Allison once and for all…,” she started darkly, “…then I need to know you won’t hesitate in doing what needs to be done. We can’t have anything holding you back from our mission.”

I stood perfectly still, confliction flowing through me. She wasn’t wrong in thinking it had been Kieran’s influence that had stopped me from attacking Allison sooner, but… that didn’t mean I wanted to go through with what she was proposing.

“Rheyna,” she said, snapping me from my thoughts. I looked towards her tentatively. “I need you to promise me that you’ll do this.

Book Two Ch.# 48

That you’re committed to the cause and doing whatever it takes.”

“I…,” I fumbled.

Hadn’t I told Clarissa I’d stop fighting her and do exactly what she said? To put my faith in her? And whilst I hadn’t expected this… wouldn’t my pain still be worth it if it meant ultimately saving so many people?

“I… Okay,” I said, though my voice lacked any real confidence. “I’ll… I’ll reject Kieran when we next cross paths.”

Clarissa immediately looked relieved. “Good. I’m glad at least some sense can get through to you.”

She continued to talk after that, rambling off about how the rejection process worked, but the entire time she spoke, I just stared down at my hands. Almost as if I were seeing them coated in the blood of doing something unspeakable to Kieran… and it reminded me of something.

Weeks ago, when he had convinced me to try shifting in the Lockdale City Hotel, the time I had awoken from the blackout believing I had killed him… it had felt so real. I’d seen the blood everywhere, saw the large gash across his chest.

him actually been

then went through my body, nausea filling me.

best I didn’t recall my past

“Rheyna!”

up

“Are you listening?”

about the memory any further. ”

still got a long journey ahead,

body ached at just the thought of carrying her again so

where? Aren’t we still being hunted? It’s not like we can go back to

I pointed out.

shook

to stay hidden,” she said. “You don’t need your memories to figure that one out.”

the options presented, but none of them seemed right. The safest place to hide from Ashwood had recently been with my father… though I wasn’t sure how to explain who Clarissa was, nor

I could come to an answer, annoyed by my lack of

a body?

instantly clicked… followed

you don’t

off two hours later. Just long enough to eat the soup and mentally prepare myself for the long

we’d pass through, detailing how we’d find a car within the next town to help us travel but that we would need to make the last part of the journey on foot. She didn’t need to explain further about why. My first attempt at crossing the human border in a car had already gone terribly. Something made completely impossible

did lead to an interesting explanation.

I learnt about the differences between influence and orders. This had been something nagging at me ever since Clarissa

of a Saintess, one holding the power of the Goddess. An irrefutable command that forced the other to do as they wished, regardless of the pack they hailed

all responsibility for their actions. And this had been the deciding factor in how long we were able to stay at the house in

influence the

them. Demanded that they allow me through. Something that was noticeable to those around them, instantly alerting them to the discovery of someone capable of placing alpha orders

specifically in recent times, someone from the

that it really had been my fault.

entire journey ended up taking around three days. A day to make it to the next town where we stole the car, a half day to then drive as close as we could to the Silent Forest pack… and then, finally, one and a half days of trekking until we eventually made it safely across the border. A task that was made exceedingly difficult as we had to constantly be on the lookout for patrols.

did successfully make

huffed, continuing to walk down the main road out of habit. “It’ll be another few days if we try to walk

aware,” Clarissa said.

me to walk all the way there,

to. We made it just in

just like that, I could hear the sound of a vehicle then approaching

I asked

answered by holding out her little thumb over my

explain why we’re out here? There’s nothing around here for

something,”

huge transport truck then started to slow down, pulling over

walking over to the passenger

the man. “What are

…Think…

battery died and I’m trying to get her back to Lockdale City. Are you heading that way?”

“Yeah, I’m heading back to Lockdale. But wouldn’t it be better to drop you off at Swanston? It’s a lot closer and there is a

She has a… rare medical condition. Her specialist lives in

then wouldn’t it be better to get

could help us get to Lockdale,

appreciate it….”

expression softening as he

Lockdale,” he agreed. “Better to see the specialist. I’ll give you a hand to lift her into the truck.”