Her Second Chance✔ (Completed under edit)

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"Who are you?" his mate asked, her voice wary.

"Nemesis," the woman replied her gaze still locked on Andre. "I was born to the dragon race this lifetime but I'm the goddess of retribution. I have waited lifetimes to have Love here pay for all she has done." her eyes shifted to look at Cari's grandmother and she bowed slightly. "Sister." she greeted.

"It's good to see you again." Cari's grandmother stated in a neutral tone. "Cari love, remove your enchantment."

"But..." his mate started to protest.

"While we were still in our power, Love snuffed out the soul of Nemesis' mate and cursed her never to find love again." her grandmother explained in a mundane tone whilst the goddess Nemesis raised her head higher.

"After all these lifetimes, it's my right to punish her." Nemesis said in the same pedestrian tone.

"Cari." her grandmother said in that tone that no child could resist, an order couched in love and gentleness.

With reluctance, Cari held out her hand and blue lines appeared around Claire, wrapped around her and weaving through her aura. Cari opened her hand as if calling someone to her and the strands unravelled into strings of light that flowed into her hand.

"Hello Love," Nemesis said with a cold smile as Claire's eyes regained lucidity.

 Claire paled but her chin came up. "What do you want?"

Smugness came over the goddess of retribution. "Why to teach you some hard lessons about love and war dear." she purred.

"Nana." Claire appealed, looking to her grandmother.

The older woman sighed, anguish in her eyes. "You have given many beings too much pain Claire, Keres has declared your due. This was your last chance to change, I tried to shield you from this fate but you have never listened to anyone who doesn't flatter you. Not in any of your lives."

Nemesis held out her hand in the same way Cari had and dark threads lashed around Claire as she made a move to run. "Nana!" Claire cried out in panic and Andre saw his mate wince and almost go to her rescue before stopping herself. "Nana!" Claire cried again as the goddess of retribution teleported away with her.

A shocked silence reigned, the people Claire had frozen in their step were freed from her power and they breathed a sigh of relief. His heart bled as he looked at his mate and saw the devastation on her face.

Without a word, Andre held out his hand to his mate. She took it and he led her out of the arena to the silence of all who watched them. The arena was a distance from the castle, from the city and they shifted into their wolf forms. As his princess, Cari was larger than any alpha out there, even larger than the king. Her fur was multi-coloured, cream, white, black and grey but appeared to be a dark grey.

Andre rubbed his light grey fur against hers before leading her through the forest towards the castle. Instead of taking a direct route, he had them frolicking in the woods until he sensed the tension in his mate's body give way to the primal joy of being wolves.

There was something about running together in wolf form that bonded mates in a way that nothing else ever could. It had to do with the fact that wolf identity resided in a pack mentality, in terms of mates. When a pair mated, they stopped viewing themselves as anything other than a single unit, even more so than the pack mentality.

After a while, Andre barked that they should return to their rooms, Cari ignored him, acting as if she hadn't heard him. She raced around, sniffing the ground to familiarize herself with the environment. Andre growled his displeasure, which served to draw her attention. From the look in her eye, he knew she had no intention of giving in.