The First Fae Mate

Twenty-three | Hina

Visena interrupted, more than a little confused. "But I shifted... what will happen to me?"

"You should have died, and we wouldn't be in this quandary. But Hina had a soft spot for you. She gave you a wolf lifespan and a mate."

"Hina?"

"The Goddess of the moon. Visena darling, you have lost your memories, not your brain. Please at least try to use some initiative."

The two men scoffed at the unexpected shift in Cecilia's tone before Visena flashed them a hearty scowl. "Do you know why I felt so bad after shifting then?" Visena asked through clenched teeth.

"She's blessed you, but she's not as powerful as me. You will need to visit the Fae realm to recover any time you shift. Too many times consecutively or prolonged on the filthy human plane, you will likely still die."

Gideon's grip tightened on her before she shrugged him off. "Is that all?"

"For now."

Visena bowed her head stiffly before turning on her heel and walking out of the room. She wondered if anyone could see steam billowing from her ears.

Esmerelda stayed behind while Gideon and Jed followed after her. "Visena!"

She could hear Gideon calling her, but she only picked up the pace in fear she would turn around and throw herself into his arms. It was all too much. She wanted to be with him but needed to be alone. The formerly inviting concrete corridors were now claustrophobic, appearing to buckle inward. When she breached the castle doors with a gasp, it was night. 

They had only talked to Queen Cecilia for a short time, so it was impossible. At least in the earth realm. The phenomenon was reminiscent of her time in the Veil weeks earlier. Had she known I was there the whole time? Did she let Janna take me?

She broke out into a run through the candlelit village, cursing internally. The Fae paid her no heed as she headed towards the portal she had come from.

"Visena, wait!" Gideon's command almost had her digging her heels into the soft grass. Shaking her head, she sprinted for the glimmering portal, her heart bursting from her rib cage. Visena felt the urge to shift when she was tackled from behind. Gideon spun her body fiercely, her torso pinned against a hot mass of flesh. They careened into the grass and rolled down a lush hillock until their bodies came to a complete stop with Visena on top. She unpeeled her chest from his but was reeled back in by Gideon's strong embrace. There was no space between them, but if there were, she would be pounding her fists against him. Instead, she squirmed and scratched and cried, "Let me go!" 

"Don't go. Let me help you."Gideon caught her clenched fists in his and searched her eyes. "Visena, I'm here for you." 

She couldn't look at him. Visena wrenched her hands with all her might, but Gideon held firm. Stupid strong wolf. "Stop being so noble!"

"I'm not. I'll always be here for you, Vi." Gideon sat up, pulling Visena onto his lap, her legs involuntarily straddling the Alpha. Her shins brushed against the damp grass, and she felt something else dampen. Goddamn, mate bond!

"Visena," his Alpha tone had her silver eyes meeting his. Gideon's hands released his mates and trailed up her arms, finding a final resting place in her gnarled hair. His huge palms cradled her head as his thumb brushed her wind-bitten lips.

"I can't do this anymore. Why can't I get a break?" Visena wanted to feel sorry for herself, but Gideon's proximity made her flush red hot.

"Anything that comes your way, I'll fight it with you, Visena. Don't shut me out."

Her breathing hitched from the intensity of his words. He meant it with every ounce of his being. Then, without another thought, she smashed her lips on his and stole a much-needed kiss. 

~~~

A/N

Kia ora tātou

Welcome everyone,

This will be the longest Author Note I will ever write because it's really important to me- here is a little background info-

Māori are the indigenous peoples in the country I live in. (Aotearoa, New Zealand) I am not Māori but I am of Polynesian and Irish descent (and a bunch of other colonial shit- I'm white-passing AF).

Hina is a Māori term and is pronounced 'He- nah', and has many stories attached to it from Te ao Māori (the Māori world). 

I have used the term Hina in reference to the goddess of the moon/ the personification of the moon and  I use it out of respect. 

Another name she is known by is Hineteiwaiwa - who is the goddess (Atua) of childbirth, weaving and female arts and much more. It is quite a challenge to even describe accurately because words in Te Reo have many meanings and can be broken down into smaller parts. Māori are also storytellers and their history is mostly passed down orally so it's hard to find written information when I am using the knowledge I have heard from Māori people and not google. 

Above all else I want people to know I have done my homework and am not trying to come and appropriate cultures I don't know anything about. Most of my cousins, my partner and his family are Māori so I use it to honour them and their truly beautiful language. <3 

If anyone who happens to stumble across my book is Māori, Nau mai, haere mai! I hope that using Hina as the name for the moon goddess is received positively although feel free to let me know if you feel uncomfortable and I can review it and make changes.

Ngā mihi nui, e hoa mā,

Aroha nui  

Kayla <3

p.s - on a lighter note. Full steam ahead if you catch my drift... We're about to get a little bit sexual... You've been warned ;)