Huntress

Chapter 56

"I'm sorry, do you know me?" I pressed. "And to be honest, I can't answer your question, I don't know much of anything these days." The admission was painful, but I was always thankful that my voice worked, if only in my dreams.

"Of course, I know you Georgia," the woman said. "You are the werewolf hunter. You're the one I chose for Ryder." She reached out for me, her hands as cold as ice on my shoulders. Then, she pulled me in front of her, so I could look into the mirror. But instead of seeing my current self-reflected in the mirror, I saw me with bleached blonde hair, screaming at my brother. "A strong girl who made hard choices. A damn shame that you weren't born as one of my children, you would have been a powerful wolf," the woman murmured. One hand left my shoulder and gently touched the surface of the mirror. It shimmered and rippled for a moment. And there was Ryder, younger than I had ever seen him. He stood beside Keiko, jaw hard and eyes focused. A coldness I didn't know could be felt from the mirror, like even the glass could feel the hurt in his heart, the hatred brewing there. "A perfect match for a man who let the world harden him. I gave him the most wonderful laugh, you know. it's too bad I never get to hear it anymore. And his eyes, they used to light up. I was inspired by my own attributes, what do you think?" she asked, running her fingers through her hair.

"You chose me for Ryder?" I repeated.

"Just like I chose Keiko – thunderous and stubborn – for arrogant and protective Ajax. You know, Ryder is one of my favorites. I took careful steps choosing you," she explained. She released me to go and gather the marbles that had fallen earlier, so careful with each one. "A wolf's mate is a delicate thing. A balance to what they need. But with you, it was a balance the kingdom needed." She straightened, two marbles pinched between her fingers, and gently, she merged them into one.

"I don't understand. How am I supposed to balance the kingdom when I can't even go to the bathroom by myself?"

She sighed and set down her cherished beads. "It wasn't supposed to be like this, Georgia. You were supposed to see Ryder, see that he was gentle and kind. When I decided to take power from my own people and share it with others, I gave the traits of shifting, yes, but I also gave them the traits of the wolf too, caring and playful and devoted to community."

"He is all those things. That didn't stop me from getting wolf-drain. That's why I started hunting in the first place. Because of my parents. Because of this." I gestured to myself, but in my dream state, I always saw myself as able-bodied, like the warrior I had been, not the soft creature I was becoming from all of the stagnant time.

"But he didn't do this to you, child. None of them did. Werewolves cannot harm humans the way you think they can, I made sure of that. I had seen power move and shift too many time, destroy too many lives to be so careless with it." She came back to stand beside me, touching the mirror again. A pretty blonde woman filled the surface, a tall man with dark hair and darker eyes behind her. his arm was wrapped protectively over her collarbones. "King Archer and Queen Willow, mated for dozens of years. Both died of old age with no signs of this wolf drain." She touched the mirror again. King Archer remained, but beside him with another man and woman. "Archer befriended a human king, Leo. No aliments there. And sweet queen Ember, wife to Leo and a siren, also had no issues. Werewolves have no history harming humans like this. And it hasn't started now. I wanted the two of you together so your hunters would finally stop hurting my people. The hurt in my people is great from the violence the hunters have brought."

"This has to come from somewhere, and right now, werewolves are the common denominator," I remarked. "Maybe werewolves have evolved to become toxic." She could tell me a thousand times that this wasn't meant to happen, but that wouldn't stop me from waking up from this dream in a body that didn't respond.

The woman sucked a hard breath through her nose. Her black eyes narrowed beneath plum eyelids. "I can smell it on you. Magic, certainly, otherwise you couldn't be here, but it's not werewolf magic. Their powers are only for shifting. You have something...different in you. The same, but so different all at once."

"Of course, I can be here, this is a dream," I snapped, feeling my frustration rise. Knowing that the man that I was supposed to be with for eternity had done this to me was a big enough blow. Having this figment of my imagination deny it was painful all over again. I couldn't hope. I wouldn't hope. Because waking up on a worn-out couch with a nurse spoon feeding me would be unbearable.

"Oh sweet human, this isn't a dream."

Then she was gone and I was sitting on an ugly couch in front of the television all over again.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" someone asked. It was the low voice, the one from the funeral.

The raven-haired woman was crouched in front of me. "I don't know if anything is a good idea right now, Hades." She looked up at me, her lips pressed together in a determined line. "We're going to get you out of here, Georgia."

~~~Distraction Section~~~

Keep your eye out for some exciting things happening with Hades in the near future!!!

Question of the Day: What did you eat for breakfast?

I had left over chicken Kung Pao!