RILEY
I stood there, not believing quite what I was seeing. The sky above me was caught in the midst of day and night. I could see the stars glowing with the moon beside them and at the same time there was the sun shining across the bright blue sky. My head couldn't grasp the sight before me.
"Is this-" I tried to speak but my mother interrupted me.
"Real? It is, darling. Welcome to the realm of the Goddesses."
When we teleported here, I was not sure what to expect but this was certainly not it. The realm was beautiful, even if rather strange. We landed in a field full of bright sunflowers that were basking in the sunlight on one side and gardenias blooming under the darkness and coolness of the other side. It was like someone had drawn a line across the realm, marking where the day ended and the night began.
We made our way through a thick forest until we finally made it to a magnificent garden which led to a grand manor at the end of it. As I reached for the gate to enter the garden, my mum put her hand on top of mine, drawing my attention to her.
"Are you sure you are ready for this, Riley? The Sun and Moon Goddess might have the answers you seek but they might not be the answers you wish to hear." My mother's eyes were full of worry, just as they had been every time she thought I was hurt or upset when I was little.
"I need to do this, mum- I have to know," I reassured her, placing my hand on top of hers.
"I know, sweety. I just wish that there was more that we could do for you. But this is as far as your dad and I can go. We can't enter further but they will be expecting you."
I was not one to panic but I had hoped that my parents were going to accompany me during my visit to the two goddesses. I was completely out of my element here and my parents' presence would have been invaluable for me, not just for their support but also for their guidance in this world that I barely knew anything about.
"Don't worry, Auri. We will be waiting for you here when you are done. They will not harm you," my dad reassured me, as if he could read my mind. He didn't need to though- he knew me that well.
I pushed the gate open and made my way through the garden. I felt so much life around me as I walked through it and yet there was no other person in sight. But I could feel the flowers, the trees, the birds, even the crickets that were hiding in the dark part. The realm was so lively, so pure- nothing like life back on Earth.
My footsteps were the only noise I could hear as I walked right down the middle between the day and the night parts. I prepared myself to knock on the door when I finally got to the mansion but before my knuckles even touched it, it opened on its own.
"Come in, Aurelie," a gentle, melodic voice said from within the house.
I entered the manor and walked straight ahead where I could see two figures seated in huge sofa chairs, admiring what I could only describe as the sun setting on one side, while the moon was slowly preparing itself to give way to the sunrise on the other.
"We have been expecting you, child," one of the two figures said confidently.
Great, yet another foretold move on my part, I huffed in my head as I moved towards them.
"Don't worry, Aurelie- we did not know when and how you would come. Just that you would visit us one day. That brilliant, inquisitive mind of yours would not have allowed otherwise," the first voice spoke again and I could sense that she smiled as she said that. "Come, join us here."
I did as I was told, finally taking a spot next to them by the floor-to-ceiling windows. My new spot allowed me to have a look at both of them and I had to admit that I was taken aback by their grandeur- each one of the two goddesses was magnificent.
The Moon Goddess had long black hair and mesmerizing purple eyes. Her navy blue royal satin dress was embroidered with stars and crescent moons, so it was pretty easy to figure out her identity.
Next to her sat an equally beautiful blonde woman with bright blue eyes like a clear blue sky on a sunny day. The headpiece she wore reminded me of rays of the sun and her natural warmth made me feel like I was being embraced by her. I had no doubt in my mind that she was the Sun Goddess.
"Don't worry, child, Selene and I will do no harm to you," the Sun Goddess spoke as I stared at both of them.
I just couldn't quite believe that I was in the presence of either one, let alone both of them at the same time.
"Oh, Sol, we have terrible manners. We should offer her a drink. A Mojito or a Manhattan, dear?"
Cocktails, really? Wasn't it-
"Too early, Aurelie?" The Sun Goddess, Sol, interrupted my thought. "Here it is always day and night at the same time, so it's never too early or too late for a drink, darling."
"Are you two reading my thoughts? Because this trick is starting to get old on me now," I huffed unimpressed.
Selene, the Moon Goddess looked at me and laughed. "Let me guess: you are not a fan of mind-linking?"
"You could say that."
"Interesting," she said. "So they marked you." It was not a question, but rather a statement on her part.
"Well, Markolf didn't really leave us a choice- it was that or have me burn to death with lust," I explained nonchalantly , yet the mention of the cambion immediately grabbed their attention.
Sol jumped to her feet, inspecting me as she walked around me. "You met him?" Her voice was shaky, nervous, as she asked. I had to admit that it made me feel a bit nervous that the deities seemed to become anxious at the pure mention of the cambion's name.
"I, unfortunately, had the luck of bumping into him on more than one occasion.'
Now it was Selene's turn to take a closer look at me. Her eyes bore into me with such an intensity that I was not sure whether she was testing me or judging me. I went on for so long that I was starting to feel like some damn museum exhibit.
"And yet he let you live. Why?" The surprise in her voice was evident. So much for the goddesses knowing everything...
"He thinks we are alike. Outcasts. So he wants me to join him."
I did not expect them to laugh in unison at what I had just told them. "Fool. Markolf is such a fool," Selene chuckled. "He thinks that he knows what's going on. That he has won. But he has no idea what he is up against."
Now I was intrigued. I came to ask about my mates and me but if they had an answer on how to stop Markolf, I was happy to leave with that too.
"Which is?" I asked carefully not to spook them.
Selene and Sol looked at each other as if I should have known the answer all along but I had no clue.
"You, Aurelie," Sol clarified before Selene added, "You and your mates."
"Me? Us?" What was it with everyone putting things on me? I was human, not some supernatural creature. At least not anymore. "I have to admit that I am starting to get tired of hearing this. How the hell am I meant to stop a cambion? I am just a human."
Selene walked over to me, caressing my cheek while she gave me a reassuring smile. "You are special, Aurelie. And no, not you the shifter but you, everything that you were when you were born and everything that you are today. But what is even more special is your triad."
The Moon Goddess returned to her seat, letting Sol continue as I just stood there speechless. "You see, Aurelie- the angels, the demons, Selene and I- we influence many things but we cannot influence free will, especially for humans. Shifters and cambions are also part human, so we cannot control their decisions or their actions. When we heard what Markolf was trying to do...well, none of us could do anything. So Selene and I knew that we had to do something before it got too late."
Sol paused, while her words were slowly sinking into my head.
"We knew we needed a strong person to have a chance to step up and defeat Markolf but even more so, we knew we needed something or someone that transcended kinds, genders, beliefs. We needed a bond that could withhold anything Markolf could throw its way, a bond that was stronger than anything we had ever seen. Your mum was special, Riley, but the day you were born, we knew that you were it—the one chance of the supernatural world to defeat Markolf. But your mum had always been right- we are stronger as one, no matter who or what we are."
Selene stepped forward again, the eye contact between us so intense that neither of us dared to blink.
"What Sol wants to say is that we knew that you needed help. And what better than a union between you, a werewolf and a dragon. A triad, stronger as one, showing Markolf- but also the world- that united you stand strong."
I was mind blown by what they were telling me. It was all too surreal.
"Hold on a second. Did you know that I was going to lose my wolf and my parents?" I asked in confusion but I feared that I knew the answer which only angered me.
"Oh, Aurelie- we cannot interfere with free choice but we can see what the different choices lead to and in every scenario we looked into, this was always the outcome as far as your wolf and your family were concerned," the Sun Goddess explained softly like she was trying to make this easier for me.
"So you just stood there and you did not warn my parents? You left them to die and you let me lose my wolf? What kind of cruel goddesses are you?" My voice was full of anger and pain as I lashed out at them, something that I had been denied up to now by all the culprits responsible for my family's drama.
Shouting at Goddesses was probably an act that was going to earn me a severe punishment but I did not care. I never asked for this- neither for this life, nor for this supposed greater purpose. All I would have liked would have been to have my parents still alive and to have grown up with my family.
Yet, beyond the anger, I also knew that the way my life had turned out had also brought me other people and moments to treasure that I would have never had otherwise. I would have never met my mum and dad whom I loved infinitely. Scarlett would have been just a stranger. My job, my life, my friends- everything would have been completely different.
I took a deep breath, trying to cool down.
"Riley, we never wanted you to suffer," Selene explained, "but some things are just unavoidable. Just like you, Aiden and Rafe were always meant to be- you always had a greater purpose. Sol and I knew it the day we put you together as mates. I have to admit that it was rare for us to mix the kinds that both of us oversee. Not because we mind it- we actually welcome it, but the shifter world has always been against it. With the three of you though, it just felt right."
"So we really are mates?"
"Of course you are, silly girl. Why would you think otherwise?" Sol exclaimed.
"Well, for one, the tattoos disappeared."
Selene laughed as if I had just told her a hilarious joke. "That's normal- you found your mates. What more would you have wanted from those texts? We always thought it was better not to have you stuck with those once you had met your match. And anyway, there were so many clues in your case," Selene said and looked at me like I was out of it.
"What do you mean?"
Now it was Sol's turn to chuckle. "Your hair matches Kai's fur. The birthmark of your neck resembles Blaze. And your eyes are a perfect mix of Kai and Blaze's eyes. Selene and I always thought that those were magnificent touches from our side to your triad and we admired how special the three of you were but maybe we should have been more explicit somehow," Sol rubbed her chin as she spoke.
"That was all you?" I asked surprised. "And what about these crazy abilities to shoot fireballs? Not to mention the supernatural speed and hearing."
"Oh, those." Selene's eyes flashed in excitement. "Those are part of your special triad. What makes you unique and capable of defeating Markolf is that you are one, and as one, you share your strengths and your abilities. Of course, that could only occur once you bonded and marking you made that possible."
"Markolf doesn't even know that his actions have now completely backfired," Sol smirked.
"Not at all. In fact, he thinks that by getting rid of your wolf he has won but he is so wrong, Aurelie. You are so much more than your wolf. You and your mates are our hope, our best chance, and that stupid cambion doesn't even know what is coming his way," the Moon Goddess explained proudly. "Plus, you need to be able to control the abilities of your mates- how else would your body cope with carrying wolf-dragon hybrid babies one day?"
What the hell did she just say?
My eyes grew so big that they could have easily popped out of their sockets.
"Hybrid what now?"
"Ignore Selene, Riley—don't forget that we can't influence free will, so that is also up to you and your mates. We set things into motion by putting you together as mates, but you decide if you want to take these up or not."
"So I can choose to break the bonds if I wish to?" I whispered quietly, not even sure if I wanted them to hear me. What was the likelihood that they wouldn't though?
As if on cue, Selene snapped her head towards me to look at me inquisitively. "You can indeed. Do you want to? Should we do it? Sol, get everything ready."
Panic ran through my body. "No," I screamed in fear that perhaps they took my words as a confirmation to proceed.
A devilish smirk emerged on the Moon Goddess' face as she looked at me again. "I didn't think so either." She took a sip of her Manhattan and grinned at me. " For the record though, if you do go down that path, your children will also be special. Don't worry—no need for them to fight a demon or anything. But they will be hybrids. Part-wolf, part-dragon, showing the shifter world that mixing and uniting can only be for the good of everyone. And that alone makes them special, just like the other hybrids that will be born with time."
I was gobsmacked- I had barely even had a chance to figure out how I felt about my mates and here were the Sun and Moon Goddess talking to me about my non-existential hybrid babies. Yet, as much as I hoped that my mind would reject the idea, it traitorously welcomed it instead.
My mates. I felt a sudden thug to the heart just thinking about them. The guys were right when they said that being separated would become difficult after I was marked. Ever since we left the pack house with my parents, it was like a part of me was missing, like I was incomplete. I missed Aiden's sweet and caring side, and Rafe's cocky, challenging approach.
"Enough alcohol for you, Selene." Sol smiled at me as she took Selene's drink away from her. "No need to tell poor Aurelie all of this. She will understand everything on her own when the time comes."
It would have been amusing to watch them if it wasn't my life that they were talking about and if we didn't have more pressing issues to figure out. And there was one question, in particular, that was more important than anything else.
"So, how do I kill a cambion?"