Aubrielle
I'm not sure quite when I realized that something was wrong but I did come to that conclusion at some point. Maybe it was when I kept hearing people talking to me but I couldn't reply to them. Or maybe it was because all I saw around me all the time was darkness. Was I struck blind and mute, I constantly wondered.
"Come on honey," My mother's worried voice urged. "We need you to wake up now, ok?" I felt her soft hand gently rubbing the back of mine.
Wake up? Was I sleeping then? Is this a dream? I didn't think so but still, I struggled to wake up. Absolutely nothing was happening so I began to doubt I was sleeping. But if I wasn't sleeping, then why was mom urging me to wake up? I just couldn't make sense of anything and I was becoming frustrated. I began to wonder what was wrong with me.
"It doesn't look like she's ready to come around," A voice I didn't recognize said. "All we can do now is wait and see what happens."
"Alright, doctor Waters," My mother replies. Doctor Waters, who is he? I couldn't remember any doctor I had ever met by that name.
"I'll come back to see her tomorrow. But if there is any change in her condition, you can have the nurse on duty page me." The doctor instructs. Nurse on duty? So then I must be in a hospital, but why? What happened to me that required me to be in a hospital?
"I will. Thank you, doctor," Mom said.
I heard footsteps begin to retreat, then suddenly come to a stop. "Oh, I thought you should know that you no longer work for Lupus Valley memorial," The man informed mom.
"They fired me?" Mom asked, her tone sad.
"No, no," The doctor assured mom. "The Federation pulled some strings and had you transferred here. So as of tomorrow, you will continue your residency here." I heard a soft gasp which I assumed came from mom.
"What's more, there is a vacant small two-bedroom house half a block from the hospital that our acting Alpha has informed the beta that it is given to no one other than you as your new residence since you plan to become part of this pack," I then heard a sob that I knew came from mom.
"I wanted to ask if you would be opposed to beginning work as soon as tomorrow, or if you will need more time?" The doctor asked with what sounded to me like a hopeful tone.
"I'll be here!" Mom exclaimed in a choked but happy voice.
"Great," The doctor said with relief. "We are severely short-staffed and could use an extra pair of hands. Welcome aboard!" The sound of footsteps retreating informed me the doctor had left.
"Isn't that great honey?" Mom asked. "Now I can stay here and not worry about losing my job! Thank the goddess as well as Silvia and Elder Mathew, I'm sure they had a hand in getting me the transfer."
I heard the sound of dialing and I realized mom was placing a call. "I have to call Luna Adina to let her know what's going on." Footsteps walking away reached me and I realized mom was leaving the room. The sound of the tv and a constant beeping sound filled my range of hearing but then it too faded away into complete silence.
Moments later I was surrounded by darkness but I wasn't scared or worried. I felt calm and at ease, even comforted. I felt an aura of protection surrounding me, it was soothing and loving. It was the kind of feeling you get when you come home after a long period of being away. It was an incredible feeling and I liked it here very much.
"Aubrielle?" A soft harmonious voice called my name. It was somewhat familiar to me but I couldn't place where I knew it from. "Come now, open your eyes child. I know you can hear me. You and I need to talk and now is the time." The voice was insistent and I found myself opening my eyes against my will.
"Ah, there you are darling!" The feminine voice sang out, pulling my eyes in her direction.
Standing in a beautiful meadow surrounded by flowers of many varieties and wolves of many sizes, was a beautiful woman with silver-colored hair and bright blue eyes. She wore a full-length blue dress that covered her feet. But what captivated me was the fact that she seemed to glow with an ethereal light that lit up the area around her.
"Are you the goddess?" I ask shocked. The woman laughed, a sound that reminded me of birds singing on a beautiful morning.
"Yes child," She replied as she moves closer and holds out a hand to me. Taking her hand, I allow her to help me to my feet, then turn to see that I had been lying on a hospital bed. "But I prefer to be called Selene." Her words draw my eyes back to her.
Leading me by the hand, she guides me to a group of wolves that watched us calmly. One wolf stands up and separates from the others, his eyes trained on me with what looked to be adoration. I felt an incredible joy fill me at the sight of him as he moves closer and nudged my hand with his massive head. A shiver raced down my back as he licked the palm of my hand, his eyes locking with mine.
"This one," Selene reaches out her hand and pats him on his back. "Is the wolf soul I paired with your wolf soul." She explained, completely surprising me.
The wolf never broke eye contact with me. Those eyes sparkled with so much love and devotion directed at me. It made me wonder how this wolf soul could love us so much, yet his human half could hate us enough to lock me up in his dungeon and allow his chosen mate to torture me, among other things.
A soft whine and another lick on my hand brought me back to the present, causing me to focus on the wolf. "I brought you here to explain some things to you darling," The goddess confides.
Waving me to a chair on my left, she helps me to sit. The wolf drops down beside the chair, placing his massive head on my feet. Selene then takes a chair across from mine, her face alight with sorrow. "First let me say I am sorry for what you had to endure. When I paired you with Bastian, I never foresaw what he would do."
Sighing deeply, she continued. "Camille, with the help of a love potion, was able to make Bastian fall in love with her and she corrupted him," Selene confided with a grave look on her face. A soft growl from the wolf at my feet at Bastian's name confirmed the wolf soul was displeased with his human half.
Casting the wolf soul a sad look, she looked up at me. "I did appear to him through his dreams and enlightened him about Camille, what she had done, and urged him to put things right. But he refused to listen and continued as he was. I gave him multiple chances to fix things but he never did."
The wolf soul lifted his head with a long-drawn-out whine, his eyes on Selene for a moment, as if urging her to tell me something I should know. "His wolf soul was not happy with either Camille, her wolf, or Bastian for that matter. He communicated to me his displeasure and begged me to detach him from his human half," Shocked, I gasped at this information, my eyes immediately turning to the wolf.
He looked back at me, his eyes sad but reflecting all the love he felt for me. The wolf then placed his head in my lap, his eyes still locked on mine, and I could see a plea in their depths. "Though he can not speak to you, he wants you to know how sorry he is that he could not protect you," Selene informs me.
Gently petting his head, then massaging his ears, I lean down slightly while smiling into his eyes. "I don't blame you so there is no need for you to apologize," I assure him. Lifting his head, he licks my nose, causing me to giggle.
"Only one other wolf soul was so enamored by his mate's human half in the history of were-kind, though Goliath did not feel it necessary to be separated from his human half," Selene said wryly. Still petting the wolf, I return my gaze to the goddess with confusion on my face.
"Goliath is the wolf soul I paired with Mathew Weston," Nodding, I then remembered the story Luna Silvia used to tell us about the war when we were pups. I hadn't thought about that story in years, which is why I was momentarily confused at the mention of Goliath.
"There are reasons for why I could not intervene sooner and for that, I feel just terrible child. When the time finally came, I informed Elder Mathew we had to move quickly. I knew how close to dying your wolf soul was and I wanted to get to you before it was too late. I was glad we arrived when we did since we practically caught him red-handed." She tells me with a disgusted look.
"Foolishly he tried denying the mate I gave him in front of those gathered!" It was evident Selene was furious by the set of her jaw and how she drew in a deep breath. "We held a trial on the spot and Bastian was found guilty. I passed sentence which included being stripped of his pack, his Alpha title, and his wolf soul." I was stunned and could only stare at her with wide eyes.
"As his mate, his pack now belongs to you darling," Selene informed me and I would have fallen over had I not been sitting down. "And because you are unable to lead the pack at this time, Elder Mathew has been appointed acting Alpha to oversee the pack until you can do so."
Shaking my head to clear it, I asked the only thing that popped into my mind. "What about Camille?" An angry snarl came from the wolf soul the minute her name left my lips, his hackles rising with indignation.
"Camille was not his mate, you were. When she realized their lie was discovered, she fled and left him to face the mess they created, alone. She has yet to be found, but when she is found she will face charges for all she did to you and for using underhanded means to cause a wolf to reject his mate" Selene informed me. "But don't you worry about her, we are here to talk about you."
I nodded my head and continued petting the now purring wolf soul. "Since I separated the wolf soul from his human, that means you do not have a mate, technically speaking." My eyes grew wide as I realized she was right, though I wasn't sure how I felt about that.
"But don't you worry one bit, I have a plan to resolve that problem. A plan that will be put in motion when the time comes." Selene smiles at me as she nods her head with satisfaction.
"How will you resolve it?" I ask curiously.
"I'm glad you asked," The goddess replied as she clapped her hands like a happy pup. She reminded me of a mischievous child at that moment, one who knew a secret that excited her greatly. "I have found a new host for your previous mate's wolf soul, someone I know will love you and treat you the way you deserve."
"Are you saying I will be granted another mate? A second chance mate like in those werewolf romance stories on Wattpad?" I asked, trying to understand. I admit to being a werewolf romance reading junky, so sue me. But unlike the stories I read, there was no such thing as a second chance mate. We have one soul mate, that's it. Once we lose our mate, it's possible to find love with someone new but it won't be the same as with your mate.
"No child!" Selene said with a deep belly laugh. "You live in the real world, not some fairy tale. No, you will be given a second chance with the mate that was meant for you." She points at the wolf soul I was still petting.
"Your wolf soul and this one are the soul mates, not the human side. Wolf souls are the reason why werewolves have a mate after all. The reason for this is that I wanted to ensure that if one mate dies, the other won't spend the rest of their life mourning them. The human half will fall in love in due time, helping their wolf soul to find happiness and love again. You will have your soul mate, just in a different human shell."
As I opened my mouth to comment, Selene shook her head. "I'm sorry darling but our time is up. Rest now. When you finally wake up, you will begin a brand new chapter in your life. I promise you, you will know happiness with your mate as it should have been." Suddenly my eyes grew heavy and soon I was wrapped in darkness like a warm, comforting blanket.
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Debbie
It's been a full month since I left Wisconsin to find my daughter. I never imagined that my beautiful, vivacious daughter would be replaced by a nearly lifeless and emaciated she-wolf. That her mate had fooled us and put her through a living hell that no one should have had to live. My heart broke the moment I laid eyes on her.
Food and liquid deprivation was the least of her problems since they could be fixed easily enough. The real problem was her internal injuries were so severe that we discussed putting her into a medically induced coma, to allow her wolf time to heal itself. The very next day, Aubrielle was placed into a coma and the waiting game began.
A few good things came from this horrible situation. The first was that I was reunited with my baby. Another good thing was that Bastian was made to pay for his part in hurting and humiliating Aubrielle. Lastly, my residency was transferred here, and I now had a new home near the hospital.
Since Derry and Starla had come with us and planned to stay for a spell, the previous Alpha, his father, was overseeing the pack until their return. Because of that fact, I called Alpha Lucas and Luna Adina to inform them of everything and to ask for permission to leave the pack so that I could join Aubrielle's pack.
They gave their permission with their blessings. Luna Adina then assured me that she would make sure all of my belongings were packed and delivered to the new house within the week. She informed me that as soon as the rightful Alpha and Luna returned, she and her mate would come out to visit.
Aubrielle's health had improved over the following weeks, so her doctor and I were confident we could safely bring her out of the medically induced coma. We both agreed her internal injuries had healed sufficiently and there was no need to keep her in a comatose state any longer. Unfortunately, she remained unresponsive no matter what we did. Twenty-four hours later and there was still no change.
As had become a habit, I had my meals in Aubrielle's room with Silvia and Marcus, though sometimes the twins would join us. Even though she was busy with Luna's duties, Silvia always came to the hospital after school, since Marcus insisted on being with Aubrielle. We all hoped she would wake soon.
I was conversing with Silvia while Marcus lay beside Aubrielle watching cartoons when the sound of hurried footsteps approaching reached our ears. Being that this was a hospital, I figured someone was coming to visit the new patient down the hall that had arrived a couple of hours prior.
My attention was immediately drawn to the doorway as a man entered the room and I was shocked to discover it was none other than Mason. He looked horrible, making me wonder what could have happened to cause him to be in such a state. His hair was a complete mess like he'd been running his fingers through it repeatedly, he looked thinner and he had dark circles under his eyes.
Without missing a beat, Mason strode across the room with determined steps and before I knew what he was about, he pulled me into his arms and kissed me soundly. I was so shocked that it took me a few moments to realize what was happening, then I stopped thinking as I melted against him and returned his kiss as if he was the oxygen I needed, my hands clinging to the back of his shirt.
"Who is he, momma?" Marcus' childish voice brought me back to reality like a bucket of cold water dumped over my head.
Pulling away from Mason, I noticed that Silvia's eyes were glued to the tv and she was fighting back a grin. "What was that baby?" Silvia asked her son as she turned her eyes on him, an innocent look on her face.
"Oh," Mason states with an embarrassed chuckle. "I didn't realize you had company. Hi, I'm Mason Green," He introduces himself to Silvia as he walks around the bed and holds his hand out for her to shake, his face a vivid red.
"Hi, Mason, I'm Silvia Weston and this is my son Marcus," Silvia greets as she motions to Marcus who gives him a wave and a brief curious look before returning his gaze to the tv.
Mason had shoved his hands into his pockets when an incredulous look came over his face. "THE Silvia Weston?" He asks as he looks from Silvia to me and then back to her.
"Yes, Mason," I confirmed. "This is the sacred vessel." Mason seemed to go pale briefly, then a deep red color made its way up to his neck to blanket his face and ears.
"Oh goddess," Mason murmured mortified. Silvia burst into laughter and I couldn't help but join her even though I was blushing like crazy.
Marcus looked at each of us with confusion before he shrugged and went back to his cartoons. "Grownups are so weird," Marcus commented which had us laughing harder with Mason joining in.
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