I rolled my eyes open, wincing at the bright lights blinding me. My eyes finally adjusted to Mona sitting over me on the ground, a wide eyed Riley watching not far away. I gave her a weak smile, touching at the slash marked down my chest gingerly.
"Artemis, what the hell happened? Mona won't tell me anything. Wait, should I get Jaxon?" I shut up, my eyes widening as I shook my head frantically and tried to get over the pain hitting me.
"No! Please, it was just a small Rogue." His eyes widened as he looked to Mona before back to me frantically.
"What? What's a Rogue? Haha," he laughed awkwardly, his eyes frantically moving around. I groaned as I rolled my eyes, finally noticing the Lemon Balm and Feverfew laying on the ground next to me.
I lifts them up onto the cabinet before enchanting knifes to begin cutting them finely, mixing them with a few others into a paste. I looked back over to Rileys wide eyes, which were plastered on me and Mona on the ground before feverishly flickering over to the paste being made at the counter.
"I'm a fucking witch, I know what wolves are, shut up and for the love of the Goddess hand me the paste please." I groaned as the pain attacked my senses, the sound of Rileys clamoring footsteps sounded.
I heard the bowl being thrust onto the ground next to me, my hands dipping into the green paste and slathering my entire abdomen with it as Riley adverted his eyes. I sighed as coolness began to spread over the heat on my skin, the cuts immediately beginning to heal right before my eyes.
While I had human healing, when I used the salve, I healed faster than a wolf. I watched the skin stitch itself together, leaving behind the faint lines of scars and purple and green bruises. I sighed in relief, using my powers to lift the bowl back onto the kitchen island.
"You need to go tell your Alpha I need to speak with him. I can't go in the pack house without running into Jaxon, or letting him smell me." Riley suddenly gasped, both my own and Mona's eyes spinning to him.
"The bond! He would've felt your pain!" I scrunched my face as I sat up, my bones groaning in protest.
"He would've been here by now, so somehow he didn't." I muttered as I pushed myself up even more, Mona coming up to help me over to my couch.
"Have you touched him yet?" I shook my head hesitantly, eyeing the knowing looks passed between Mona and Riley. "What is it?"
"That's why he didn't, since he had rejected the bond and you haven't even made contact yet, the bond isn't fully there." Riley spoke as I bit my lip, pushing my hair up and tying it with a ribbon.
"That's not happening." I muttered under my breath, Rileys eyebrows furrowing in confusion towards me.
"Why not?"
I took a deep breath, shutting my eyes silently as I tried to figure out how to tell him so he doesn't freak out. "The first time I touch anyone, I see their deaths. I've seen far too many pack members deaths for comfort."
"Even mine?" I rolled my lip silently before nodding, adverting my eyes from both him and Mona's.
"I've seen both of yours, including the Alphas. I'll do what I can to stop unwanted deaths to members of the pack, but The Fates always takes something. If it's victim is saved, The Fates chose someone else." I floated a book out of my bookshelf, opening it and fluttering the pages right in front of Riley and Mona.
A photo of The Fates graced a page, their hooded and eyeless figures looking out of the book "The Moirae were the three goddesses of fate who personified the inescapable destiny of man. They assigned to every person his or her fate or share in the scheme of things. "
"Have you ever met them?" Mona asked quietly, my eyes looking over the three woman on the page.
"Yes. I saved someone I shouldn't have, and they came to me with a price." I adverted my eyes, dropping the book on the table. I stood up and used the cabinets to help me move around the kitchen, putting a water filled kettle on the oven.
"What was the price?" I looked over to Riley and Mona sitting at the island, both of their eyes watching me intently. I sighed as I watched the kettle, a small thread of smoke escaping up into the air.
"Her name was Jessica, she was only seven. I saw her everyday on my way home, her blonde hair and blue eyes watching me from her living room window. She always looked so broken, I didn't know what was going on."
I lifted the kettle and filled three tea cups with it, watching the loose herbs darken the water. I brought them over to Riley and Mona, who still had their eyes set on me. I felt chills roll through me as I remembered Jessica's eyes, how hollow and empty they were at only seven years old.
"I came home two days after The Fates coming to see me, to find ambulances and police cars in front of her house. Her father slaughtered her entire family before committing suicide, shooting everyone in front of Jessica before slitting her throat."
The house was silent as I sipped my tea, the sun slowly creeping through the open windows around us. Mona was the first to break her silence, her eyes wavering as she stared at me.
"Couldn't you have gone to Selene for help?" Rileys eyes widened at me, his mouth gaping open and closing like a fish.
"What?" I sighed towards Riley, feeling the warmth the sun gave me through my clothes.
"I speak with Selene and Apollo frequently, more Selene than Apollo. That's another reason I'm named Artemis, I can control the stars because of Selene's powers she gifted me. Both of them gave me powers, but Selene gifted me most of them."
Both Mona and Riley looked at me with awe, their eyes wide and glassy. I sighed before taking out a bottle of Moonshine I got from one of the hillbillies at school, offering a mason jar to both of them. I took a sip straight from the bottle it was given to me in, wincing at the strong alcohol burning down my throat.
"Forgot she was your guys god or something."
Well I did create them.
I grumble, both in my head and outwardly before looking back to the two wolves in front of me. "Go tell your Alpha I killed two Rogues, so if they find their bodies it's on me. I'll take whatever punishment he gives, just tell him the two wolves might be leading a Hunters Hoarde to his territory. Double patrols, just in case."
Riley nodded before grabbing Mona's hand, tugging her out of her chair. He must've sensed how badly I wanted to be alone right now, my hand making it's way to rub the center of my chest. I heard the door close just as my eyes did, my heart calling out for the stupid Alpha wolf that Selene gave to me.
If the bond wasn't fully there right now, I'm terrified of when it is. It takes everything within me to not grab him and smash my lips to his every time I see him, and it seems like it's almost the same for him.
But I don't want to see how he does, because that'll ruin me.
-
I doesn't all of Sunday relaxing at home, since my torso was completely black and blue from the Rogue attack. The salve I had made didn't help those, only closed the sticking of skin and muscles that their claws had ripped open.
I finally made my way to the school in my car, shutting my eyes as I was so completely exhausted. It's only three days from the next full moon, and my body went insane last night. I was so frustrated all the powers running through me, I couldn't sleep. I had maybe two hours of sleep, and I'm sure it showed on me face.
I stepped out of my car with sunglasses on, ducking my head as I wove my way through the throng of students. I made sure to keep my body from touching anyone, remembering the third day of school when I accidentally touched a random girls arm.
I shuddered to myself at my locker, taking out my books before shutting it and turning. His smell immediately filled my nose, my eyes shutting behind my sunglasses. I left the shades on to disguise how exhausted I was, but it seems it came in handy with letting me get away with just how much his smell turnt me on.
I huffed and opened my eyes, seeing him at the opening of the hallway. I quickly diverted my attention and went to my first class, my fingers tapping on my thighs as I entered in.
"Art!" I looked up and smiled at Mona, her wide grin brightening up my dreary insides.
She got up and ran to attack me in a hug when I quickly side stepped her grasp, her face falling. "I'm sorry Mona, but the bruises hurt like a bitch."
Just like that, her face lit back up before looking over my shoulder and falling. Her skin paled and her eyes widened, my eyebrows furrowing. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, another angry voice spoke up. It slid itself around my ears and encased me, my insides practically vibrating as his smell hit me full force.
I turned and faced a very angry Jaxon, his eyes darkening as his skin shook. It looked like a wolf was fighting to be released, his teeth sharpening and his nails lengthening.
"What bruises." He seethed, stepping closer to me. I grit my teeth at how hot I found his small action, cursing both myself and the mate bond, again.
"It's nothing, not a big deal. I accidentally fell off of a tree, nothing big okay?" He still shook, his skin tumbling and rippling before me.
I know he had to calm down, but I refused to touch him. I'm sorry, but I could practically feel my heart breaking at the mere thought of watching him die. Riley came up beside him, gripping his shoulder in his attempt to calm him went unsuccessful.
"You got hurt? And they were with you?!" He growled at both Mona and Riley, since he knew they were barely apart.
I rolled my eyes and clenched my jaw, watching as both Riley and Mona submitted by stretching their necks out to him. "Don't you fucking dare Jaxon, you rejected me, so don't you fucking start with trying to be protective."
He halted as he shook his head, breaking himself from whatever trance his wolf had put him in. He looked over to me with those grey eyes, conveying some sort of apology that his damn ego wouldn't let him say aloud.
"No, go sit down. We're not talking about, not now, not ever." I whispered as he opened his mouth, my voice cracking against my own will.
I didn't mean to let my emotions show, but they did. I didn't want him to know just how badly he effected me, but it seems whenever I get around him every wall I built up to protect myself came crashing down into a pile of rubble.
The four of us sat down just as the bell rang, the class trickling in with the teacher not far behind it. I slumped over in my desk by the window, letting my eyes shut as the teacher droned on. I finally let myself sleep, the sun warming up my skin and darkness drawing me in.