A Gift from the Goddess
Chapter 107

Bonus Chapter — Quick Home Recipes !! Important !! — You need to have read up to at leastChapter 96 to avoid spoilers. Continue reading at your own discretion.

This is just a short one-shot between Aria and Aleric during their time at the cabin. Explicit warning

Meat... herbs... garlic... butter... carrots...I stared at the ingredients as if they were a dangerous foreign entity.

Not to say they were, but it wasn't exactly like I knew how to approach what I was going to attempt.Things had seemed so much easier when I was just reading about it... opposed to having to actuallydo it.

With a sigh, I picked up the kitchen knife and began peeling the carrots; preheating the pan on thestove whilst I did so.

Aleric had been doing the cooking for us both, having at least some experience with it. During timeswhen he'd been on duty for the Winter Mist, there had been moments he'd had to cook whilstmaking camp somewhere random.

II, on the other hand, had experience that went only as far as boiling water for tea. After all, I'd livedmy whole life surrounded by attendants and chefs.

But it couldn't be that hard, right?I wanted to surprise him and give him a night off. Between the time spent with me and patrolling, Iwas sure he was getting exhausted. I thought this might be a good way to show m y appreciationfor his hard work.

I'd only read a few cooking books before, but I hadn't retained much. I knew the basic principlesand theories, and knew what steps to do. The issue was in actually executing it though and makingit taste good in the process.

The cabin had come stocked with bare essentials to last a while, the vegetables coming from asmall, adjourned greenhouse and the meat was whatever Aleric picked up from hunting on patrol.Altogether, we were pretty fortunate considering we were in the middle of nowhere.

_ *Slick*

I winced, looking down to see I'd cut myself.I definitely needed to focus more. It wasn't like I could heal quickly, thanks to the silver ring.

After washing my hands and the knife, I threw out the spoiled carrot and tried again. He was goingto be home any minute and I'd wanted to be finished before that. Though that was probably justme being overly optimistic considering my skill level.

Carefully, I proceeded to finish with the carrots, though taking far longer with it than 1 perhapsshould have, and threw some butter, herbs and garlic into the pan. When that was sufficiently allnice and melted, 1 placed the meat on top, satisfied it at least smelt nice. That was surely a goodsign if nothing else.

"What are you up to?” Aleric then said from the doorway.I looked up sharply to see him there, a little surprised since I hadn’t heard him approach over thesound of the pan.

"Oh, I'm ah... I'm cooking,” I said, a little embarrassed. “I wanted to surprise you before you gothome."

“I'm still surprised,” he said walking behind me to wrap his arms around my waist. “Surprised youhaven't burnt the house down.”

"Hey!" I yelled offended, squirming in his grasp. “Come on, it smells good!”

But he held me against me, laughing as he refused to let me go.

“Aleric!”

“No, you're right, I'm sorry,” he said, his head travelling to my neck and nibbling gently. “It doessmell pretty good.”

Though I wasn't sure whether he was still talking about the food.

"Ok, well I need to finish up here and I'll —."I didn’t get to finish my sentence though, instead losing my chain of thought. His hand had startedtugging up the hem of my dress and immediately begun trailing across the bare skin of mystomach.

“.. lum,” was all I said.

What was I doing?

I tried to remember as I felt his attention then change, reaching up to grab at my breast andsending a shiver through me from the sensitivity there.I could feel his warmth against my back, his breathing deepening near my ear, sending anotherwave of desire through me.

"What's up?” he asked, his other hand now venturing past the hem of my underwear, causing me togasp from the unexpected sensation. I leaned back against him, melting into the feeling of pleasurehe gave, greedily taking everysecond of it he had to offer.

“Aleric,” I moaned, turning my head to capture his lips against mine. His taste was intoxicatingMy whole body then started burning up, my heart racing. But just before I was beginning to get toolost in the moment, I completely spun around and pushed him back against the kitchen bench,wasting no time in jumping onto his lap.I could tell he was just as enthusiastic as me, his own lower-body betraying him, and I proceeded tomove my hips against him, relishing in the way he reacted to me.

This was my doing. He wanted me just as much as I wanted him. Did my touch send him intodelirium just as his did for me? Was it even better for him with the mate bond?

Before long had passed, it soon became clear that this wasn’t nearly enough for either of us.Working as quickly as I could, I then undid his pants and positioned myself perfectly on top of himbefore...

"... Fuck,” Aleric slowly groaned, feeling as he pressed his length into me, and my own moanaccompanied it.

How was it that he felt so perfect against me? As if he was naturally meant to always be there. Everysensation he had to offer me was enough to make me lose control instantly. As if proceeding withonly pure desire.I started to move again, his hands on my hips as he guided me against him, and every few seconds Iwould alternate between his lips, ear, and neck.

His own movement then slowly became more forceful as he quickened my pace, sending me intomy own frenzy as that familiar buzz started to build inside me.

Faster and faster we moved, going until he was almost completely controlling me, arms nowwrapped around me to hold my body to him. All I could do in turn was coil my own arms around hisneck and hold on as I let him take over, almost at my limit.

In this position, his length was now pushing even further in as his speed increased, stealing moansfrom my lips with every thrust. I could feel myself tightening too, getting closer and closer until....Finally, with a last cry escaping my lips, I felt myself come undone against him, shaking as the wavesof pleasure swept through me. The overwhelming bliss fogging up my mind as the seconds tickedby.

Aleric wasn't far behind in his own end, a groan alerting me to his finish, and proceeded to rest hisforehead against mine as we both fought to catch our breath.

How could things be this good? How was one person able to make me feel so euphoric from theirtouch? It seemed almost like a dream.

But, of course, with every dream, it had to come to an end eventuallyThe smell of burning quickly snapped me out of my trance, reminding me of exactly what I'd justbeen doingThe meat“Shit!”

Without looking back, I jumped off Aleric's lap and ran to the stove... only to replace it really wasburning

“Oh... no.” I whined, turning it over.

It was almost completely black on the opposite side, no longer looking appetising in any way.

The dish was ruined With a dejected exhale, I gave Aleric an apologetic look, only he didn’t seemphased in the slightest.

In fact, by the time I'd served us our half-burnt dinner, the review I received from him wasoverwhelmingly positive.

Apparently, in Aleric’s words, the meal had been delicious. It was “one of the most satisfying dinnershe'd ever had".

..Though, *somehow*, I knew he wasn't talking about the food. Sigh.

Bonus Chapter — The Cycle of Change This chapter follows a young Elder Luke (Luke Hastings) 30/40years prior to the main story. It was a very different time when things were not so accepting. ThisPOV shows the beginning of how Elder Luke became the man he is today and why he holds thestrong values he does — known by Aria as one of the deadliest men in the pack.

Fifty-two. There were fifty-two books I needed to reshelve today. Several more than the day before,even more than the day before that. It meant I would need to work late today in order t o finish thisin time. At least I had the entire day to get through it.

With a sigh of resignation, I grabbed my trolley and began the journey to the back of the librarywhere I would start the process, giving small smiles to those I made eye contact with along the way.This was the life of a librarian. Day in... day out...

Not to say I didn't enjoy my work. On the contrary, I immensely loved what I did for a living. But Icouldn't deny that it wasn't as interesting as say the ranked members of our pack. No, they led aneventful life of luxury and power. The kind of lives only unranked members such as myself coulddream of.

“Excuse me,” a deep voice then said behind me, making me turn around.I was surprised to hear someone had followed me all the way to the very back, however, I quicklyrealised why.

“.What can I do for you, sir?” I asked politely, taking several steps towards the man.

“I was hoping you could help me for a moment. I'm trying to replace something...”

He had the strong build of a warrior, with broad shoulders and a small air of authority about him tomatch that positionI raised an eyebrow questioningly as I came to stand directly in front of him. “...Looking for aparticular book, perhaps?”

“No, not quite...” he replied, looking down at me.

“Then how can I be of service today, sir? What exactly were you looking for?”

His hands then came up and grabbed either side of my face, sparks immediately eruptingthroughout my body from where our skin made contact.

*..My mate,” he whispered, right before his mouth came down to meet mine.

Immediately, I was enveloped by him as we drew closer together, my senses overridden by histouch... his scent... his taste. It was only once I found myself pressed up against one of the shelvesthat I realised we were at my place of work... not our house. they felt langeA deep chuckle escaped me as I pulled away, smiling up at the man. At my mate.

“What are you doing here, Xavier?” I asked quietly. I was conscious of not being too loud so w eweren't caught. “I didn’t think I would see you until tonight.”

“I need a reason to visit you now?” he questioned back, his lip pulling into a crooked smile.I laughed once more before untangling myself from him, walking back towards my trolley.

“It's not as though I don't appreciate your presence, it's just that I know you are meant to be a twork right now. And it's very unlike you to skip out on such a thing.”

He then sighed, his smile turning into more of a guilty one. “I came to tell you that I'll be headingout over the border today. Official business in one of the neighbouring packs. My unit has beenasked to supervise the proceedings.”

"... Then do they not expect you to be packing right now?” I asked, a small frown forming betweenmy brows. “I would think that you'd... not want to risk coming to see me.”

His face then contorted from the unpleasant topic. “Luke... You know it's not like that. I just... I'm soclose to this promotion, I can feel it. Maybe today will be the day they recognise that.”

But I remained silent, my jaw clenching to stop myself from speaking my mind.

"Hey..." Xavier then said softly, coming up to place his hands on either side of my waist tenderly.“Soon, I promise. Maybe in a few years, and after I get this promotion, we can make our relationshippublic. We can even finally buy a house in town... a nicer one at that too.”

His touch was making me want to melt into his arms but I managed to hold myself back.

“You say this every time, Xavier. We've been together for almost ten years now and it's always thesame promise.”

“Well... I mean, things might be different soon,” he said, replaceing an excuse. “Alpha Dominic is gettingolder and I've yet to hear the Alpha heir Tytus express any sort of... “grievance’ with our kind ofrelationship.”I immediately tsked and pushed my way out of his arms. “That child? He barely knows what he’sdoing. The only thing he knows is fighting.”

“That's not true!” Xavier snapped back, a tone of irritation now in his voice. “Don’t say things likethat about our future Alpha.”

Our eyes then locked for a few moments, his blue ones filled with frustration at my remark, and Isighed in response, rubbing my face with my hand.

"Apologies..." I said, doing my best to sound as genuine as possible.I should have expected him to have that reaction. He was a good warrior after all, and a patrioticone at that. Loyal to almost a fault, believing so wholeheartedly in the cause ofmaking our pack great. It's what made him the perfect soldier.

..But it was also what I loved about him too. His ability to have hope and see the good in peoplewas one of the things that made me fall for him. Strong... attractive... and genuinely an amazingperson. He complimented my more cynical nature perfectly.

Xavier then sighed, his shoulders relaxing. “It's fine. Just... you know how important my work i stome, Luke. I'm sorry that I can't... That we can't... Well, some people just aren't so accepting, youknow?”

I nodded my head, unable to meet his eyes, but knew well what he was talking about.

Because whilst things definitely seemed to be getting better in terms of change, there was still awhile to go before we reached the point we needed to. Movements were already starting across thecountry, bringing attention to the issue, and people were beginning to realise the truth of thematter. Because if the so-called Goddess could gift us with another being then, regardless of whothey were, didn't that mean there was a divine purpose behind the choice?

“The Goddess has a plan for us. I can feel it,” he continued, almost as if he'd read my thoughts.“Don't lose faith in our future just yet.”

He then walked up and kissed my cheek, the sparks emitting through me once more. However, thistime, 1 allowed myself to give in to the sensation, bringing my hand up to hold his head againstmine, craving his presence for just a little longer.

We said our goodbyes shortly after that. I didn’t know how long it would be until I saw him again,his out of town pack business sometimes taking an uncertain amount of time. There was one thing Idid know for sure though, and that was that it would certainly be a lot quieter around the house for

a little while.I went about my work diligently for the remainder of the day and, soon enough, closing time wasjust around the corner. I was relieved; thoughts of my cosy couch patiently waiting for me at homefilling my head. Well, at least there was something waiting for me at home.

But it was as I was doing the final rounds for closing that I stumbled upon something. Two girls inthe corner huddled closely together. I'd seen them here regularly so I knew they enjoyed this placejust as much as I did, always treating the books with the respect they deserved. It was somethingthat made me like them more than some of the more rowdy members we occasionally had."Apologies, ladies,” I said, politely approaching them. “We're closing up now but we'll be open againtomorrow morni..—."

However, it was then that I noticed their demeanour properly, cutting my sentence short. Becausethey weren't huddled together, so much as one was comforting the other.

“Is everything okay?” I asked, worried if someone had accidentally gotten hurt on the premises.Burimit te punboleh dihananThe girl who had her arm around the other one looked up at me, her expression wrought withconcern.

“You haven't heard?” she asked, her voice thick with emotion. “Oh, it's so... it's so horrible. I don'tknow how they could have let it happen.”

They held my curiosity now and my mind began thinking of everything they could possibly bereferring to

“What do you mean? Did something happen with the pack?” I pressed. Her friend then choked onanother sob and the girl speaking patted her back, soothing her. “It was during a meeting today in aneighbouring pack,” she started, her eyes beginning to brim with tears of her own.

Immediately, my body froze, my blood turning cold.

"... There's been an attack and some of our warriors died. Cindy's mate being one of them. Someonefrom their unit came and found us not long ago to inform her. Apparently, there was adisagreement and a fight broke out. Several of the warriors fought to ensure the ranked memberscould escape. They were completely outnumbered”

Suddenly it was like the wind had been knocked out of me, the world starting to spin.

"..What... what um... ah, sorry..." I said, flustered. I was struggling to keep composure even thoughthe anxiety was starting to constrict around my chest, almost as if it were suffocating me.I shook my head and tried again. “...Do we... Do you know who was hurt?”

The girl then sniffled, rubbing her eye as a tear escaped her. “Not really but they're bringing thebodies back now. They should be at the hospital soon.”

I didn’t hear anything else after that.

Instantly, my body moved on its own as I sprinted out of the library. I didn’t care that I didn’t closeup, I didn't care that there were still people inside, all that mattered was getting to the hospital.Seeing him. Making sure he was okay.

..But he would be fine, right? He was strong. There was no way...I couldn't even think about that. My wolf was already frantic enough, making it impossibly difficultto think clearly.

- Before too long, I finally arrived at the hospital, and I bee-lined for the administration deskwithout even stopping to breathe.

"Are they here? The warriors that were hurt?” I panted, trying to get the words out through myheavy breathing. “The ones... that were killed?”trinitatisyoutube to managedThe girl behind the desk looked up at me alarmned for a moment, my appearance overlydishevelled from having ran the few blocks here.

“Is there someone you were looking for in particular?” she asked.

“Xavier Burrows, ” I quickly said. “I need to know if he was hurt. If he was..."I couldn't finish my sentence.

The girl then looked me up and down, a frown forming on her face. “...And what was yourrelationship to them? Are you family?”

It took everything inside me not to growl out at her in frustration, wishing she would just answer thequestion instead of delaying further.

“What does that matter? Just tell me if —"

“You're Luke, correct?” a voice then said next to me.I looked up to see who had spoken and found the leader of Xavier's unit, Gavin, standing there, hisface appearing as though he'd just been through hell.

“I think I've seen you around a few times, right?” he continued.

“Yes, 1... I know Xavier from your unit, sir,” I said, bowing my head slightly. “I heard the news andcame to replace out if he was okay.”

The girl at the desk then chimed in, much to my further irritation. “Apologies, sir, but right now onlyfamily"

“That's alright, Emily,” Gavin said, raising a hand up to pause her. “It's been both a traumatic andhorrific day for everyone in our pack... Especially for those of us who have lost a friend.”

As he said those last words, his eyes met mine with a pointed sadness within them.

..And, instantly, it was as if someone had drowned me.I couldn't breathe properly. Couldn“t see properly.

Everything felt... black.

And it was as though a part of me was being ripped slowly to shreds inside, waves of painbeginning to pulse through me.

“I need to... I need to see him,” I choked out. “I need to say goodbye.”

But Gavin then frowned, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. “That's not really necessary. The bodiesof the deceased will be prepared and a funeral held accordingly so you can pay your respects then.Right now only family are being allowed in.”

“He doesn’t have any family!” I yelled back angrily, gritting my teeth. “Bring me to him now.”I was his family. His only family. The only one he had left. The only one I had left. Wed found eachother in the most unexpected of ways, neither of us ever believing we would be truly happy. But wewere. We were happy. In the end, we made our own happiness. Our own little pack of two*...And what was your relationship to Xavier, again?” Gavin then asked, his tone suddenly sceptical,And as I took in his demeanour, I understood the full gravity of the situation I was now in.

Because if I were to tell him the truth, then I would be revealing a secret that Xavier and I had bothguarded our entire lives. A truth that many would still disagree with today, including our currentAlpha, Dominic.

However, in this instance... it wasn't my secret to tell. It was Xaviers. It was *his* choice to reveal thatsort of information, *his* reputation that was on the line... and he'd chosen not to do so. He'dchosen his job and the pack above all else. It wasn't my place to assume what he would want nowthat he was gone.

The only thing it would possibly accomplish now, in speaking the words aloud, would be to tarnishwhat he had worked so hard for. A selfish decision on my account for just the smallest chances theywould even allow me in to see his body. After all, they had no way to even confirm my claim wastrue.

And so, out of sheer frustration, I then gritted my teeth and threw my hand out angrily, knockingover several items from the administration's desk. I'd never felt so much rage inside before, so muchhatred and disgust.

They were pathetic. All of them. Cowards the lot of them, including the Alpha.

Without even answering the question, I then stormed out of the hospital, my grief and pain stilltearing me apart inside, my wolf howling.

And it quickly dawned on me that I couldn't sit back and ignore the world anymore.

Just how many people were out there suffering under the same injustice?

There was a fight to be had that I'd purposely remained deaf to, becoming too consumed within myown world with Xavier to risk what we had built.

But he was gone now. And yet, somehow, the world kept going.

As if it didn't even notice that he wasn’t here anymore.As if no one really cared.

But I did.

..In the months that followed after his passing, I discovered a lot of different things.

Like, despite my unranked status, there was a lot a person could learn in a place like a library. Notjust the wealth of knowledge acquired from the books either... but from the whispers between theshelves too. The gossip no one ever expects anyone to overhear.

But I heard it. I heard it all.

And not just that, but I learned a lot about myself also.Things I wouldn't have ever thought possible, thought I was capable of... and, some, evenunthinkable.

However, it was interesting how it all interlocked, how it all could come together for a biggerpurpose.

And whilst I still couldn't replace it within me to believe in a fictional woman who birthed our kind, Iknew Xavier was one to have had that sort of faith. Believe in that sort of thing. And from that faithhe had held, he had thought there was some sort of divine plan for us; for both of us.

..S0 just what exactly could one lowly librarian accomplish all by themself?What could they do against the prejudice that festered around them?Well, I didn't have an answer for that yet.

But maybe I would think more on it after I'd had Alpha Dominic “removed.

..And I proceeded to do just that.