A Gift from the Goddess
Chapter 76

Chapter Seventy Six" Why Elder Luke” Aleric asked me a few days laterWe were in his ca, driving towards the housing estate where the Elders resided A piacelhadatvtedsince my marking confumation three years ago" Are you seriously asking me that?”"Well, it's just he's the least experienced Elder, right? Alenc sad “Didnt he join only a few years ago?Wouldn't one of the other six Elders be better to reach out to since they're more experienced“The fact you're even asking me that means you mustn't be overly familiar with how this pack isactually run yet,” I replied.“I know enough,” he said defensively, making me laugh."Okay, okay, sorry. I'll explain,” I said. “Have you ever noticed how all of the workload Tytus givesyou consists of only very minor issues? Like petty problems that don't need much thought“Yes but I'm not a fully sworn in ranked member yet. The larger issues would be looked after byTytus and the Elders.”"One the surface? Yes,” I said. “If it's the same as the past, then, yes the Elders are the ones currentlylooking after all the bigger issues. Back then. Tytus and yourself would have the final say but youweren't typically the people coming up with all of the ideas You relied on the Elders and me for that"On the surface? Is this where you finally tell me why just this one Elder ?*** needed to give you context first,” I said, disapproving of his impatience. “So, as I was saying,currently the Elders are looking after all the major issues. Now, if you ever get your hands on theprivate meeting minutes one day, you'll see one name constantly popping up Luke Hastings.”“Elder Luke?” he asked to which I nodded."Elder Luke is single-handedly one of the most dangerous people in our pack and he doesn't evenneed to lift a finger for that title,” I said “After I'd completed my Luna coronation, I went into thepack vault and read through most of the classified documents relating to meetings and politics. In away, he is basically running the place right now with his strategies and was the person who sparkedmy initial fascination in the field”The pack vault was located in a secret location under the Winter Mist, reserved for only rankedmembers and Elders. Not even heirs were allowed in there it was the place where all treasures andimportant documents were kept for safekeeping. Among many other things, a notable item in itsinventory right now was the ancient sword that beheaded meIn the past. Aleric had banned me from going in there but technically, by holding a Luna rank, inormally should have had access. Apparenily in this life, he didn’t seem to care as he now didn'teven remark on The faci Ia been in there.Alenc drove quietly for a bit mulling over what I'd just told him. He was probably piecing it alltogether You're nght. Thinking about it now, he does seem to influence far more than the othersI smiled. “Don’t feel bad. If you hadn't noticed Elder Luke subtly pushing meetings his way up untilnow then you were just doing exactly what he expected you to If everyone knew what he wasdoingl'm sure it would be a lot harder for him to accomplish some of the things he does Hell, even Ionly found out a few years ago that he has people working under him directly. Pretty sure even theranked members might not know about that one as it was a surprise to me.”Chapter Seventy SixTrecalled how he'd somehow known Cai was training me in combat even though only Myra, Cai andI knew about that. He was a master of secrets on a higher level than most probably realised. Afterall, as he had so nicely put it in the past, he didn't get to where he was now without help. Who knewhow vast his network actually was?"If we replace ourselves on the opposite side of Elder Luke then I can't guarantee the outcome,” Icontinued.” Truthfully, I would rather face Tytus head-on several times than go up against ElderLuke even once. He's a lot smarter than I think some give him credit for... and I owe him a lot forhelping me get to where I am.”If he had never suggested I pursue becoming Beta then there was no telling where I'd be right now.Sure, i t hadn't worked out, but without it, Aleric and I would have never gotten closer. And I wouldhave never become stronger or more confident. I was where I was today because of him. Becausehe believed in met o do something that was previously unheard of.It was exactly that mentality of his that I was counting on. The sort of progressive, open—mindedness that he was renowned for even prior to this life. He'd been an ally towards me up untilnow... but would it be that way when the moment for change finally arose?Because I knew approaching him wasn’t without its risks. I was still completely aware of the fact thatthis would be asking him to betray his current Alpha... and everyone had their limits."We're here,” Aleric said, pulling up to the gated property. “I'll try to be here to pick you up whenyou're done. All good?”I unbuckled my seatbelt and nodded. “Yep, all good. Oh... and if anyone asks why I'm here?”"You're meeting with Elder Luke to read his book collection. It caught your attention during yourmarking confirmation a few years ago.”I smiled. It wasn't a lie but it was a nice double-sided coin nevertheless, acting as a cover for mymain reason for coming here."I'll see you later, Aleric,” I said and exited the car.Upon leaving, I approached the intricate black iron gates being manned by a warrior. Just like thelast time I was here, they opened the entrance up for me immediately without needing to announcewho I was.It was almost a strange feeling though. When I first came to this house, I was nervous because ofwhat the marking confirmation would mean for my future. This time I was nervous because of what Iwas now trying to do with that mark.Once inside, I stood in the lobby silently but didn’t need to wait long before a familiar voice calledout to

1. me."Saintess,” Elder Luke's deep voice greeted, making me turn around.He still looked as he always did; a messy unkempt look about him which somehow fit his characterperfectly"Elder Luke,” I replied, bowing my head slightly. “Please call me Aria, just as you always have in thepast.”He quickly waved off my bow and gave me a small smile. “So I heard you've requested to spendsome time reading my collection? Given your reaction last time, I'm a little surprised you've waitedso long to stop by.”“That would make two of us,” I said and began walking with him towards his office. “Funny how lifesometimes gets in the way. But perhaps there was a reason for why it's taken me this long.”“Are you referring to a greater divine plan?” he asked, looking at me curiously from the corner of hiseye. “I f so, should I take that to suggest you've found new meaning in your mark from theGoddess?”Chooter Seventy SAI laughed a little. "Where possible, I prefer to sway my future in the direction I choose, rather thanrely on a higher power for that. Wouldn't you agree, Elder Luke?"His lips twitched in a knowing half-smile but we kept walking. Given his position, it was probablybest he didn’t publicly answer that since Elders were meant to uphold the teachings of theGoddess.We soon arrived at his office and he ushered me inside. Just like the last time, my breath caught inmy throat a little at the sight of his collection. It really was a marvel how he'd managed to acquire somany of these rare volumes.I walked over and instantly began perusing the different books, an eagerness bubbling inside thatreminded me of how much I missed the thrill of reading something new.But I had to remember why I was here... and it wasn't just for the books."Say... I've been doing some research lately and I've become interested in a particular event thatoccurred a few years ago. Are you familiar with the history of the Blue Vale pack? I'm sure you knowwhich incident I'm referring to.”I turned around to see he'd raised an eyebrow at me, quickly catching on to where I was going withthis."..I am. Was there a particular part of that event you were interested in?”"Well the circumstances were abrupt and the results unpredictable. I know you're pretty experiencedin this field so I was wondering what your opinion on it was. Do you think that what they did wascorrect? That the results they achieved justified their actions?”His eyes glinted with that same look of curiosity I was familiar with. There was no question he knewwhat I was talking about. What I was *actually* talking about.Because the Blue Vale pack was a rare case in history where the title succession hadn't been passeddown to the next in line but rather a relative. In a protest against the current leadership, their packhad rallied behind a cousin of the Alpha, stripping the current one of his title and bringing aboutnew change. I t caused civil turmoil for some time before the pack stabilised under the new regime.So when I asked Elder Luke what his opinion on the matter was, whether he agreed that the changein leadership was the right decision, what I was really asking him was if he would support me indoing the same.And he'd figured out my cryptic message immediately."Well it was a strange circumstance, to say the least,” he started, giving it some thought. “Somemight even say an unnecessary change.”My heart sunk a little inside. I really didn’t want to start a game of chess against the same man I'doriginally learned from."However... I am not personally of that mind,’ he continued. “In fact, seeing the advancements theBlue Vale pack has made in recent times, it's easy to see that regardless of the initial impact, theybelieved it was the right thing to do. And in that belief, they have accomplished more than theyprobably would have achieved previously.”"So... if done all over again, you would support their decision for change?” I asked, doing my best tokeep my voice neutral despite the excitement building inside. “You wouldnt stop them from takingthe steps they did?”He paused and took a moment to fully think through the implications of my question. If he agreedto help or, at the very least, not intervene, then it would technically be considered treason.He slowly went and sat in his chair behind the desk, leaning back into it.“No, he finally said “No, I wouldn't stop them from doing what they thought was ilghi, bomeilmetchange can be a much worden eller for everyone involved.”miled, unable to lide if any longer. I think they would probably appreciate that.”But his eyes nanowed ever so lightly, la cintosilly not satisfied just yet “Have you asked any of myother colleagues thuis vel? This qucation of young?”My smile quickly humed into a knowing smick “lihink we both know I don“t need to.”He then laughed and instantly broke the tension “lilooks like someone liat done thel homeworkTheroughly on the subject.”“Well. What can I say? I've always been a quick study.” I said, iuming back around to lace the books.”Though I can't say I've had the most positive of experiences with them anyway.”My distaste for the other liders was probably no sociei aingo I always seemed to be publicly buttingheads with them. But it also stemmed deeper than thatThey had thrown me to the sword in my past life and had barely lifted a lingor to help me in thisone. And who could forget that prophecy they'd had when I was born? It was the foundation formost of myproblems growing up and, apparently, Alenc’s too,..But what even was that prophecy? I know now that Selene couldn't intervene with our choices asthat infringed on the laws she was bound by. So how was it that a bunch ol old cronies came upwith a’ prophecy about Aleric and I's future, of all things? Was il oven really from her?Was there a particular subject you might be interested in reading?” Elder Luke said, pulling me frommy thoughts. “I might be able to help recommend some books relating to the topic.”Given where my head had just been, the request came easy to me.“Do you have anything on the Goddess?" I asked, turning to look at him, my expression instantlybecoming serious. “And I don’t mean those vague books I've already read in the library before. Imean... actual information. Like that book I saw you use for my confirmation.”He gave me another knowing look before he went about pulling a few from the shelves. Eventually,after a few minutes had passed, he handed me over four different ones; all of which looked lar olderthan I felt comfortable touching. They looked almost fragile enough to break by just breathing onthem.“This is probably what you're after,” he said, gesturing for me to take the guest seat at his desk.“They're copies of originals so I'm not sure if the information is as accurate as it could be provideyou with some new information that you won't typically replace elsewhere.”Copies? So there were originals out there even older than the ones in my hand? Seemed impossibleto even considerI took the seat opposite Elder Luke and began flicking through the first book. There was definitely alot of information I already knew, general topics and ideology, but I could see there were some newthings too.*..Selene has a brother?” I asked surprised, reading a page relating to a family tree,"Helios, her twin,” Elder Luke replied. “God of the Sun. The two are referred to as Gods of nature,deities considered separate from the typical belief system. They're immortalised beyond the normalstandard because of their status being the Sun and Moon.”Strange we weren't taught about him given that it would surely have some sort of impact on Selene.And i t made me wonder about other things too. Like... did he have children as well? Creatures he'dbirthed like Selene had our kind?I finished flicking through the first book but was still left feeling a little unsatisfied. It hadn't reallyanswered anything of significance for me.“Elder Luke... I know this was before your time, but... do you know anything about the prophecy?” Iasked slowly, my mind still unable to shake the feeling that I was missing something there. “The onethat stated Aleric and I would be together and bring prosperity to the Winter Mist? It's just... I havemy doubts that Selene would involve herself in such a petty matter... and yet the Elders seem sosure of their prediction.”He creased his lips in thought, frowning for a few seconds. “I don't know if they should call it a“prophecy’, truthfully,” he said, scratching his chin. “Though your word “prediction’ might be moreaccurate? At least i n my opinion. I think the old fools had a bigger flair for the dramatics before Ijoined.”“Then... what are they basing it on if it's not provided by Selene?” I asked. It was the first time I'dheard anything like this. My whole life I'd grown up being told it was a prophecy. Everyone hadbeen told that.He reached over and grabbed at one of the books in the pile, opening it up to a page showing adiagram o fa triangle. The lettering looked to be in an old dead language we didn’t use anymoreand was one I was n o longer very fluent in. Maybe ten years ago I could have done a better jobreading this but now too long had passed. I was very rusty... but I gave it my best shot anyway.“Direct Lineage’, the page seemed to say at the top. I frowned trying to decipher the rest but itdidn’t make much sense without any background to what I was even looking at."..What is this? Some sort of... “direct line’? What does that mean?” I asked, attempting to read it.“It's the theory around the founding families. They supposedly descend from the original children ofSelene. The first werewolves. There may have been more once but we now only know about threelines, Presumably, if there were any others, they were completely lost or died out.”I looked back down at the page and tried to translate it again. The triangle showed three families,each with a different... focus? Attribute? I wasn't sure."Strength’? Or... is it “power’? And this one... is it sight? No... maybe “foresight’ is a better word...” Isaid slowly as I read them aloud, confusion thick in my voice. The third family I couldn't translateproperly at all. “I dont understand what this is. Are they like family mottos? House values?”Elder Luke then leaned forward to look over the book better. “Something like that. Depends onwhich translation you like to go by. Some even believe they're qualities of the Goddess herself,passed down within the blood of each family.”An uneasy feeling started settling inside me. “And people actually believe that?"“No. Which is probably why no one ever discusses it,” he answered bluntly. “This information isusually only spoken about between the Elders of this pack these days. Other packs either don'tbelieve in it or don't have the information available to them.”"..I don’t know what this third one is,” I admitted, still trying to read the book. “...Love? Acceptance?I don't think that’s quite right though.He gave a small smile at my attempt at translating. “Not quite. Though truthfully this one doesn'ttranslate well anyway. I believe it's sort of like... reverence? Like unquestionable adoration.”If these really were attributes of Selene, I wondered if the third was that overwhelming feeling youget from being in her presence. That sense of wanting to cry from joy and wanting to do anythingto please her. I remembered how hard it'd been to remain focused around her during my time inthe Abyss. If I hadn't felt so strongly about my circumstances, perhaps I would have fallen to myknees before her.“This is all ridiculous,” I said, looking up at him as though he were crazy.“More ridiculous than a marking from a Goddess?” he asked, posing it as though it should havebeen obvious. “I can't say I ever gave this sort of thing a second thought before I met you. Butnow...2 Well, whocreste: Seventy-Sknows what is actually real and what is just a myth?”ulI shook my head, frowning. “And this is the crap the Elders built a prophecy on? My entire childhoodI was being used as a tool, groomed for a Luna position and stripped of all my freedoms... becauseof this?!"He gave a small shrug. “I personally wouldn't have done any of that... but I can see why the otherElders, men of faith, would have pushed that agenda. It is easy enough to piece the puzzle together.You're thefirst female born to Chrysalis in over a century. Maybe longer.”He then pointed to one of the houses on the triangle. The one I'd labelled foresight. Immediately, Iswallowed back the bile in my throat.“Born to a Beta who served an Alpha that had a son not two years prior.”His finger then moved to the first one I'd read; strength or power.“It seems like an obvious match given these are your houses,” he finished. “If the lineages were tobe believed, you'd be the first mated pair recorded in modern history that hail from the originaldirect descendants. How could that not be seen as prosperous for the pack?”I shakily shook my head. It wasn't like they were wrong in predicting Aleric and I were mates but...this? Really? This was what it was all based on? Speculation?“No... No, that seems like too far of a leap. Who's to say I wouldn't be mated to someone else... or...or that other line? ..Which family is the other line anyway?”Elder Luke shrugged. “That one was lost since they didn't remain within the pack after this book wasrecorded. No one knows who they are anymore.”I looked up and studied his features, reading his expression. He'd known much more about this thanI'd expected, had proven himself as a curator of knowledge, and so I wanted to believe him... but hehad that goddamn look in his eye.“You know," I accused him softly. “You know who it is... don’t you? There is no way your curiositywouldn't have driven you to replace out, even if you didn’t personally believe in it back then.”“You know me far better than I thought,” he chuckled before his expression slowly changed to oneof more serious calculation, gauging my reaction. “But... I think you already know the answer to whoit is, Aria.”And my stomach instantly dropped as he confirmed what I'd been fearing.What I'd realised the minute he'd corrected my translation, but refused to admit.There was only one person I knew who fit that description so perfectly. One person who could walkinto a room and immediately make everyone crowd to them, enamoured by their every word.Someone who could talk his way out of almost every situation and could always be forgiven...One person who even I'd been completely helpless against."..Fuck,” I hissed. Cai.