Curse of the Moon Goddess
The Moon Goddess

I unconsciously reached for Aleina, pulling her close to me. There was an eardrum-destroying howl. I followed my instincts with a growl in defense. I could feel Aleina shaking in my arms. I had never seen her this scared, even with her mate. She was brave and strong. Though here, in this place, and that howl, had her shivering like a soaked puppy in the middle of a fierce winter.

After a moment of inexpressible tension, a figure emerged from the white world we were in. At first, I could only see the outline of flowing robes and hair. As the figure grew closer, I could see it was a woman with the face of a white wolf. What I had thought was hair was actually some sort of strange veil. Her robes matched her fur and veil in pure whiteness. I could feel her power flowing in waves. Everything about this woman screamed grace, power, and hatred. When she finally stopped, I had to look up at her. She was at least a foot taller than me, and I was 6’4”.

She looked me in the eyes, challenging me to defy her. I held her gaze, accepting the challenge. I didn’t know what would happen if I lost, but one thing was for sure; her earlier threat was real, and she had the means to execute it.

I could feel Aleina shivering beside me. I knew she felt the power greater than I did. There was no question this was the Moon Goddess that had created us and, as legend told, she-wolves had a greater connection to her due to her being a female wolf herself. That meant Aleina was completely vulnerable before the Moon Goddess. Me, on the other hand, saw her as an opponent, just as I had seen Aleina. The only difference was I knew I would hate the goddess for eternity.

Time passed. I couldn’t tell how long. I was finally the one to break the contact when Aleina spasmed violently in my arms.

The Moon Goddess smirked.

“No wolf should show their weakness,” she stated venomously, “That’s when your opponent can take advantage of you.”

I shot the goddess a warning look as I held Aleina closer.

“You two really love each other, don’t you?” she asked, her tone a bit softer.

Aleina and I nodded, her nod a little weaker than mine.

“Alright. You won’t die… permanently. I’ll give you two a chance to prove me wrong. To prove I made a mistake in choosing your mates. If you pass, then I’ll bless the two of you as mates.”

Aleina and I shared a look of shock. The Moon Goddess was known to be merciful to the children who obeyed, but unforgiving to those who defied her.

“Thank you,” Aleina whispered, a smile on her lips.

The Moon Goddess shared an evil look as she responded, “Don’t thank me yet child. Since Jake was the one who proclaimed he’d go through hell for you, I’ll give him just that. The two of you will reincarnate until you can replace one another again and fall in love, or you accept a mate of my choosing. You’ll learn the details along the way.”

Aleina looked at me, her eyes glowing as she proclaimed, “I promise I’ll replace you. No matter what.”

The Moon Goddess howled with laughter.

“Oh, my child. It won’t work like that. I’m going to curse you. You will never remember him. He will remember you, but not be allowed to replace you. That will be his hell. If it is meant to be, the forces of the universe will bring you to one another. I will not help you. In fact, I’ll do everything in my power to pull you apart.”

She paused as she took in our expressions. Her smile grew wider as a horrible idea emerged, “Starting with this.”

Out of nowhere and far too fast to dodge, a silver tipped knife flew through the air, piercing Aleina by the heart. It was close enough that every time her heart would beat, the knife would pierce it, but far enough away it wouldn’t kill her immediately.

Duncan and I howled in rage. There was nothing we could do as we were whisked back to our home. My sister was no longer being held captive. The one that had held her captive was dead on the floor. Aleina’s and my mates were tied up in a corner. My parents were huddled around my sister, holding her close and sobbing. Despite all of that, my attention was solely on Aleina as her breaths gradually became more and more ragged.

“No,” I whispered as I buried my head in her neck.

Aleina gently raised her hand to my face as she whispered haggardly, “Don’t worry. We’ll replace one another again. Whether it be the next lifetime or thousands of lifetimes, we’ll replace one another. She may steal my memories of you, but she can’t steal my wolf’s memories. She’ll remember yours.”

She drew me in closer as she whispered barely above audible, even for a werewolf, “Aeleine.”

Placing my lips near her ear, I also gently spoke, “Duncan.”

She smiled as her hand fell from my face and all source of light disappeared from her eyes.

The last thing I remember was breaking. A heart wrenching howl pulled out of me and echoed throughout the world. The Moon Goddess was cruel. Far too cruel. And that’s why I can’t let her win.