Genesis' Spirit of Goddess
22.

Zion POV

Pushing the thought back.

“In two days you’ll be turning twenty-five. Do you remember?”

“Yeah,” I said leaving the room immediately.

Honestly, I had forgotten. I’ve been hung up on what happened to Azah that I forgot my birthday is the day after hers. Fuuuccckk! I hate birthdays, and though my parents are understanding. This birthday will be different.

Not much of a celebration but more of a ritual. I had one when I first shift at the age of three, the worst and most painful shift I had ever experienced. That’s when my parents found out I was not just a dire werewolf, but a white dire werewolf.

My Twenty-fifth birthday means that my powers will amplify. There are pros and cons to this. I’ll be stronger, yes but I’ll also be a very aggressive Alpha. Hence the ritual needed to place a permanent calming nature for me. Which explains a lot about my snappy attitude these past few weeks. I’ll also be immortal, well almost. Werewolves age slower than humans but for me, I’ll just barely ever age. Yeshua and I can live up to four hundred years or more.

Sounds nice at first if you have a mate that can live that many years with you. Imagine an ancient wolf like Yehu being reborn over and over and not once found his mate till now. The torture.

“Zion!”

Just pretend you didn’t hear. Just pretend you didn’t hear. Dashing away from the voice.

“ZI!”

What is it with people today? Maybe I should just change my name, go rogue and make a run for it with Azah. She and I are enough.

“ZI!”

Fuck. The voice is closer this time, turning around in surprise. It's Zachary! With excitement, I hugged him. I haven’t seen him in a while, my favourite brother. I didn’t realize how much I missed him till now.

“Your back!” I said parting away from our brotherly hug.

“Running away again?” Both of us laugh loudly knowing I have a habit of just dipping for a few days and popping back up.

Zachary lives in the city. He runs a successful construction company with his wife Olivia. He is still rocking the long shoulder-length wavy full hair, has the traditional Heights’ topaz colour eyes, that I inherited on one of my eyes. He has two piercings on each ear and a medium stubble beard. He is less stocky than the last time I saw him. Out of the five, he is a lot more like dad.

“What are they feeding you, man!” He says, as he slightly punches me on the shoulder jokingly.

I snorted “I feed myself. Thank you very much.”

“Yeah, I bet. You're taller than me! Dude, you're HUGE!”

“That’s what she said!” we both yelled all the while hysterical laughing.

I’ve noticed that these past few weeks I’ve been growing, I was once 6’7 now I’m about 6’10. Taller than the Smiths twins, Si and Saul are 6’9. The men in that family are known to be bulk in size and height.

“What are you doing here?” Zachary barely ever comes around this time.

“What do you mean? It’s gonna be your twenty-fifth birthday! I heard this like a big thing for your wolf or some shit. I don’t know but mom called and reminded me.”

Rolling my eyes “shit don’t tell me she’s throwing some big event.”

“Listen can we get in your car and go back to my house?”

Zachary chuckles throwing the keys at me. “Sure! You drive though. I’ve been driving for too long.”

“How’s Olivia?”

“She’s great. I dropped her off at our house with the kids. She’s probably gonna call mom soon and you know the rest of the sisters-in-law.”

I nodded and continued to listen to him vent about his kids. He has two teenage girls, Jacquline and Patricia. One boy named Zavier who just turned five.

“Dude it’s the periods, the cramps, the snarky comments. The attitude. Fam it’s driving me crazy. It's bad man, it's so bad. At first, it started with Jacquline and then Patricia.”

“THREE WOMEN!” Showing his three fingers as he shouts.

“I gotta worry about the hormonal boys… I think I’m gonna cry. Just the other day I caught my sweet Jackie kissing a boy. KISSING ZI! And Oli just shrugs it off it’s her boyfriend. I nearly fainted.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Zachary can be soo dramatic. Meanwhile, Olivia is the complete opposite.

“It's bad man. Soo bad. I love them but I just don’t know what the fuck is happening most of the time. And Zavier isn’t any better! This little man is a handful! Driving here was a disaster. Olivia and her small bladder, the girls always needing to charge their phones, Zavier asking 100 questions per minute!”

I took my eyes off the road for a second to make sure he is good. His stress level is sky-high as he continues to vent.

We arrived at my house. I avoided coming here because I could smell her scent in almost everything and everywhere.

“Want a drink?”

“Who’s driving me back home?” Zachary asked.

I shrugged and walked past him. “Not me. I need to drink as much as you.”

“Fuck it! Olivia will kill me but honestly, I feel like the kids will kill me first before she gets to it.”

I went downstairs and came back with two bottles of The Macallan eighteen years old Sherry Oak.

Zachary whistles as he takes one bottle “It’s serious uh?”

“What do you mean?”

“Cut the bullshit, I may not be around but I still hear shit.”

We headed to my patio and sat down.

Looking away from Zachary as I sip my drink. My eyes are still locked on the view, admiring the amber glow and its calm stillness. Evening time is the time where slow thoughts arrive with its perfect soothing breeze. Absorbing in the music the crickets make. I welcome it all, wishing and hoping I will feel all this with her next to me. I didn’t say anything. I just kept on drinking.

“It’s that bad uh?”

My eyes glow for a minute and then I glance at Zachary.

“Zeus… He won’t let me shift.”

Zachary's eyes widen, placing his glass down and whistles in astonishment. “Your kidding?”

“No.” Pouring more whiskey in my glass all the way up this time.

“This is almost as bad as Jacob rejecting Eos. His wolf didn’t speak to him for a very long time. Dad said it was like he didn’t have a wolf.”

The famous love story and the breakup of Jacob Deacon and Eos Moons. Match made in heaven they all say. But only to be broken. Jacob, later on, wants to resign from his status as a Gamma and Eos leaving the town. Dad of course wouldn’t take that, just minimize Jacob’s responsibility until he was back.

“She’s your mate?” Zachary interrupts my train of thought after another long silence.

“At first during the Blue Moon Ball, nothing happened. I didn’t care, you know. So I kissed her in public, I wanted her to know just how serious I am about her. Then.. later…”

“Something just flipped. I shifted in front of her and BAM! but she was weak… and she couldn’t feel that connection. I could feel it.. like I was losing her Zach. She was fighting to stay awake, I knew she was but fuck I WAS LOSING HER!”

“And I did. It’s been two fucking weeks. They say she’s training or something… they don’t know I’m her true mate. I’ve tried going to her spirit world. It's not there, Zach. She’s not there.”

I don’t know if it was the whiskey helping or having Zachary here with me to listen. I just continue to spill everything. I told him everything about her and how she made me feel. Told him about the stupid meetings, Ayra and the Dawns coven. Zachary quietly listened.

Who would've thought that all I needed was someone to just stay next to me and talk. Not about Alpha business, not about the town, just about me. What’s happening with me?

I have developed this avoidance coping mechanism. I did everything in my power to avoid anything or anyone that would remind me of her, or just Alpha business.

“Zi. I get that you were trying to give Michael some time to enjoy his bond with his mate. But he's your Betta for a reason. Fuck man you're not stable to take on this load. You just nearly lost your mate! That takes a huge blow on an Alpha.”

“Yeah well. It’s what I get uh?” Chugging my drink and pouring my fifth or maybe sixth glass.

Zachary and I talked a bit more, pouring more drinks in our glasses, taking shots and making unnecessary cheers.

Time passes by, from the sun setting giving a warm hue of yellow, orange and red. To the blanket of stars that stretched in the night sky.

Zachary pulled out his phone

“It's Olivia. Don’t answer your phone. She can’t know I’m drunk.”

In no time Olivia started calling my phone. Five sisters-in-law and Olivia scare me the most. Love her and all but Zachary had it hard. Olivia is human, which becomes entertaining to watch when you see a 6’6 stocky build man being yelled at by a short blonde pixie cut woman who’s 5’3 in height but is bold and cutthroat with her tongue. It’s funny but I began to envy their fights. No matter what Olivia always has Zachary back and vice versa.

Zachary went downstairs to his favourite guest room that was meant for him. Considering the number of times he crashes over when he comes to visit.

“Night man” as he staggers away.

“Losing your touch!!” I shouted.

“You will too when you have the kids I have and let’s not forget the wife.” He says drunkenly.

Right now I hope that’ll happen sooner rather than later.