“Are you an angel?” I blurted. I winced at how loud it was, but something stirred inside me, telling me this woman was important.
“I am Selene. Most know me as the Moon Goddess,” she chuckled.
I gasped, sliding from the bench. My knees hit the snow-padded ground. Do I bow? Curtsey? Kiss her feet? She’s the one that brought me to Grim, and I was humble enough to let her know how much I wanted to thank her.
“Darling, come here. You don’t need to kneel in the snow. Come sit with me.”
Her words left no room for discussion, and I slid ungracefully back onto the broken bench.
Her laugh echoed into the snow falling around us. Her white robes moved along the drifting snow as wind gently blew.
“Come now, we have little time. Your mate is upset, and you need to tend to him.” She patted the seat next to her like I was her best friend, so I drew closer, feeling the warmth of her body.
“Journey, I have a lot to tell you, but we have very little time.” Her smile faded, and she gazed out over the cliff.
The snow fluttered onto the pine branches. Tiny movements in the forest caught my eye as I saw the small animals taking shelter in their homes. They poked their little heads out as they continued to watch the snow fall to the ground.
“You are changing, Journey. I’m sorry it is happening so quickly, but with the many dangers you and Grim may face, this was the best way to protect you.”
“Changing?” I gulped.
“Yes, you are becoming a wolf. The second human that has ever attempted such a feat.”
My mouth hung open in shock. The bleeding ears, the heightened smell, hearing voices—It was all because my body was changing to be like Grim? To become an enormous wolf?
“But I’m human,” I argued. “How can that happen? And where is the first human to change? Can they help me?”
Selene gave a tight-lipped smile, her hand reaching for mine and pulling it into my lap.
“I will be honest with you, Journey. You deserve honesty for what you have been through. The first human did not make it through their transformation.”
I slapped my hand over my mouth, and my arm trembled. Selene’s hand rubbed over mine. Its warmth soothed me and calmed me instantly.
“There is a reason she did not survive. You will survive. I can promise you this,” she said reverently.
“How do you know I will survive? I can’t leave Grim. He needs me. We need each other.”
Selene smiled and grasped my hand again.
“The last human did not survive because she had not completed the bond. It was because of my carelessness that she died.” Her head dropped and wetness pooled in her eyes. “Neither of them prayed to me, but there was a pull. There was no way I could warn them. She needed to bite him to complete the bond. I was foolish. I was trying to mend two broken souls together, to give the rejected a new beginning, but I did not account for the fact that humans would not bite their partner. Their bond was not completed before her change, the threads not tight enough for her to pull the strength she needed from her mate.”
A shiver ran through my body. I’d never wanted to bite anything before, that was until Grim. His scent was strong, and I went with my gut. Luckily, Grim liked it, but it scared the crap out of me. “Was it you that pushed me to bite Grim?”
She nodded. “You prayed to me, opened your soul. With that, I could give you a nudge.”
We both stayed silent. The seconds turned to minutes. I was completely unsettled.
“How were you able to push me? With your magic? Can you read my mind?” I asked.
“No, I cannot read your mind. I cannot enter a human mind so easily as I can my children. But when you prayed, it gave me hope. You opened yourself to me, bringing me into your life, and you were the perfect soul to give to Grim. Out of all of my rogue children, he looked the most battered on the outside. But inside, he was worthy. I knew he would turn to mush when he found you.” She grinned.
I scooted closer to her, and she leaned over to peer into my eyes. “My guilt from my first failed attempt to transform a human female terrified me and prevented me from trying again for years—not that any of the rogues prayed to me for help. They closed their souls to me. The rogues blamed me, hated me, but I cannot take a wolf’s choice away. I cannot take away their agency. They must choose for themselves. It isn’t all up to me. I can pair the souls, but if they do not accept…”
“You can’t do anything. I understand.” I gulped. “But what of the shifters, those beings that are left broken-hearted? Not given an option. Why do they have to suffer?” It wasn’t fair in the slightest they had to suffer. They weren’t the ones that gave up on their mates.
“I’ve been working with Hades to give those not paired with a soul a second chance through reincarnation,” she said harshly. “I will make it up to my children, who have not been granted another chance by giving them another life. It’s been a long time coming.”
Selene waved her hand to the sky, the clouds parting, and the moon shone down on us. “It was when you prayed for help, Journey. When you asked for my help to save you, to take you away from all your suffering. I knew giving you a mate would make your broken soul whole again. And wouldn’t you know it? You and Grim are the perfect match.” She winked.
