A Gift from the Goddess
Chapter 1

“It looks like everyone is here now,” Aleric said, projecting into the crowd. “We are gathered heretoday to bear witness to the trial of Ariadne Chrysalis, former Luna to the Winter Mist pack.”

His eyes scanned over the faces of everyone around before finally landing on me.

“Do you swear on the Goddess’ name, Ariadne, that you will tell the whole truth during this trial?”Aleric asked.

I met his piercing green eyes, a shiver going down my spine. How those eyes haunted me.

“I do,” I replied loudly and confidently.

"And how do you plead?”

I held my breath, my heart racing in my chest.

“Not guilty.”

“She's pregnant,” Aleric told me.

I stared at him in shock, my face paling. My destined mate, the love of my life, was telling me thathe had gotten a girl pregnant. A girl who was not me.

It was like a kick to the gut. The mate bond made the weight of his words tortuous and my innerwolf howled out in pain. I had given everything to Aleric, suffered everything for him. And yet herehe was, standing in front of me, telling me such excruciating news as if he were telling me the timeof day.

"Why?" I whispered, tears brimming in my eyes.

“I don't need to explain myself to you,” Aleric said sharply. “You couldn't even fulfil all your duties asmy mate, as a Luna. Don't start acting as if this is a surprise. The pack needs an Alpha heir.Something you are incapable of, Ariadne.”

His words stung, twisting deep into my flesh like a knife. We had been officially mated for six yearsnow and it was true... I had failed to bear him a child. It wasn't as though I hadn't wanted to though.For months after we had officially found out about the mate bond, I would try everything to be withhim as much as possible. But he was never interested in me, I could see that clearly. I knew he wasonly with me because I was the rightful Luna.

But there was something else I knew too. Something no mate should ever have to live with.

And that was that I knew about his mistress; Thea.

Aleric and Thea had known each other since before we were officially mated and I could plainly seehow he doted on her over me. Gave her the love that was rightfully mine, looking at her as if shewere his sun. But every part of my being loved him even if he did not love me. And yet, by somefutile dream, I remained hopeful that he would warm to me once I bore him a child. After all, I wasthe rightful Luna and his mate.

I went to the pack doctor a year after failing to conceive and he confirmed my worst fears; I wasunable to bear children. I didn't know what to do, how to keep going. This was the one thing that Ihad pinned all my hopes on for my fate to change, for Aleric to change. The news of my infertilitywas kept only within the high ranks of the pack thankfully, but I'd never seen my father, the Beta,look so disappointed in me.

I had tried everything to keep Aleric’s attention despite the news. I lost weight, tried to make myselfprettier, and dedicated myself to my Luna duties. We were the most successful pack in the countryand a part of that was due to me. I thought if I could make him successful then he would pay meback in kind. However, the longer time went on, the colder and more aggressive he became.Whenever he had laid with me in the past, it had always been cold, clinical, as if he were performinga duty rather than enjoying himself. But then everything changed once he learned of my infertility,his visits soon completely stopping. Those short moments he had once indulged me had beeneverything to me. They were the only times he had ever touched me with intimacy. My skin wouldsend sparks wherever our bodies met, and his scent would intoxicate me.

This was the curse of the mate bond.

"...But I love you, Aleric,” I said, my voice barely audible.

I couldn't meet his cold green eyes as my legs began to shake. I could feel inside that my wolf wascrushed, feeling her pain mixed in with mine.

It was suffocating.

“Don't be pathetic,” he scoffed. “You should count yourself lucky I'm not removing you of your Lunaposition for Thea. The Goddess still chose you to be Luna, even if she was wrong.”

I flinched at his words.

"However," he continued, “I need to inform you that I will be making Thea's child my rightful heir.The elders have deemed this appropriate given the circumstances. They understand how importantthis baby is for the survival of the pack.”

I bowed my head to him in submission, tears quietly streaming down my face. I needed to leave, toget away from him, but I was held in place by his presence. Even after everything he had done tome, I still relished in him even talking to me. The bond between Luna and Alpha was strong, and itcaused me to still love him even now. Even though every part of me wanted to scream at him, to hithim, to claw his eyes out for hurting me.

“We have a pack meeting tomorrow morning at eight. Don't be late,” he said finally before walkingout of the packhouse. He didn't even glance twice at me as he left.

No apology, no sympathy. Aleric would rather see me suffer than give me even an ounce of love oraffection. I was a Luna, his Luna, and a queen in the eyes of our pack, but he could not even spareme the decency of a glance. His lack of respect for me was evident.

Not being able to stand it any longer, I decided to do the only thing I could do in this situation; runfrom it all... if only for a few hours.

I ran outside into the forest as the cold fresh air hit my face immediately, something I breathed ingreedily to help clear my head. It was nice, apart from the wind that bit at my cheeks where mytears had fallen, forcing a chill through my body. But it didn't end up stinging for long as I shiftedinto my wolf.

Her pads hit the cold ground fast as she sprinted through the woods. I gave her full control as Iknew she needed this. She needed to feel free and alive. We were both trapped by our position, ourduty, our mate. We had sacrificed everything for our pack, everything for him, and it was all fornothing.

Even if it were possible to bear him a child now, I knew they would be thrown aside — just as how Ihad been discarded. I could see now that it had been for the best that I brought no children intothis family. No child would make his feelings for me change; it was naive of me to think so before.This was the first time I'd ever been thankful for my infertility.

I was in an impossible situation. Every part of me wanted to run away, but I knew my pack neededme. In fact, I knew damn well that Thea would burn this pack to the ground if she became Luna. Shehadn't had any training and I was yet to witness a single intelligent remark from the girl. Literallyabout anything.

But what about my own mental health? Hadn't I suffered enough? Four years was way too long towear my heart on my sleeve for Aleric. He had made a mockery of my love for him and couldn'teven respect me out of duty anymore.

My wolf continued to run as I mulled over my internal debate. She hunted rabbits and sniffed at thedifferent scents, taking it all in so she could try and forget everything that had happened.

Her white fur kept us warm against the wind, now becoming colder as darkness crept up, and Iknew we would need to head back soon. But I didn't want to subject her to that just yet. For just alittle while longer, I wanted her to forget about everything waiting for us back at the house.Another hour passed and I accepted it was finally time. I gently nudged her in my head to indicatewe should head home but she let out a low growl to tell me she wasn't pleased with this idea. Notthat I blamed her. Unfortunately, I had to remind her that we needed to get home for dinner orSophie would begin to worry. With a final whimper of annoyance, she begrudgingly turned backtowards the packhouse.

However, as we went to leave, I noticed something in the trees. A woman with golden hair wasstanding there, wearing a white dress, watching me intently.

My wolf instantly sent out a warning growl; neither of us recognising nor sensing her. Yet the mostunnerving part was we couldn't smell her scent. We should have definitely been able to smell herfrom here.

In response, the woman proceeded to neither reply nor even flinch, prompting us to do only onething. The only thing we could do.

We ran towards her.

My wolf's paws sprinted faster and faster, our heartbeat racing in our chest, sensing something wasoff.

How had she even managed to get past the border patrols? Something was wrong.

We weren't very good fighters, but if it meant protecting the pack then, at the very lease, we wouldneed to investigate.

Or, at least, try to

..Because, in the end, we were too late.

Before we could even come close, the woman turned her back and hid behind the trees, leavingabsolutely nothing behind. No woman, no lingering scent, nothing. It was as if no one had beenthere at all. Had we only imagined the whole thing?

Admittedly, we had just gone through something extremely traumatic, making it entirely possiblethat we were just seeing things. Our mind had been pushed to the brink and I knew we were closeto snapping.

Quickly, I urged my wolf to return home, and was grateful when she didn't need to be told twicethis time. Neither of us wanted another experience like what we had just seen.

I did debate in my mind whether it was worth raising an alarm with the border patrol to investigate,but ultimately, I decided against it. I knew the news of Thea’s pregnancy would have spread by now,making people begin to look at me with pity. And whilst pity was one thing, I couldn't risk themlooking at me like I was insane. I was a Luna, my position now hanging by a thread. I couldn“tprovide another reason for the pack to doubt me.

But, after the already traumatic day I'd had, I couldn't anticipate what was waiting for me at thepackhouse.

After I shifted back and dressed again, I headed into the house, seeing something that made meimmediately stop dead in my tracks.

Because it was as I walked inside that her scent immediately hit me, a sugary sweet smell thatalways made my nose wrinkle.