Chapter 99: A Dangerous Game

ARIEL

I feel like I’m floating as I leave the barracks.

~What did Selene do to me?~

~My powers feel stronger.~

I remember what she said to me.

~Be my conduit; be their beacon of hope.~

Ever since my powers were leaked by my mother, wolves from across the nation have made the journey to be healed by my touch.

Alex has tried to keep them away, worried that it would be too draining for me.

~But now I have these stronger powers, it must be Selene’s will.~

I turn to Alex, feeling confident. “I think I can do more to help—to heal—than I have in the past.”

“Are you sure?” Alex says. “Don’t you remember, you used your power in front of a small crowd and completely passed out?”

“It’s different this time,” I say. “You saw me in there. I can do so much more. Tomorrow morning, if there’s people at the gates…let them in.”

***

I’ve never really liked dressing up for royal events, feeling more comfortable in my combat boots and warrior attire.

But today, I decide to go big.

I put on the ceremonial armor from the barracks: a full-body golden-plated suit of armor with accompanying headband, and a dark blue, fur-lined cape.

At noon, Alex, wearing his own regal cape and crown, takes my hand, and we walk into the throne room.

“Open the doors,” Alex says to a guard.

Within seconds, hundreds of people swarm inside, each one clamoring to be healed.

~I haven’t seen crowds like this since the unification ceremony.~

~News of my healing the pack warriors has spread fast.~

Children weave between adults’ legs to get closer, while older people use their crutches and wheelchairs like battering rams, leaving a trail of bruised shins in their wake.

The crowd jostles for position, wanting to be the first to see us.

Alex steps in front of me, shielding my body.

“SILENCE!” he bellows, his voice reverberating around the room.

The crowd instantly stills.

“I know why you’re here: you want to be healed,” he says.

The crowd cheers in approval.

“But unless you calm down, none of you will meet her. Don’t trample one another! One at a time!”

There are a few grumbles from the crowd, but soon enough a line forms.

Once there’s order, Alex steps aside, and I step forward.

A little girl, no older than ten, steps forward, her arm in a sling.

“Now what happened to you?” I say brightly.

“I was fighting with the boys. I fell and broke my arm,” she replies.

“A little warrior, huh?” I say as I crouch down and take her arm in my hands. “I’m a warrior too.”

I concentrate my power and let it flow through her, feeling her bones knit back together almost instantly.

“Now promise me you’ll be a bit more careful,” I say to her, standing back up.

“I promise,” the girl says, hugging my legs before running back into the crowd.

I watch the girl leave, and realize the crowd doesn’t stop at the throne room doors.

It keeps going to the main gates!

~If I heal people one at a time, it will take all day.~

I have a plan, but Alex won’t like it.

I glance back at him, then unclasp my cape and stride forward.

“Ariel, what are you doing?” he calls after me, but I don’t stop.

The line parts before me. I extend my hands to the sides, letting the tips of my fingers lightly brush everyone in the crowd.

Hunched shoulders straighten, coughs subside, some people even look like they’ve gotten younger, just from my touch.

I begin to hear chants from the healed.

“Praise the Moon Goddess!”

“Almighty Ariel!”

I concentrate on my power, letting it course through the entire throne room.

It feels like electricity is flowing out of my fingers.

With each person healed, I feel my connection to the Moon Goddess getting stronger.

~“Yes, my child,”~ she calls as I continue. ~“Use my power and heal them all!”~

ALEX

I almost run after Ariel when she walks into the crowd.

But as she demonstrates complete control over the crowd, I realize that she has grown far stronger than I ever thought possible.

Ever since we met, I’ve felt a strong urge to protect her, to keep her safe.

But from what I saw in the barracks, and today…

~Does she even need me to protect her?~

~Did she ever?~

~Does someone with a direct connection to the Moon Goddess even need to worry about harm coming to them?~

But then I think about Fate—how the Moon Goddess’s sister has her sights set on Ariel.

How she wants her to mate with Xavier.

~What is the payoff?~

~Why Ariel?~

As the crowd finally subsides, Ariel returns to me.

We retreat from the throne room, but the chant of “Almighty Ariel” keeps going for hours afterward.

~They really believe she is one with the Goddess.~

~It’s hard to not see her that way.~

~But even with all the changes and her powers, I still just see her as Ariel.~

~The woman I fell in love with, and wouldn’t give up for the world.~

“That was something,” I say. “How are you feeling?”

“Amazing!” she says, unclipping her headband.

Her hair falls in waves around her face, and I spot another several strands of white-blonde hair.

“I want to do it again tomorrow,” Ariel says. “I want the entire kingdom to praise the Moon Goddess, and feel her healing power.”

“Okay, but next time we need some pack warriors in there,” I say. “You nearly caused a riot when you entered the crowd!”

NATALIA

~Tell him the truth. He will accept you.~

I just hope that Ariel’s judgment is right.

I don’t want to mess this up.

But let’s start with baby steps.

~Quite literally.~

I pick Xavi up from the nursery and head straight for Charlie’s truck.

I have to stop myself and take a breath when I see him.

~Shirtless. Again.~

He’s sitting on his tailgate, whittling something in his hand.

He raises the half-constructed object to his lips and blows.

A reedy sound screeches out.

Charlie starts whittling again, then pauses and looks up at me.

He waves me over.

“Hey Moonbeam,” he says, giving me a toothy smile and running his hand through his hair.

~If he wasn’t so innocent and romantic I would think he was doing that on purpose.~

“Hey Charlie,” I say.

Then his gaze turns to the one-year-old in my arms.

“So…who’s this little guy?” Charlie asks, leaning down to meet Xavi, and giving him a little handshake.

“This is…”

~Goddess give me strength.~

~Please don’t run away when I tell you.~

“This is Xavi…my—my son,” I finally say.

Charlie looks up, but I look down, unable to take his piercing stare.

He’s silent for a moment before saying, “That’s…that’s great!”

I look back into his pale blue eyes and see that he’s thrilled at meeting Xavi.

“May I?” he says, setting down his carving and reaching his hands forward. I hand Xavi over to him.

“Well hey there, little wolf, aren’t you a handful?” Charlie says, swinging Xavi from side to side.

Xavi squeals in delight at being spun around, and I find my heart melting once again.

~Ariel was right. All I have to do is tell him the truth, tell him about everything.~

As if reading my mind, Charlie asks, “So who is this pup’s father?”

~Ah. That might be a talk for another day.~

“He’s not in the picture,” I say.

Charlie nods.

“That’s okay, we don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

I try to say “thank you,” but my voice cracks before I even get the words out.

~I just don’t want to mess this up.~

We stand in silence for a few seconds before Charlie asks, “Do you want to go for a walk through the gardens? The flowers are blooming, and I want to absorb the mana-chroma energy from the new buds. Always the best thing for good vibes.”

“Mana-what?” I ask, laughing. “Okay flower child, let’s go.”

“First,” Charlie says, grabbing his carving and making the final few notches into the wood. “I’ve been making a bird whistle.”

He blows into one end of it, and the sound of a barn owl comes out the other. Xavi giggles at the sound.

“If the pup likes it, you can have it!” Charlie says, offering it to me.

I test it out, making Xavi and Charlie laugh.

“Thank you so much,” I say.

We each take a hand of Xavi’s and start walking toward the garden entrance.

~First hurdle done. The next one is telling him my ex-mate is the Royal Pack’s most wanted!~

ARIEL

I woke up this morning to people chanting “Almighty Ariel!” from the gates.

It seems that everyone wants to get the first touch of the day.

Some even try scaling the walls.

Merchants have begun selling beer and food to those waiting.

~It’s been turned into a spectator sport.~

Not that I mind.

I like helping people, and anything that pisses off Fate is a good thing.

I wear my hair loose, allowing my new blonde streaks to flow freely.

I enter the throne room and take a seat. I see that a hundred-strong crowd has already gathered there.

Alex is standing before the masses, trying to keep the peace.

He’s followed through on his plan to station guards around the room, both to keep the crowd in check, but also in case Xavier is hiding amongst it.

“My fellow wolves, you must stay calm! Ariel will come to you!” he bellows.

For the most part, people obey. But some in the crowd are a bit too excited, letting their feral natures loose.

As the warriors try and order them into a line, they start to push back.

I see a young man force his way to the front of the crowd and punch a warrior straight in the nose.

“I need your help, my luna,” he calls.

The young man races toward the throne, and for a moment I’m worried.

Alex steps in front of me and the man stops dead, shrinking away from the king.

~He may hit a warrior, but he wouldn’t dare hit the king.~

The warriors tackle the man and take him away.

~I have to do something before this gets out of hand.~

Standing up from my throne, I feel the crowd surge forward, just like last time.

They’re all shouting, wanting to be heard over each other, all vying for the first touch.

“I have rickets!”

“My back is crooked!”

“I swallowed a toothpick!”

I step forward, and a mother carrying a bundle of swaddling cloth thrusts her baby toward me, as tears stream down her cheeks.

“Please, he’s all I have left, please bless him with your power!”

I reach out to take the baby, but almost recoil in terror when I see it.

~Oh, Goddess!~

The baby has the face of Xavier.

He wears a malicious grin.

The young mother grabs my arm, and I feel time stop. I look up at her and gasp.

~It’s Fate.~

Her eyes are two deep pools of swirling black. Her teeth extend, oozing droplets of silver onto my sleeve.

“You can’t escape me Ariel. You can’t escape your destiny.”

“I have before, and I will again,” I bite back. “I can save these people from you.”

“You’re playing a dangerous game. They call you their savior, but you are messing with things you can’t possibly understand.”

Her dark eyes make me feel dizzy. “Every time you save a life, I must respin their web. That means severing others. Every soul you save damns another.”

“What do you mean? If I save someone, another must die?”

Fate laughs, but the sound gets lost in the chatter of the crowd, who are unaware of her presence. “Goodbye Ariel.”

I go to stop Fate, but when I grab her cloak she evaporates, as if she was never there.

Fate’s threat shakes me to my core.

~Who will she target next?~