Chapter 49: Awakening Pt. two

CONNOR

Jyn turned to me, a restless smile on his face, signaling that he wanted to talk privately. This was something I wasn’t used to, given that I didn’t have a close relationship with any of them.

I mind-linked the others, and without a word, they left us alone.

Pouring myself another drink, I sat on the couch. Jyn remained standing, ensuring we were completely alone.

“How’s your mate?” I asked, catching him off guard.

After we’d saved Elaine from Sorin’s clutches, we returned to our pack. But not before Jyn proposed to Victoria, which was already awkward for all of us.

Especially since she was a human, our liaison between our packs.

She accepted willingly, which was also unusual. Human and wolf mates were a rarity, happening once every twenty years. The last time we saw that happen was over forty years ago.

So, when Jyn told me he wanted to propose to her, I had no words but to encourage him to take the leap.

I understood his motivation… Elaine messing up the packs’ destinies, his desperation to have a family, to earn his father’s recognition.

Surprisingly, after Victoria accepted and we returned, the first issues we had to address were Elaine’s punishments.

That’s where Enora came in.

Saving Elaine wasn’t just because of us. My mother had somehow contacted Elaine’s family, her grandmother, the queen of lycans.

They intervened at the last minute, which threw everything into chaos.

When I saw Sorin about to pull the trigger, a massive lycan appeared, ripping Sorin’s hand apart, but not before he shot Elaine.

I remember screaming for her, then the gunshot, then silence.

Everything happened so fast that I had no time to take in my surroundings, except to reach Elaine, pick her up, and try to save her.

But, things didn’t work out. Elaine was human. She couldn’t heal, and without the Goddess on our side, she was destined to die.

That day, desperate to save her, I pleaded for someone to help me.

~To save her~.

I would have given up anything just to keep her by my side, whether as a human or a wolf.

Then it happened. Enora summoned the Goddess, who was shocked to find herself being called upon out of the blue.

It was confusing at the time and not my main concern.

Things escalated quickly. The Goddess tried to harm me, and my mother stepped in with Enora, who seemed determined to have the Goddess assist us.

She wouldn’t agree, of course, without something in return. As always, that selfish deity wanted something, and it was my surrender, to leave the pack, but I wasn’t going down without a fight.

Not when I had negotiated something in exchange.

Enora stopped me when the words left my mouth. It puzzled me why she, who didn’t know us, was trying to help us.

I had so many questions until my mother knelt by my side and whispered to me who she was.

That moment, I recognized the similarities they shared. It was so clear that I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

Enora and Elaine were so alike that they looked more like mother and daughter than grandmother and granddaughter—the fiery red hair, and those sky-blue eyes that made you feel they could see into your soul.

It was strange, yet it felt familiar.

I pushed the thoughts away at that moment. All my focus returned to my dying mate.

Tears fell that day as I watched Elaine’s life slip away.

I thought it would be too late, that there was nothing I could do, that it would be my punishment. But my punishment was different.

When the Goddess finally gave in to Enora’s request, she asked me what I was willing to sacrifice.

At first, I was lost and confused, since I hadn’t heard what Enora had requested. But when my mother gave me the courage I needed, I knelt before her and begged her to save Elaine.

All bloodied and bruised, I bowed my head to beg a mother, ~my~ creator, to save the person I loved, the same person I had reached out to for help, and the same one who had denied such a request.

Enora had already requested the same thing, and since the Goddess owed her a debt, she agreed to save her, although her displeasure for such a request was evident on her pale face.

She asked me once again what I would sacrifice, since I was also bound to be punished for interfering with Elaine’s fate, which was death.

I despised her at that moment like I had never despised anything in my life. Her scorn, her hatred for Elaine, was as if she hated me as well.

She didn’t need to say it. I could see it. She wanted Elaine dead and wanted me punished.

Of course, things never go as they seem. And although there’s a price to pay for everything in life, my sacrifice put her at ease.

Khan agreed with me, and we both spoke about our request.

Let her take half of Khan’s spirit and restore Elaine’s lycan. Have her take half of my life force and give it to her so she could breathe again.

I didn’t care how many years I had left. All I wanted was to have time with her where we both could be happy.

The request might have seemed unexpected, because of all the looks I got from everyone, including my mother, that day. Yet I felt it was the right thing to do.

The Goddess eventually accepted, and with no other choice, she restored Elaine’s lycan, and she saved her.

But that wasn’t the end of it. The worst was yet to come, and that was when she said that Elaine could only be saved if she woke up from her unconsciousness.

If she had the will, the desire to live.

That enraged not only my lycan, but Enora and everyone else.

Enora asked her why the conditions, why make things harder. But the Moon Goddess only smiled, a wicked smile that made Enora furious and me desperate.

It might have seemed things couldn’t get worse, but they did after the Goddess left and Enora faced my mother to tell her what would happen with Elaine and me.

I remember angrily confronting her, but she looked down at me with an anger I’d never seen on someone.

It was not only her hate, but her loathing of who her granddaughter was mated to.

“She returns with us,” she said that day.

At first, I didn’t understand. Why, if she had a home, a pack, a mate? Then I slowly grasped the situation.

My mom wanted me to let Elaine go. She wanted me to distance myself from my mate. I stood up to her that day. I told her she had no say in the matter. Not after she left me—her own son, for a different life.

Since we were never a part of her life, she had no business meddling in mine.

I knew my words stung her that day, but I didn’t care. Elaine was my priority.

I was naive to think it would be easy.

Enora, fuming, told my mom they had a deal. I had no idea what they were talking about.

I wanted to ask her, to know what they had discussed. What agreement had they reached that would separate Elaine and me?

But then Jyn and the others stepped in. They pleaded with Enora to reconsider.

But she just smiled cruelly and said if I wanted to be with Elaine, I would have to give up my position, abandon my pack, and go back with them to their pack, where no one else would follow.

Where my mom couldn’t reach me. Where I would have to sever ties with everyone, even those closest to me.

Feeling cornered, I had no choice but to agree to her ridiculous demand.

Everyone else probably saw it as a mistake, but I didn’t. I had already told the Goddess that I chose my heart and I stood by my decision.

I didn’t want to be king if I couldn’t have the most important person in my life by my side.

Enora was thrilled. My mom was devastated.

And with just a few words, I left with Elaine, making Jyn the king of the pack while the Goddess reluctantly lifted the punishment I didn’t even know had been imposed on the packs because of Elaine’s revenge.

That brings us to the present, where, month by month, justice was served to those who betrayed us.

Elaine’s father was stripped of his alpha rights and sent to one of our prisons, where he would pay for the death of Elaine’s mother.

The Goddess said his punishment would be announced soon and it wouldn’t be lenient.

Then things slowly started getting back to normal, like alphas finding their mates, which was how Jyn discovered Victoria was his true mate, how those close to Elaine and me found their happiness again.

Every now and then I got news about the pack, since Jyn insisted that I was the rightful king, that I should be ruling the pack, and everyone else agreed with him.

No, I turned all that down and humbly resumed my position as a regular alpha, where I belonged with my mate by my side.

...A mate who had been dormant for the past eight months, and where I was also in a deep sleep due to the transition of my lycan's spirit to her.

Enora explained that it was normal, and that we would both feel the effects of the blessing the Goddess had given us, binding us together.

And by binding us, I mean the same chains we were once tied to, except this time, it was in the form of a golden bracelet with a lycan’s head with black eyes filled with stars.

It was strange to see it in the same place. The weight of it reminded me that I was once again bound to Elaine, but not in a painful way. It felt different, real.

Looking at it, I smiled sadly.

It had been so long since I’d seen Elaine awake, it hurt to think that years might pass and she might never wake up.

Feeling a hand on my shoulder, I looked up in surprise. Jyn stood there, smiling awkwardly at me.

His face showed the strain of days of worry.

“Sorry,” I said, looking away.

“It’s okay,” he sighed and sat next to me. “Victoria is doing well. She’s been taking care of the castle.”

“I see…,” I whispered, head down.

“Don’t let Enora see you like this,” Jyn suddenly said.

“Like how?” I asked.

“Like someone who’s given up,” Jyn replied. “You can’t let her see your weakness, Connor.”

I smiled, then shook my head. Looking up at the ceiling, I sighed and closed my eyes.

“She’s seen me at my worst,” I said and opened my eyes. “I’m not myself without Elaine.”

“We all know that,” he smiled and patted my thigh. “How about going for a run? You just woke up from your sleep. I bet you haven’t exercised in a while.”

“I haven’t.” I gave him a lopsided smile.

It was true. Falling into a deep sleep and not waking for days had made me lose touch with who I was.

“Then let’s go,” Jyn said, standing up. “You can show me around the place.”

“Or we could spar a bit,” I chuckled, stretching. “A king needs to know how to fight, and as one of the best fighters in the pack, I can help you with that.”

Jyn laughed, walking over to the door.

“Wrong,” he said, smiling. “You were the second-best one. Don’t forget who always kicked your ass.”

I shook my head as my ears turned red with embarrassment.

“I’ll definitely kick your ass,” I said, turning to grab a change of clothes.