Novel Lived
Chapter 426: Blessed by the Moon
Lara sighed, wondering how much of her life was a lie.
«So, we kissed,» she said. «I'm sorry I forgot about it, Nate. I'm really sorry.»
«You were the one starting it, you know? I thought we would get married the day after, but you... you acted as if nothing happened. I figured I should have taken it slowly with you, so I changed the way I acted with you. However, it hurt.»
«Sorry,» she repeated.
«I thought you were playing with me, you know? That you liked having an Alpha around your finger. But it was not that. By the way, I would have agreed to be played with... Just so you know.»
«I really can't recall the details. I know something happened, and I know that you're no threat. But it's so difficult to accept everything.»
«You forgot our first night together. No surprise, you can't trust me.»
«I trust you!»
«Do you?»
«Yes, now I do trust you so much.»
«Let's solve this mystery, then. Let's find out what the problem is.»
«The problems,» she pointed out. «I don't think there is only one.»
«Let's solve them one by one.»
He offered his hand, and Lara took it without thinking twice. Only then did she remember they weren't alone.
«Oh,» she sighed. How embarrassing.
«I just have two questions,» Ebony said. She had crossed her arms and was following the conversation closely. «I mean, one is the answer to the other, actually.»
«Yes?» Lara murmured.
«First, what happened when you first met? And, second, what do you mean when you say the twins?»
«We have children,» Nate said. «Twins.»
«And they were born... when?»
«Nine months after our first meeting.»
«I didn't know Alpha Woods had pups! And, also, I didn't know you had a mate. So, you two met...»
«Six years ago,» Nate continued, taking the weight of answering that woman's questions. «We met and parted ways. Only a few weeks ago, a little longer than two months, we met again.»
«And you realised you had pups. What a shock!»
«Yeah,» he sighed, rolling his eyes. Back then, other than the initial surprise, he hadn't thought much about the pups. He had seen them as a way to get to Lara rather than his children.
The real shock came later when he started caring for them.
«And, also, it explains why Alpha Lara can feel the link so clearly. I mean, not like a wolf would, but... but it's way more than any human. Even those blessed by the Moon Goddess.»
«So, am I that one or not?»
«Blessed?» Ebony wondered. «I don't know. Do you have any sign on your body in the shape of a crescent moon? Or a wolf's scratch?»
«Seriously?» Lara chuckled. «I do have a few scratches, but those... The twins had a difficult period when they started turning.»
«No, I mean... Something older.»
«I don't.»
«Actually,» Nate said.
He felt the women's eyes on him, and he knew how it sounded. He knew Lara's body better than she did, right? It was awkward to tell anyone about it, but... He felt so proud, for some reason.
Thankfully, he had paid enough attention.
«You have a crescent moon on your shoulder.» He remembered it very well because he had kissed it during their first night. And years later, when she had started panicking in her bathroom.
But those details weren't relevant, were they? The main point was that Lara did have a birthmark.
«So, you are blessed by the Moon Goddess,» he said.
«Not to mention the transformation after giving birth to pups. It has influenced your hormones, even though you're still human. You can feel part of the connection but at an unconscious level. You can picture it, and you can't use it to communicate. It's like listening to it passively. And you can send signals to the others, but you don't do it on purpose,» Ebony exclaimed.
«You should have told me about the pups right from the beginning!»
«We're so used to them that we forgot you don't know,» Nate explained.
«What... What does it mean to be blessed? Other than the connection thing?» Lara inquired, still confused.
«The Moon Goddess protects wolves,» Ebony explained. «She watches over us and guides our choices. She allows us to mate, through the ritual, and she chooses our soulmates. Sometimes, she loves humans as well. Some of them are born with her blessing, and they are... Uhm, attractive to wolves.»
«Attractive?»
«Yes. Wolves like you, Lara. Just because you smell good or because you're nice, that kind of feeling. Haven't you noticed?»
«I thought it was because she's the Alpha female,» Nate said. «Everyone loves her, true. But is it due to the blessing?»
«I mean, wolves from other packs too. She's simply likeable, you can't help it.»
«Oh,» he sighed. He had to be extra-careful, then. He had to watch out for any other wolf approaching his wife! Future wife! He just needed her to understand and accept his marriage proposal, now that they figured she hadn't heard him well before.
«I can help you a little, though,» Ebony said. «I can help you recall what happened in the past and why you felt like you felt. I'll guide you to recognise when your feelings guide you and when the blessing takes over.»
«Can you do that?»
«Yes, of course.»
«I went to therapy because of my panic attacks; it's helping me.»
«I don't know how human psychologists work, but it's not just a matter of your brain. A human doctor doesn't know a thing about the depth of wolves' connections... She doesn't even know we exist, to begin with. But I do.»
«So, can you help me where the doctor couldn't?»
«I guess your doctor has their use, but they miss a piece to figure out the whole situation.»
«Oh, I see... Are you willing to help me? What do you want in return?»
«Just the chance to get to know my mate better!» Ebony tried.
She would have done it for free, but nothing bad would come from her clumsy attempt. She was ready for a rejection, either way.
«Deal!» Nate said before she could take her words back.
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