Sabrina’s POV
“Yeah, I’m coming in.” I say, turning around and walking back in to the house.
Josey pulls me in for a side hug.
“You’ve got some visitors and normally I’d stick around to take sides but I don’t think that would help the situation.” She says to me.
Josey leaves me as I enter the lounge, finding the people I’d left behind today, sitting uncomfortably on the couches.
Rolling my eyes, I sit on one of the couches. Right next to Anthony, who smiles uncomfortably.
“Go on.” I say, they are here already so they can come out with it.
“Sabrina, come home. We know you are hurting but we can fix things as a family.” Mother says to me.
“How mother? By giving me space?” I ask her.
“We are all here to make amends Sabrina.” She says and I scoff at her words.
“Sabrina come home. You’ve made your point, we get it. Let’s all go now.” Hunter says.
“I’m not going anywhere. For the first time in days, weeks, I feel at ease. Nobody expects anything out of me here, I’m just someone’s daughter or sister. I don’t have to save lives or take them. There’s nobody here to punish or fight and the people here want to help me get better. They notice the little things, if I’m eating or if I’m not. If I sleep or not and they don’t go about their lives all merry while I die inside. I’m not saying don’t be happy but giving me space is not the parenting style I grew up on so since the both of you can’t get it right, I came to the one parent that has fatherhood on lock. I may have been gone a long time up there but I’ve only been here a little while and I am not going anywhere. I missed my father way too much. His love is just what I need right now, I need his hugs and advice.” I say as Hunter growls at me.
“That’s absurd! How could an earthling advice on heavenly matters?” Hunter asks and I smile back at him.
“Is heartbreak a matter that only happens in our realm? Because if I remember correctly, I had my first heartbreak here on earth. My father was betrayed by a mate too and I need to know how he survived it, how he moved past it and stayed the same man I’ve always known, especially after losing mom. You’re not much of a sharer or take kindly to weakness, so I can’t exactly ask how much it took out of you to run away and raise a boy all alone.” I say and Hunter stays quiet as expected.
“Come on Sabrina. I know it was wrong of me to blame you for Aiden’s behavior and I can’t change the past but I hate the distance between us. Please come home.” Anthony says to me and I turn to face him.
“You. I’m not upset that you blamed me, I blamed myself for Aiden’s reaction and besides, I made a promise to bring your love back, I mean heck, the mountains you’ll both have to climb are worse than my anger or hurt but I know better than you that love conquers all. You deserve happiness, even if some people don’t agree with it, I guess that’s why you were chosen to be the first to fight the right to love whomever because the heart wants what it wants, true mate or not and in your position, it’s easier for people to accept it because they can’t really do anything to you. I just didn’t think you’d be so insensitive right after, so detached. You couldn’t even check in on me.” I say.
“I know, I’m sorry. I was completely wrapped up with Simon and it was selfish of me.” He says, I look at him and nod my head.
I didn’t exactly buy the apology since Anthony’s known to be sarcastic at times but anything to get this over and done with.
“So, will you come back with us?” Mother asks me and I shake my head no.
“I’m not going anywhere with any of you. You wanted to give me space, well this is it..” I say.
My father walks in and sits next to me.
“Are you okay?” He asks me and I smile, nodding my head yes.
“I was just telling them that I’m not going anywhere. I’m taking the space they said they were giving me, time to heal so I’m taking it now.” I say.
“Sabrina with your job, there is no time off. You don’t get vacation days!” Hunter says to me, clearly frustrated.
“Well I’m not exactly on vacation. How can I be of sound mind if I feel like everything is going to shit? I’m tired of pulling a straight face through and through. I’m tired, I’m so tired of being everyone’s saving grace. Do I have to scream out for help or tell each one of you that this time, I need to be saved myself? I’m drowning in pain for goddess sake and you’re asking me to put on a smile and fake it. I can’t father! You should hear the plans I have for my children.. I’ll tell ya!” I say, standing up since sitting down doesn’t seem to really get my emotions out there.
“I want to cancel the mate bond and allow wolves to find their own true love because it seems mates don’t care who they hurt. I want to put an end to blessing unions with rain, let people fuck each other and deal with the consequences because why should I decide if they deserve children or not? I lost my child. Was I not blessed? I deserve a mate that won’t go hurting me but again, was I not blessed? My child almost died and I’ll ask again, where is that blessing? I feel myself going crazy. My mind is racing, racing for control… to control everything and stop the pain! Now I know how people become tyrants. Look at me. No, like really look at me, do I look okay to you? For you to ask me to forget about my problems because I have a job to do. To answer every prayer, to bless every child and to do your job at running the heavenly realm. You are asking me to put aside my feelings and I’m telling you I can’t. I don’t know what’s left or right, I can’t make decisions with my head unscrewed. Just leave me the fuck alone, just stand the fuck in for me. I mean the world survived a little bit without me and they will for now.” I say.
“Sabrina, don’t be dramatic. We have all gone through problems and this time, it’s your turn. Chin up and handle it like an adult. You’re heartbroken, take a minute to cry and get back at it. You want to go cry again? Give yourself a minute then back again. That’s life! It’s unfortunate that your life was set out for you, chosen for you but that’s just what it is. You are a mother, you’re forced to be strong at all times, there’s never a time for weakness in your son’s eyes. You feel like you’re losing your mind? Welcome to the world of adulthood. You have elders to advice you on decisions that have anything to do with earthlings and I doubt they’d let you cancel sacred law. Come home.” Mother says to me.
“I expect that from you. You did everything to survive, the karma coming back at all of us, Josey. You schemed your way in to my father’s heart. You schemed with magic. That’s adulting to you and you think that makes you strong. You chose the easy way out, not thinking of what it costs others or what you’re taking away from others. I grew up thinking you died after giving birth to Josey you human! Imagine growing up thinking that my birth took a toll on you and Josey’s finished you off. That’s the story they fed us because that is what happens to humans who give birth to wolves and we should have questioned your survival right after giving birth to me but I’m sure you would’ve found your way out. Then you come back to us, we rejoice and then you die, again. Only for you to be alive and to tell me I have a different dad. Oh yes, yes I know this argument is old and I have overused it but I’m just simply laying your life on the table to tell you that you’re not the one to give me advice on my problems. I don’t want to be like you…” I say, making my way to the door.
‘Sabrina come on, go home. Time is different there and to them, you’ve been gone too long. Just make your own rules, don’t let them decide for you anymore.’ Athena says to me.
I stop by the door, turning around to face my family. I’ll listen to my little wolf, she has never been wrong.
But! Let’s switch things out a little bit.
“I’ll come home. I’ll only come home if you all move out of my home and back to yours. I was serious when I said I want my space and I can only do that without your two cent advice on my affairs. So, move out and I’ll come home. Send Evan when you’re all out and I mean all of you.” I say before turning around again and walking out on them, leaving them stunned.
I walk up to my room, finding Xander with Josey.
“Did you just kick your parents out?” Xander asks and I nod my head yes.
“I’m off to see their faces because that was spectacular! You were born to lose your cool because girl! That was the drama I needed.” Josey says before running out, leaving me with Xander.
He takes my hand in his…
“You good?” He asks and I shake my head no.
I was harsh. Too harsh.
“Let’s sleep this day off, how about that?” Xander asks me, helping me in to bed and sitting with me until I fall asleep.
His silence was comforting. So comforting that I fell in to deep slumber in the minutes of just being around him.
I wake up in a field, like the one I met my mother in when Percy broke my heart. It was nighttime though and the wind was a little cruel, so I get up to look for shelter or whoever brought me here and end this.
I walk for a while, wondering why I was here. I walk some more before I see a circle of women, sitting on the grass, just silent. As I walk closer to get a good look, they all turn to face me.
I nearly stumble but I find my feet. Their faces looking a little familiar but I could not place them. They make space for me to join the circle, as one of them holds out her hand for me and I take it before sitting down.
I feel a weird connection, something in me changes when I join the circle but I can’t put my finger on it.
“Welcome goddess.” One of the women says to me.
“Hi.” I say.
“I’m sure you’re confused, we all were when we were called but you will be at ease soon. We are on your side, a side we know all too well. What you are going through, we have in a way been through it too. The problems may not be the same but the pain is always the same. Neverending, always growing and nobody really understanding what you are going through. Well, we get it.” A woman says to me.
“When you say you have gone through the same thing, do you mean..” I say but I’m interrupted.
“Yes. I was once a goddess, just like you and all the women around you. We are blood so it was easy to connect with you.” One says.
“May I ask why I’m here? To find comfort?” I ask.
“We chose your mate. Not knowing where life might take you and for that, we are sorry. We failed you, hoping he would be different. His grandmother pushed him to find you and mend the families back together because we thought choosing a mate from your father’s best friends family would be easier but then things happened and well, you know the rest.” One says.
“We have all been burned by love. True mates hurting us endlessly and we thought, maybe we should do things differently by choosing your mate ourselves but that also didn’t work out. It seems life as the moon goddess requires an endless supply of pain and heartache to rule. That is the price we pay for the job we were all born in to, just like you.” I hear.
“So I’m stuck with Aiden.” I say and they sadly nod their heads.
“Unfortunately, we can’t reverse what has already been chosen but there is something we could do.” One woman tells me.
“What?” I ask.
“To punish him for his deeds, we could put him in a deep sleep. His body really but the spirit will be hard at work, unlearning all the bad traits that he seems to have gotten from his father. Learning once more the teachings of his grandmother who tried her hardest to instill goodness in him. Hopefully this time, good will prevail and he will leave behind the evil with the old Aiden.” I am told.
“How long will he be asleep?” I ask and I get silence.
They all look at me, failing to find the words and the seconds pass before I’m finally answered.
“That’s the thing. We don’t have control over that, he has to wake up on his own. He is the one that has some growing up to do and we can’t really put a time to how long he will be asleep. It could be days or it could be years, it will be up to him.” They tell me.
“The good thing is that you have a very long life ahead of you. Well, before you give birth to any female that will take over from you anyway. Unless, like your grandmother, you give birth to sons and have to wait out two lifetimes for the next goddess.” They say and I chuckle, to hide my shock.
“We know. It’s a lot but we figured it to be the only way to save your true mate.” I hear.
“I need him.. but I need him right now.” I say.
“We know but he’s no good right now, is he?” One asks me and I look down at the grass.
“Sabrina, you already have a love in your life. Loneliness is not a problem for you right now and this is the chance to be with the man that loves you genuinely. Take it and let us help Aiden… he needs this more than you and if it saves a goddess from experiencing any more pain, we will take it.” They tell me.
“Can I talk to him before you put him down?” I ask and one giggles.
“Well, like the fairytales go, we sort of need you to kiss the prince… we need you to be our connection to him in a way. Once you’re with him, we will do all the work. Don’t waste any time Sabrina, act now before you have to bring someone else back from the dead.” They say.
“About that….” I say.
“You have lost enough no? The price was paid already Sabrina. A child is too much of a cost and for that, you have somehow been pardoned.”
I feel a weight lift off my shoulders after that.
“Take this as a lesson Sabrina. The dead need to stay dead, you can’t save everyone. Take your sister for instance, she is not with her mates anymore.” I’m told and I nod my head in agreement.
“The dead will stay dead. We will mourn the dead but that’s it, no more gambling with lives.” I say and they all smile.
“Good. Now, go back to sleep. You have a mission soon.” A woman says to me and I’m thrown in to darkness.
I see Aiden’s face in the darkness. Wishing I could join him in his deep sleep, to be with him through it all and to pull him out in time to go back to the living, together. I want to fight for the light I know is in him, with him. To help him and to never let him give up.
To kiss him and tell him that I still love him, that I will always love him…. but I guess I could still do that. I just can’t join him in the quest to find himself and that alone, breaks me.