Carter
I ended up waking up before Seth and Ember. I looked over at them, still sleeping peacefully. I kissed Ember’s head before stretching, feeling more rested than I had been in a while. The night peeked through the window. Had I not slept for long?
“Welcome back”, Jordan linked me. I looked over the bed and saw him lying on the couch with Damien sleeping on the couch in the room.
“How long have I been out?”, I asked him.
“Tonight, make it three nights. It is just a little past midnight. The others should be waking up as well in a few moments”, Jordan linked me. My eyes widened. Three nights? What the fuck? I got out of bed, checked my phone for updates on any issues.
“Relax”, Jordan said. ” You have missed a lot. Let me catch you up”, he said before coming over to me and touching my head. The events of the last few days played in my head as if I was there myself. I looked over to Damien, who was awake now and was watching Ember. Proudness swelled in my chest. I too looked at Ember. A human goddess. Really? I knew she was not a simple human. No simple human would have gotten mated to the four of us, but I never imagined in life she would be a human goddess. Hell, I had no idea they even existed. I remember biting into her and seeing the gold liquid come out. It took Seth and I by surprise, but we were way too sleepy to acknowledge it, as if she drained us. I linked Jax.
“Jax”, I said.
“Welcome back, Alpha”, he replied.
“How is Moonlight? Any issues?” I linked.
“None at all. I have been closing out the last few days. All is well” he linked back.
“Thanks bro. I will be updating you on some things tomorrow at your house”, I told him.
” Okay. See you then”, he said, and I closed the link.
” The pack?” I asked Damien.
“Taken care of. No issues in the last few days.”, he linked me.
” Your mother?” I asked him. Her threat may have been made in anger and could do some damage. I was not prepared to allow the council or anyone to come and take Ember away from us.
“Gone. Dad will keep her away”, Damien said, and I nodded. Seth stirred and woke up as well, looking around, most likely wondering why we were all sitting up around the bed. Damien filled him in on the last three days. He went through many emotions as I did, and his eyes were fully black at his own mother’s threat. I looked at him closely and saw that, instead of all black, his eyes in the center held a blue swirl.
“Your eyes were like that too when I showed that part to you, ” Jordan said.
” According to Agatha, Ember’s blood has gifted you both with some powers. Do you feel any different?”, Jordan asked. I looked at Seth. Ever since I woke up, not only have I been feeling this burning desire for fucking Ember in every way imaginable, but I have been more alert. I’ve also been feeling like shifting and going on a run.
Seth
I looked at our sleeping mate, who looked very peaceful. A goddess? To think, I almost gave up on her. I would regret that every day for the rest of my life for trying to hold her in the same class as my ex. In just a short amount of time, she had managed to change everything I ever felt about humanity and now, I was looking at the world in fresh new eyes. Every part of me wanted to wake her up and bury myself in her for days on end. I looked up at Carter and could feel that he felt the same. It was like our emotions were now heightened and we were feeling raw and primal. Damien left after showing me the events of the last few days. I was fucking proud of him. Standing up to our mother, whose clutches I broke out of a long time ago. Standing up for our mate. Knowing my mother though, she was planning something.
Ruby was never one to sit down quietly after she set her mind on it. While Jordan and Damien may be overlooking it, Carter and I both saw it. She had a plan, and we knew it involved our mate. We could feel it somehow. In my anger, the animal in me wanted to take over, but there was no way I was going to shift here.
“I need a run”, I said.
“As do I”, Carter said. I looked at him and his eyes were black, but now blue swirls occupied the middle of the black. They told me I had the same. I kissed Ember and hopped from the bed. Carter and I were still naked, but nudity in our family never bothered any of us. It was the wolf way. We left the mansion, shifting as soon as we hit the forest under the moonlight and when I saw Carter, I could not believe my eyes. I looked at my own reflection in Carter’s blue eyes as well. We now knew what powers Ember had blessed us with. This will change. Everything.
Ember
I woke up to an empty bed. My mates were gone. Had they really left me after we all just mated? I figured it had only been a few hours since we mated, since it was still dark outside, and yet, I feel like I have been sleeping forever. I could feel the presence of someone in the room. I looked over and saw Damien sitting on the couch. When did he get here? He just sat there, staring into my eyes with his own gray one, with both arms over each side of the couch, leaned back, and his legs spread a bit. He looked every bit of the dominant man I had always known he was, and it turned me on. The memory of our last argument flashed through my head, and it turned me off right away. Asshole. The way he was looking at me though, sitting in the shadows almost, was frightening in its own way. It was intense, and I remained silent, wondering what he was going to say. After keeping eye contact, it was clear he was not gonna say anything.
“Get Out”, I said, and at the same time he said, ” I’m sorry”. My eyes widened. Did I just hear that correctly?
” What?” I asked him. I was sure I had heard wrong.
” I know you heard me, Ember. I am not repeating it”, he said.
“You just called me Ember”, I said, feeling shocked.
“That is your name, isn’t it? Or would you prefer I go back to being human”, he said, smirking.
” Are you feeling okay, Damien?” I asked him. This was not normal.
” I am feeling fine. Are you? “, he asked. He stood up and came and sat beside me. I had almost forgotten I was still naked and used the big blanket to cover myself up as I sat up.
” I am fine”, I told him. He seemed generally concerned.
“I have been nothing but a dick to you, Ember. Our last argument really fucking pissed me off, and the way I reacted, using the mate bond to hurt you, was wrong. I am not used to being yelled at. I am not like others, who can let things like attitudes from you slide. My nature is not set to handle the emotions you have been making me feel. I have always been reserved, as you know, and I do not know how to be anything different. Maybe you can show me”, he said to me. He was not smiling, but the moonlight showed on his face, making his gray eyes almost glow. He is handsome, I thought to myself. I stayed silent. What the fuck was happening right now? Did I just die and come back to life or something? This is not the Damien I know.
“You have been sleeping for three nights. I had not heard your voice in all that time”, he said, and reached out a hand towards my face. I leaned away from his touch. He seemed a bit hurt but pulled his hand back.
“Three nights?” I asked him, trying to ignore the awkwardness of everything. He nodded. I sighed.
” We have a lot to catch up on. We found out some information about you”, he said, and I looked up at him.
“You read the book of Alcaic?” I asked him. He raised an eyebrow.
“How did you know?” he asked me.
“Jordan and I went to see Agatha about my destiny, and someone channeled her, telling me some things. I was told I could know more about myself through the book Ben was bringing, but I guess if I have been sleeping for three days, Ben is gone. Where are Jordan, Carter, and Seth?” I asked him.
“Jordan is making dinner. Seth and Carter shifted and are out hunting in the forest in their wolf form”, Damien said, and I nodded.
“I assume you read the book then”, I said to him, and he nodded.
“So, it’s true, then. You are a human goddess”, Damien asked me. Human goddess. It was still foreign to me.
” I suppose so”, I told him. I climbed out of bed, keeping the cover around me.
“Where are you going?” he asked, reaching out and grabbing my hand as I passed. I paused, then looked back at him. Did he not… want me to leave? My vision changed and I saw the events of the last three days, and the information that the book had on me as I watched Jordan read the information about me and what was to come to everyone. I watched Damien claim me. That would explain why I was feeling so overwhelmed towards him. Ruby threatened me. I could feel the worry Damien and Jordan felt about it. Ruby could be one of the issues Agatha warned me about. Enemies from the outside and within. I saw Damien and Jordan’s conversation about mating me. I saw Damien and Jordan in here with us, keeping an eye on us as we slept. They worked from their computers, keeping up with their business from the room.
“Bathroom. I feel like I could use a shower”, I told him. Technically, it was a lie. I just needed to get away to comprehend how I was feeling about him. He let me go and kept silent as I rushed into the bathroom and locked myself in there. I had just processed so much information in such a short amount of time, and I needed time for myself to get myself together. Was this real? I pinched myself and winced from the pain. I was clearly awake.
Damien wanted… me? More importantly, did I even still want him?