“When did I choose him? When I left Desert Moon?” My voice cracked. I don’t know how. this conversation started and I don’t know where the confidence to ask these questions came from but if I don’t ask now, will I ever know?
“No, that was just choosing to come to Half Moon. You weren’t really choosing Shane. Your heart wholly belonged to Ethan then.”
“So when?” I whisper.
“Do you really not know when? Or do you need to hear it from someone else?” She asked.
“You mean…” I trail off and Olivia, the witch, laughs.
“Yes. You broke the curse when you spread your legs for him. It wasn’t instant, it didn’t happen as soon as you did it but when. You continued to sleep with him, you kept giving yourself to him. It would have taken longer but that definitely pushed it along.”
I couldn’t speak.
It broke right before…. you stabbed him in the chest,” Olivia said as she leaned in close. My heart drops to my feet and I fall to my knees.
“Goddess,” I cry.
“Don’t call her, she won’t help you. I had to tell you. Aren’t I good for telling you?”
“What does this even mean?” I choke.
“It means that the curse is broken and you guys can be together. You can finally spend the rest of your lives together. Everything can go back to how it was supposed to be. You can ride off into the sunset and spend the rest of your life together. Oh, wait,” she laughs again. “You would have been able to spend the rest of your lives together but you killed him. You killed your mate the moment the curse broke and everything fell back into place.”
“No,” I whispered. “I-I chose Ethan. I didn’t break the curse. I’ve been… my heart is… I…”
“That’s what makes this life so good. You broke the curse and you still chose the man who did this. You still chose the one who raped you and took it from you. You still chose the man who cursed you and your mate to live a life of misery. You chose the man that doomed your mate to a life of loneliness and insanity. You chose the man that took your destiny from you and you don’t regret it. It doesn’t matter if he “doesn’t remember”, he is still Ethan. He is still the Alpha that bought you from your parents. He’s still the person who fucked your sister and forced my hand, cursing you. He’s still the one who took your mate from you and took your bond. That bond you feel so strongly with him? That connection? That wasn’t his. It isn’t his. It doesn’t belong to him. That was Shane’s. That loyalty you feel for him belongs to Shane.”
“No,” I shake my head. “It wasn’t… it isn’t just the bond. What I feel for Ethan is… is love too. I love him. I don’t just feel for him because of the mate bond. I also love… I love Ethan.”
“Do you?” The witch asked. “Hmm… can you say you love him when you had your legs spread for Shane just a few hours ago?” I’m speechless. Actually speechless. I had to do that. I had… The memories of what we shared last night flashed through my mind and my heart throbbed. “Well… maybe you two deserve each other then.”
“What… what does that mean for… the next life?” I asked. I needed to know. The thought, the question had never crossed my mind before and I was curious. What did that mean for me, for us?
“It means things can go back to normal. They can go back to how they’re supposed to be.”
“Meaning?” I asked. I knew what it meant but I needed her to say it. I needed her to tell me. I needed to hear that I would see him again. I don’t know what I should be feeling when it comes to Ethan and the future but my heart needed to know if I would see Shane again.
“It means in your next life, Shane will be your mate. You were always fated to be.”
“Is this a dream?” I asked. I blinked and she was in front of me. Her violet eyes stared into the depths of my soul.
“Are you ready to wake up?” She asked. I shook my head.
“I have another question. What happened to Ethan’s mate? The.. the original one?” I asked.
This thought also never crossed my mind. Ever since the dream, I never thought much about what Ethan did and I never thought about his… mate. I’d been so busy with Shane, so busy with the plan, that I didn’t think twice about her, at least, not until today.
“You didn’t remember that bit?” The witch asked.
“No,” I whispered.
“Mmm, I wonder why. Is it because you don’t want to remember?” The witch asked. I ignored her.
“Do I know her? Was she… was she my sister?” I asked. “In the first life, it wasn’t my sister but that’s the only person I could think of.”
“No,” she laughed. “Ethan’s original mate was your mate’s sister.”
“What? No, that isn’t possible. There’s no way,” I mumbled. I tried to recall every detail of the dream but I couldn’t find any detail of being close to Mavy then. I couldn’t even picture her when I was in the dream. I didn’t picture her.
“A lot of things are possible,” she laughed.
“I wasn’t close to her then, or was I?” I asked.
“How would I know? All I know is she was his mate. I remember her face and the relationship was strained because of her relationship with Shane.”
“What of Mavy’s mate in this life?”
“Do I look like the Moon Goddess to you?” Olivia smirked.
“NO, but… wouldn’t you know?” I asked.
“She wasn’t born with a mate in this life, or in the last from what I remember. She hasn’t had a mate. She was doomed like her brother. Maybe it’s because they’re identical minus the eyes. Maybe the curse is shared through their DNA, interlocked in their own way. Maybe she could have been cursed too. It would explain why she hasn’t found her mate. She was destined to live a life alone.”
This was a lot to take in. I tried to close my eyes, look away, leave but I couldn’t move. Olivia darted forward and my eyes widened as I looked down at her hand as it pressed over my mouth.
“Congratulations on breaking the curse and bravo on killing Shane. I think it’s time for the Luna to return.”
Her hand pushed me back and I was able to move. I fell into the dark abyss. It wasn’t until my head slapped against the floor, something hard, maybe like the floor. I sat up and looked around. The sun was shining and the warmth from the beams had warmed the room. I swallowed as I looked around. I was in Shane’s room. I dropped my gaze to him, to Shane. To my protector, to my mate, to the man I murdered in cold blood last night.