AVA
After dinner, my new King Consorts joined me in my parents’ living room with tea and cake. Mum and dad looked nervous, really nervous.
I put my plate back on the coffee table, cake half eaten.
“Mum, dad,” I whispered. “What’s going on?”
“Ava… I’m sorry we kept things from you… but I promise, we’ll tell you everything now.” Mum was almost crying as she spoke.
When they felt my aura start to suffocate the room, Oscar and Callum took my hands, calming me instantly.
I took a deep breath, before sitting back and nodding for her to start.
“The first thing, sweetie, is your name. When you came here, we started using a shortened version of your name to make it easier to keep you safe. You go by Ava Wright, but you were born Avelina Wroblewski.”
“I knew that,” I whispered. “Artemis told me.”
They didn’t need to say anything for me to know that my eyes were shining gold.
“How long have you known?” Mum’s voice was quiet.
“Since I was ten.”
“Ten?! You didn’t get Artemis until you were thirteen.” Mum sounded stressed.
“I couldn’t shift until I was thirteen. I’ve been able to talk to Artemis since I was seven or eight.”
She sobbed. “Artemis is something else.”
Dad wrapped his arm around her shoulders, tugging her in against him, kissing her forehead.
“I assume you all have heard the prophecy?” dad asked.
I nodded. “We all accepted our part in it.”
He nodded, letting out a deep breath. “I hate that fate will put you in danger, sweetie, but I’m so proud of you. With your Consorts behind you, I know you’ll be safe and be able to do anything you set your mind to.”
I gave him a small smile. “Thanks, dad.”
We talked for hours about my birth family and pack, and my parents spent some time getting to know my mates.
“Sweetie… you should know something about when your Consorts all mark you,” mum started.
“What?” I raised one eyebrow, my body tense.
“You can’t complete all four marks at the same time. With each mark, you and the Consort marked will have a power boost. The Consort will get new abilities that will better help them support you, and you’ll get stronger too. You can’t do them all too close together because your body will not be able to handle it.”
My heart sank. I didn’t like where this was going.
“I assume it needs to be in order they came to me,” I glanced at Callum, whose face was unreadable.
Mum nodded.
“How long do I need to wait in between each marking?”
Mum’s mouth was open, but no sound came out. She knew I wasn’t going to like what she was about to say. “At least two days.”
“Two days? So it’ll take eight days to complete the bond?”
She nodded. “Whilst it’s not complete… you won’t be safe.”
“What do you mean, I won’t be safe?”
“You’ll be weaker. If the Rogue King plans to come for you, that’s when he’ll come. Once you’ve got the first mark, you’ll be vulnerable until you have the last.”
By the time we left, it was late, and I just wanted to sleep.
Only Oscar and Callum’s bedroom was big enough for the five of us, so we’d stay there until we sorted out a bigger bed and a room actually designed for five.
I’d need an office too… a war room of sorts. I needed to know what this prophecy meant and what that meant we needed to do. And to work out how I’d get four marks on my neck without me either dying or getting kidnapped by rogues in the meantime.
I fell asleep with my mates curled around me, in a cosy bundle of limbs that just felt safe. Unfortunately, the Moon Goddess picked that moment to come to me in a dream.
I was in a field, overlooking a valley. A beautiful valley. One I recognised, but I wasn’t sure why. “My daughter,” a musical voice came from behind me.
I turned towards the sound, to see a woman wearing white, an ethereal glow around her body, her blond hair almost floating around her head.
“Selene?” I asked, voice quiet.
“Yes, my child. You have come so far, but you have so far yet to go. The road to come is full of danger; but if you keep your friends close and your enemies closer, you will prevail.”
“What about the rogues?”
“The rogues won’t touch you if you are marked by all four of your Consorts, my daughter. They may try, that remains to be seen, but they won’t be able to hurt you or take you away from your destiny.”
“How long do I need to wait in between markings?”
“That remains to be seen, my child. You need to wait until Artemis can handle the next. It might be a day, it might be two. It might even be a month. That is not something that I can predict, my child.”
“What do I do?”
“The rogues will come on the next full moon, my child. If you aren’t marked by the time the moon is at its height, they will win.”
“The full moon? That’s only a week away?”
“I know, my child. I wish I could have told you sooner, but this connection between us didn’t exist until you had your four mates.”
I opened my eyes, not even realising I’d closed them. Selene had gone, but I still stood in the field. “Remember, my child. Artemis will guide you through the darkest night, to claim your throne, to claim your right. But Artemis cannot do it alone. Her fate is intertwined with those of her four Alphas, and without them, the shadows will take over.”
“Ava!” someone shouted, shaking me. I suddenly woke up, sitting up in bed, my breathing heavy, skin sweaty.
Callum was sitting in front of me, holding my hands. “Ava, breathe with me,” he whispered, guiding me through deep breathing to calm myself and my wolf. “Callum…” I whispered. “I saw her.”
“Who?”
“The Moon Goddess.”