Forsaken by the Moon Goddess novel Chapter 93

Sloane

I wake with a start, looking around quickly. We’re in wolf form, in a meadow I’ve never seen before.

‘Aisling, where are we? What happened? Where’s Benedict?’ I ask.

Slowly, my wolf gets to her feet, looking around and sniffing the air. Nothing smells familiar, yet somehow, it all smells familiar. It’s very disorienting and it makes no sense.

‘Aisling?’ I ask again, just as she catches the scent of something.

She takes off like a shot, racing to the source of the smell. It takes my brain a couple of seconds to catch up with her instinct. ‘MOTHER!’ Aisling says, as a beautiful brown wolf steps out of the forest.

‘Hello, my beautiful daughter,’ Gillian purrs as Aisling begins making a sound that is part yip and part whine, pushing herself against her mother and licking at her face as if she were a puppy. I can feel her entire backside wagging with her excitement. Aisling never had a chance to meet her mother. Gillian died before I got Aisling. All she’s ever had were my memories of her. Aisling continues brushing herself against her mother’s body, yipping excitedly. I give her a few minutes to enjoy her reunion, loving this side of my wolf, but I need to know what’s going on.

‘Gillian, where are we?’ I ask her.

“You’re in my realm,” a tall woman in a glowing white dress with long shiny black hair says, stepping beside Gillian. She gently runs her fingers over Gillian’s fur and Aisling surprises me by lifting her neck in submission.

‘Mother.’

‘You’re the Moon Goddess?” I ask.

“Yes. I am Selene.”

“Am I dead?”

“No, but I might have terrified your mate a bit by bringing you here when I did. I apologize for interrupting your marking, but I made a deal with your mother. And unfortunately, the only way to bring you here and not cause pain to your mates was to disconnect your mate bond completely. But I promise, when you return, it will be fully functional again.”

Before I can ask what deal she made with Gillian, another wolf steps out of woods. Selene looks at him and steps aside.

I knew Gillian from when I was young, but I’ve never met this wolf.

‘Dad?’ Aisling asks, her voice so soft even I can barely hear it.

‘Aisling, this is your father, Ralf,’ Gillian says.

Unlike with her mother, Aisling takes tentative steps toward her father. He leans his head forward, gently rubbing his face against hers and then the yipping, whining sound starts again as Aisling begins pressing her body against his.

My own emotions swell inside me. I never thought I’d get to meet my real father. As I watch, the wolf shifts into the man, a man who is unmistakably Grandpa Waylon’s son.

He wraps his arms around Aisling. “Hello, my beautiful daughter,” he says, holding her. “I’m so glad I finally get to meet you.

He takes her face in his hands, smiling at us. “Will you let me speak to Sloane, Aisling? I’d like to hug my human daughter as well.”

Aisling steps away from him and I pull the shift, surprised when I’m wearing a sheath dress similar to what the Moon Goddess is wearing. My father is also dressed in what looks like soft linen pants and shirt.

“Dad?”

“Oh, my beautiful daughter,” he says, opening his arms to me.

I don’t hesitate. I rush into his arms, crying for all the years that I never got to have with him. 1

He holds me, pressing kisses to the top of my head while I cry. When I finally get my tears under control he takes my face in his hands and brushes my tears away.

“I didn’t think I’d ever get to meet you,” I say, my words choked from my tears

“I knew we’d meet one day. I just didn’t know it would be this soon. But I’m so thankful that I get to see you, hold you, and tell you how very proud I am of the woman that you’ve become Sloane. jobnib.comI’ve watched you grow up. I watched you work so hard in your life, overcoming so many obstacles, but still staying true to yourself. You may not have believed in yourself for a very long time, but Gillian and I have believed in you from the very beginning. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect heir. My daughter, the first female Alpha.”

He pulls me against his chest when I begin crying again.

When I get my tears under control again, I turn and look at Gillian.

“Althea …”

“Althea was not welcome in my realm after her betrayal. Gillian was already at odds with Althea, so it did not pain her to come here without her human,” the Moon Goddess says.

“I’m glad she’s not here. She took so much away from so many people,” I say, smiling up at my father as he tucks me under his arm, still holding me tightly.

“Wait, you said you made a deal with our mother, that’s why we’re here. What deal did you make with her?” I ask Selene. She looks at Gillian. “Would you like to tell her?”

Gillian turns to me. Derrick leans over to lovingly brush his hand over her fur.

“When Althea killed Derrick and Ralf, I was distraught. I wanted to die. I wanted to leave Althea alone with her bitterness and hatred. But she was already pregnant with you, Sloane, and I couldn’t leave my pup, Derrick’s pup, behind.”

She looks back at Selene. “Selene wanted to end the white wolf line from my blood, but I didn’t want you, or Aria, or any of your children to suffer because of Althea’s betrayal. So, I gave up my white wolf status but offered an alternative solution. If my descendants accepted their fated mate, they would receive their white wolf.”

I frown, looking at Selene. “I’m not giving up Aisling. She’s my wolf. She deserves to be a white wolf. She’s the most amazing wolf there is. It’s not worth it to me to have a white wolf if it’s not her.”

Selene smiles at me. “I’m glad you said that. It just confirms for me that you and your wolf are worthy of claiming the white wolf status. However, Sloane, you already have all the power of a white wolf. You did that all on your own.”

I frown. “What do you mean?”

“As your father said, you worked very hard to become one of the strongest wolves I’ve ever created. And yet, even with all the bullying and all of the things that others said and did to you, you’ve remained a loving, compassionate person. You don’t give your love easily, but when you do, it is with your whole heart, without hesitation or wavering. That love is recognized by the packs. It’s why Waylon’s pack follows you like they do. It’s why Benedict’s pack has already fallen in love with you. What I’m trying to say, Sloane, is that, even if I make Aisling into a white wolf, nothing will change for you. The only thing that will change is the color of her fur.”

I think about that for a moment. ‘Aisling?’

‘You know I never cared about it the way that you do, Sloane. But now, meeting my mother, I want her legacy to live through me, through us. I want others to know that I am Gillian’s daughter and while Althea may not have valued the gift that she was given by the Moon Goddess, you and I do. Our mother made this agreement for us and for our daughters and their daughters. To me, it’s another gift that I want to accept and treasure.’

I look at Selene and see her smiling at me.

“You and your wolf are paired very well. One of my best pairings, I dare say. Now, since you’ve made your decision, we need to get you back. Your poor mate is beside himself. I do apologize once again for the timing, but you are the first and now you can let your sister and your daughters know the difference between your white wolf line and Samara’s.”

“Hers will stay the same? Jessica will get her white wolf when she turns ten?”

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