One Ember, Two Hearts

CHAPTER #5: HOPE

SELENE P.O.V.

Being a goddess is a complex tapestry woven with threads of love, duty, and sacrifice. It is to be revered for my celestial beauty and simultaneously burdened with the desperate cries of my worshipers, who implore me for guidance as they traverse the treacherous waters of mortality.

I wish I could design their fates, but unfortunately, that lies beyond my powers. There is an equal balance among the gods and goddesses. My powers lie with creating and governing my lycans and wolves.

The Fates are the ones to decide our destinies. They lay out paths and, depending on what we choose, lay the next path. I honestly don't know how they can keep everything straight. Every living creature, from a gnat to humans, they lay the paths for us.

The only thing the Fates can't do is give life. I personally could not accept the role as a fate. Not being able to be a mother, I would have ended my existence.

The only downside is that I must watch the horror and pain my children go through. Being a celestial being, there are rules we must follow or face severe consequences. Even though we're powerful and immortal, we can still face death. Ironic, isn't it?

So I watch over their fates, steeling myself against the tides of despair, ever vigilant to ensure their souls find solace in the afterlife. But of all the challenges I face, nothing weighs heavier upon my heart than the quest to preserve my lineage.

Every time I think of my family, it just brings so much heartache. Fenrir is my eternal bond, my true love, my heart and soul. We were forged in darkness, before the first rays of the sun painted the horizon with light. Together, we sired Cerberus, our firstborn and first lycan, whose heart had been captured by a mortal woman named Fina. Their love was a flame that burned bright, but it was one that flickered precariously against the backdrop of mortality.

Fina made the brave decision to undergo a transformation spell to join Cerberus in his eternal existence. She spiraled into a new life, her mortal essence melding with the lycan bloodlines and blossoming into something powerful and magnificent. Their union blessed us with twin grandsons, Skoll and Hati, who roamed the forests with the wild glee of the young. For a while, our family was whole, and the Great Hunting Grounds felt like home.

Yet, shadows crept upon us as Cerberus began to change. Once he began living with Fina on Earth, his body transforms even more. He is unable to come back to his true home in the Great Hunting Grounds. My heart somewhat broke, because Fenrir and I had no way to communicate with our children.

In my despair, I turned to Gaia, my mother. Long ago, she had watched over my siblings and me as we weaved our destinies. When the sun was born, Gaia vanished from our realm, leaving us with a bittersweet ache for her presence. But she was still there, in the whispers of dreams and the wisdom of stars. I prayed for her guidance, for Fenrir and I needed to mend the rift that had formed in our family.

Our desperate summoning proved fruitful one night when the silver light of the moon spilled into my chamber, casting ethereal shadows around me. Gaia's voice floated to me, soft and melodious. "Speak to your children in dreams, my beloved Selene. Let the bonds of love guide your hearts, even when distance pulls at your souls."

With newfound hope, Fenrir and I began our nightly ritual. We conjured dreams where Cerberus wandered, mingling with echoes of laughter and warmth that belonged to family. We infused his heart with our love through the starlit tapestry of the dream realm. Yet despite the joy of these encounters, the hollow ache of not being able to hold him in our arms gnawed at my spirit.

Then, I found myself becoming pregnant again. The joy was tempered by the shadows of my last experience, a haunting memory that wrapped around my heart like ivy. This pregnancy was fraught with torment. Each day dragged like a tempest, pain crashing over me like thunder. I ached with every breath, and such despair twisted inside me, threatening to engulf the last remnant of hope I clung to.

When the day finally arrived, crimson bled across the horizon. I thought I would descend into the void, my life slipping between my fingers like grains of sand. But then, there he was our son, Drogo, large and majestic, a magnificent wolf whose presence filled the world with grace. He was healthy and strong, yet he held an essence that separated him from Cerberus. Drogo was not a lycan, but a wolf, a colossal guardian of spirit.

My heart swelled with pride, and yet sorrow settled upon me. Despite being born of divine heritage, Drogo would age like any mortal. It was a cruel twist, a reminder that we were not so free from the chains of mortality after all.

The years unfurled like delicate parchment, and soon I found myself watching as my precious Drogo grew weary, his coat touched with silver and age. The day he left us, my heart splinters into shards, each piece a reminder of the beautiful life he lived.

My mind raced with a million questions, each bringing more and more dread. Mortal souls went to three places. The light which mortals refer to as heaven. The fire which is hell. Then there is the gray, which is a soul wondering the Earth.

Fenrir holds me as I weep uncontrollably. A miracle then occurs. The Great Hunting Grounds welcomed him with open arms, the spirits of our ancestors swirling like constellations in the midnight sky. I thank my mother even to this day that he is with me.

Over the years, the children would have their fated mates and, thankfully, when they mark them, the mortals would form into wolves. They would populate like rabbits, which brought lots of love and laughter with each new life.

Unfortunately for Cerberus and Fina, children were much more difficult to have. Over their thousand year marriage, they were only able to have three children. Two boys named Jatix and Tybalt, and a girl named Belle.

I still remember the day Fina brought our beautiful Belle into this world. It was a day radiating warmth and love, the sun flooding our home with gold. Yet, it was the start of a bitter chapter in a love story that stretched over a thousand years. In those early days of joy, I couldn’t have foreseen this darkness that would follow.

Fina’s health deteriorated like a fragile flower caught in an unending storm. This sickness is the only sickness that can destroy a woman. The birthing fever tore through her like wildfires consuming a forest. I watch as Cerebus became mad in his mind.

Her final breaths were moments of shattered silence. She was there one second and then gone. I watched helplessly as her spirit departed, and the void she left behind sucked the very life from existence. I was left tethered to the memories of what could have been, grasping at echoes of her laughter that haunted the corners of their home.

Madness fully hit Cerebus after her death. The world around him blurred and twisted, merging dreams with reality. I reached out, pleading for her presence, but she remained elusive, a wisp of smoke that danced just beyond my grasp.

Cerberus couldn't live without his mate. He could speak with her, but the need for physical touch was driving him more into madness. We tried to stop him from hurting himself, but in the end he ripped out his own heart. We waited for him to appear in our world, but he never came. To this day, I don't know what has happened to my sweet Cerberus.

After that day, Fenrir and I lost the ability to communicate with our children. All we could do was watch from the sidelines as the generations birthed new wolves, hope blooming like wildflowers after the ravaging of winter. Each new child brought new joy.

Years marched on, and I became a silent observer of chaos and happiness. Packs growing strong, wolves populating like rabbits, but the lycans began to dwindle. The attraction to their longevity became a plague. I watched them falter, their lives extinguished in agonizing ways, driven to madness by the loss of their own mates. Of the once mighty pack of lycans, only one held the light of life, Ember, my great-great-granddaughter.

The first ten years of her life, she grew up in a loving and happy family and pack. Then came the day that Lucian took all that away. Her new world is surrounded by heartbreak and chains.

I wanted to scream, to protect her, but I was nothing more than a forgotten presence in her life. The slave laws plagued her existence, contaminating the very blood that ran through her veins, and my heart ached with unfathomable sorrow. I still don't know how or even who came up with the idea of slavery.

I can feel every drop of her blood spill onto the ground, and I winced each time. Each loss carved itself like ash into the depths of my soul, a relentless torment caused by a tragic destiny I could not change. In desperation, I tried every means to reach her, to communicate my love, my guidance, my strength. I searched for hope like a crow scavenging among ruins, but nothing worked.

Then one day, Gaia delivered a message, a blood spell. With what little strength remained in my tired existence, I performed the incantation, feeling its power surge within the fabric of our lineage. There was a flicker of connection, fragile yet profound. It was a thin lifeline woven through the ages, bridging the chasm that separated us.

I can feel the pain from each crack bull rope soaked in wolfsbane. The sound echoing through my mind like a ghostly bell tolling in anguish. I can see Ember crumpled to the ground, her thin, frail body bruised and bleeding, flesh torn where they had whipped her.

Lucian finally stops when she goes unconscious. Fear gnaws at the edges of my heart, as I enter her unconsciousness powerless to save her from the desolation of her life. The least thing I can do to bring her some solace by recreating the waterfall for her.

“Hello.” I say hesitantly, my voice a fragile thing in the thick air of our shared dream. “It’s an honor to meet you, Ember.” I extended my hand, hoping to help her rise from the anguish that weighed her down. She looks up at me, her eyes wide with bewilderment.

“Are you Selene, the moon goddess?” She asks, terror lacing her voice.

“I am.” I smile gently, extending warmth into the void of her despair. But before I could coax her into the comfort of our dream, her fear erupts into rage.

Without a word, she lunges forward and punches me squarely in the face. I blink in surprise, the sting radiating across my cheek. She clutches her hand in pain.

“Just tell me why?!” She growls, her fury crackling like fire in the air between us while my heart shatters at her desperation for the question that she has been wanting an answer to all these years.

“It’s a truly long story.” I begin, my voice steadier than my heart. “You are the last of the bloodline of my son, Cerberus. I’m trying to preserve what little remains of him. Caring for you is my only solace.” A bitter laugh escapes her lips.

“Well, you’ve really done a great job! How many times have you watched as they beat me?!”

“More times than I can count.” I confess, my own tears mingling with the mist. “Please understand, I’m trying my hardest to help you. The spell to get this connection to you is complex, but when you turn eighteen, they will all see the royalty that is in your blood.” She scoffs.

“Lady, I’m planning on leaving this world before eighteen.” The words struck me like lightning, stealing my breath. I sink to my knees, feeling the ground pulse with sadness.

“Why?!” I plead, tears pouring down my cheeks, watering the earth like a blighted flower.

“f**k you!” Ember snaps, her voice a whip of defiance.

With that, she turns away, her form flickering like a flame caught in a draft. I lunge for her, desperation tugging at my limbs, but she vanishes, and I crumple into the embrace of anguish, drowning in my own tears.

Oh my sweet Cerberus! Help me fix this so you won’t truly be gone!

The next night, I return to the realm where I can reach her through the veil. My heart aches for Ember.

The world outside is void of gentleness. Ember's home is like a cage, and I am a witness to the relentless bullying she endures, and all I can do is watch in horror. If I interfere, the balance would be destroyed and all life would die.

Her beauty had once sparkled like moonlight on water, but they have stripped her of every glimmer, leaving behind only a hollow shell. I mustered the courage to confront the elders in the land of the gods, a council of ancient beings who feared the power of love.

“You must grant me permission!” I implore, speaking of the power of bloodlines and prophecies that weighed heavily upon us all. “Her spirit is breaking under the torment! Her blood sings the memory of Cerberus. Let me save her.” There is silence, thick as a storm brewing on the horizon. Their decision, when it came, echoed in the chamber like a thunderclap.

“No one may alter the course set forth. One must learn to fight for themselves.” I return to the dream, once again surrounded by the sanctuary of the waterfall. I know I had to instill in Ember a spirit fierce enough to fight back. It is my only hope.

“Ember!” I call into the vastness of the dream, my heart pounding with the weight of my purpose. “You don’t have to be afraid anymore. Trust me, the power to change your destiny lies within you.” Slowly, she materializes before me, her expression softened by surprise, tinged with doubt.

“You’re back?” She whispers.

“Yes, I am! You are more than a victim! You carry the heart of a warrior! I can show you how to connect with your legacy! We can fight them, to reclaim your freedom and honor!”

Ember studies me, the flicker of hope cautiously igniting behind her defiance. A deep flash of uncertainty crosses her face, but something boundless resided there too. I can feel it.

“Maybe.” She sighs as tears brew in her eyes. "I really don't want to die!" She explains. "I would love to find my mate! I want like twenty kids!" Tears stream down her dirty face.

I pull her into my arms, holding her tight, letting her bare her soul to me. I stroke her hair trying to console her. Once a mom, always a mom.

And at that moment, standing beneath the shimmering cascade of the moonlit waterfall, I see the potential that glimmered in Ember. Together, we can reforge her destiny. She will rise, defiant and unstoppable.