Mated to More Than a Myth

Chapter 4

“THE Lucifer?!” Grandmother Charlotte squeaked while everybody remained still in stunned silence. Lucifer gave a rakish wink and purred, “The one and only beautiful.” Grandmother Char cleared her throat as she turned her head with her cheeks bright red from the unexpected compliment. Lucifer chuckled as he knelt down by Lilith. He brushed her hair from her face and as he did so her skin and hair began to clear of the dried blood and dirt. Grandmother Charlotte gave a small gasp as Lilith's true beauty was finally revealed along with the brightly glowing Moon Goddess symbol on her brow. The rest of her body was cleaned and instead of the rags she had been wearing she now bore silky black robes. Alarick felt his throat tighten at how perfect his mate was and the fact that he had managed to hurt her after only just meeting her.

“Do you think she hates us enough to reject us, Alarick?” Ambrose’ voice was so thick with pain it was barely more than a whisper in his mind. It took everything within Alarick to hold their tears back. He couldn’t believe he had screwed up this badly. He was an i***t that didn’t deserve the angel that lay before him, but his wolf did. She may hate Alarick, but she couldn’t hate Ambrose. He was always loyal to their mate and never once looked at another female. “Don’t worry, old friend. I’ll figure out a way to earn her forgiveness. She won’t reject us.” Alarick spoke gently to his wolf as he saw a mental image of him curled up in a ball as he whined and whimpered quietly in fear. He had never seen him that way but he understood exactly how he felt.

“Fae King, would you be so kind as to open a portal to the Dog Kings’ bed chamber.” Lucifer asked as he scooped up Lilith. Everybody had a look of shock on their faces as Alarick only hung his head in sorrow. Though Alarick hated the verbal jabs from Lucifer, he didn’t dare even give a frustrated growl. He needed the prick to tell him more about Lilith and what he needed to do to make her stay. Eric nodded solemnly and gave Alarick a small smile of compassion before holding up his hands to create a portal. Everybody began making their way quietly through. As Lucifer righted himself, Alarick found he was able to stand. He immediately rushed to Lilith, but did not make a move to touch her. He just stared at her now clean and peaceful face as he heard the others leaving behind him.

“She is fine dog. I’ll explain everything to you and the others when we get to your room.” Alarick glanced at Lucifers’ stony expression before nodding and quickly heading through the portal. Just as he was about to walk through Lucifer yelled, “As soon as you’re through take a damn shower. You smell like cheap s*x and shame!” To which Eric almost doubled over in laughter and Alarick growled a frustrated, “I know!”

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In the garden of the Moon Goddess, Lilith's eyes fluttered open and she groaned. She sat up and looked around. It took her a moment to realize where she was and when she did she sighed in relief. It was night there but the moonlight shone just as brightly as the sun, as it illuminated all plant life that bloomed only in the moon's presence. Fireflies danced around an elaborate bubbling fountain in the shape of Luna holding up a star. Lilith looked down at herself as she moved to stand and saw that she now wore a black silk toga-style dress that seemed almost weightless. She smiled softly, knowing that Luna loved to see her in dark or rich colors. She walked over to the fountain and sat on the edge while gently running her fingers over the ripples. She soon felt a warm breath in the crook of her neck and forced herself not to smile. She continued playing in the water as a large wet and warm nose nudged and almost pushed her into the water. She had to hide her giggle with a long-suffering sigh as she turned around and faced the enormous tiger. When she turned she was shocked at what she saw. Her tiger sat forlornly before her with bright amber eyes overflowing with tears and her body trembling with pain. Lilith immediately wrapped her arms around Tigress and began to cry as well. A lot had happened over the years and now that Tigress was awake and able to reconnect with Lilith it was all very overwhelming. “I’m so sorry I called Lucy! I didn’t know what else to do! You wouldn’t let me back in and I felt you were losing control. I didn’t want you to do anything we’d regret and there were innocents there. You kicked me out, Lilly! Why wouldn’t you let me know what was going on with Alarick? He’s my mate too! You aren’t supposed to carry that type of pain all by yourself! I know it can’t kill you, but it can poison your mind and heart! It’s supposed to be you and me forever! Why would you do that to us, Lilly?! Why?! Do you hate me now?” By the time Tigress was done ranting, they were both a sobbing mess. Lilith was unable to speak for a few minutes and just clung to Tigress like the life line she was to her. Lilith felt like a selfish i***t for putting her best friend through this type of heartache and pain. As soon as she was able to get her breathing under a bit of control, she sat back on the ledge of the fountain and used her new dress to dry the tiger's face. Tigress rested her massive head on Lilith's lap and looked at her with sad amber eyes. “I could NEVER hate you. You are the best thing that has EVER happened to me and I’d rather die than be without you. The reason I blocked you out is because I was trying to protect you from the pain I had been feeling for almost two decades now, and I didn’t want you tainted by my rage. I also didn’t want you to see me being a monster. You did the right thing in calling Lucy and thank you for doing that. I don’t think I could survive if I ever disappointed you. Can you ever forgive me, little sister?” By the time she was done explaining herself, Tigress was staring at her with a blank expression and Lilith was afraid. Just as she was about to beg for forgiveness again Tigress pushed Lilith into the fountain and took off running in the opposite direction. Lilith was so stunned that she almost missed Tigress’ growling laugh as she said, “Now that we’re even, all is forgiven!” As soon as she heard Tigress’ happy response she felt a weight lift off of her shoulders. She was beyond thankful that her tiger loved her so much and was so understanding where others hadn’t been. So, to keep the mood light hearted, she let out a playfully angry roar and chased after the huge silly cat. They played for what seemed like hours chasing each other around and talking about everything and nothing. They finally ended up with Lilith sitting on the ground with her back against the fountain and Tigress’ head in her lap once more. They sat in a companionable silence as they watched the fireflies. Just as Lilith was about to bring up the hard subject of their mate a familiar voice rang out. “So how have my favorite girls been?! I’m sure you two have a lot to tell and ask me.” Tigress and Lilith squealed “Luna!” in unison as they launched themselves at the Goddess, who just giggled as all three of them tumbled to the soft grass in a happy mess.

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Back at the Tri Castle, Alarick had just finished dressing after his lightning fast, but thorough, shower and stepped into his bedroom. The first thing he noticed was his mate's sleeping form in the center of his massive bed. His instinct was to go to her, but the moment he took a step in that direction Lucifer popped his head through the doorway that connected his bedroom to his personal office and dryly said, “Don’t even think about it dog. Everybody is waiting on you so I can explain a few things before your groveling begins.” Alarick growled in frustration as he took one last look at his mate and stomped his way to the others. In his office he found his parents and both his grandparents sitting on one couch. Vlad, Kayla, Eric, and Delia were on the other couch. Colton and Miranda were sitting in matching chairs that were across from his big oak desk. They had moved the chairs and couches so that all present were facing each other, with Lucifer sitting calmly on the windowsill at one end and Alarick behind his desk at the other. Alarick quickly took his seat and looked around the room. Everybody had looks varying from excitement to worry. His Grandfather, who he hadn’t seen since the day before, had his glasses perched on his nose as he scribbled in his ever present notebook. Alarick smiled briefly as he heard Grandpa Alec asking his grandmother questions quietly at a rapid-fire pace. He still wore his white lab coat with his silver hair sticking out in every direction. His Grandma smiled and blushed as she happily told her mate everything he wanted to know. Once his Grandfather paused in his writing, Lucifer seemed to take that as his queue to begin the meeting.

“Alright everybody, the reason I called on all of you is because you are some of the most influential and powerful beings on earth at this time and will be in direct contact with Lilith. I will not give you all of her history since I believe it is personal to her and only her story to tell. However, I will go over the highlights so that you can get a better understanding of who and what you are dealing with. Does everybody here have a roundabout knowledge of human history and religion?” Lucifer, who had seemed rude and arrogant before now just seemed to want to be thorough and informative without being condescending. He stood tall and strong in a pair of snug black jeans and a black T-shirt and black vans. Alarick was wondering about all the black attire when his Grandfather spoke up in his usual clinical but friendly manner. “We made human and world history a requirement in our education system when Char and I came to power. With so many interspecies unions occurring, it seemed unwise not to fully understand the varying cultures that would be joining ours. The royals and all other high-ranking officials such as betas, elders, and councilmen are required to take much longer and in-depth lessons as they are influential to the laws and the decision-making of the kingdom.” Alarick and the others nodded in agreement while his Grandmother practically glowed with pride and adoration. Lucifer seemed impressed and smiled his approval. “That is excellent. I wish the humans would adopt that way of thinking.” Lucifer got a troubled and melancholy expression as he seemed to be deep in thought, but it only lasted for a moment before he continued. “Today we’ll just focus on the start of the human race and how Lilith fits in historically. After father created the earth, he then moved to man and woman. Now in Christianity, the first ones are known as Adam and Eve, but in Judaism the first man and woman are Adam and Lilith.” Everybody gave a collective gasp as they all now knew that Lilith was actually THE Lilith. The first demoness. The night hag. Killer of babies and scourge to pregnant women. Mother to demons. Lucifer let them mull that over before continuing. “Now the problem occurred when Adam discovered that though Lilith appeared smaller in stature and softer in manner and appearance than he, she was his equal. He could not best her in strength or whit and soon found that she was far superior to him in will. Though he knew they were made from the same materials and at the same time, he felt that she should submit to him and be the inferior in their union.” Alarick felt Ambrose claw free for a moment and snarled, “MINE!” His claws grasped the edge of his desk and the sound of wood splintering filled the room. He felt his canines lengthen as he fought for control. Lucifer just clicked his tongue while rolling his eyes. “Down Cujo. Hold all questions, thoughts, and concerns until the end of class or you will be kicked out of the room.” Vlad and Eric had identical “coughing fits” in which both of their wives smacked them on the back of their heads in unison. “Anyways… When Lilith refused to submit, Adam became violent. When this occurred, Lilith fled paradise to roam the earth alone. Only after she left and it was clear that she would not return to submit to Adam did father decide to create for Adam the companion he so desperately needed. But this time father used a rib from Adam so that she would not be an equal. She would forever only have a fraction of Adams' attributes. Now the interesting part is nobody seemed to find fault with this method. Men being strong and women being weak just seems like the way things should be. Well, to power hungry Adam, that seemed like the correct way of thinking at least. But what if you think about it in terms of pure survival…….?” Just about everybody in the room had a look of confusion on their faces, except for Grandpa Alec. He at first seemed shocked and then made eye contact with a smug Lucifer who had a wicked gleam in his eyes. When he gave a sly nod, the room nearly shook from the booming laughter of Grandpa Alec. The old wolf laughed so hard he wheezed with tears flowing freely down his weathered cheeks. Lucifer doubled over with what now appeared to be an inside joke between the two. By this time, the rest of the room was getting restless at not getting the joke. Grandma Charlotte finally jabbed her husband in the ribs and growled, “Care to share with the rest of the class dear?” Alec winced then mumbled an apology to her as he cleaned his face up a bit. He looked at his son Alexander and grinned widely before asking, “Son do you remember when you got Alarick his high school graduation gift to go to Rome for three months, all expenses paid for him Eric, Vlad, and Colton? But they all bitched and complained about wanting to go to Cancun so bad that you and their parents got together and told them they could go to Cancun. The only catch was that you would only pay for a week and they would have to get a job to pay for the rest…?” There was suddenly a light in the eyes of Alarick's parents and Grandmother. His father grinned widely as he added on, “They ended up only being able to stay three weeks in a roach motel during the off season and damn near hated each other by the time they came back!” This time everybody but Alarick was doubled over with laughter. When Lucifer noticed his irritated and confused look, he just rolled his eyes and spelled it out for him. “I might actually have to break down and pray for my sister. The moral of the story is that your father gave you an amazing gift that you would have loved and cherished in the long run. Instead of accepting that gift, you were ungrateful and focused only on what you wanted and not what you already had. So you were given EXACTLY what you asked for. You just weren’t expecting to actually have to work so hard to only get something not worth half of what you already had. Do you get it now dog?” Alarick ignored the insult as it finally clicked. “Lilith is Rome and Eve is Cancun! I can’t believe her father really did that!” Lucifer only raised an eyebrow and looked at Alec in question. Alec gave a soft chuckle and replied, “Don’t worry. The pup has a good heart and is usually pretty smart. Though going so long without finding his mate may have fried a few brain cells.” There was a chorus of laughter along with a disgruntled growl.

“Okay, let’s get back on track. Many of the stories about Lilith are untrue, while others are only half truths. She is obviously not a hag. She is not the mother of demons due to the fact she can only conceive with her mate. She does not kill or harm babies or pregnant women; however, she does gravitate towards small children and expecting mothers close to death or in grave danger. She has always had a weakness for them and animals in need. She can easily read the hearts of those around her and determine if they should be saved or not.”

“That explains the female rogues and our guards she saved and shielded.” Ambrose whispered in awe. Miranda raised her hand like an excited child, causing Alarick to roll his eyes. His mother mouthed BEHAVE! with a death glare as Lucifer nodded to Miranda to ask her question. “If she is just the first human woman why does she have the Moon Goddess Lunas’ symbol on her brow and what was with all of her crazy abilities? Also, what happened in the end when her eyes were two different colors with black tears? I know it was because Alarick screwed up, but what would have happened?” Instead of taking offense to how Miranda just brought up his screw up he simply paid rapt attention, because he had the same questions. Lucifer looked his way and subtly nodded his approval of something unknown. Then he began explaining more about Alaricks’ mysterious mate.

“Lilith bares Lunas’ symbol because she is her chosen Guardian. That symbol basically gives her the same powers as Luna in physical form. It was bestowed on her for her constant vigil and selfless and unprompted charity for those under Lunas’ protection. The day she received that mark was also the day she received Tigress, who is her feral form. With Lilith having the same powers as the Moon Goddess, she basically can do anything a Fae, Vampire or shifter can. She was also given gifts from our father that gave her knowledge, beauty, power over man, and the gift of truth. Now what you saw at the end came from the powers I gave her long before Luna. But when the power I gave poured into her, it grew exponentially. She is far more powerful than I could ever dream of being.” Lucifer had a far off look as everybody exchanged worried looks. “But you came in and stopped her immediately. If she’s more powerful how can you do that?” Miranda asked, trying to make sense of what they had seen.

“I was only able to do that because she gave me the power to do so. Anytime something truly bad happens, she usually has Tigress as a buffer. But with her missing and me being unable to contact her, I have no idea what conditions she was under. The minute she was free I knew, but I had no reason to intervene. But the moment things went sideways and Tigress couldn’t ground her, she called me in to basically hit a kill switch.” Lucifer held up the hand he had used to cover her eyes. There were deep ugly burns on his palm and fingers. Alarick asked the question he knew everybody else in the room wanted to know. “What would have happened if you didn’t get there in time?” Lucifer closed his hand and pressed it over his heart. The look on his face looked so haunted with grief that Alarick was afraid of what the answer may be.

“The last time I failed my Little Lilly was when Tigress and she were both of like mind. The cruelty of man broke her again and Tigress was too hurt to call out for help. She came upon a celebration of more than two hundred men and women.” Lucifers’ eyes began to glow a deep blood red as he paused to gather the strength to continue the story. “It was a celebration to bring forth a demon that would grant the wealthy couples there fertility. They were sacrificing the virginity of five slaves. The revelers drank, ate, laughed and danced as every man there “sacrificed” the slaves’ innocence until they died. The oldest was twelve and the youngest was six. Lilith arrived when the party goers were sleeping off the expensive wine and using the stone slabs that held the exposed bodies of the dead girls for empty cups and half-eaten food. That day was August 24th 79AD.” Lucifer spat disgustedly.

“Dear Goddess!” Grandmother sobbed, clinging to Grandfather Alec. His grandfather looked at the others confused and disgusted expressions and solemnly answered the others' universal question, “That was the day Mount Vesuvius erupted. But most of us today just call it Pompeii.”