Accepting Fate (Moonlight Trials Series #3)

Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Freybelle’s POV



We had been walking for what seemed like an age, in the dark and there seemed to be no sign of stopping permanently. I hadn’t actually seen the location because I had been in control of Asher and the Alpha and Beta refused to show me. Nathan had tried to describe it to me, but it wasn’t anywhere I recognised.

“The map we had showed the village nearby as being called Little Longlee but it’s not a village anymore. I told the Alpha we needed more up to date maps but because of GPS he prefers to use the phones now instead.” Nathan complained. I recognised the name and remembered I had been born at this village. My mother had been friends with a lady here who helped her deliver me. She had spoken fondly of her friend, but I couldn’t remember her name now.

“Are we far away?” I asked and it was Jack who answered as we all pulled to a stop.

“Not far now.” He grumbled. He had been looking at me strangely all night and I couldn’t make eye contact with him, not after yesterday. When I had broken down crying Jack had in a moment of weakness, bet to help me, placing his hand on my shoulder and I had seen a memory of a conversation between him and the Alpha. I knew deep down the Alpha wanted rid of me, but he had become enraged when he had seen that Nathan had marked me.

“He didn’t!” The Alpha was screaming as Jack just stood there, not know what to say or do. “He’s crazy. She needs to be removed.” He said and I felt Jack flinch.

“What do you mean?” Jack asked.

“Tomorrow, when we are fighting the coven, I going to remove her from the picture, permanently. Nathan will think shes been killed by her coven so he will grieve but stay with the pack.”

“You can’t.” Jack argued.

“I can… Are you going to stop me?” He asked and I felt a surge of anger from Jack before he shook his head. “Good. Know your place, especially if you ever want to move packs.” The Alpha taunted and I knew now that Jack had asked to move, not stayed through loyalty, the Alpha just wasn’t letting him. When I had come out of the vision, Jack had let go of my shoulder, nodded at me then followed his Alpha. I knew it was his way of warning me, after all, everyone knew my visions were triggered by touch.

“Do we rest for the night or carry on until we find them?” I asked, genuinely curious. I didn’t want sleep, but I needed all my strength if I was not only ging to be confronting my mother and sister but also if I was going to potentially be fighting off an Alpha. Everyone had crowded around the leaders, Nathan, Alpha Fenn, Jack and also me for some reason.

“We’re heading straight in.” The Alpha snapped before Nathan could answer. I saw Nathan look at his Alpha with furrowed brows, clearly that hadn’t been discussed. “Freybelle said it herself, there’s no telling how long they’ll stay where they are, especially if they sense something wrong with Asher.” I couldn’t argue there and neither could Nathan, but I sensed his distrust. I hadn’t told Nathan about what Jack had shown me, but he could now feel my emotions through the mark I had, and he knew something was wrong with me.

“Ok, we head straight in whilst they sleep. We stay low and quiet and set up the perimeter as discussed whilst the Alpha, Frey and I talk to the leader.”

“My mother…” I said, bitterly. Nathan nodded before continuing on.

“She likely won’t listen, but we try all the same. We don’t attack until they do. Then we start at the top. If anyone surrenders, we let them live and decide what to do with them after.” Everyone nodded in agreement except the Alpha. He was really starting to annoy me. His role was to lead and protect his pack but his vendetta against me was taking over. He wasn’t thinking of their safety or of anything besides wanting to get rid of me. I sighed out loud and got up to walk away before we set off again. Nathan followed me.

“Frey, I know somethings wrong. You’ve not been the sae since yesterday.” I shrugged. “I put it down to what you did to Asher and then him… but this isn’t that.” I turned to look at him. I raised a hand to stroke his ruggedly handsome face. He’d not shaved in a few days, so his stubble was poking through, and it scratched against my hand.

“I’m fine… I just… I want this over and done with.” I breathed, telling the truth. I did want this over with, one way or another today would be the day that either I was free from the pain of my past and moving forward with Nathan or I would find release in the end. He closed his eyes and leant into my hand.

“I want it done too. The Alpha has lost it. Jack is following blindly, and I feel sorry for my men, but I can’t hang around and watch the pack fall apart, especially when there is no successor.” He opened his eyes and gently placed a kiss in the palm of my hand. “Come on, looks like they’re heading out again. We should be there in a few hours.” I nodded and followed Nathan, wishing I could fly right now.

We approached the settlement, and it was deadly quiet. There wasn’t the sound of animals or of fires or even of snoring.

Something isn’t right. I said through our mind link, and Nathan nodded in agreement before relaying it through mind link to his pack. I saw Nathan communicating in hand signals and mind link before everyone began moving. I waited for everyone to take their positions before Nathan, Alpha Fenn and I walked slowly and quietly into the camp.

“Freybelle!” A woman’s voice shouted from nowhere and everywhere all at once. Then there was a gust of wind and a woman walked towards us. I knew who it was straight away and curled my lip in disdain at her. She was wearing a long black dress, her long brown hair piled high on her head.

“Bree?” I questioned. “Where is mother!” I shouted, firmly, not wanting to show my fear.

“Oh, shes here, waiting for you…” Bree smiled at me maliciously and I could feel joy pouring from her. But why?

“Waiting for me?” I questioned, confused and Bree laughed aloud.

“Aww, poor naïve sister, you didn’t think we wouldn’t know…” I was confused, there was no way for her to know. “Look at the cogs turning. Asher was a plant. We knew you wouldn’t die from before and when we realised you had allied with the same werewolf pack we had attacked before we knew it was a sign. The coven thought you were dead so we knew when Asher found you, he would panic. We wanted you to find the bag, thinking we would attack another poor victim, and you would swoop in and save them… alas… the only person we want, and need is you…” Bree shouted and suddenly the entire camp was alight with sound and light. I looked around at the people I once knew as my coven and most of them seemed like zombies, following orders but there was no emotion coming from them.

“They’re like shells of themselves.” I said aloud so both Nathan and Alpha Fenn could hear. Neither of them said anything but I knew they would be communicating everything out to the pack.

“Mother requests your presence in the summoning circle sister.” I glared at her.

“Why Bree…” I asked, the question not fully forming on my tongue. I wasn’t sure I wanted the full answer, but it wasn’t her who answered.

“You’ve been touched by the goddess, dear one.” And I instantly recognised my mother’s voice. “We always knew you were special, from the birthmark on your hand.” I looked down to the moon on my right hand and nodded.

“Yeah, you always told me that.” I said, looking confused.

“You don’t know how much power a moon child holds.”

“A moon child?” Nathan questioned.

“Ah, the fake mate. How quaint.” My mother said before dismissing him and turning back to me. “A moon child holds a part of the moon goddess, a part of her power and a part of her soul. That power is everything we need to ensure we hold Hecate’s favour and rule the lands.” I looked at her with absolute bewilderment.

“All you wanted was power. To what?” I shouted, angry. I had honestly thought that maybe there was some bigger reason as to why my mother had thought to turn to the dark powers. Maybe we needed help or maybe she was being forced but no… she was just power drunk?

“To rule, dear one. No one stays in charge through good ruling, fear is required. Isn’t that right Alpha Fenn?” I looked at the Alpha who was glaring at my mother. “Alpha Fenn here has ruled through fear and threats his entire reign.” I looked at Nathan, but he looked just as puzzled as I was about my mother. I sighed, knowing she wasn’t entirely wrong.

“Fear doesn’t keep loyalty though… I think the Alpha has learnt that the hard way recently.” I answered, not looking at him but I sensed his shock as he looked at me for a brief second. “And power doesn’t last forever, it has to be earned.”

“Oh, you mean how you earned yours.” My sister hissed at me, anger streaming from her mixed with jealousy and resentment.

“I may have been given a gift from the moon goddess, but my own powers were nurtured and grown through hard work and study.” I snapped back. I wouldn’t have her get in my head again like she always had.

“What is the purpose of this ritual.” Nathan shouted to my mother.

“Oh, dear one, haven’t you taught him that his place is to just protect and not think…” I glared at her. My mother had always seen men as below women, but I didn’t share her views. She said the reason that women were in charge of covens and that there were more goddesses than gods meant we were superior. But one couldn’t exist without the other, much like good and evil, light and dark etc.

“Answer him mother.” I snapped.

“The ritual is to give our dark lady Ereshkigal the power she needs to bless us. And in turn we will gain Hecate’s knowledge and power too.”

“Wait… youre worshipping the goddess of death?” I asked, genuinely confused. “Why? That’s for covens who work with passing over to the afterlife.” I turned to Nathan and Alpha Fenn to explain. “They are known as dark covens but only because they work closely with the goddess of death. They do burial rights and rituals and sometimes offer sacrifices to keep the death goddess happy. She is known by many names though. As for Hecate, she is our main goddess, our crone, she is the goddess of magic and grants us our powers, but she is also the goddess of necromancy and was rumoured to help in the underworld.” I turned back to my mother. “What have you been promised?” I shouted, confused as to how they could be turned so easily.

“Wait… isn’t Hecate another name for the moon goddess?” I heard Alpha Fenn ask Nathan, but I ignored that conversation.

“We have been promised power, stronger magic, and immortality.” There it was… something that had been fought over for countless centuries. Immortality or the secret to it had caused literal wars over the centuries. I resisted the urge to face palm.

“You’re seriously that naïve?” I shouted.

“No, youre naïve sister. You believe in all the scriptures and the things you read but we’ve heard of an upcoming fight, we need this power to survive.” I looked at them with a disbelieving look on my face before shaking my head and turning to Alpha Fenn.

“What do you want to do next?” I asked, I knew there was no getting through to them and to be honest, if they had already aligned with the Goddess of Death, there was no coming back because if they stopped trying to perform this ritual, she would take their souls which I was sure were now bound to her. Alpha Fenn looked at me confused before dropping his gaze.

“You take the lead Nathan.” My draw dropped and I wasn’t sure what I heard but Nathan immediately jumped into action.

Ill explain later. Nathan said through the mind link. You need to get to safety, please. He pleaded but I just looked at him with confusion. Then he was talking to the pack. Suddenly there was an outburst of howls.

“Your pack isn’t strong enough to take us on Alpha.” My mother taunted the Alpha. “Get her.” My mother hissed to my sister but before she could come at me, I was being dragged away by the Alpha.

“Its you they want. You need to leave.” He snarled at me, and I looked at him in pure disbelief.

“Wait… you don’t want to kill me anymore?” He looked at me with wide eyes before attempting to say something. “No one betrayed you. I saw Jacks memory. He didn’t mean to share with me.” I answered and he deflated a little.

“You’re chosen by the same moon goddess as us. I cannot explain now, we need to get you to safety.” I pulled away from him.

“Sorry if after 6 weeks I don’t trust you, but I don’t want to be alone with you, anyway, I’m not leaving my mate alone.” And before he could stop me, I ran back towards Nathan. Only, I couldn’t see him. Wolves were dodging between spells and witches were being pounced on and some having limbs torn off. I swallowed the bile rising within me but there was no choice if they were attacking. I tried to find my mother or sister, knowing they would probably be after Nathan, trying to cause discourse by taking out the leader. I started to panic when I couldn’t find him and started running, throwing fire to help the pack when needed.

“Freybelle!” Jack was shouting me, so I headed towards him. “Where is the Alpha?” He looked worried.

“Hes back there, fighting. He didn’t try to hurt me.” He looked relieved. “Nathan shifted and ran that way.” He pointed as a witch I knew as Henry launched at us. I blew him back and took off running.

Nathan! I screamed through the mind link but there was no reply, however I couldn’t feel any emotions of pain through the link either, so I prayed he was ok. I ran in the direction Jack had pointed and stopped, immediately recognising the scene from the memory Nathan had shown me. Bile rose in my throat once again as I saw my sister holding Nathan over the concrete altar.

“Come on now Freybelle, be a good girl.” My mother taunted. “We won’t hurt him if you cooperate, not like George.” I glared at her, anger rising within me.