Children of the Goddesses (completed)

Confession

Laila’s POV

            Dr. Heil and the Gamma’s cousin left last night after making sure that I was fine and leaving us instructions on how to care for my wound. The Gamma’s cousin was giving me weird knowing looks and winked mischievously at the Gamma before leaving. It was strange and I felt like I was missing out on some insider joke, but what bothered me more was the fact that I hadn’t seen anyone else since I had woken up. The Gamma insisted that I wasn’t feeling well enough to have visitors and when I had asked for Betti, he said that she needed some time to rest after the attack from the snipers. 

            I was worried that someone else was hurt in the attack and they were hiding it from me, but the Gamma insisted that everyone was fine. In the end, I decided to take his word for it and concentrate on my plan to get some sun in the day. Since the Gamma was the only one taking care of me now and he was often in the adjoined room with the door closed to give me some privacy, I had plenty of chances to get some sun without drawing any attention. The hour hand of the clock pointed at 7. In a few minutes, the sun should start rising. I pricked up my ears to listen for anything that might interfere with my plans and just as I had expected, the Gamma was sleeping next door. His even breathing was like a beautiful melody in my ears and I shook my head at how crazy my thoughts were becoming. 

            Very slowly, I peeled my blanket off me and tip-toed in a flash to the window and stood between the blackout curtains and the window. I was careful to make sure that the curtains were still drawn to prevent light from flooding the room and somehow alerting the Gamma. The dark skies gradually brightened in hues of orange and red as a small ball of light rose lazily into the sky. It was the most beautiful sight that I had ever seen and I had to cover my mouth with both hands to stifle a gasp. This was the first sunrise that I had ever seen in my life and words could not describe the overwhelming awe that my heart held for the Sun Goddess. 

            I remember the stories that my human mother would tell me when I was a kid, about the Sun Goddess that some humans, including her people believed in. The Sun Goddess was a beautiful and kind Creator, and each day, She would use the skies as Her canvas to paint the most glorious pictures for Her children, to remind them, even just for a fleeting moment, of the beautiful things in life. Mother’s health was always frail and she told us, it was because of the lack of sun, and that her Creator had given them life through the sun. Life at the base camp was heavily regulated and it wasn’t possible for Mother to get any sun at all during daylight hours since we lived in underground bunkers and no one was allowed outside during the day. 

            Suddenly, a crazy idea crossed my mind. What if the sun had an effect on me because I was also my mother’s daughter? Surely, half of me came from her, and because of that, the sun could also give me life. How that wasn’t possible before remained a mystery and I made a mental note to share this crazy theory with Brenna the moment we were at the Tahoe Coven. We should be really close now, maybe just another 2 nights of driving and we’d be there. Excitement rose in my heart as I felt an urge to do a little happy dance. Two more sleeps and I would finally be reunited with my loved ones! 

            And Gamma Ethan? 

            Like a bucket of cold water, this sudden thought flashed across my mind and extinguished the glowing embers of excitement in my heart. “He belongs to Betti,” I whispered quietly to myself, over and over, as if repeating the words would make me want him less. Since the attack of the human snipers, I could feel that something had changed. That strong urge to protect him in the face of danger, it was so primitive and came so naturally, that I could no longer deny that it stemmed from my feelings towards the Gamma. I wasn’t only physically attracted towards him and this was not a superficial school girl crush like the kind I had for the boys in my unit. I felt broken each time Betti and Gamma Ethan were close to each other, and each time when Gamma Ethan insisted that I called him by his name, those broken pieces of my heart would glue themselves back again. I knew that ranked werewolves wouldn’t allow any random person to call them by their names and if the Gamma kept insisting on it, then it had to mean something right? 

            A chill ran down my spine and all of a sudden, my senses were heightened. Goosebumps spread across my skin like a wildfire on a hot summer day as I felt a pair of eyes watching me, but when I scanned the view outside of my window, I saw no one. Not wanting to take any risks, I scurried back to bed as quietly as I could and dived under the covers. My heart pounded so loudly that I barely heard the footsteps approaching my door until the turning of the door knob caught my attention.

Ethan’s POV

            The sound of hurried footsteps from Laila’s room woke me up from my sleep, making me jump up to my feet and rushing to her side. Ever since the attack, Gower had been on high alert and would jolt me awake at the slightest sound, but I was glad for it. I couldn’t imagine failing to protect my mate again. 

            “Laila? Are you alright? Do you need something?” I asked softly as I sat myself down on her bed. She was hidden under the covers, revealing only the top of her head. Gently, I peeled the covers off her head and down to her neck. To my horror, her face was flushed and from her fluttering eyelashes, I knew that she was just pretending to sleep. 

            “Laila?” I asked with more urgency as I reached for her forehead and her neck. Her skin was warm, too wam and I panicked as worry consumed my mind. Dr. Heil said that if there were any signs of fever, it could be a sign of an infection and Laila would need immediate medical attention. Just as I was about to grab my phone and give Jove a call, a small hand grabbed my wrist, instantly calming down my frayed nerves.

            “I’m fine, Gamma,” whispered my mate as she glanced up at me shyly. 

            “Are you sure? You feel a little too warm to me, like you’re running a temperature. If you don’t feel well, be honest with me, alright?” 

            My question was met with silence as Laila averted her gaze while biting her lower lip. I swallowed hard as my eyes wandered to her lips and before I could do something rash, Laila broke the silence. 

            “Why are you so concerned about me, Gamma? We’re two days away from the Tahoe Coven and then I’m not your problem anymore.” Laila’s voice carried an undertone of pain and I hoped with all my heart that I hadn’t dreamed it. 

            “You’re not a problem, Laila, and stop calling me Gamma. I forbid it! Say my name, Laila, please.” 

            “I..I don’t want to be disrespectful.” 

            The uncertainty in Laila’s shiny blue eyes made me want to hold her in my arms and crash my lips onto hers, showing her exactly how I felt about her, but I didn’t want to scare her. Instead, I decided it was time to start telling her how I felt about her. 

            “It’s not disrespectful to call your mate by name, Laila. You’re my fated mate and I want you. I care about you and I want to protect you. I know that this sounds crazy and I can understand if you need some time to process all of this, but I need you to know that I want you as my mate.” 

            Confusion spread across Laila’s face as her mouth dropped open in shock and my heart raced at 200 miles per hour as I waited for her to say something. The last thing that I had expected was for her confused face to light up in joy before descending into a mixture of guilt and shame. 

            “But your mate is Betti,” she whispered as tears escaped her eyes. 

            She wants us too, Ethan! Oh my Goddess! You dumb boy! She wants us too! Quick, say something!! 

            Gower’s timely enlightenment pieced the puzzle together as realization dawned on me that Laila must care about me in the same way, if not why would it bother her that I had a mate? Without hesitation, I leaned in and engulfed her in my arms as I pressed my lips to her ears. 

            “Betti was never my fated mate. I thought that the Moon Goddess had forgotten about me and went against nature by taking a chosen mate. But I swear to you on my life, I’ve explained things to Betti and called things off. We never had the Claiming Ceremony, nor have we mated and as you can see, she doesn’t bear my mark. I’m yours, and only yours, Laila.” 

            Slowly, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around my shoulders setting off little fireworks all over my body and this time, I couldn’t hold back anymore. Turning slightly, I planted soft kisses on Laila’s checks slowly, making a trail to her lips. I could hear her breathing hitched as I lightly grazed her plum, luscious lips. They were softer than I had imagined and she tasted alluringly sweet. Like bees to honey, a light peck only made me want more and I pressed my lips more firmly against hers this time. Gently, I sucked on her upper lip, drawing a gasp from her and my tongue took the chance to search for hers. As our tongues brushed lightly against each other, all rational thoughts left my mind, overtaken by a primitive desire to claim my mate. Unknowingly, my body had already moved to lay down beside Laila and just as I was about to cover her body with mine, a pair of hands pushed against my chest. 

            “We..we can’t, Ethan,” said Laila breathlessly as she pushed me away. My hardness was pressing against her through the blanket between us and I cursed at myself for being such an animal. I quickly shifted my body weight to my left side to lay beside her again and turned her chin gently to look at me.

            “I’m sorry, Laila, I didn’t mean to rush you and I’m sorry if I scared you. I just.” Before I could finish, Laila shook her head and stopped me.

            “It’s not. I..I’m just worried about us, about you. I don’t want to hurt you, Ethan. What if I accidentally bit you? And I feel bad, l guess. Betti has been nothing but nice and caring, and now I’m stealing her mate.” The sadness in Laila’s voice broke my heart and I wished I could turn back time to undo my mistake. I should never have tried to take on a chosen mate no matter how long the Moon Goddess was going to make me wait for my fated mate to come along. 

            “You didn’t steal anything, Laila. I’m a person and I make my own decisions. I made a mistake, not waiting for my fated mate and if anyone owes Betti anything, it’s me and not you. We spoke with each other yesterday and I don’t want you to worry about it, alright? Just like I don’t want you to worry about hurting me. If the Moon Goddess made you for me, then surely She wouldn’t let your bite kill me. We’ll figure this out when we get to the Tahoe Coven, ok? I’m sure the High Priestess can shed some light on this. For now, I want you to just concentrate on recovering and we will only hit the road again when you’re feeling better.” 

            A comforting warmth coursed through my veins as Laila nodded and snuggled against my chest. Two months of being on a rollercoaster ride had finally come to an end and I smiled in contentment as I tightened my arms around my mate.