Children of the Goddesses (completed)

Heavy Heart

Ethan’s POV

            Oh my Goddess! Did you see how tight those jeans are? Mate is made for us, Ethan, her butt fits perfectly in our palms and the skin on her back looks so soft. Are you drooling yet? Well, I sure am! 

            My pulse quickened and I could feel blood pumping in a very specific direction as Gower spoke like a desperate pervert in my head. I cursed at myself for forgetting to knock on the door but I couldn’t help the small part of me that was secretly glad that I had walked in just like this. Gower was a pervert but he was right, my body couldn’t deny the vampire girl despite what my head wanted. Ever since we found her two months ago, my heart and my head have been engaging in a game of tug-a-war. It was rare for werewolves to not have found their fated mates at my age. At first, I was hopeful that I’d find her in other packs and when that didn’t happen during the regular meet-ups we had with other packs, I began hoping that perhaps she was not of age yet. Finally, after my 25th birthday this year, I gave up all hope of finding my fated mate, and decided to take a chosen mate instead. 

            As the Gamma of the pack, I needed a mate, a Gamma female to support our Luna and Beta female in managing the pack. Betti was the perfect mate for me. We grew up together and work well together. She had rejected her mate after meeting that bigoted Beta at the inauguration of the first Representative meeting of the Union two years ago. It was a difficult decision but we were all supportive of it and I couldn’t imagine how Betti would have survived at the Blue Topaz Pack. They were one of those packs with centuries of history and prided themselves on outdated and outrageous traditions like restricting Omegas only to lowly professions and keeping she-wolves from travelling outside of their packs to protect their honor. Unfortunately, pack affairs were outside the jurisdiction of the Union and our Constitution was mainly focused on inter supernatural beings relations. 

            Like a cruel joke, a week after Betti and I had decided to take each other as chosen mates, our fisherman found this female vampire and brought her back. I would be lying if I said that I didn’t contemplate rejecting her but I simply couldn’t bring myself to do it. A rejection of the mate bond was an insult to the Moon Goddess and for those who rejected the mate bond, it was rare to be blessed with a second chance mate. Betti had been understanding about the postponement of our Claiming Ceremony, where chosen mates would proclaim each other as mates in front of the pack. I told her that Gower needed more time to come to terms with not having a fated mate but deep in my heart, I knew it was because of the vampire. 

            A werewolf fated to a vampire was unheard of and I honestly didn’t know what to make of it. Not to mention, my gut feeling told me that this vampire was no ordinary vampire, and the dumbfounded look on her face when I explained the Supernatural Office to her confirmed my suspicions. She wasn’t an ordinary vampire like the ones who had pledged their loyalty to the Union and could potentially be a threat to us. Gower whimpered at that thought and I had to harden my heart to try and get the truth out of this female vampire. 

Laila’s POV

            The piercing glare of the Gamma sent a shiver down my spine and I decided against telling him anything about myself. How could I explain to him that my memories of this world stopped at the end of the Battle at Wallace Bay two years ago? Even I would think that I’m crazy for claiming to be someone who should have died two years ago. Besides, how could I explain my disappearance for two whole years if I had survived the battle and how would I explain the changes in my appearance, in case he decided to dig deeper into my identity? The current tide of opinion seemed overwhelmingly against vampires and I didn’t even know where the Gamma stood. 

            A heaviness weighed down on my heart like someone was putting boulder after boulder on it. Breathing was becoming difficult and a tinge of sadness descended upon me. For reasons that I couldn’t understand, I wanted the Gamma to trust me and it was beyond the superficial physical attraction that I felt towards him. Suddenly, I recalled that one of those gossiping werewolves had called Betti the future Gamma. I wasn’t too familiar with ranks within a werewolf pack but I knew enough from my time spent with Luna Kayla that an unranked she-wolf would share the rank of her mate after they have cemented their mate bond. Realization dawned upon me that I was lusting after a taken werewolf minutes after waking up from my two year long slumber. 

            My heart swelled up with frustration and disappointment before shame pricked my inflated heart and deflated it immediately like a needle popping a balloon. My feelings were all kinds of wrong and I cleared my throat to answer the Gamma, determined to focus only on getting myself to the Tahoe Coven for my mission to save my kind. 

            “My name is Laila and I had an accident. I don’t remember too much, just falling into the water. I must have forgotten about the Supernatural Office, and I’m sorry if I’m saying strange things. My head hurts when I try to remember things. Thank you and your pack for saving me, and arranging to send me to the West Coast. I don’t have anything to thank you with but I’m really, really grateful for your help.” I tried to keep my voice as neutral as possible, careful not to let slip the turmoil of emotions in my heart. It hurt to know that even after everything we had done to make this Union possible, at the slightest signs of unrest, the tide of public opinion would still turn against us so swiftly. It hurt even more knowing that the man before me was so ready to get rid of me just because I was a vampire. 

            To my surprise, the Gamma’s face softened as he took a step towards me and reached out for my face. My heart hammered against my chest and my breathing quickened as his palm hovered beside my cheek. For a second, I wondered if he was going to caress my face the way that I had seen between Alpha Finn and Luna Kayla. Large warm hands cupped my shoulder and I snapped out of my daydream and realized that the Gamma had placed both hands on my shoulders. His honey brown eyes bore into mine like they were trying to peer into my soul and I could feel an intense longing from them. My heavy heart eased up and was practically fluttering in anticipation even as a strange tugging feeling grew. I had never been in love before and I wondered if this was what being in love felt like? But how could I be in love with a stranger? I chided myself for being such a superficial person and letting the handsome face in front of me encourage me to lust after a taken man. Yet, I couldn’t help hoping that perhaps, this would be my first kiss. 

            “I’m sorry if I sounded harsh, Laila, and I’m sorry for whatever happened to you. It couldn’t have been pleasant if it had caused you to lose so much of your memory, and I give you my word that I’d bring you safely to the Tahoe Coven. You’d be able to start a brand new life there. There’s a large vampire community in California and further up north in Oregon and Washington as well, if you prefer colder climates. From what I’ve heard, the supernatural community over there is also more open-minded.” 

            The Gamma’s words brought me comfort and his thoughtfulness made my heart swell with joy. It didn’t matter if he was just being kind or if he actually cared for me, Either reason was enough for my heart to betray my mind and beat faster for him. Not trusting myself to speak, I nodded before looking down at my feet to break eye contact. I didn’t trust myself to hold his gaze anymore and the last thing that I wanted to do was to kiss a man who didn’t belong to me. 

            “We’ll leave in three hours time. Betti will pack some clothes for you and everything for the trip is taken care of. Our pack doctor will come over shortly to give you a final check-up and one of the Omegas will bring you something to eat.” The Gamma explained the plan to me before adding gently, “Just relax and don’t stress yourself out, ok? I promise that everything will be fine once we get to the Tahoe Coven.” 

            I beamed contently at him and said softly, “thank you, Gamma,” only to see his face hardened again, before nodding curtly and turning to leave. Heaviness overcame my heart again and I sighed in confusion, wishing I had paid more attention when Nari tried introducing me to human TV shows with romantic storylines.