Fated Mate

The Oracle

As I awake, I hear voices talking in stern tones around me.

"The deal was made with Twistriver. If this was up for debate, which Rourke again, this is not a debate, she goes to him since they are mated." Derek says.

"Her and I mated first, Sean and my whole pack will testify the mate pull sounded throughout the whole mindlink." Rourke says. His accent is subtle from years of Americanization but is still stained onto some words forever.

"Regardless of who saw her first, Diane already promised her to me." Xander says in response. At this, I start fluttering my eyes open as the weight of what was just said starts to sound throughout my still body. My sister promised me? As I started looking at the room I had been placed in, I noticed my sister sitting across from me.

"Guys, she's waking up!" Diane turns to tell the trio of Alpha bravado in the corner. I slowly changed into a sitting position on the couch I had been placed on. The three men all come to huddle around me and I am overwhelmed. My sister senses this and starts to push them back a little more to give me room to breathe.

"You promised me?" I said, finally looking toward Diane.

"I promised you what?" Diane says, confused.

"You promised me to Xander." I say no longer a question but a fact I need to adjust to.

"Yes I did, I will not lie to you." Diane says, letting her head hang. "But I beg that you let me explain."

"I am all ears" I said, leaning back and closing my eyes.

"The packs are on the verge of a war," She says, taking a deep breath before continuing on. "There is a war coming for the rights of Omegas. Since the beginning, they have been viewed as lower class citizens, sometimes less than, but, some packs treat them as slaves, and some, worse yet-use them as breeding slaves to create more warriors. The war has been coming for sometime and casualities happen all the time even without a full-on battlefield." At this she pauses and looks at Derek, who wears a pained expression. "Still, the Lycan King has washed his hands of this and said he will side with the victor. I had promised you Xander not as a full wife, more for publicity." She pauses again."We thought that if we could publicize the whirlwind romance of an Omega and an Alpha, we could pull on some heartstrings in support. Xander signed a blood oath with us that if you found your mate you would be released from any duties. We were planning on talking about this all with you tonight under very different circumstances."

"She has found her mate, which frees her from this and makes her Clover pack." Rourke says.

"Except the fact that she is my mate!" Xander says, turning to face him.

"Enough, I am sorry for not consulting with you beforehand. There are many things I wish I could discuss with you even now, but, know that everything I hide is for your protection. There are horrible things in this world." I take all this in and I find rage in the pit of my stomach boiling.

"You haven't spoken to me out of more than necessity in years, you upgraded our parents to Epsilon but kept me to an Omega, you promised me to a stranger but, I am supposed to feel better because it is just a fake marriage that I get to leave when I find my mate. What the f**k is wrong with you Diane?" I spit the question at my sister, hurt and confused.

"Before you guys fight we need to address, with the High Priestess, the fact that she has two mates," Derek says, placing a hand on Diane's shoulder.

"That is a very good point, Derek." She goes to stand and starts walking toward the exit. Xander and Derek follow after, while Rourke turns to me.

"Can you walk, Love?" He says, green eyes twinkling.

"Yes, I think I can" I said, blushing like crazy. He reaches out his hand to me and helps me stand. The second we touch it is like an electric shock but, instead of flinching, it charges me up and makes the long walk to the temple a little easier.

We approach the temple and Xander holds the door open for all of us. The High Priestess Seairra is walking around tending to candles that are all pink and shining.

"I sensed you guys would be coming to see me soon." She says, not facing us and still lighting the many candles all around her.

"Do you know why we came here?" Diane asks, taking a seat on a floor cushion.

"Yes I do," She claps and turns around to face us. She smiles and begins working on something at her altar.

"What are you doing?" Derek asks, joining Diane on the floor.

"This matter is not one I can clear up. This was caused by the Moon Goddess and so it shall be explained by her." As she grinds ingredients with her mortar and pestle.

"Is she going to come here?" hoping this confusion will end soon.

"She will come here in spirit" She mixes together everything she has prepared into a drink."She will speak through me and answer the questions that plague you." She steps closer toward us and takes her seat on the floor and encourages the rest of us to join her. As I sit down, Rourke takes one side and Xander takes another. She nods in approval and chugs the reddish drink she has prepared. She closes her eyes and pulls her hood over her head. Her black velvet dress covers her red hair and makes her resemble the grim reaper in a way. She sits in that position for awhile and I wonder if there is something we are meant to do for this process. As I think that I watch as her eyes light up bright white under her hood. Shining like car headlights at us.

"Hello my children" The High Priestess speaks with a voice that is not her own. "I understand you are questioning me?" I go pale and scared, unable to speak. Diane does it for me.

"We do not question you, Goddess, only what we are meant to do, as you know my sister has two mates."

"I know she has two mates that were given to her as punishment for her spite and selfishness." She speaks and I notice she is unblinking.

"What have I done?" I asked.

"When you were a child, you acted out of anger and wished ill against your sister. Normally, this would go unpunished but, it was the dedication to this spite that inspired me to curse you."

"What do you mean she wished ill against me?" Diane asks and I feel the pit growing in the bottom of my stomach.

"She wished for your mate to be different than you hoped, she saw your happiness and felt no joy. She will claim she felt slighted by you and that she regretted it, but, I saw her long walk to the temple, I heard her thoughts as she went up each stair with only one goal after. She felt guilty afterwards. That much is true. I see everything. I had seen all Diane had done to protect her sister, all she had done for the rights of Omegas." I feel more anger, but before I can speak, The Moon Goddess cuts me off. "You will say now your sister shut you out and you think that because it makes you favorable, you shut yourself in your art Celeste, You were jealous of Derek from the first time Diane mentioned she had a crush on him." The Goddess looks at all five of us. "You felt unloved even though you were well cared for, you claimed no one paid attention when you went out of your way to ensure no one did. All that you claim is a burden you strapped to your own back. I could not deny you a mate. Instead, I gave you two. You once wished your sister would not have one and you knew that would split her heart in two. I have done the same for you." We all take time to look at one another. "Both are your true mate, both would make you happy, both are strong capable Alphas who do not like to share. You will have to reject one and the one you reject will receive a second chance mate. You will feel your heart being pulled in two different directions." There is a silence in the temple that hangs cold and unnatural. "I can only be reached in this way once a month, so let me say a message to all of you. Derek, revenge is a dark path and can take more than it gives. Diane, you will not be able to save everyone. Xander, your arrogance has gotten you this far. Maybe your kindness could get you further. Rourke, this is not a test for you. I promise you happiness at the end. For my Celeste, you may find me cruel, but, I find you unemotional. You will need to learn to love. That is the only way out of this. Love is the best gift I can give to any of my children. I wish you all well." With that, the High Priestess shuts her eyes and returns to normal. I wonder how many times is too many to pass out in one night.