Gifts of the Moon Goddess

Ch. 24

Alice and Alistair spent an hour or two teaching me about pack bonds and mate bonds, as well as about mindlinking and how to send and block emotions in a mate bond. Bryce did go over stuff like that before, but nowhere near this in-depth. After their lessons, Alice drove us back to the packhouse and ran off somewhere, so I decided to retreat back to my room. Somehow, I already knew my ‘guide’ was in my room well before I even made it to my door. I could hear rustling inside when I did finally get close, giving me pause.

Maybe I could just move to another room… I thought to myself.

Don’t be a coward. Lore snorted in my head.

It's not cowardice, I just don't feel like sharing a room with a random man. I quipped back. For some reason, that amused her.

He's our guardian, not some random man.

Says you.

When she didn't respond again, I took a moment to collect myself before stepping into my room. Sure enough, Nelaeryn was in there, setting up one corner of the room to be his space, complete with a hammock, with all his clothes folded and piled up under it. Somehow, he also pinned up some sheer drapes like a canopy around his hammock area. Honestly, it was a cute space and I was both impressed and taken back.

Even more surprising, though, was the fact that he really went out and found a dress to wear. It was the most…amazing…shade of hot pink I think I’d ever seen in my whole entire life, complete with gaudy rhinestones and so much glitter that I could actually see it rubbing off into my carpet. The skirt of the dress was long and swept out behind him to the floor, with a slit up the side that went almost all the way up to his waist, which was tied tight with a sash that wrapped around the back of the dress in a very large bow; and I mean very large bow. The dress was obviously not made to fit a person of his proportions, as the strapless v-shaped chest piece only barely made it up to his chest. It’s probably a good thing he wasn’t actually a woman, at this rate, because it wouldn’t have left much to the imagination - not that his previous outfit did, either.

“Wow, you're really moving into my room.” I blurted out, completely shocked.

He perked and grinned at me.

“Trust me. This is for the best. I promise to respect your privacy while I'm here.” He said in his very sincere voice.

I just felt so awkward, but gave a nod to him because it was easier to agree than to fight him about it.

“Shall we talk, then?” He asked, gesturing for me to sit. Without any fuss, I obliged and sat on the edge of my bed.

“What exactly should we talk about?” I asked, a bit confused.

Nel nodded his head towards myself and the bed, “May I sit as well?”

“Oh, of course.” I scooted over a bit even though I really didn't need to. There was plenty of space for the both of us already, but he sat down and looked at me with those deep eyes.

“It's in our best interest to get close. We already have a bond - one we were born with - and we shouldn't fight it. I want to be your friend and family. Though, I understand that may take some time.” He spoke carefully. “I think we should start by getting to know one another.”

“Getting to ‘know one another’ in what way?” I asked, quite anxious.

“Talking to each other about ourselves, intimately. For example, discussing things that would normally be very difficult to discuss with a stranger.” He explained “I think it will be very uncomfortable for you at first, so, I can start, if you'd like.”

“Okay.” Honestly, I was a bit relieved that I wouldn't have to go first. I wasn't even sure what I'd talk about.

“The Fae kingdom was once a close ally of the royal family of the wolf shifters before they got rid of the monarchy, so, when I was born and it was discovered I was the new royal’s guardian, there was a lot of pressure on me from a young age to be the most ‘perfect’ guardian I could be.” Nel sneered a bit. “It got even worse when other guardians started dropping dead as quickly as they were, but when I turned nineteen, we realized something was wrong. I should have been able to feel you by then. You should have shifted by then. Still, they had the gall to blame me, as if it were my own short-comings that made it so I couldn't sense you. Even after we investigated and found out you'd been kidnapped, they said it was my fault for not learning how to utilize my powers sooner.”

“What?” I scoffed, quite angry. “I was only five when I was kidnapped! What did they think you were going to do?”

“I don't know.” He laughed. I don't even know how he could laugh right now. “Save you or protect you or something ridiculous, right? As punishment, they locked me up in solitary for a year and didn't let even my lovers see me.”

“You had to spend a whole year alone?” My chest ached at that thought.

“Yeah. I kind of get nightmares when I'm alone, now.” There was a hint of pain in his voice, and realization dawned on me.

“Oh. So, that's why you wanted to share a room.”

“It isn't the only reason, but yes.”

It took a few moments to steel myself first before I leaned closer to him and pulled him in for a hug.

“I'm so sorry.” I practically whispered.

“It is quite alright.” He reassured me, wrapping one of his long arms carefully around me before letting me go. “So, tell me your story.”

I let him go as well, and leaned back. The only thing I really had to tell him was everything that Bryce did to me, so I gave Nel the sparks-note version of what I'd been through since being kidnapped. I spent a little more time talking about the rape and about how my wolves killed Bryce, though I wasn't able to stop myself from crying, so I'm sure most of it came out as me just blubbering. Even so, he patiently listened to everything I had to say. He even tried to console me with a hand on my back. Hell, even my wolves were trying to comfort me in my head.

“You've been through a lot.” He said, when I finally finished. “But now you can get much stronger and gain allies to help you from here on out. I hope to be counted among those allies.”

I gave him a little smile. “Thank you for listening.”

“You don't have to thank me for something like that. But don't we feel a bit closer, now?” He gave me one of those grins again and I couldn't help but giggle.

“Yes, actually, you were right.”

“I know I was.” He said jokingly, wearing a smug look on his face, which we both burst out laughing at.

“I suppose you're also curious about what all we’ll be doing together, yes?” Nel asked once we both calmed.

“I am, yeah. The books I read mentioned training.” I nodded.

“That's mostly correct, if a bit vague.” He lifted a hand, palm up, and I could see colorful wisps floating and dancing above his fingers. “You need to learn how to control the vast amounts of magic you and your wolves possess. They control it purely by instinct, so, as you already know, that can cause quite a few problems.”

I gave him a concerned look when he said ‘as you already know.’

“I heard about the woman whose life force you sucked out.” He explained, making me feel ashamed. “Don't worry, I'm not judging. You'd be surprised how many Royals have accidentally done something like that because they weren't trained to handle their magic.” Nel looked at me seriously. “Of course, handling the magic is only half the battle. The other half is being able to connect to your wolves without being overcome by their emotions and instincts.”

Oh Goddess, this was going to be rough wasn't it?

“For now, we should both get some sleep for the night. We’ll begin training together bright and early in the morning.” He grinned before slipping off my bed and trotting over to his hammock. “Goodnight, Kyssemi.” He called, proceeding to tuck himself in without even giving me the chance to process that he just shut the conversation down for the night.

“Okay? G-goodnight then…”

I just sat there dumbfounded for a long moment before finally grabbing P.J.s and changing in the bathroom. I crawled into bed after, a bit restless as I thought about getting special training starting tomorrow.

My mind was just buzzing with everything. I could feel things were changing, and I wasn’t sure if it was for the better or not, yet. Only a little while ago, I was still trapped in that room at Bryce’s mercy, and now he was dead, but the person or people who put him up to that were still out there.

Things were changing, and I was praying it was for the better.