Chosen by the Fates

The Meaning of Family

Sol~

My wolf is exhausted managing only a whine as I rush down the steps of the grand entrance. Music floats through the night air around me, snowflakes melt in contact with the heat of my skin. The scent of Aisling lingers in my thoughts, squeezing my chest in pain at the look of betrayal in her gaze. 

The way she looked at me. 

It made me want to pull her into my arms, wishing I could share every impression of our time together with her just through contact. It's something I've been told marked mates are capable of, but not an unmarked mated pair. The thought brings to mind the soft, unmarked skin of her neck as we danced, sending a shudder through me. My wolf whimpers in protest. 

Leaving the masquerade early is enough to quiet my wolf once more. City lights flash by as I drive back to my family's tower, my thoughts flying by along with them. 

Something within her recognizes me, but it is not a wolf? Is that even possible?

As far back as pack memory goes, the elder kin are extinct. Only the wolves remain. Is it possible there are survivors in hiding? Just as the wolves?

When we catch Aisling's lingering scent in the elevator again, it is faint enough that my wolf only stirs a little. Practically holding my breath, I rush out of the elevator and to my suite. When I shower and finally lie down, my eyelids are already heavy. 

I need sleep. 

It is very likely that my own exhaustion is contributing to my wolf being more reactive. Or it's the pull mate bond growing stronger. 

Likely both.

I close my eyes and sleep is a sweet reprieve.

*** 

It is pitch black when my eyes open. I am in my hotel suite, but something it off…

That foul smell…

A low growl escapes me, my wolf’s hackles raising. A moment of panic surges through me as my large paws hit the floor of my suit. However, what I see outside the tall windows and skylights catches my breath.

A sunset filled with falling stars.

Yet, somehow, none of the light illuminates my suite.

A dream?

The sound of scraping can be heard in the hall. I am suddenly alert. That smell is the same corruption my pack faced in the woods. My wolf wearily approaches the hall, nosing the door open. My wolf is still exhausted, but whatever this is, we have to track it down.

We are met with silence as we pad into the hall. As we scan the length of the hall, we sniff at the air. The smell is faint. We have to find it.

My wolf snarls and springs as something darker than the shadows themselves flits down the stairs. We leap past the stairs altogether, spinning as we land below. The darkness reeks, sending my wolf into a frenzied chase as it slips past us.

We crash through the entry of the suite, barreling down the long tower halls and stairwells in pursuit. It must be stopped.

Every part of my being knows that we can’t let it escape from this dreamscape.

We burst through the entrance of the tower to see the vast wooded landscape of the Metropolis park.

NO!

With another surge of desperate energy, we lunge, snapping at the shadows. The thing writhes, shrieking and tearing from our maw. The taste is foul, causing my wolf to buckle. Every emotional pain I’ve felt recently surges forward. My wolf yelps as we collapse.

Shadows begin to coalesce along my wolf’s paws. What if I’m too weak?

My wolf growls and squirms, kicking its legs. To no avail, the shadows have already seeped into them. I’m alone and without my pack.

I feel the bitter cold pour into my bones. What is one lone wolf against the endless darkness of an ancient being?

An all-consuming dread fills me. Because of my wolf, I’ve lost my mate.

A weak snarl escapes me, my wolf is so tired. Wouldn’t it be better to not be a wolf at all?

No. NO. NO!

I grasp tightly to my wolf, silencing the thoughts within my mind that sound so much like my own.

Blinding light explodes before me, followed by a tearing sensation that burns to my core. Wailing fills the air, and a burning smell. A silhouetted figure stands between me and whatever my assailant is.

My wolf struggles but manages to get up. The shadowy thing is in tatters, clawing for the forest. The rumbling sound from my throat is primal. My wolf charges forward, shredding the last of it violently to pieces.

We ignore the bitter taste, satisfied to see the thing dissipate into smoke and vanish.

When we turn, a figure we recognize stands before us.

Ashleigh?

Ashleigh’s eyes are filled with recognition of my wolf. Why is he in this dream? He kneels before me, bowing his head to expose his neck. How does he know this?

“It appears we are hunting the same thing. We owe you a debt of gratitude for your intervention in the woods.”

When he lifts his gaze to mine and reaches for me, I am still shocked.

“Let me repay that now?” His touch is warm, light flowing from his hands. My wolf’s pain recedes, and I can feel something within me ease. I want to ask more, but my wolf and I are both so tired.

The dream begins to fade as sleep reclaims us.

***

Aisling ~

“Are werewolves real?”

There.

I asked it.

The sudden silence that fills the kitchen is awkward. Tiffa takes the bite of her eggs, and chews slowly. Her eyes dart between the brothers, intense interest in the question visible in her expression. The brothers all stare for a long moment until Sionainn laughs.

Sionainn shakes his head, “I mean, in what sense? Anything you can imagine is a possibility throughout the worlds. There are beast men, skin walkers, familiars. However, here on Midgard? It is unlikely.”

Ashleigh looks thoughtful, “The energy required to change form is immense. With magic being extinct on this world, it would be more likely we are dealing with some form of highly intelligent wolf.”

My own disappointment is reflected in Tiffa’s expression. Delphi seemed so sure…

“However, I did encounter the wolf last night in the dreaming. Near this tower.” Ashleigh’s words startle me out of my thoughts. I look up in question.

He continues, “As I was watching over you, I discovered a tendril of void in the dreaming. The golden wolf was there, already disposing of it.

They seem to be a guardian of sorts.” Ashleigh’s words set my heart at ease. A guardian. I think of Sol, some part of me still torn. The energy required to change form is immense.

I catch myself scowling as I realize who I’m thinking about. That player?

No.

“Perhaps the void has been using the dreaming as a sort of gateway.” Sionainn’s voice sounds distracted, his mind already weighing everything.

Ashleigh nods, taking a few bites of his breakfast.

“It does seem less than likely that the appearance of the void, and what happened last night is a coincidence." Sionainn's concern only seems to be momentary. "I suppose for now there is little more to be done but watch and wait. And enjoy our stay here.” Sionainn directs a smirk at me as he says that last.

We all decide to stay another couple of days as we eat our breakfast. As it turns out, Cian is an exceptional cook. Tiffa somehow manages to rave about the food even while asking more questions about mythical beings. Ashleigh and Sionainn argue about the best things to go see while we stay. I enjoy the bustle and sound of everyone getting along as I eat.

I’m looking forward to a few more days together.

After breakfast, the brothers decide to run to the store. We all go together, and it somehow transforms a mundane task into an adventure. Cian seriously picks the items we need for him to cook for us, while Sionainn offers suggestions. Ashleigh pushes the cart with his typical cool stoicism, removing most of the “must have” junk food items Tiffa keeps adding.

Tiffa finally confronts him. “I am an adult woman, and I can buy what I want!”

Ashleigh looks as if a vein in his forehead is about to pop, “You don’t need these. Cian will be cooking for us!” He pulls three more bags of chips from the cart, setting them to the side.

Tiffa pouts, “I am a snacker. Do you even know what that means?”

He sighs, shaking his head. I add one of our favorite bags of cookies to the cart. Ashleigh shoots me a glare that could kill.

Tiffa grins, and I just shrug. “We are snackers?”

Just when I think he’s about to seriously come to blows with both of us, Cian says he’s ready to go.

We manage to check out with only a few of the junk food items Tiffa was attempting to grab, and my bag of cookies.

The next couple days are the most relaxing I can remember in a long time. Sometimes we stay in, watching moves and eating the great things Cian so expertly prepares. Other times we go out, exploring the city and eating at restaurants that Sionainn and Ashleigh argue over.

Ashleigh and I haven’t been together since the masquerade night. Whenever I reach for him, he welcomes it and holds me. We also spend some of the time cuddling. But despite how much I like him, I remember what he asked that night we were together, ‘just for now’. It gives me pause.

Perhaps it is because of how much I find myself liking him. As we spend time together what weighs on me most is the thought of what it must be like for him spending time with me like this. To not be remembered by someone he loved so deeply. It isn’t fair for me to take that lightly just because his presence comforts me. It feels greedy.

So, I spend each day appreciating the time we have together now without being too selfish about reaching for him.

It has been hard on all of them. Even with me being right here, they are all suffering the loss of their close friend because of everything I don’t remember.

Each night, I think of what it felt like being Delphi, willing myself back to the beach in my dreams to meditate. Though I don’t see the brothers as I do. They say it is because they are remaining vigilant against the void.

A part of me wonders if it is also to protect their peace.

After a few more days, it is almost time to go home. I am packing up my things, mulling over my dreams. I’ve been managing to enter the dream regularly as Delphi, but no new impressions have been coming to me. I wonder if it would help to have the brothers with me.

I am so deep in thought; I almost don’t hear the soft rapping at my door. When I open it, Ashleigh is leaning against the frame, waiting. A long smile pulls at his lips, and I can’t help but smile in return. He is so handsome.

“Yea?”

“Just checking in to see if you wanted company?” I’m surprised. I have been so worried about whether I’m a burden on him, that it hadn’t considered any alternatives.

I nod, moving aside as he enters.

“How’s the packing going?”

I shrug, “I’m almost done.” I look over the new suitcases, packed full of the things the brothers had gotten for us. “I can’t believe you guys did this for us, though. I will never be able to thank you enough.” My eyes feel wet, and before I realize it, tears are rolling down my cheeks.

A mix of emotions rise up in me. I want to hug Ashleigh, but I don’t want to be selfish again. I am grateful, but I also don’t know how I can go back to my life now. What will happen when the brothers have to leave for their tours again? The last couple of days have been filled with the constant company of friends. It was like everything I loved about living with Tiffa, but more. How can I go back to it just being Tiffa and me?

I feel warm arms envelope me in an embrace.

The flood gates open, and before I realize it, I am sobbing all of my worried tears into Ashleigh’s chest. I barely hear his hushed sounds of reassurance as I cling to him.

Somehow, in just a few days and for the first time in a long time, I feel like I have a family again.