Chosen by the Fates

A Wolf with Many Faces

Delphi~

I stand alone on the black beach within my mind. Except the sand has become a vibrant shade of violet. The sky is still painted in technicolor, this time the sweeping, mixed shades of sunset. Shooting stars trail across the sky.

The body I find myself in is the one I’ve come to know as Delphi’s in my last few lucid dreams. Broad muscular chest, tall, with lithe muscles. I’m so used to finding Ashleigh here that when I look for him and don’t see him, I am surprised.

I am alone.

I don’t remember how I got here. I settle into the sand, folding my legs beneath me. Closing my eyes, I make myself still, willing my memories and dreams forward. Another thought occurs to me. Do not grasp, I remember in a voice that does not feel like my own. Grasping pushes the memories away.

The void. It has followed me to this place. Midgard. A world without magic. The world I, an immortal, could die in.

The perfect prison.

Ashleigh had said wolves saved us. I remember the golden wolf. As a soul who has met those I have loved in many bodies through many lifetimes, it dawns on me that I have met the golden wolf several times now.

A wolf with many faces.

Who is he to me?  At the thought of him my pulse quickens, my sense of self grows.

A voice interrupts my self reflection, “You are alright then?” Musical, and warm. Sionainn. The name rings through me, without anything but recent memories to accompany why it fills me with such a sense of ease.

Opening my eyes, I stare at the expanse of water before me. After a long moment I turn to look over my shoulder, “I think so. I’m sorry to worry you.”

Sionainn regards me carefully, as if he’s seen a ghost. He shakes it off. “You passed out again.”

I nod at that, remembering. I remember everything about being Aisling.

“I’ll be fine. Thank you for taking care with me.”

Sionainn approaches hesitantly to kneel beside me. “Do you remember anything more?”

I shake my head. “No. But I feel more myself in this body now. Being Aisling feels a little separate from me.” I look down at myself, admiring the dips and curves of my body. “I don’t think I’ve felt this way before.”

Sionainn shakes his head. “Typically, there should be no distinction.” He gives me a warm smile, but I somehow know him well enough to recognize the vast expanse of worried thoughts swirling through his mind. The strategist. I realize he does not have to appear this way, he is choosing to because of Aisling.

“You wouldn’t look this way? Sionainn isn’t even your name?” I study his face as his smile brightens.

“You do remember more.” His voice is quiet, but happy.

“More like… just a feeling of knowing?” I close my eyes at that. “It’s strange to speak with someone I feel I know, but not to see them as I expect to.”

“We must handle this delicately.”

Remembering the conversation about Aisling's mind, and the risks of pushing our memories, I reply. “Thank you.” My own tenor is soft.

I feel his cool hand slide into mine. The muscles of my shoulders unwind, relaxing.

I open my eyes once more, regarding him with a long smile. “You are beautiful. Even when unexpected.”

“You always were more of a charmer than me.” His lips curl into a satisfied smile of his own.

I laugh, the sound rolling off my chest. “That’s hard to imagine.”

We enjoy each other’s company in peaceful silence, watching the meteor shower above. When Sionainn speaks again, his voice is sad. “Ashleigh has been a wreck without you. You were his rock in every lifetime. When you vanished he was consumed with singular purpose. Meanwhile Cian receded into himself. He became quieter than we’ve ever known him to be. We were sure you were gone when we couldn’t find you in any of the lifetimes we’ve known you to have lived. If it wasn’t for Ashleigh, we wouldn’t have found you.”

Some feeling tugs at me. “And you?”

His voice almost sounds fragile, “I missed you.”

We sit, hand in hand, watching the display of falling stars above as the sun goes down.

***

Aisling~

I wake up in my bedroom in the suite, sunlight filtering in through skylights above. The clanking of pans in the kitchen below is distant. I savor the morning light and morning sounds happily. It reminds me of my childhood and waking up to the sound of my dad making omelets.

Remembering not to grasp at my dream, I close my eyes and let it drift to me. 

I was Delphi. I was sitting on my beach with Sionainn as we watched a meteor shower. I still only remembered my life as Aisling, but somehow, I was not myself. 

Why wasn’t Ashleigh there?

The conversation from the night before plays through my mind. Delphi’s thoughts echo within my own, feeling a part of me once more.

The golden wolf.

A wolf with many faces.  

Every time I have thought of Sol since meeting him, I have been reminded of the golden wolf hunting the bull moose. I kept thinking it was because I met Sol on that same day. 

But last night at the masquerade, I couldn’t shake the strange coincidence of his golden wolf mask.

As if prompted by my thinking, my mind thrusts the image of Sol at me from the masquerade. Lips so close to mine, bending over me during our dance. The smell of sage, pine, and the forest after it rains. My heart races as I sense every part of him in my memory with vivid clarity. The golden wolf mask.

What had Sionainn said about the wolves last night? They’ve seen creatures of magic before, and Ashleigh is certain the wolves he saw were not normal wolves.

The only thing that has kept me from directly linking the golden wolf from the woods that day a week ago to Sol has been my rational understanding of the world. A world where men can’t be wolves.

A world where immortals don’t exist, dreams don’t matter, magic isn’t real, some void isn’t devouring all life, and wolf packs don’t come to the rescue of humans.

Throwing the covers from myself, I splash water on my face, and brush my teeth in a hurry. Two extremely specific questions burn at the forefront of my mind.

Questions only Ashleigh can answer.

I rush for the stairs and headlong into a warm body, taking us both out with the momentum.

Strong arms envelope me and my weight shifts as they spin me so that I don't take the brunt of the impact with the floor at the top of the stairs. My stomach drops. A few more feet and I’d have sent us careening off the stairs, probably killing us both.

“There is no need to throw yourself off the stairs for love, I am right here.” The musical voice is pained but teasing.

When I look down to my savior, I see Sionainn’s angelic features. I am mortified, and worried about how hard we fell. “I am so sorry; you didn’t hit your head did you?”

He groans a little in discomfort, but shakes his head giving me one of his more charming smiles.

As he looks into my eyes, my heart begins to race, and I become acutely aware that every part of my body is pressed against every part of his. His eyes are half-lidded, and filled with more longing than I've ever seen, despite the teasing tone. 

Beneath my palm, Sionainn's heart is thumping firmly at an increased rate similar to my own. Taking a sharp breath in presses my chest into his, and I feel heat pool between my legs. My cheeks suddenly feel as if they are on fire.

“That’s another blush for me.”

I practically leap away from him and into the wall of the hall. My back is pressed firmly against the wall. It’s as far away as I can. For decency!

First of all, isn’t Ashleigh my partner? Where is this coming from? 

Second of all, how am I supposed to handle the both of them hitting on me shamelessly without suffering from heart failure? It can’t be healthy to be experiencing all these weird cardiac acrobatics.

I gulp, my blush darkening even as Sionainn laughs and gets up. He approaches, leaning into me with his hand on the wall beside me for support. “Should I try for three? You look nervous.” He rests his other hand gently against my chest, and I know he can feel my own rapid heartbeat.

The heat in my cheeks burns as my gaze drops under the weight of his gaze. It’s not fair. Why is he being like this?

“Sionainn, your breakfast is ready.” Ashleigh’s cold voice interrupts, and Sionainn moves away fluidly. He casts a warm smile and wink over his shoulder at me as he heads downstairs.

Ashleigh approaches me, gently brushing the hair from my eyes. I look up, still blushing. He studies me for a long moment.

“Why is he being like this? I feel like everything changed after he saw me as Delphi.”

Ashleigh glances over his shoulder with a sigh, then looks to me. I expect to find jealousy, or competitive fire behind his gaze. But I am instead met with his typically searching expression and an uncharacteristically concerned smile. His answer is simple, “It did. In a way. 

He loves you as much as any of us have.”

“I don’t think my heart can take it.”

“I know you don’t realize it. But that’s an ironic thing to say." Ashleigh chuckles at that, leaning in to kiss my forehead. "Breakfast is ready.” He takes my hand in his, leading me downstairs.

***

Cian is scraping eggs off onto all of our plates. From what I can tell, Tiffa is bombarding him with question after question about magical beings in other planes of existence.

She stopes when she sees me, her features writ with worry. “Are you okay?? I was really worried when you passed out last night.”

I nod, “Yeah, I should have told you guys about my headache. But you were asking so many things I’ve wanted to know. I’m-“ Ashleigh gently places his forefinger against my lips before I can apologize. I can’t help but return his playful smile.

Tiffa looks between us with a smirk. “You know Ashleigh stayed beside you all night.”

That’s even more surprising to me, since I didn’t see him in my dream. “Couldn’t you have just checked on me in my dream?” I can’t help the disappointment in the tone of my voice.

Sionainn raises his eyebrows, hesitating before saying something. I catch Sionainn's look and nod at him, “It's okay. I remember.”

“Oh good. I wasn’t looking forward to having to keep it from you.” He smiles warmly.

Ashleigh looks more serious, “I needed to be sure nothing showed up while you were unconscious.”

“The void again?”

He nods.

“Do you think it might be connected to me somehow?” He did say the thing in the woods looked like it was after me.

“Perhaps.” His tenor is cautious.

Suddenly I remember what I wanted to ask before Sionainn’s wiles had distracted me. “Was one of the wolves in the pack that saved us gold?”

Ashleigh studies me for a long moment, “Yes. How did you know?”

“I’ve seen the pack before… they hunt in the woods near our place I guess.”

“Holy Nikes. You were saved by the wolves you saw last week?” Tiffa’s looks shocked, her fork full of eggs paused between her plate and mouth.

I nod, “Looks like it.” A jumble of thoughts swirl in my head. Was Delphi right?

Ashleigh frowns, but before anyone can say anything I start with my next question, “Okay so-“ realizing the insanity of my next question I hesitate. Everyone's eyes are on me though, and Sionainn had said magical creatures are real. 

I take a deep breath, willing myself to ask my question out loud, “Are werewolves real?”