She is What?
1607 Words
Frustrated with their grandparents, Skylar and Sadie both reached for the Lupinomicon at the same time.
"You go ahead. It is rightfully yours after all," Sadie said.
Skylar smiled, "It is our book. I was just trying to figure out where we could find the answers we are looking for. This book seems to have all the answers."
Skylar placed her hands on the book and thought about Taina and her grandfather, Peter. The book opened to the family tree for the Fire Elemental Wolves.
"Did you think of Taina and Papa or Papa and Lolli?" Sadie chuckled.
"I was trying to think of Taina and Papa, but I guess I am just worried about Lolli, too," Skylar frowned.
James smiled, "We all are. Let me see if I can try."
James took the Lupinomicon and tried. The book flew off the table and hit the floor with a thump, and slammed itself shut.
Dylan's eyes were wide, "Um, I don't think the book liked that, or maybe I am wrong."
Everyone laughed. Jerrika went and picked up the book. As she walked back to the table, it opened to a page about fated mates. It listed all the different species that could be fated mates for Elementals.
"Look at this," Jerrika said as she placed the book back on the table.
Abby gasped, "What does that mean?"
"It really doesn't make sense. Why would it open to this page of all pages?" Dylan questioned.
Sadie shook her head, "Let's look at all of the information here and see if anything connects with what we are trying to figure out."
Dalton looked over at the book and began to read, "The Moon Goddess initially created all Elementals in her earthly witch form. Her profane name is Cassandra. She wanted the ice wolf to mate with only the ice wolf. The fire wolf to mate only with the fire. It says the same for air and earth. Then it goes into more details about cross mating and hybrids.
When an Elemental wolf mates with a witch, it creates a hybrid. This species can tap both into the elemental powers and the Wiccan powers. This means that it can transform into several different animals such as the wolf, crow, cat, etc." He paused and looked up at Mitch and Dylan. "Have either of you come across one?"
Mitch shook his head, "I don't think so."
"I know that I haven't. I have only traveled the last couple of decades, so I haven't come across a lot. I mainly kept to myself," Dylan admitted.
"Anyone else?" Dalton asked.
James laughed, "Until Skylar and I were married, I had only left a couple of times to go see Mom."
"They may be true, James, but you were always trying to run off as a youngster. I hope this son of yours is just like you," Beth laughed.
Becky smiled, "I have done some traveling but mainly just to other packs. Never really out into the world."
Sadie laughed, "Until I was on the plane to your pack. I lived in a cave and never saw the outside world."
Dalton shook his head and continued reading. Elementals mating with devils, harpies, vampires, etc. "This one seems to catch my eye. When Elemental wolves mate with a god or goddess, the Elemental could die from the mating or become a god or goddess to stay with their mate. Similarly, a god or goddess could lose their status and become human or another species to stay on Earth with their mate. The Elemental and the god or goddess do not get to choose which choice happens. It is dangerous if they are fated mates and are determined to make their lives together. Elementals that are fated to a god or goddess will be given an additional fated mate in which they have to choose between. The pull from both mates will be strong. The Elemental will need to determine which mate is potentially the better of the two. Elemental's heartbreaking will be felt through both of the mates. If the Elemental denies his or her feelings for the god or goddess, the god or goddess will still lose their status and be bound to Earth with no mate but still have their powers intact. If the Elemental chooses the god or goddess, the other mate will die from being denied due to the god or goddess being powerful enough to overthrow their love." Dalton stopped reading, "This is crazy. What does this all mean? Did Taina have an Elemental as a mate, and they denied their love for her?"
Mitch shook his head in disbelief, "I am going to have to guess that Peter and Taina were fated mates. I wonder if that's why he is so upset about us talking about her."
Skylar nodded, "That could also be why Lolli said it wasn't her story to tell. That also means that Lolli is Papa's other fated mate. I wonder if she felt his heartbreak when he denied Taina his love. If he had chosen Taina, Lolli would have died a bad death."
"It is starting to all fall into place," Sadie stated.
Abby shook her head, "What if Peter wasn't allowed to choose?"
"That would make just as much sense to me," Dylan agreed. "Taina could have left before he was able to choose one or the other. There is another possibility, though, that he was forced to choose Emily. After all, it was forbidden to mate outside of your element status. What if Peter's parents forced him into marrying Emily, and she isn't his fated mate at all?"
"That could be possible. However, Emily is the royal bloodline and not Peter," James pointed out.
"Papa was born from the line of the highest-ranked knights. He was in line to become the Delta, not the Alpha. It is a little confusing why he and Lolli would have been forced to marry. That is something else we are missing," Skylar pointed out.
Sadie agreed, "I wish that they would talk to us about what is going on. Who is Taina to them, and why don't they want to talk about it."
Emily entered the room followed by Peter, "We have talked it over and believe that you deserve to know the truth. This is not easy for us to explain so please bear with us."
"Taina is my fated mate," Peter paused as he wiped away the tears in his eyes.
Skylar nodded, "We figured that much out."
They explained what they learned.
Peter laughed, "If I had another mate, I have never met her."
"My father didn't give us a choice," Emily explained. "Father was not concerned with anything except how great it would look to have a highly ranked officer to be his son-in-law. I had met my fated mate, he was a stable hand in a pack on the other side of the forest. Father ordered Peter's brother, Henry to kill him for stealing. Jacob didn't even know what he supposedly did wrong when they beheaded him."
Sadie gasped, "That is horrible."
"It was a nightmare. Jacob was my best friend, and Emily was a very close friend as well. When Henry returned and told Malcolm, that the deed was done. I don't know who cried more. We were forced to marry the very next day. I met Taina that night, she came to me because she felt the mate call. When I told her I was being forced to marry another, she fled. I have devoted my life to Emily. We had Melissa and a son named Jacob. We named him after our friend and mate," Peter paused.
Emily wiped a tear from her eye, "Jacob was two years younger than Melissa. We were out on a family vacation, Jacob had just learned how to transform. He was only twelve but we assumed we were in a safe place."
James was confused, "Not many Elementals can transform so young. He was a very special young man. I wish I could have met him."
"What happened to him, Emily?" Dalton asked.
Peter and Emily shared a look. They decided to sit on the couch in the corner of the room. Everyone moved to the chairs, loveseats, and the other couch near them.
"I decided that as long as Jacob stayed close enough to smell him that nothing would happen," Peter began.
Emily frowned, "I wanted to go along but Melissa wasn't feeling well. So I agreed that while Peter cooked and I tended to his sister that he go out for a short run."
"He had been gone less than fifteen minutes when we heard the screams," Peter stopped to catch his breath. "I raced toward Jacob with Emily following. We left Melissa in the cabin long enough to see what was happening."
"The only proof we found were his shredded clothes," Emily shook her head. "We couldn't find any more proof that our son was out in the woods."
Sadie shook her head, "The Lupinomicon doesn't list Jacob on our family tree at all. Why is that?"
Peter frowned, "I don't have that answer. I just know that my Jacob disappeared that day and we have no proof that he ever existed."
"When we returned to the castle, his room was empty. All of the family pictures of all of us only included the three of us. Melissa doesn't remember him either, even though she was 14 at the time," Emily shook her head. "I don't know how we still remember him when the rest of the world doesn't."
- Writer
