-:Cecelia's PoV;-

"Ouch!" Ashton exclaimed. "Be gentler, Ce."

I scowled at him.

"Take what you get," I snapped, pressing harder.

I was annoyed. They were prolonging giving me answers. It was like they loved having me in the dark. 

I guessed a lot of annoyance could burn away the oxytocin pretty efficiently.

"Ow! You know what, I'll do it myself," he took the ice back from my hands.

"Fine," I huffed, trying to step back but was stopped by Ash's arm around me.

"I didn't say I want you to go away," he said softly.

How the hell is he so patient with me?

That's right, he's guilty. Yup. Definitely.

I huffed again, folding my hands across my chest. We were standing in the Pack kitchen. There were not many people about. Those who were around could care less. We got a lot of looks when the three of us descended the stairs initially. 

Being publicly marked does that to you.

The boys ignored them and I followed their example. That attention was not appreciated.

Currently, Ashton was sitting on the barstool around the kitchen island. I was standing between his legs icing his face when my temper got the best of me. Now I was stuck there in his arms, standing like a petulant child while he kissed my head and face periodically despite me snapping at him.

I couldn't hate him even when I wanted to.

Julian on the other hand . . . he was easier to be mad at. But he knew me too well to be offended and be mad in return. 

That leeches all the satisfaction, when you're mad at someone and they call you a 'cute pup' before laughing and mussing up your hair. Makes you madder and I repeat, definitely doesn't help.

"Spill," I ordered.

"Not when we have ears on us," Julian denied. I let out a humorless chuckle.

"You mean the people who know more about the situation than me?" I scoffed. "Stop making excuses and just spit it out."

"Lia," he sighed heavily.

"No," I shook my head, "I don't want that face. Wipe that look off. That's what got us here in the first place. You should've told me when I had asked you."

"I am aware," he rubbed his hands together nervously.

"Well?"

"How much do you know?"

"Just that a wanted werewolf wants me."

"So, not much."

"And who's fault is that?" I glared.

"This story goes way back," he finally began. "A little over six years back, to be precise. Vincent showed up demanding to have you. He didn't have a lot of people following him back then. Alpha Rivers obviously refused. But something Vincent said made him wary. Wary for your safety. Vincent was a little deranged and unpredictable and your father didn't want to take any chances.

"He sent you away to the strongest pack in America he knew. The Evergreen Pack. He sent you to train, to become stronger, independent, fierce, and self-sufficient. But most importantly, he sent you away for your safety and to buy time.

"Vincent was angry, of course, he was. But he didn't have the resources to challenge Alpha Rivers, let alone my dad. So, that man bid his time. He worked throughout the years, gathered allies, and waited patiently. Much to his delight, his day came. You came back to the pack.

"He tried asking for you peacefully again. He wanted you even though he'd gotten the wind of the fact that you had found your mate. He was delighted to hear that your mate was the future Alpha of your rival pack. He thought it would make things easier. The plan was simple, get the packs to fight and then amidst the bedlam and mayhem of the war, capture you once and for all. Who would know, right? 

"That's when he started sending the notes. To get the pack to fight, to fuel the rivalry. Stoke the kindle and get a big flame. That plan failed, too. The Alphas unexpectedly talked things out before attacking, unlike their ancestors.

"Vincent was pissed. Tired of being passive-aggressive, he turned to drastic measures. He decided to get his object of fascination by force. Unfortunately for him, his men were not exactly sure of what you looked like. They just knew your general attributes. Sun-kissed skin with a slight golden tan, short brown hair, and green eyes. As soon as they caught hold of someone who looked like that, they kidnapped her . . . only to find out that they got the wrong girl.

"Frustrated, he made a new plan. He planned to poison you. If you would be weakened with Wolfsbane, you'd make an easy target. If you couldn't be captured for some reason, Ashton's wolf would expose your mate bond and a war would ensue. A double-edged sword, or so he thought. But that failed when your parents accepted you eventually. Then he resorted to sending threat notes and emails, warning us of his advance. 

"Finally, that brings us to today. He showed up at the commonplace where the Crescent Moon and Silver Moon borders conjoin near the neutral lands. And you almost walked into his arms, Lia. You're an idiot."

I gaped at his speech. Ashton pulled me close to him, resting his chin on my shoulder. He squeezed my middle comfortingly and I melted into him.

Julian basically just summarized what had happened since I'd come back. And what happened to make my parents force me into moving in with grandma for six years. Only now I had more insight and I could explain so much more. Reasons. Explanations I needed. I tried not to think about my family and them sending me to Evergreen. It was still a sore topic for me, despite everything.

I decided to voice the one question that was still probing at me to stop thinking about mom, dad, and Aaron.

"Why me?" I asked cautiously.

"Let's continue this discussion in your room," he suggested, eyeing the room. The Weres left were not talking amongst themselves. I hadn't even noticed the silence the room was drowning in till then. I swallowed and nodded. I stood up, leaving Ashton's embrace reluctantly. He turned me around and pecked my lips reassuringly. I smiled.

I frowned at him when I saw that the ice pack he was using was all melted yet the bruises on his face were still raging.

"You didn't ice them," I accused.

"I did," he lied smoothly. I rolled my eyes as I rinsed that pack under the tap and put it back in the freezer. I wiped away the condensation with a kitchen towel before disposing it off. I grabbed another ice pack and thrust it towards him. 

"Do it," I dictated. He sighed as he obediently pressed the pack to his face to placate me. We walked to my room and I opened it with my key, ushering them in. I collapsed on my bed face first, making them chuckle. The bed dipped beside me and I turned my face sideways to find Ash sitting beside me. He stroked my hair and I sighed in content, my eyes fluttering shut. I counted to ten before I opened my eyes. 

There were things I needed to know.

"Why me?" I asked again, sitting beside Ashton against my headboard. He opened his arms for me to cuddle and I gave in to my temptation, curling up beside him. He kissed the top of my head and Sera purred in my head. I blocked out the horny wolf out of my mind to focus on Julian. He was sitting on my study table chair, watching us with an amused and knowing look.

"Julian," I called, flushing just a little. Ash rubbed the sides of my hands.

"I can leave if you want," Jules offered, smirking.

"Why me?" I repeated, glaring at him. He held his hands up in surrender.

"Fine," he said. "Do you know about the legends surrounding the 'Moon Blessed' she-wolf? The one we believe is sent by Selene?"

"I've heard of them. Why?"

"We believe we might've found her."

My brain stopped working momentarily.  

"But they're legends," I said dumbly. "They're just stories made up to put kids to sleep."

 He smiled tiredly.

"Not really. You're real," he spoke.

"Get out," I breathed.

"It's true."

"Julian, that is bullshit."

"Think about it, Lia. You're the only female alpha wolf alive. It's been two centuries since we last had one of you. You are so strong, so fierce. You're deadly. You survived a hefty dose of Wolfsbane practically unscathed."

I pursed my lips as it sunk in.

"Do you know what this means?"

I nodded stiffly.

I knew the legend that'd been passed down for generations by the word of mouth. Everyone did.

 An Alpha female is rare. She is the gift from the Goddess herself. A blessing like no other. A piece of the Goddess. She'll be strong, valiant, fierce. A beauty like no other, a warrior no one can compare to. When she will find her mate, she will reach her full potential. Become unbeatable. Her mate will become the strongest along with her. Her equal. There will be a shift of power. She will either bring peace or destruction. She is destined for great things.

To think that the girl was me, seemed like utter bullshit. I was not that great. I couldn't beat Julian. Six years ago I had more fat than twice of what I did now. I was whiny. Spoilt. Self-centered. How could someone like me possibly be a blessing from the Goddess?

"You're yet to be fully mated," Julian answered. I looked up from my lap at him, realizing I spoke out loud. I couldn't even bring myself to be embarrassed. "And you might have been spoiled, but you were never self-centered, Lia. You cared about others. You've always been compassionate. You have always been worried about your family. You didn't want them to be sad. You said so yourself, multiple times, you didn't want to disappoint them. You trained. You saved Tasha and Kiara without thinking about yourself even once. Stop being so negative."

Kiara. So that was her name.

A thought hit me.

"That's probably why I collapsed," I whispered. "The mark actually drained my energy. Our wolves connected, sure, but there was something else that drained out of me in the process. Ashton, did you feel different after you marked me?"

"A little," he furrowed his brows. "I felt a surge of power. I felt stronger. But I thought that was just the thrill of claiming you. Or the adrenaline."

"Damn, and I haven't even marked you yet," I wondered.

"Hmm," he hummed. My eyes were getting droopy. I was tired.

"Sleep," Julian eyed us mischievously. I glanced at the clock and was surprised to see it was past one in the morning. I yawned, suddenly overwhelmed with tiredness. Why did that always happen? I was okay till I was unaware of the time.

"Good night, Jules," I said, waving at him slightly. I was too tired to give a fuck about his teasing.

"'Night, Lia," he smiled fondly at me. "Good night, Ashton."

"G'night, Julian."

 Julian got up to leave. Then he paused at the door.

"Don't do anything just because these rooms are soundproof. We'll still know," he teased before quickly closing the door. I groaned into Ashton's chest.

"I'll kill him," I muttered. Ash's chest rumbled with his chuckles. I snuggled closer to him. I heard him drop the ice pack at my bedside table.

"Stay here tonight," I mumbled. 

"Are you sure?" He asked after a few moments passed.

"Yeah. We're mates, are we not? I'm done pushing you away," I said. "And anyway, this feels so good."

He chuckled lightly.

"Okay," he agreed. I hummed contently.

"I need to brush," I sighed. "I can lend you a spare."

He nodded against my head.

Ten minutes later, we were spooning on my bed, all cleaned up. I was so content in his arms, so comfortable. I felt safe and protected. I didn't think I'd be able to sleep without him again. The sparks had been intensified with the bond. That definitely swayed me a little, but still.

Nothing beats the comfort of a mate's embrace.

"Sweet dreams," he whispered in my ear. I shivered.

"Sweet dreams, Ash," I whispered back.

He pulled me closer and I didn't protest. The closer, the better.

That's how I fell asleep that night, cocooned in the strong scent of oak and pine. 

The new smell of home.

*****************************

A/N:-

There you go, a new chapter. I hope you liked it.

QOTD: Butterflies or fireflies?

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