TWISTED FATES BOOK 2: EVEN MORE TWISTED

Devon

I woke up in a beautiful green field.

How the hell did I get here?

I scrunched my eyes as I quickly scanned my surroundings, looking for any tell-tale signs of where I was. Nothing but rolling hills covered in dew-kissed green fields and tall, majestic sunflowers swaying in the whisper of the soft cooling breeze lay before me as far as the eye could see. It was so serene. Slade and I felt at peace here. But the question still remained.

Where the hell am I?

A sudden movement emerging from amongst the sunflowers caught my attention. My eyes remained transfixed on the beautiful women who now stood before me. Her long silver hair cascaded along her glimmering porcelain skin. Her rose-colored lips formed a comforting smile as she regarded me with her silver-hued eyes. Her regal visage held an expression that appeared to be a mixture of love and sadness simultaneously, but it was her scent that was the most intriguing to me. It was a mixture of Sammie’s warm spiced notes of cinnamon and chai scent intertwined with a hint of calming honey and vanilla aroma. Her soothing presence only heightened my awareness of her identity.

This beautiful entity was Selene, the Moon Goddess and Mother of all Wolves.

Her smile widened, resulting in tiny creases forming in the outer corners of her dazzling eyes.

“Hello, my child. It appears that you recognize me, after all.”

It was not a question rather a statement of fact. Slade pranced around in my head like a young pup in the presence of his mother on Christmas morning.

I bowed my head out of respect to the Goddess before me. “Greetings Moon Goddess”

“Selene … please, my child, no need for formalities.”

I nodded in acquiescence.

“I suppose you’re probably confused as to why I decided to pay you a visit, my child.”

“Confused would be an understatement.”

“I came to apologize to you, Devon.”

“For what?”

“For what I am about to tell you.”

The hairs along the back of my neck stood on end with her words. If the Moon Goddess herself was apologizing for something, then indeed, it was a bad sign. I waited with dreaded anticipation of the words she would soon speak as I gestured for her to continue.

“I am aware that you are planning to mark and mate Samantha very soon. I am here to tell you that you cannot do that.”

“What …why? She is my mate.”

“Yes, my child, she is the mate that I had intended for you, but nonetheless, you can no longer complete the mating process with her.”

“Why the hell not?”

Despite her calm demeanor, my irritation was rapidly rising to the surface. “I have waited for years to mark and mate with her finally. She is MY mate as deemed by you. Why should I not be able to complete the mating process with her now?”

Selene shook her head and sighed.

“You cannot, my child. I deemed Samantha as your mate, but this was before fate had decided to continue with his callous games regarding her destiny, impeding your mating process once again.”

“And what kind of games does fate have in store this time?”

“That I cannot tell you. For that, I am truly sorry. I cannot intervene in Fate’s plans.”

“Then why are you even here?”

“To offer my guidance, my child.”

I snorted. This was not how I expected my first meeting with the Moon Goddess to play out. I was growing more impatient with her elusive explanations. Ironically, Slade’s demeanor remained tempered as if the weight of her words did not reach him.

“I can sense your confusion regarding your wolf’s behavior Devon. I invoked Samantha’s scent in order to appease Slade. I knew that my words would only result in unease for both of you and felt that your mate’s scent was the only way to diffuse the potential for a hostile situation.”

I shook my head in exasperation. Of course, Selene did that. She’s the damn Moon Goddess; I’m sure this isn’t her first time encountering this situation.

“So then tell me. Why can’t I complete the mating process with my mate?”

“To save her life.”

“What do you mean to save her life?”

“When mates complete the marking and mating process, this signifies the unification of their souls. The bond between soulmates intensifies feelings, whether pleasure or pain, that their mate can only appease. When mates are united, they are as one mind, body, and soul. The rejection of mates results in agony, and suffering, although painful, can be endured. Still, the infidelity of a marked and mated can only result in the death of the one betrayed.”

“What does that have to do with Sammie and me?”

“You will betray Samantha, Devon.”

I scoffed. That was impossible. There was no way in hell I would ever betray Sammie. She was my love and my life. Despite everything we have been through, she was the light at the end of my dark tunnel.

“I would NEVER betray her!”

“But you will and soon.”

In an instant, my hand was tightly gripping her pale, delicate throat. My grip strengthening as Slade pushed his way alongside me to the forefront. A fierce growl ripped through my chest as we glared at her sending a warning.

“Moon Goddess or NOT, you’re full of shit! How dare you insult us by saying that we would betray our fucking MATE!”

“I am sorry, my child. I know you are upset- “

“UPSET?! I’m a hell of a lot more than just upset Selene!” I snarled.

She clicked her tongue in disapproval as she just shook her head.

Suddenly my body was propelled through the air. Once my back came in contact with the ground several feet away, the wind was literally knocked out of me. A menacing growl bellowed, and within seconds a silver wolf’s muzzle was baring its sharp fangs and its hot breath mere inches away from my face. I put my hands up in surrender and lay there stunned, trying to catch my breath. As the dangerous wolf made its way next to her side, she stood over me and spoke. The threat in her voice and the snarling wolf beside her alerted me to remain where I was and listen.

“Regardless of what you may think, Devon. I am only trying to protect Samantha. I know that she was originally supposed to be one of my own children, but she made her choice. She is no longer a child of the moon; she is my sibling’s child now. She is a vampire, and even still, I allowed the mate bond to re-forge itself out of kindness. The fact that I am still protecting her is a courtesy to you. Had the two of you not been so easily swayed and manipulated by Dasha, then none of this would have come to pass. But NO, you weakened your bond, and she chose to sever it. She pissed off Fate on more than one occasion, and he is not so forgiving. So I will give you one last warning, my child, and you would be smart to heed it. If you complete the mating process with her, your betrayal will kill her. We cannot have that. Because she made a mess of things, she must make atonement, and I cannot intercede in what plans are in motion. I can only observe and advise. Samantha has a destiny now that must be fulfilled. I am only here to ensure that she does so by informing you of it. If you choose to ignore my advice and mark her, then I cannot stop you. But know that her death will be on YOUR hands.”

Slade’s ears perked up at Selene’s threat to our mate. A low guttural growl manifested from deep within me, shattering the tranquil silence around us.

I lunged at Selene again. My hand gripped her throat as my claws elongated, piercing her delicate skin, yet she showed no trace of anger at my repeated infarction. She motioned for the silver wolf to remain calm. When she regarded me, her silver eyes held both pity and acknowledgment like that of a mother accepting her child’s tantrum for not getting its way.

I knew it was wrong, but I wanted to hurt Selene for spewing those offensive words. I would never betray Sammie, and I sure as hell wouldn’t be the one responsible for her death. Nonetheless, a small part of me knew that Selene wasn’t a liar, and that scared the shit out of me.

I closed my eyes and released my tight hold of her as I backed away from her. The silver wolf revealed its fangs and raised its haunches, awaiting my next move. I just shook my head and sighed. There were no words that could alleviate the heavy burden that has settled itself onto my heart.

“I am sorry, my child.”

I heard the slightest whimper from the silver wolf, making Slade emerge and question his mother as to the wolf’s significance.

“Why is that she-wolf here?”

Selene glanced at the silver wolf, almost despondently. She appeared to hesitate before finally answering him.

“Her name is Ophelia. Unfortunately for her, she was not blessed with the prospect of uniting with her human counterpart, causing her to fall into a deep sadness. Not wanting my beautiful pup to remain in such a sad state, I have decided to keep her at my side until she is able to be united with her destined human finally.”

Slade once again let out a slight whimper, yet I could tell that he had no understanding as to why he was feeling such sadness.

“Why wasn’t Ophelia united with her human?”

“That is of no concern of yours, my little pup.”

It was apparent that Slade did not like his mother’s answer. Her words upset him greatly, so much so that he just retreated into the recesses of his private sanctuary.

Everything regarding Selene’s visit was just too much to take in. First, being told I was going to cause grief for my mate, and now the strange pang of anguish that Slade is feeling. My head and my heart ached.

I dropped to my knees on the ground in front of her—the ultimate form of submission. I was at a loss as I looked up at her. All the while, I tried my damndest to hold back the unshed tears threatening to emerge.

“Why? Why can’t we just be happy? Why is it so damn wrong that I just want to live a quiet, peaceful life with my mate … with Sammie?”

“I cannot answer that, Devon. Fate feels as if he was wronged, and now he has his own agenda that we cannot begin to comprehend. I can only implore you to trust that everything will turn out as it should be if you just have faith in what I am trying to tell you.”

I shrugged my shoulders in defeat. Nothing was going to make this discussion any better.

“Are we done with this conversation now … I want to go back.”

“Yes, my child.”

Selene regarded me one last time before she snapped her fingers, and I succumbed to the darkness.