Mark Of Change (Firemoon Book 1)

by Sky Wilde

  I smile and look over to my mate. He whispers, “Your child, your choice.” I pout at his answer. If what I have in mind is going to work, I would need my mate by my side too. He just grins widely and motions toward the boy, who has his brows furrowed in deep thought, “How about I name you?”

  His eyes twinkle. I add after a moment of thought, “Think about the name Aiden. Has a meaning of protector. Suits you.”

  He grins and mutters, “Let me think about it.”

  I nod, and motion my eyes toward the little girl in my arms, “Tell me about your sister then.” The little girl has blonde hair bordering on the shade of sunflower, and her eyes were olive green— the natural colour of a sorcerous.

  His eyes twinkle as he smiles, “Her name is Larson. Not really a girl name, but the Alpha names everyone... still I call her Lara. She is the sweetest child of my family. Everyone in my pack... except the Alpha and our mothers... loves— loved— her.” His voice gets low as he adds, “So, please... don’t take us to them...”

  I stand up, still holding the sleeping girl tight to me and take his arm. I start walking, and say, “Okay, so how about this? You and your sister can accompany us to our home.”

  When I look down at him, he has this huge smile that melts my heart. He nods vigorously. I wonder whether he will get any muscle crunches from that, and my mate laughs.

  “Come on, is that a joke?”

  “I don’t think so. But it sure was funny,”

  “I just am worrying about him Grey. Stop laughing,” I scold him. He giggles silently but stops laughing out loud like a speaker. I glare at him.

  I cradle the boy— Aiden— closer to my leg and he leans against me. Even though he is maybe seven or eight, he is already taller than my hip’s height.

  I walk out of the building, out of my nightmare, out of imprisonment, with a huge smile, without any fears, and also after avenging myself...

  I leave the place and look over to the setting sun... with... my mate at my side and two little children for me to look after.

  If this is not a happily ever after. I don’t know what is...

  Motherly Love

  *December*

  The days have been a whirlwind. At least I had my mate to ground me to reality. Being powerful accompanies this temptation to give in and have my way with anyone who dares to disagree with me.

  I almost had hurt my aunt for trying to force the children out of my mate’s home. I had hurt one of the maids for barging in out of nowhere. I would have even hurt my mate...

  I had apologized to everyone.

  My aunt was shocked to hear the story. She was hugging me tight to her chest, before I even got to finish the story. It seems that he had taken me to Utah, his Pack’s headquarters. Grey had run the whole way... Well, he could have taken some transport things, but what happened had happened for the greater wellbeing, one could say.

  Aunt’s eyes were rivers of their own with tears flowing free as I uttered it as a whole to her. Grey had hugged us both, his tall form covering his mom and me in one group familial hug, comforting us both.

  My aunt had apologized a lot of times for forcing us to go out and into the trap... but I didn’t mind going through that... because it was just a part of life I needed to go through.

  I have my destiny. I now know that I am a vessel of goddess, a daughter of Nyx herself. An Oracle, as my aunt stated. Seems that Oracles are sorcerous who has the mark of Nyx. It is not a visible mark like the common mark of sanguine, but mark of Nyx allows the bearer to use wild magic and tame it.

  Just like I can

  Which brought a question from my aunt, “Have you prophesied anything?”

  I had cocked my head and was confused. She continued that Oracles could see glimpses of future and act as the mouth of Nyx if she wishes to warn her followers about the future.

  Unfortunately, no. I haven’t done anything like that.

  I am just a normal girl trying to figure out how to parent around two kids. Crazy weird for me to go through parenting lessons when I am just nineteen.

  Okay, let’s move to my two new children.

  Lara. She almost worked her way into my aunt’s heart in a mere moment. Darn, it took me days to do that.

  She was excited for moving into a new family. Of course, she knew nothing about motherly love because the way I treated her, brought a smile to her and she had asked why I was doing them and, even a small thing brought a cute thank you from her. Words were twisted in a funny way to hear from her little mouth.

  Her mothers’ hadn’t showed her any love at all...

  The boy, Mickelson Jr., hasn’t chosen a name for himself. I call him Aiden in my mind, already fixated on that name, and I so badly wanted to call him Aiden in reality, but I can’t... not without his permission. He was also excited but really played it cool all the way.

  Now, we four are going to meet their mothers. I just hope that I don’t burn them. After hearing everything from my little boy I am so tempted to see them suffer. At least his own mom, one of the youngest of them. She should have saved him and sided with him against the world. I hope Grey lets me make her suffer, just a tad small amount.

  “No.” He commands me firmly on that topic, on hearing my thoughts. I pout. He keeps driving pretending not to notice my pout.

  When I walk into the hall of the guest house, just outside my mate’s estate and at the edge of the barrier where the forest meets roads, Aiden tenses up. He clutches me closely.

  This is the first time he is going to see them after the incident. I didn’t even inform the mothers of their children, till now.

  Lara runs up to the ladies, recognizing them from her past. I walk after her, with my mate after me.

  Their eyes go wide at the scene in front of them. The pregnant mother, who my mate said to be Adriana— a woman with black hair, and the second older woman Katherine— a woman with deep copper hair, shifts to protective stance, protecting the baby.

  Aiden’s and Lara's birth mother Marina, a cute slender and tall woman with matching hair colour as Lara, has a tongue-tied expression. She must be shocked to see her own children.

  Yes, she must be. How dare she had hurt her own children and let them be to die!?

  Fire rolls off from my hands and I show off that if she even thinks of harming my children, I will show her hell.

  My Aiden's jaws harden and I can feel the tension rolling off him. He takes a step forward. But I place my hand on his shoulder. He looks back, hesitates and relents to my wish. I walk forward and take back Lara into my arms and place her contentedly on my hip and she is more than willing to play with my ear and hair.

  “What is the meaning of this?” the older woman, who asked my mate to kill all the heirs, Hilda— a woman with dark brown hair, grunts out in anger.

  “They were not under his control. The boy was angry at him, and also at you... I wonder why...” My gaze holds accusation, and she notices it.

  She huffs out a long breath. “Well, whatever. I am not going to take them in.”

  I smile, and cradle them both closer to me. Lara seems more than happy and throws her arms around me.

  “No worries. I am just here to say that I will be taking them under my wing.” They all stare astonished at me. I laugh and pull my mate to the front, urging him to continue.

  I take both of my children and leave the house. As soon as I leave it behind, my newly adopted son releases the breath he has been holding in.

  “Lara has found me as a good bed it seems, she is already asleep.” I whisper and take his arm.

  He glances over to his sister and sighs, and starts crying. I cradle him closer and pull him down to sit on the porch. Cradling Lara with one arm I put my other over his shoulder and pull him to me. He cries into my shoulder, but he is also making sure not to wake up his sister.

  I smile and sing him the lullaby. Well, it is the only one I know. And I plan on learning much more to sing to my children. His sobs die down. I glance back at the
house, where my mate is signing off contracts to make my adoption legal.

  They really are going to be my own children. In every way.

  I place a kiss on his head and whisper, “You are strong. You handled it pretty good.” He nods and wipes out the tears.

  “I promise that I will do my best to be a mom and show you both motherly loves’ meaning.” I whisper. He nods and curls closer to me.

  I wait for my mate to come out, and then we leave behind my children’s past and to our home, a new future to them. I am so glad that Nyx has saved this boy at my request. If not, he would have died by now.

  I promise myself today to do whatever it takes to master my powers. No one, I mean no innocent person will suffer from now on. I will do whatever it takes to provide fair justice to all the soulmates who have been killed or abused, and to all the women under the clutches of Alphas around the world.

  My boy— damn I want to call him Aiden. At least he must choose a name for him soon— is riding shotgun with his new father driving. I am at the back with Lara still sleeping soundly on my lap. She didn’t even stir when I placed her down from my hips and onto the seat. A sound sleeper it seems.

  My mate smirks and whispers in mind, “Just like her mother, even though she doesn’t have your genes. Let’s hope that our daughter is not as clumsy as her mother.” I blush but stick my tongue out at him. He laughs and whispers in reality, “I am so glad to see you all happy.”

  I smile and trace a hand on my daughter’s face. And squeeze my son’s shoulder from behind. He looks between us and smiles.

  We enter our home and maids come ushering out to take the sleeping child from me. I wave them off and carry her to their bedroom.

  I have already ordered a lot of toys and everything they will need, to be arranged in their new room, lying just nearby my room. I am so happy now. I have time to start my plans.

  First being, showing off that a new soulmate pair is there, and is challenging the Alpha council.

  Next being, taking them down.

  Later, freeing all the forced women and soulmates from their clutches and let them have a happily ever after.

  I place Lara onto her bed and place a kiss to her forehead. She rolls over and clutches a pillow to her, hugging it tight. I smile. Grey is right, she does have a lot of my character traits. Like hugging a pillow to sleep, and also being a sound sleeper like me, and a lot more we have in common. She really feels like my own daughter.

  A sudden dizziness assaults me. I stagger back from the bed, and clutch onto the nightstand. My mate bond pulses, indicating Grey that I am in trouble. “Grey...”

  Before he can reach the room I am in, darkness claims me.

  My son was the one by my side before I closed my eyes. His face had utter fear and he was yelling for... “Dad"... I felt a little happy, but...

  The void pulls me in and I can do nothing.

  A voice starts reverberating in the void and images pulses around me. I get entranced by it and I loose myself in them.

  *Grey*

  FINALLY... MY MATE is happy. I can ask of nothing more than that. She took the children of the man, who tortured her and tried to destroy her, under her wing and asked me to make the adoption official.

  I did as she asked. The smile she had when everything ran smooth was worth everything.

  I will bring her the world if it means she will keep smiling like that. And, I can say that those two had grown a little into my heart, especially Lara. With her behaviour, she can even melt the strongest of hearts.

  The boy is kind of different in every way. Determined. Strong. A little afraid, but it is natural after being under that bastard of an Alpha. He also loves his sister more than anything.

  Like I would protect my family, he seems like a guy who will do anything to make his little sister happy and protect her with his life.

  I like that about him.

  I’m finalizing the adoption forms. It was too easy to make the mothers agree for an adoption. They already hated them and were ready to throw them into the curb, and my December had hated them in turn for hating their own children. But, on the bright side, my December is happy.

  All of a sudden my mate bond pulses heavily. December is in danger?

  I push through the bond to hear her say, “Grey...” and go unconscious.

  My shifter yowls and takes over. I shift into my beast form. Still looking at my mate bond, and trying to get through to her, I run through the halls as fast as I can.

  “December! What is happening?” I yell into her mind. But as before, calmness has settled over her.

  No, no... If she goes into void and hurts her new children... she will never forgive herself.

  I press the speed, and run through the halls. Terrified shrieks of women fill the hallway on seeing me dash through it, and I don’t give a damn. I can hear my mom yelling from behind, “Grey! What in the seven worlds happened to you?”

  I don’t bother answering.

  I must always stay close to my mate. The first thing I am going to do is move in with her. Master bedroom can stay unoccupied for the time being, and I won’t give a damn.

  If December is hurt, I am going to go berserk....

  When I reach the room which she had readied for the children, I can hear the boy’s voice, “Dad! Where are you?” his voice feels hysterical. Like he is frightened beyond anything.

  “Is he calling me dad?” Pride fills my thought, but it goes as soon as comes.

  I need my December.

  I burst into the room, to find that my mate is sprawled unconscious on the floor, and the boy is sitting beside her. Lara is clutching her pillow tight and has tears streaming her face. They both scream on seeing my lion form. The boy at once, even before I could shift back, turns into a wolf and howls, taking a step between me and my mate. I feel that challenging howl ringing through my body and ears.

  My shifter abruptly pulls the reins from me and takes over. “Come on, this is not the time for establishing your Alphaness over a little boy!” I yell at him, but with no fruition.

  He charges and pins the wolf to the ground. Pressing my paw to his face, my shifter lets out a deafening roar. The wolf whines.

  A white light hits my body from nowhere. I look over to see that Lara has used her power.

  “How...? She is nothing but a little child...” My shifter asks confused.

  “Fucking give me back the control” I yell once again. But he doesn’t relent.

  I roar once again. And press my foot harder onto the wolf’ face, who whines from pain. Lara trembles in fear. I plead my shifter to calm down and control his instincts but it goes in vain.

  That is when something, worse than this mess, happens. December wakes up.

  Her mind has this calmness over her. I look up to her from my place to see that she is floating over me. With eyes as black as the void. The wolf below me whines for help. Uh-oh...

  A concentrated ray of elements leaves her hand in a moment’s notice and before I can comprehend what is happening, I fly through walls and out of the house through a window.

  I hit the ground with a crunching sound of my bones breaking. I whine and roar out my pain. I can heal myself using hunter powers, but... my shifter is not at all cooperative...

  “My December hurt me... why would she do this?” He billows to me.

  I look up into the blinding sun. December floats down after me through the window, her body silhouetted by the sun, as the flames over her body battles with the rays of sun. With a black light of magic bunching around in her hand, she floats towards me. “December! Stop!” I yell into her mind.

  The magic ball flies from her hand and hits me, sending me sprawling across the grass. I groan and grunt from the pain.

  Come on... let me take over.

  The shifter relents at last... but before I could shift back, another ball of magic hurls towards me in high speed. Just before it could hit me, I dodge it and still, it scratches me by my sides. It hurts like he
ll!

  I shift back and put my shield in time, just as another ball of blackness flies toward me at intense speed. The ball bounces of my shield and dissipates in air. She doesn’t stop at that. All of a sudden, a burning feeling assaults me from inside. I scream out the pain, my hand giving out on the holding up the shield.

  My mom and many of the maids comes out of the house, frightened out of their skulls, right as my mate charges another black ball.

  Grunting my teeth, I yell out loud, “December, stop this madness!”

  Thank Nyx that she stops on hearing my voice.

  But... I gasp at what I see in her eyes... Her eyes hold hostility towards me... towards her own mate... Her black eyes slowly revert back to her original brown colour. But... the hostility never recedes. I can see more emotions, and can feel them roll off from her... Betrayal. Anger. Protectiveness...

  I kneel before her and whisper, “December... please... if you have any anger towards me, hurt me all you want... but please don’t look at me like that.”

  She floats downward and her foot touches the bare grass before me, “How... dare... you... hurt... my children,” she whispers and loses the air around her, falling down unconscious.

  I catch her before she falls to the ground and cradle her to me. Her breathing is calm, her heart rate is normal. Her mind is also closed off from me.

  Why did she go unconscious?

  More to that... What she did was different. She had hurt her mate to protect the boy and girl... which wasn’t my fault! The shifter and his damned Alpha instincts are at fault.... From what she said during those days, mated couple value each other over themselves.

  I let out a tear and press my forehead to hers. My mom is beside me after a moment, as she places a blanket around me and hugs the still kneeling me from behind. She whispers, “What in the seven worlds did you do to piss her off like that?”

  I hang my head low and reply, as my voice feels a void even to me, “I... kind of... pinned her son down while we were in beast forms... and kind of frightened Lara with a roar...”