I don’t know how any of us had missed this, how we could’ve been blinded to the obvious affection between the two, as Amber brushed her hand over Nathan’s arm as she joined him. They had been perfect in their ruse, the performance convincing.
“During my time with the Pack, I asked a lot of questions, but one of the things I found most interesting was how Mason and Darcy had met. They seemed so much in love, and I wondered if there was something behind the story people freely shared. So I dug around, and sure enough, I uncovered something.” She stopped, a smug look on her face, and fury began to well up inside me.
I loved how Mason and I had gotten together, and it had always felt like Fate had intervened and granted her blessing as well. I didn’t hide the fact that both Mason and I had dreamed of each other the night before we met, and everyone else agreed—it was romantic, and the stuff of fairytales. I hated hearing her bring it up, as if her speaking it sullied the memory.
“And?” one of the officials asked impatiently.
“I think it would be better if I showed you.” She grinned, and I wanted to smack it from her face. “I call for the Moirai.” The meeting erupted again, and it only added to my confusion.
“Who are the Moirai?” I asked, turning to Mason for answers.
“The Fates. She’s called on the goddesses responsible for the fate and destiny of everyone. She is insane. No one calls on them unless they have a death wish.”
“I’d think very carefully, young wolf, on who you seek to summon. Do so wrongfully. and the very thread of your existence will be instantly severed,” Zane added. He was leaning forward, his hands on the panel table, his stare focused.
“I know what I accuse to be true. Let Darcy now answer these accusations. Hear the testimonies of the Fates,” Amber answered. She was resolved to see this through, and even though the moment was confusing, I knew in my heart her allegations were false. Mason and I had met as we were always meant to, and nothing was going to convince me otherwise.
“Do you have someone who will second your petition?” Vivien asked. Everyone’s attention turned to Nathan, who nodded. “So be it.”
Vivien uttered a chant and beside me Mason sat rigid in his seat. Power seemed to envelop the room, causing an almost electrical current to pass through everything and everyone. I could feel my own wolf become unsettled, the intensity of the rippling energy overwhelming.
We didn’t need to wait too long before three beautiful, young women appeared, their voluptuous bodies swathed in the sheerest of material, golden jewelry accenting their necks, ears, and fingers. I couldn’t take my eyes from them—standing in a triangle formation, with two of the goddesses blocking the view of the third.
“Who dares call us?”
Zane stepped down from the dais, and bowing low before the three women, begged for their indulgence. “Blessed Moirai, if it doesn’t offend you to be summoned without forewarning, we ask for your counsel on a matter of destinies being tampered with.”
Turning to address everyone, Zane introduced the Fates—Klotho, Lakhesis, and Atropos. The two in front, Lakhesis and Atropos, were terrifying. Their very presence demanded the room’s attention, and I understood why calling on them was something very rarely done.
“I thought they were meant to be ugly hags?” Daniel whispered from the side of his mouth, thinking his words would only be heard by Mason and me.
“Would this image please you more, Wolf?”
Daniel cringed, but it didn’t matter. To my complete shock, I watched as Atropos dropped the glamour that concealed her, revealing a hunched over, wrinkled woman. Her hair was in tufts, muscles and skin sagging, and as she smiled, it showed gaps where teeth once were. It was a brutal testament to the ravages of aging, and as quickly as her true self was uncovered, she replaced it with a more youthful one.
“You would be wiser to choose your words, young Daniel.” She smiled, her voice tinkling over the air. She studied him closely, taking a special interest, before turning her gaze toward Amber. “You, you are the cause for us being brought to this realm. Why?”
Whether she hid her fear well, or Amber truly was insane, she didn’t stutter in her response. “Fate was compromised. I was meant to be the true mate of Mason O’Conner, Alpha of the Mystic Wolves. I want the truth revealed so I may take my rightful place.”
“And who do you accuse of this tampering?”
“Darcy Matthews.” The sound of my name was like thunder.
“Come forward, child.”
Mason squeezed my hand, signaling I was being beckoned. I looked up and saw Atropos with her ancient eyes focused on me. I didn’t think I had the strength to stand—not from guilt, but from the prospect of getting caught up in whatever madness Amber was now plotting.
I staggered slightly, but my wolf brushed up against me, granting me support. She reminded me of who I was, what I’d done to fight for what was mine, and that nothing would ever change my destiny.
I tried not to flinch as I fell under scrutiny, and was relieved when she finally spoke.
“You are known to me, but in the way all are. I was there to witness your birth, and saw the beginning of your thread. It spins as it should,” she whispered to Lakhesis, and she nodded in reply. “We see no fault here.”
“Amber, stop this now.” It was Mason who stood, the full weight and authority he held as Alpha blaring. “By my oath, nothing you say or do would cause me to join with you. We were never meant to be mated, and should you force the matter, know this. I would rather abdicate my position as leader, throw away everything I’ve strived to accomplish, than ever marry you. You are nothing to me. You never were, and each step you’ve taken to maneuver your way into my heart has done nothing more than disgust me. Stop, before you forfeit your life.”
Amber laughed, her manic tone filling the room, rising louder and louder as it continued. When she abruptly stopped, her only response was to point to the hidden Fate.
“Ask her.”
Turning to see where Amber was indicating, I watched as Atropos and Lakhesis stepped to the side, finally revealing the third Moirai. The second my eyes caught sight of her, I gasped out loud. Mason joined me, and it created a stir amongst the officials.
“Explain.”
“I know her,” I whispered, desperately to disprove what my heart recognized.
“Speak up,” Atropos demanded, and shaking off my shock, I stepped back and addressed the Council.
“I know her. She was the guide in my dream—the one who showed me my first glance of Mason.”
I heard Mason confirm my admission, and I glanced at him over my shoulder. He shook his head at me, revealing he was just as stunned.
The third Moirai, Klotho, cleared her throat and broke free of her sisters. “What she speaks is true. I visited them both in their sleep, ensuring that they both shared the same dream.”
The room seemed to empty of oxygen and my mind reeled. I had no idea what this meant—was I truly destined to be with Mason, or was Amber right and magic had interfered? I refused to believe she was the one meant to spend the rest of her life with him.
“I didn’t do this, I swear. I had no idea who she was. It was just a dream,” I pled, panic beginning to rise up inside of me. I’d come so far, fought so hard, and I could see my future starting to slip away.
“She is right. She didn’t know who I was,” Klotho stated calmly. “And it matters not. The two were always destined to meet and mate. All I did was ensure it would happen.”
The moment was surreal.
At the same time Mason spoke up. “So what does that mean?” He looked back and forth to the Council and the Moirai.
“It means we have a problem, Alpha,” Atropos replied
She grabbed hold of my arm, and the room suddenly vanished.
Stay tuned for book 3 in the Mystic Wolves series,
Testing Fate.
About the Author
For more about the books or to contact Belinda:
Official website: http://thebookishsnob.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/thebookishsnob
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Belinda-Boring-Author/200626723318915
Forget Me Not (#2, The Mystic Wolves) Page 18
