Chapter 52: 50, Devine presence

Colin’s POV

Colin was sitting in his office with Mateo. They were looking over the winter preparations. Usually, they get a lot of snow around January and February. They needed to ensure they had vehicles that could handle it and food supplies that could last through long winter storms.

‘Colin, can you come downstairs?’ Adina mind linked him.

He smiled. He loved that they could mind link with each other. It was proof that they now were of the same pack. He had gotten used to the feeling of belonging to two packs. Sean had taught him how long-distance mind linking worked. They had used Cernack as a guinea pig.

‘We will be done in about twenty minutes,’ he linked back.

‘Sorry, honey, but I need you to come down right now. We have a guest we can’t leave waiting,’ she told him.

‘A guest? No one has been announced,’ he said.

‘It’s Selene; she won’t be coming through the gates,’ Adina told him, and he could hear the amusement in her voice.

Colin shot up from his chair, and Mateo gave him a strange look. Colin still wasn’t used to the fact that the gods were a real thing. He had grown up with the tales, as any pup. But Adina talked about them as being physical beings.

“I need to take care of something,” he said to Mateo.

“Is something wrong?” Mateo asked, sounding worried.

“We are getting a divine visitor,” Colin told him. He looked at Colin with disbelief.

“It’s an Adina thing,” Colin said. Mateo smiled and nodded.

‘Baby, do I need to change? And if I do, what do you wear to meet a goddess?’ he asked his mate.

‘No, you don’t need to change. She will see your true form, so it doesn’t matter,’ Adina told him, and he could swear she was laughing.

He sprinted down the stairs and saw Adina and Sean stand at the door, waiting for him. He smiled at them and kissed Adina as he reached them.

“So, going to meet a goddess? Where will we meet her?” he asked, trying to sound like this was something he did every day.

“In the forest,” Adina smiled as they started walking.

“I will share my second sight with both of you when we get there. You remember that right?” she asked Colin.

“Sure, how can I forget?” he told her.

He was honest. The things she had let him see through her second sight would be something he always remembered. Adina and Sean both smiled at him.

“It will also mean that we will all see each other’s true forms. Just be prepared for it,” she smiled.

Colin remembered seeing Sean through the sight. The protector, followed by a large brown wolf. He also remembered Adina stopping him from looking at her.

“Does that mean I will get to look at you this time?” he asked.

“Yes, you can both look at me if you want,” Adina nodded.

“She hasn’t shown you either?” Colin asked Sean.

“No, she always made me promise not to look at her when she shared her second sight with me,” Sean said.

“Things are different now. We are mates. Just promise me it won’t change anything,” she said, sounding apprehensive.

Colin looked at Sean; he didn’t need to mind linking him to know what he thought. They both stopped and stood in front of Adina.

“Nothing will ever change how we feel about you,” Colin told her and kissed her.

“We already know who you are. If you feel uncomfortable, we won’t look at your true form,” Sean said, kissing her.

“I love you too, both of you. And I want you to see me, just as I see you,” she smiled and looked more relaxed.

That satisfied Colin and they continued walking into the forest. They had been walking for a while when they came to a clearing where the stream that ran through the territory had widened and almost formed a pond. Next to the pond, there was a silver mist hovering. Adina smiled.

“Is that the goddess?” Colin whispered.

“Yes,” Adina told him, and she took his hand and Sean’s hand in hers, and in an instant, the world changed into the place where magic flowed through the air.

 Colin looked over at the pond, and his breath hitched in his chest. There was now a beautiful woman standing where the silver mist had been. She was taller than any mortal. Her skin was pale and almost had a blue shine to it. Her long hair was silver-grey, and her pale eyes had the colour of the stars.

Around her was an aura of magic that pulsated slightly. She was dressed in a silver dress that reminded Colin of the ancient statues he had seen in museums. The smile she gave them radiated warmth and love.

“Selene,” Adina said, bowing her head. Colin and Sean followed suit.

“Adina, dear child. I would embrace you, but it would be a shame to make you let go of your mates’ hands. I was expecting your invitation,” the goddess said. The humour was evident as she spoke.

“If you were expecting it, wouldn’t it have been simpler for everyone if you just told me what you were up to,” Adina said, mirroring the tone of the goddess. Colin was so surprised at how she spoke to the deity that he turned to look at her.

He forgot what he was doing and just stared at her. If the goddess was radiating of cold light, Adina was radiating in warm light. She looked like a goddess, her hair and skin flawless and alight from within.

Around her head was a headband of pure light that held a jewel as bright as anything Colin had seen in the middle of her forehead. She was dressed similarly to the moon goddess, but Adina’s was pure white. The light radiating from her was tinted towards the red and yellow spectrum. Beside her stood her silver wolf, and Colin understood the markin it had on its forehead.

When she realised he was looking at her, she turned towards him and smiled. It was the smile that he always called her sunshine smile, and in this form, it felt like she was emitting sunshine.

She turned towards Sean; she transfixed him as Colin. As they both basked in the light that was their mate, they heard soft laughter, and they all turned towards the goddess.

“The three of you, I should have seen it from the start,” she smiled. “Let me show you what I see,” she told them, and a gigantic mirror appeared in front of them, and they could all see themselves in their true form.

Sean flanked Adina on one side. He looked like the first time. The warrior and protector. His love for Adina was more evident now. Colin could also see the connection between Sean and himself. The only thing that had changed about Sean was that he was now wearing a crown. It was a crown braided by branches and emitted a soft green glow. Besides him stood his brown wolf.

On Adina’s other side, Colin saw himself, and he was surprised to see himself as a warrior and ruler. He stood tall with his black hair and beard shining. He also had a crown he discovered. It was made of black obsidian and was polished to perfection. It emitted a cold, blue glow. Beside him stood his black wolf.

The three made an impressive sight, and it made more sense when Colin saw them linked by holding hands than ever before.

The mirror disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared, and Colin was left staring at the smiling goddess.

“Will you now explain?” Adina asked with a smile.

“You mortals, always so curious. Always wanting to put things into words.” Selene smiled. “But yes, for you, my child, I will give you the answers,” she said.

“Before any of you were born, when you were first manifested in the world’s consciousness. I was given the task of pairing your souls with your perfect match. It’s my responsibility to do so for every werewolf, and I do it with pride,” she started.

“Each life can take several directions. It’s influenced not only by what the individual chooses but by what others around them do. But in each possible life, there is usually one creature that always seems to play an important role. No matter what paths you choose, you will always cross theirs. That is the one that is your true mate,” the goddess explained.

“For you, my dear, I could see that in all the possible lives you could live, alpha Colin would always be there,” she said. Colin smiled at this. It was a good feeling to know that no matter how he and Adina had lived their lives, they would have found each other.

“But you were different, my dear. Because it wasn’t just Colin that kept intersecting your life. Sean did as well. This confused me. I had never had two lives being tied to a third in that way. But Sean also had another connection that he intersected within each life. She did not have another one. So I paired the two of them as mates so she wouldn’t be left without, “Selene said.

 “But things turned out in the worst way possible, and you and Sean met so early in life. I wondered if I should change the mating bond at that point. But I knew alpha Colin needed you as much as you needed him. It caused me quite a headache. But then the three of you solved it on your own, admirably, I might add,” she smiled.

“So, I thought it was time to correct my mistake and do what I should have done when I saw your fates intertwine. I made the three of you destined mates, as it should be,” she nodded.

“Are you saying that the three of us would have met even if Adina’s family hadn’t been killed?” Sean asked.

“Yes, but not necessarily in the same way or with the same feelings as I denied you the mate bond with her,” the goddess said with a sad smile.

“I am truly sorry for that, and I am happy the three of you found your way to each other. You let me right a wrong, and I am very rarely wrong,” she said.

“Then the sparks are from a true mate bond?” Adina asked.

“Yes, I know you have been worried they were caused by some dark magic, and with your history, who can blame you? But they are the real thing,” Selene nodded.

Both Colin and Sean looked at Adina with surprise. She hadn’t told them she was worried about the sparks.

‘We will need to talk to her about that,’ Sean mind linked Colin.

‘Yes,’ Colin agreed.

“Do my answers satisfy you, my child?” the goddess asked.

“They do. Thank you for taking the time to talk to us,” Adina smiled.

“It’s always a pleasure to talk to you, my child. And I quite like your mates as well. Will you accept my blessing?” Selene asked.

‘Any objections?’ Adina asked Colin and Sean in a mind link.

‘No,’ they both said.

“It would be an honour,” Adina told the goddess.