Chapter 117 - He Stole My Heart, I Stole His Child

Taegan POV

“I totally freaked dad out,” I snickered, looking over the big book on Miss Rieka’s desk, the pictures and living words, as she calls them, moving on the page.

Dad looks less mad finally, and mom looks happy, so I’m happy. Stupid Casey can go suck a lemon, though. I wanna kick him in the tummy for wanting to pick a fight with mommy.

“You did very well, Taegan,” Rieka smiled at me.

I chuckle, feeling pretty darn happy with myself. Getting in daddy’s head wasn’t that hard.

“Can we do it to Callum now?” I asked, waving my hand above the book like Miss Rieka showed me, thinking about my best friend so I could try and find his story. He won’t come up, though.

“He doesn’t have a wolf yet,” Miss Rieka reminds me, “You can’t reach him yet.”

“Ah, man,” I grumbled.

“Why? What did you want to tell him?”

I shrug, “I don’t know. Maybe that I ate his secret Oreos? The ones he hides behind his books. He can’t get mad at me if I’m not there when I tell him.” I just want to show him my new skill. It’s like a built-in walkie talkie.

Miss Rieka laughs. “I guess you will have to wait to tell him in person. Sorry.”

“Hmm,” I made my hand move back above the book, grinning when it finds Casey. “Can I talk to Brother Casey?”

“Probably not,” she snorts, “but just out of curiosity, what do you want to tell him?”

“He he he,” I smiled widely, “That his shoe is untied.”

She leans over the book. “It’s not untied.”

“I know,” I smirked, “I just want to tell him that over and over again for fun. Really quietly so he doesn’t know it’s me.”

“Taegan….”

I frowned, “Is that a no?”

“It’s a no.”

“Well, what about ‘your fly is unzipped’? Can I tell him that?”

“Nope.”

“Cousin Courtney says your face hair looks weak?” I don’t know what that means, but I heard dad tell him that once and he got really mad.

“No, Taegan. And if you say cousin Courtney he will know it’s you.”

“Oh,” I frown, “but mommy said I can’t just call her Courtney.” Mommy says that its rude.

“I think you are done with the book for today,” Miss Reika shuts it and carries it over to the big bookshelf behind her desk. She puts it between the other two books that say PAST and FUTURE. That’s how she keeps track of everybody.

We were looking in the PRESENT book, because Miss Rieka said that we needed to watch daddy and mommy. It was gross watching daddy try to suck mommy’s face, but mom made him stop. Mom is a lot smarter than dad sometimes.

We've been doing this the past few days, and today was the first day that Miss Rieka let me do it by myself. She said she needed to save her power for something big later, but needed to help mommy so she was going to let me do it by talking to daddy.

“Did I do it right, Miss Rieka? Was that mind linking?”

She runs her fingers through my hair and smiles. “It was. It was a little more powerful than regular mind linking. Do you remember what I told you about being stronger than normal wolves? You will be able to mind link anyone with a wolf, not just the people in your pack. You won’t be restrained by distance either. The fact that you were able to do it today means that your wolf is about ready to emerge.”

“Good!” I plopped down on a chair, feeling relieved, “We’ve been doing this forever.”

She laughs at me. “It does feel like forever here, doesn’t it?”

“It's been hundreds of sleeps!” I leaned back, feeling exhausted.

“Well, in your world it hasn’t been. You still have a young body and mind, Taegan. I told you it was going to take some work to get you ready for your wolf.”

“Yeah,” I rested my chin on my hand, “I miss my mom, though. And dad and Aly. I even miss stupid Casey and his weak face hair and bright colored shoes.”

“I know, Taegan,” Miss Rieka rests her hand on my head, probably feeling my magic flaring a bit when I say I miss my family. “It won’t be much longer.”

I let her hand calm my magic, making it come back to the center of my chest and rest. It feels like it’s gently rotating in its middle, the way a globe does in daddy’s office. It doesn’t feel like it’s pushing out of me anymore. It's gotten a lot stronger since we got here, and it feels different too. It doesn't feel like witch magic. It feels like something different. Something like Miss Rieka's magic.

I wanted to ask Grandma Thyra about it, but Miss Rieka said she was keeping them busy and distracted to keep grandpa from worrying, so I haven't talked to her about the magic yet. Grandpa is always all over her anyway and they suck face way grosser than mom and dad. Miss Rieka said it's for the best for now, that my grandpa would try to rush things if she didn't keep him distracted. I don't know what that means, but I thrust Miss Rieka. I've been reading all her books with her and I can start to understand what she is saying most of the time now. I don't think I want to understand what she is meaning by 'distracted' either, so I'm not going to ask.

I like asking her other questions, though.

“Miss Rieka?”

“Yes?” She says, taking the chair beside me and opening a small book in her lap, one of the spell books.

“What does ‘yeet’ mean?”

She scrunches her nose up like mommy does and gives me a confused look. “Yeet?”

“Yeah. Yeet.”

“Use it in a sentence.”

I sighed, “‘I’m going to yeet you over the building’. Well, Brother Casey said more than that, but mommy says I can’t say the bad words yet, even though I know what most of them mean.” Brother Casey actually said, ‘I’m going to yeet your fat ass over that fucking building if you don’t leave my face hair the fuck alone’. It was when Brother Casey showed up at training with a skinny trail of hair all around his mouth in a square shape. Dad told him that his face hair finally looked as weak as the rest of him.

“Oh my,” Miss Rieka giggles, “I remember that conversation. It means to throw something, I believe. The context changes with each generation and even by the individuals using it, but Casey definitely meant he was going to throw your father over the building.”

“Oh,” I said, resting my head on my chin again. “Miss Rieka, how come you know everything that I’m talking about all the time when I talk about my family? Do you watch us all the time?”

She smiles but doesn’t look happy. She looks sad while smiling at my question. “I always watch all my children all the time. I have to. It’s part of the curse I took upon myself to keep my children ignorant and at peace.”

“That sounds tiring,” I mumbled. “I would have a hard time doing that.”

She chuckles at me. “It isn’t easy, my child, but I’m happy to do it. It hurts at times when my children are hurting or making decisions that will hurt others, but I’m still happy to do it. Better me than someone else.”

“Did someone else want to do it?” I asked.

She makes the sad smile again. “Someone did. I wouldn’t let him.”

“Who?”

“My husband,” she says, like it's not a big deal, but I can hear the sad tone in her voice. “He wanted to take my place, but I couldn’t let him. He had the strength needed to overcome the terrors plaguing our clan, and I had different strengths. I wanted my people to thrive, and to do that I knew I needed to be the one to take on the curse. My daughter and I had to plot behind his back and come to receive the punishment ourselves. She took the curse on earth and I took the curse in heaven. When my husband found out, I was granted the ability to turn his affections elsewhere so he didn’t try to fight the gods himself to get me back.”

“You told me that,” I took her hand, feeling her sadness, “That’s when you made the first mate bond.”

She grins, “It was. My daughter had to leave our clan too to protect their bond, but she gladly did it.” She sighs, gripping my hand tightly, “Our bloodline has suffered much, but because we took that suffering, the rest of the werewolves thrived. Werewolves generally have a selfless character and a strong urge to protect their family. There are a few bad eggs, just like in any society or family, but werewolves haven’t suffered many of the affiliations other races have suffered due to the sacrifice Baeli and I doomed our daughters too. It may sound cruel, considering your mother’s condition, but I would do it again, and I know my daughter would do it again too, to protect those we loved. To protect our clan and the man who fiercely loved us.”

“Baeli?” My eyes go wide with surprise. “Like, my mom?”

She giggles, “Exactly like your mom. Baeli was my daughter, and your mom, Bailey, is just like her. Selfless to a fault, willing to do anything to protect her man and her pack. My daughter always thought with her heart before her head, just like your mom. I knew the moment your mom was born, when I saw her through your grandfather Max, that she was the one. The one it would all end with, because she was the exact image of the one it all started with.”

“I thought Alyssa, grandpa’s first mate, was the one who was supposed to end it all?” I heard Uncle Rick tell Miss Quinn that the night I stayed with them and he thought I was sleeping. I also saw it in the PAST book not long ago.

“I did too for a while, but then I saw Bailey in Max’s future. After your dad was born, I saw her in his future too, and that’s when I knew that Alyssa was always just a stepping stone in the patterns of fate to get your mother where she needed to be. I felt bad for your grandpa, but I saw someone greater for him in his future too. The other deities and I had to entangle many fates and plan every millisecond of your family’s lives to the best of our abilities while still granting free will to get the outcome we’ve finally come to.” She sets the spell book down and rubs my cheek. “I waited so long for you, Taegan. You were the final piece. You are the key to everything. You, my child, are the final piece of the puzzle for so many.”

“Hmm, so kinda like the final boss? Like Ganondorf and Ganon in Zelda? I’m the final piece to win the game?”

She throws her head back and laughs, “Not at all. You are more like Link. The only one who can defeat the bad guys and save the princess.”

“Link doesn’t have a beast form, though,” I tell her.

“You won’t have a beast form. Beasts are wild creatures devoid of rational thought. You will have a counterpart. A partner to help you become stronger. Your counterpart will be as intelligent and humanoid as you, Taegan. He will only be able to protect, not destroy.”

“Wow,” I tried to imagine what she was talking about. I can picture it at all. “I can’t wait to meet him.”

“Good, because I think we are about ready.” Miss Rieka stands and starts to walk to the bookshelves in the darkest corner of the library. She runs her hands over the books until the spine of one starts to light up with a glittering glow against her fingers. Its golden hue intensifies, making it hard for me to keep watching.

I close my eyes when Miss Rieka pulls the book, the glow blinding me, making my eyes hurt. Then, all the light dies out, and when I open my eyes again, even the regular lights are off in the library, the only light coming is from Miss Rieka. Her entire body is glowing gold, making her no longer look like a normal person like my mom, but like a real goddess. A beautiful and really powerful goddess.

She is standing in front of a thing that looks a lot like one of Grandma Thyra’s portals, but this one makes my head feel funny when I try to stare into it.

“Come, Taegan,” she beckoned me with a smile on her face, causing the unease I felt at seeing her glowing disappear. I feel warm and fuzzy inside instead. My magic is spinning inside me, intensifying, but not like it’s out of control. It feels like it is just getting stronger, preparing for whatever is about to happen.

“Where are we going?” I asked, scooting my booty off the chair.

“To meet the others,” she says, her voice sounding a little different than normal. It almost sounds like she’s singing. “Then, to fully awaken your wolf.”

Excitement makes my heart beat really fast. I can finally get my wolf. I’ve been waiting for this for so long. Once I get my wolf, I can go back to mom. I can save her.

I took her hand that she was holding out to me. My body suddenly starts buzzing weirdly, my magic stretching to every inch of my body in a way I have never felt before. The orb that is usually in my chest is expanding like a moldable balloon, and my mind clears. It doesn’t feel normal. It feels like something is missing, like my mental capacity is magnified, but not just for myself.

I didn’t even know the phrase ‘mental capacity’ 10 seconds ago. What the heck is going on?

I look up at the goddess in confusion, but she is not looking at me. She was looking towards the library doors.

I looked over in the direction she was looking towards and saw my grandfather and grandmother standing in the doorway staring at me, their mouths agape. My grandfather seemed to be ready to run into the room, a worried look on his face. The only thing stopping him is Thyra’s hand on his chest and the magic I can not only see, but I can feel, in a new, different way, humming like a livewire in her fingers. I can read her aura, a black and indigo hue, and I know she is fighting to keep my grandfather at bay.

“All will be fine, Max. It is time; time for the sacrifices you have endured to come to fruition.”

Grandpa. Not grandfather, because that is unfamiliar and would hurt his feelings if I started to call him that. I don’t know why I had the sudden urge to begin calling him grandfather. That’s too strange. Grandpa is looking at me, unsure if he should believe what his own goddess is telling him.

“I will be fine, Grandpa,” I told him in his mind, “This is what I am meant to do.”

His eyes got even wider, not so much in fear, but more in surprise at hearing my voice inside his head. He didn’t expect that, and it almost makes me want to laugh.

“How?....”

I look up to the goddess, and my smile stretches seeing her ethereal energy flowing out of her and into me. She has been holding back for my sake, but now that I can tolerate the full brunt of her power, she won’t have to hold back any longer. She can be the preeminent deity that she truly is. That’s why she kept feeding me her energy in small doses. She was preparing me for this.

“Soon, Grandpa,” I smirked smugly at my now less volatile grandfather, “We can go home soon.”

With that, Rieka steps forward, pulling me through the portal with her. The magic in me is reaching out, grasping the pulsing, divine energy around us.

I look back one final time at my grandfather, who is now on his knees, looking lost as he stares after me. “My fate is to save them. Your fate is hovering next to you. Take care of Grandma Thyra and I can handle the rest.”

Max POV

I felt weird all day. I thought it was my unease having been in the fucking realm for much longer than I would have liked.

Don’t get me wrong. I love the time I am spending with my new mate. It’s really like being in heaven having nothing to do but build our bond by spending so much time together. We fuck for what feels like days on end without ever getting tired, never getting enough of each other, and then when we aren’t fucking and spending our time in bed, we would travel the mansion, explore the grounds, have private meals together and also spend time with Taegan when he wasn’t with the moon goddess, which was rare.

It’s intoxicating, having no obligations but to ride out the high of everlasting bliss, but today it dawned on me that Thyra and I came here to save Bailey and end the curse. We aren’t doing anything for that. Not a damn fucking thing.

The goddess said it would be Taegan, which, okay, I fucking get it, but it’s eating at me today.

When? When the fuck will he be getting this almighty power and his wolf so we can head back to finish what we came here to do?

“You feel like you are in a mood today,” Thyra smirks at me, lying naked in our bed, not even a sheet to cover her. I’ve had my mouth and tongue on every inch and crevice of her body hundreds of times now. She wasn’t shy before that, and she sure as fuck isn’t shy about her body now.

I fucking love that, but I’m starting to feel like my head is being messed with to just be focused on fucking my new mate.

That lust-filled haze isn’t weighing on me today, and it’s making my anxieties about Bailey and going back home return.

“I, uh, think I need to speak to the moon goddess,” I mutter, standing from the bed and walking to the bathroom to get my clothes that magically appear there whenever I need them. We haven’t done laundry once, and Thyra only opened her little portal locker thing once to get our belongings. I guess the dog men have the ability to magically clean our clothes and put them back in the room without us noticing. It’s probably just magic. Who fucking knows?

I didn’t think about it before. I didn’t think of much of anything besides Thyra after our first few days here, but today I’m thinking about everything but sex for once.

We need to fucking go home and save Bailey. It’s been so fucking long.

“What’s wrong?” Thyra came in behind me, pulling on her own clothes.

“I don’t know,” I grumbled, “I feel like I need to check on Taegan and we need to hurry this shit up. We’ve been here for fucking ever.”

She stares at me in the mirror for a few seconds, then tilts her head to the side while she thinks. “We have, haven’t we? Huh. I didn’t realize it till just now.”

“That’s what I’m saying,” I growled. “I feel off. I feel like something is fucking changing and I need to go check on Taegan.”

“I’m coming with you,” she says, pulling her shirt over her head and slipping on her shoes.

Right as we both are about to leave the room, all the lights in the room glow stronger than before, for 10 whole seconds, then they all go out at the same time. That feeling of unease intensifies, making both of us bolt out of the room together.

I’m holding Thyra’s hand, leading the way to the library where I know the goddess spends the most time with my grandson. I have my werewolf vision helping me to see in the dark and she doesn’t. I never even stopped in there to see what they were doing. I just trusted her with him, no questions asked.

That’s not like me. I’m fucking protective. Sometimes too much so. I know it. Normally, I would supervise anything and everything that had to do with my grandkids to make sure no harm came to them. I’ve been so drowned in my own desires for my mate that I haven’t thought of checking in on Taegan once.

When we get to the doors, a weird glow is filtering from underneath them. I open the doors to the library, and then my heart fucking drops.

What the fuck is going on? The goddess doesn’t look like she does normally. She looks…..otherworldly. She looks like a fucking god. I mean, she did before too, but not like this. This is almost frightening. The power radiating off her is stifling, and there is my fucking grandson, glowing in the same heavenly glow as her, being led to some portal to who the fuck knows where.

Thyra is pressing on my chest, holding me in place with her magic as the urge to run to my grandson and take him away from something so frighteningly glorious rushes through me.

It’s my fucking job to protect him, and she is taking him away from me. She is taking him somewhere I feel in my bones I will never be able to go.

I don’t want to believe her when she tells me that all will be fine. How the fuck will everything be fine if he is going somewhere I can’t go?

It isn’t until I hear Taegan’s voice in my head do I realize that I’m already out of my element. His voice has so much authority in it, he no longer sounds like my mischievous little grandson, flirting with all the girls and endlessly pranking his cousins. He’s…..he’s something else. He’s something so much greater now, and it scares me.

I’m the protector. I’m his grandpa. I should be the one protecting him, to save him, but I suddenly feel like he’s the one who will be protecting me.

“My fate is to save them. Your fate is hovering next to you. Take care of Grandma Thyra and I can handle the rest.”

He disappears beyond the portal, and then the room is filled with a light so blinding, Thyra and I are thrown to the ground by its impactful force.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" I roared, my heart racing. I opened my eyes slowly, pulling myself off my mate who I tried to protect with my body. I look around and Taegan is gone, along with the goddess. "Taegan?" Where did she take him?

"Do not worry, Alpha and Princess. They will be back soon. Very soon. Time works differently here," Dante says from behind us as the lights begin to flicker back on. "The goddess wishes your forgiveness for her meddling. She needed uninterrupted cooperation. As such, she messed with your, um, sex drives and kept you in a euphoric state to achieve that. Her power will be used in full for your grandson today, so she chose to relieve you from her influence. If you would follow me, we can wait for them in the other room over a cup of tea, or coffee, whichever you prefer. It will feel like but a minute in this realm before they return."

"I don't want any fucking coffee! I want my fucking grandson!"

Dante grins in his wolfish way. "By the time you are done with your coffee, he will return."