Selene

Kyran tugs my hand gently to get my attention with a chuckle and I grin at him before he gestures to the woman before us. “Selene, this is Elder Stjarna, she is a dear friend of mine and a member of my council. Stjarna, this is Selene, my mate and—”

His words are cut off by a laugh that Stjarna barks out as she bustles over and throws her arms around me in a very motherly hug. Her grip is like iron contrary to how old she appears and I hug her back as I grin over her shoulder at Kyran. His eyes are bright with joy and my brow pinches with affection from the sight of his sentiment. Stjarna grasps my shoulders and pulls back to look me in the eyes, her bright emerald gaze sharp and assessing as she looks me over.

“I’ve heard all about tonight, and I am over the moon with joy. Now, tell me, do you have any jewelry for this evening?” she purses her lips as her gaze darts from my simple drop earrings to my bare neck and thin bangles at my wrists. She tuts her disapproval with a frown and mumbles, “Come, come. Inside.”

She shoos her hands at me and deciding I’m not fast enough, turns me around and lightly pushes at me to walk into her shop. I turn over my shoulder to raise an eyebrow at Kyran, who just chuckles and shakes his head as he follows us inside. Looking forward, I gasp as I enter the crystal shop and gaze around in awe at the thousands of shimmering stones. Stjarna scoots around me and passes through a beaded curtain before popping her head back out and waving us over.

I laugh, taking an immediate liking to the old woman and follow her into a dimly lit room adorned with large pieces of geodes and heavy clusters of crystals. She flutters around for a moment, collecting pieces of things as she goes and disappears behind a counter before setting out a few options carefully.

“As beautiful as you are, elskling, I cannot have our Alpha’s mate attend her bonding ceremony…unadorned,” she says lightly, glancing again at the modest jewelry I’m wearing. “Here, I’ve chosen suitable pieces for you, choose any you like, they are my gift to you,” she smiles widely at me and lifts a few shiny gems for me to see.

“Stjarna, I thought you’d be thrilled to know something about Selene,” Kyran says offhandedly as he steps up beside me.

“Ky…” I murmur under my breath in warning, having a strong feeling where he’s going with this.

I watch as her bright eyes widen a bit with interest as she flicks her gaze from his to mine and I wince a little at his next words.

“As I am sure you’ve heard the tales and probably had known a few wolves who’d given their own accounts long ago, our Queen is with us once more, and I am honored to tell you that she is my mate,” his voice is heavy with pride as he speaks, and I feel how Luna perks up because of it.

Stjarna’s eyes lock with mine as her jaw pops open, her gaze widening as the information settles around her and she whispers, “Your eyes, they’re blue. It’s true. I never doubted your existence, and hoped to one day see this for myself to be true. Oh, Kyran,” she sweeps her watery gaze to him, “congratulations, my boy! A mate! Our…Drottning!” she gasps, dropping the gems in her hands as if they’d grown teeth and bitten her.

With a sharp shake of her head, she turns on her heel and flits about her shop once more, muttering, “No, no, this won’t do. Drottning! In my shop!” and disappears around a corner toward the back, more incoherent words spilling from her lips as she goes.

I chuckle as I meet Kyran’s gaze and I squint at him, whispering, “Really, did you have to say that?”

He just laughs and shrugs as he raises a brow at me. I roll my eyes at him as Stjarna appears once more, carrying a few small ornate boxes and carefully sets them down onto the countertop. She eases the lids open to display the breathtaking platinum set with large pear-shaped alexandrite stones, their brilliant colors shifting from a deep blue-green to a vibrant, red-toned purple as she lifts the necklace and earrings up for me to see. My hand skims over my lips as I stare in awe at the jewelry, my eyes tracing the sparkling diamonds edging the large stones and clustered artfully at each tip, giving the gems the appearance of dripping from the shining platinum.

When our gazes meet, I swallow past the dry lump in my throat as I slightly shake my head in disbelief. “No, I—I can’t accept these,” I whisper, my eyes falling back onto the magnificent pieces. “They are absolutely stunning, but I couldn’t take these from you, they are more than precious—these are beyond rare, especially at this size,” I breathe, flicking my gaze back to her sharp eyes.

Stjarna’s thin mouth pulls into a wide, creased grin as she shakes the fist holding the necklace at me and barks, “Bah! I’m just an old crone and damn close to nearing the end of my time. This should belong to someone who appreciates them as much as I do, especially someone with a beauty to rival it, hmm? I was gifted these a long, long time ago and it only feels fitting now to pass the gift on to someone most deserving. Who better than my Drottning, no?” she raises her eyebrows into her silver hairline and beckons Kyran to move closer.

He steps around the side of the counter with an easy smile and lets Stjarna grasp his wrist to place the necklace into his open palm. She closes his fingers over it and pats them before shooing him toward me, busying herself with removing the earrings from their holders. Kyran’s bright gaze meets mine as he walks behind me, his warm hand grazing my neck as he sweeps my hair over my shoulder. A tingle runs down my spine at his touch and I inhale sharply at the familiar zing of energy the necklace sends through me as it rests over my sternum. My eyes flash to Stjarna who pretends to only pay attention to the earrings, but I can see the knowing smirk at the corner of her mouth when her emerald eyes meet mine with a quick wink.

Kyran brushes my hair over my back, pressing a kiss to my bare shoulder and I lean back into him automatically as I narrow my eyes at the old wolf. “How do you know Hekate?” I ask quietly and her lips pull into a mischievous grin.

“Technically, all wolves know of Hekate,” she mumbles, intentionally avoiding answering me properly.

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“No, this necklace, it holds some of her power in it, within the stone. Power that can only be given freely, and I know her well enough to trust that she does not share easily. So, tell me, how do you have in your possession an object—let alone what I can only assume to be three—infused with the goddess of witchcraft’s power?” I ask tersely, eyeing the earrings she holds cupped in her palm.

Her green eyes twinkle as she smiles at me and nods her head in silent approval. “Yes, you are who these are destined for,” she murmurs before clearing her throat. “You see, as a young pup, I had come to learn I held the ability of premonition. I could sense when something was about to go wrong—or right, though usually it tended to be in the negative—and as I grew older into adulthood, this ability formed stronger to be accompanied with obscure mental imagery. I had experienced a situation that heavily pushed me to seek Hekate out, knowing that grave danger would befall the werewolf race if I didn’t inform her that something was happening. I did not know the details, just the extreme importance that she must be made aware of it. After I found her and her daughter outside of Alaska, she made me this jewelry set, letting me know it harnesses healing and protection magic as a thank you gift for my message.

“Upon accepting her gift, I had seen myself in the far future handing them to someone else with the potent feeling of importance and certainty, and, well, here we are. I believe that these have always been destined for you, and I am just the placeholder through time. Many of my items I’ve collected over the centuries have come into my possession that way, and I find fulfillment in successfully seeing them to their rightful owners,” her voice grows wistful as she slides her gaze across the glittering shop.

My guard immediately drops as I glance over at Kyran and find him watching me carefully, his gaze lingering on the necklace for a moment before he turns to Stjarna. “Where were you a few days ago? I had come by your shop and found it closed for the first time in, well, ever. I could feel that you were far away, and out of respect I left it alone, but I am curious, what would pull you away from your home?” he asks lightly, sliding his hands into his pockets as he waits for her to respond.

Stjarna whips her head around with a wild gleam in her eye when the front door chimes as it’s opened from across the shop. “My star, are you in here? I found the berries you’d requested for the—oh, hello!” a dignified elder Englishman steps through the beaded curtain holding a small basket in his dark, weathered hands.

He smiles kindly at Kyran and me before grinning brightly at Stjarna as he steps over to her, planting a kiss to her temple affectionately. Kyran’s sharp intake of breath has me swinging my gaze to him as he wipes a hand over his mouth before a laugh of astonishment bursts out of him. “No way,” he whispers, his hand still pressed to his mouth as he shakes his head in disbelief.

“Yes way,” Stjarna responds with a chuckle and nods her head enthusiastically.

“No way!” Kyran leaps forward and wraps his arm around her, her silver braid flailing out with her laughter as he spins them in a circle.

A grin pulls at my lips as I watch them and I slide my gaze to the newcomer, finding him looking at Stjarna adoringly in a way that could only mean they are mates. My heart swells at the realization that she must have been the woman Kyran had mentioned a while ago when telling me about werewolves, how he knew of someone over seven hundred years old who’d never met their mate. Emotion chokes me as I smile at the gentleman when his gaze meets mine and the pure joy in his eyes pushes a tear to leak out of mine.

“Congratulations! This is the best news ever, I am so happy for you,” Kyran carefully places her on her feet and takes her hands in his as he grins at her.

“Kyran, this is my long-lost mate, Wolcen,” she beams at him as he extends his hand out to Kyran.

“Pleasure to meet you, Kyran,” he says warmly as they shake hands, his Old English accent giving his words a proper tone.

“Wolcen, this is Kyran, Alpha of my pack and one of the dearest people in my heart,” Stjarna finishes her introduction with a wide smile.

Wolcen’s steely gray eyes widen at her words, and I see him wince perceptibly as he pinches the bridge of his nose on an exhale.

“Please excuse my indifference, Alpha,” he shoots Stjarna a pained look at the word before addressing Kyran once more, “I was unaware—”

“It’s alright,” Kyran says on a chuckle, clapping the older man on the shoulder, “Stjarna is known to be…troublesome when it comes to rules and social normalities. She may be my elder, but she has a young and mischievous heart that rivals many of the pups running around,” they laugh as the old man nods his head dramatically.

“Don’t I know it already,” he mumbles sarcastically, giving Stjarna a smirk.

She hands the earrings to Kyran as she takes the basket from Wolcen’s hands and replaces it with one of hers. She murmurs in his ear as she pulls him toward the back of the shop and I take it as our cue to leave, waving a goodbye with a watery smile and mouthing a silent, “Thank you”. Stjarna just winks with a grin as they disappear through a doorway and I turn to leave the shop with Kyran behind me.

“I am so happy for them,” I say lightly as he closes the door behind us. “Hopefully we can meet with them again this evening, I’d like to hear how they met.”

Kyran nods with a smile as he holds out his hand for me to take the earrings. I quickly remove the ones I’m wearing and deposit them in my small purse before donning the magical set. The enchantment pulses as the second earring hangs in place, the trio of gems forming a triangle, and I can feel the slight hum of energy radiating from them for a few moments before it dissipates within me. “I’ll have to ask Hekate about these,” I mumble as Kyran takes my hand.

We cross the street and I follow his lead, walking through a few blocks of shops before coming to stop outside of a dark-windowed cafe. I notice the sign at the door is flipped to ‘closed’ and I squeeze Kyran’s hand with a small smile. He just shrugs nonchalantly and his stomach growls, making me laugh at the betrayal of his disappointment. “Hey, how about we go back to your house, and I’ll make us some lunch, since you took care of breakfast?” I offer and he nods with a smirk.

“Yeah, I’m sure I could choke something down,” he intones sarcastically, and I narrow my gaze at him.

“Just for that,” I threaten quickly, “I won’t be gentle.” I summon my shadow magic around the both of us harshly, infusing extra power into it as I transport us onto the front yard of his house and laugh as he stumbles dizzily onto his ass. Flipping my hair over my shoulder, I hastily take the steps up to his front door and push through it hurriedly at the sound of his growl, squeaking as I barely close it in time to catch the heavy thump of his body.

“That was a dirty trick,” he grumbles playfully from the other side of the heavy wood panel, and I giggle mirthfully as I cross into his kitchen to see what I have to work with.