Selene
Kyran and I spend the rest of the afternoon lounging around, talking about anything and everything that we could think of. He asks me many more questions regarding my powers, and I even go as far as projecting the idea of a beach into his mind to prove to him my ability with telepathy. His reaction is priceless as he walks around the kitchen gawking at the walls and commenting about the sand and waves. I have a little fun with it by abruptly shifting the vision to a precarious cliff top overlooking the ocean and imagine tumbling over the edge. I cry from laughter as Kyran falls to the floor claiming the dizziness felt real and with a growl, he throws me over his shoulder as he carries me toward the stairs.
When his foot touches the first step, a knock echoes at the front door and Kyran gently places me on the floor before crossing to the entryway. The moment he opens the door, Asteria’s tell-tale squeal peals through the room and I grin at the sight of her black gossamer dress. She bustles past him with her arms outstretched toward me as she hurries across the floor, her thick black boots clomping noisily with each step. We collide in a tight hug for a few moments before she claps her hands together with her excitement, her auburn hair flowing wildly around her in an invisible breeze.
“I could puke from how thrilled I’ve been since you left,” she gushes, her lavender eyes flashing with her smile.
“Hekate,” I hear Kyran’s surprised voice and I peer over Asteria’s bare shoulder to watch as he pulls the door open wider. “Welcome, please come in,” he steps aside with a hesitant smile before glancing over at me.
I can sense his trepidation over being unprepared to host Hekate in his home and I cross the floor to stand by his side, smiling warmly at him as she enters. My eyebrows pull together when I notice how done-up she has made herself and my smile turns watery as I look her over. Her onyx hair is pulled back into an elegant twisted bun adorned with glittering jeweled pins and she wears a deep purple dress with a billowing black chiffon shawl. In her hands she holds a small bouquet of fresh white flowers picked from her garden and my eyes flick up to her smoky lined ones.
She watches me carefully as she gives me a soft smile and I don’t hesitate to throw my arms around her, taking care to not squash the flowers in the embrace. Before the stasis, it would have felt out of place to hold Hekate in this way, our relationship had been more of a strong friendship than familial. After the loss of my memories, however, she was nothing but a fantastic mother toward me and that feeling of love didn’t just vanish when I unlocked my past life once more. Though our relationship has changed and grown closer, it does feel weird to refer to her as mother now that I am whole, but part of me sees her in a different light than before.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” I say quietly as I pull back with a warm smile. “I would have thought you’d refrain from immersing yourself in such a large group of wolves,” I wonder out loud, “would they even recognize you, though?”
Her wine colored lips part to reply when Kyran’s bark of a laugh pulls my attention to him before he widens his eyes and scoffs, “oh, yeah. They definitely would.”
What the hell does that mean? I turn my narrowed gaze back to Hekate who has a sheepish look on her face. “What did you do?” I accuse, placing my hands on my hips and trying not to smile.
She clears her throat and scrunches her nose as she replies, “I may have turned a few of them into dogs a while ago,” her voice pitching a bit higher than usual.
I gape at her admission and Ria’s cackles bounce off the walls throughout the house as Kyran snorts in amusement.
“You what?” I ask incredulously, “why? When?”
Hekate rolls her violet eyes and scoffs, “Tch, it was a couple hundred years ago and they didn’t respect my boundaries. They needed to learn a lesson,” she murmurs as she brushes off invisible lint from her dress.
“It was my first time hosting the Convocation as Alpha, you shifted over a thousand wolves from all the packs into chihuahuas,” his laughter bubbles up at the memory before he continues, “your spell lasted for an entire year. Do you know how difficult it was to manage shoe-size canines with the temperament of a pissed off wolf? Images of your likeness were posted everywhere throughout the pack lands as a reminder not to cross you. All for some young wolves running through your woods under the full moon,” he shakes his head with crinkled eyes and I can’t help the grin that spreads across my face.
My laugh escapes me as I look back at Hekate and she lets out a light chuckle. “Okay, that’s a valid reason for them to recognize you. Are you sure you want to be here tonight?” I ask jokingly and she nods her head.
“Of course, I wouldn’t miss this for anything,” she smiles widely at that and gestures her hand toward me. “Now, let us get you fixed up for the evening, hmm?”
“Ugh, yes. I’ve gotta do something about that hair,” Ria snides in jest and I glare at her.
“You really are the worst, you know that?” I snark back and can’t help the smirk that pulls at my lips.
Ignoring me, she just flutters her hands at Kyran and chastises him, “You need to clean up, you’re a mess,” and I notice the slight smirk on her face as she places a hand on her hip.
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He just glances down at himself with a slight frown and raises an eyebrow at her. Nothing is wrong with him and we all know it. I roll my lips between my teeth, enjoying how comfortable Asteria is to treat him the same as me and I observe them with amusement as he pretends to look at a watch that doesn’t exist.
“Huh, would you look at that, it’s five-thirty. Sundown isn’t for another three hours,” he says flatly and a snort escapes me at his dry tone.
“Exactly,” she states with a roll of her eyes, “go…bond with your brother or whatever, we’ll meet you in the Hall,” she smiles devilishly and Kyran smirks at her before rolling his eyes to me.
I don’t know how you live with her, his joking tone floats through my mind and I smile widely at him as Hekate coughs a laugh beside me. Kyran shoots a grin at her as Ria smacks his arm and the four of us laugh lightheartedly. He steps over to pull me into a warm embrace and kisses the top of my head.
“I don’t know what you said, but the feeling is mutual,” Ria childishly pokes her tongue out at him before cracking a smile.
Kyran gently turns my chin up to look into my eyes, murmuring, “I’ll be helping Trey and Kyrre with preparations. If you need me, you know how to find me,” and kisses my forehead.
“See you soon,” I whisper with a smile and press up onto my tiptoes to peck his lips.
He leans forward for more and I feel the cool wind whisk me away as Ria transports the three of us into Kyran’s bedroom, his grumbling growl following through the ether. I chuckle as I step into the open room and freeze in place, wincing at the sound of Asteria’s gasp. She’d marched straight into the bathroom and found the chaotic scene left from Kyran’s destructive outburst. Hekate peers through the archway with a shake of her head, mumbling under her breath about men and emotions, whirling her hand around as she straightens.
A puff of wind tickles me and Kyran appears, stumbling a bit from the sudden teleport and growls, “Fuck, you’ve really gotta stop doing that,” as he presses a hand to his head and glares at Hekate.
She just cocks an eyebrow at him and crosses her arms, nodding her head over her shoulder at the destroyed bathroom. Kyran twists his mouth to the side and slides his hand to his neck with a sigh. “It was a lapse of control and I intend on renovating as soon as I can. It’ll be a bit tough with the Con—”
“Show me,” Hekate interrupts, dropping her arms and stepping in front of Kyran.
“What?” he asks blankly, taking an involuntary step away from her.
“What you intend to do, with the bathing room,” she clarifies, coming to a stop before him and holding her hand up to his forehead. “We haven’t got all day.”
I watch his gaze narrows slightly as he takes a step forward and presses his head into her awaiting palm. The amber in his eyes flashes brightly for a few moments and she draws her hand back, her mouth pulling down at the corners as she nods her head.
“You’ve got good taste,” Hekate mumbles, eyeing him for a moment before waving her hand through the air. “Now, off with you, we have work to do,” she smirks and whisks Kyran away once more.
His gravelly growl echoes around us and I hear Ria’s cackle emit from the bathroom, the sounds making a giggle bubble from my chest with amusement. “I love how you both treat him so casually, I’m glad you like him,” I say softly, knowing that they can hear me.
Hekate smiles warmly at me, replying, “He really is a wonderful man, and I couldn’t imagine a more perfect fit for you. Shall we?” she asks as she gestures toward the bathroom.
“Mmm, I’ll admit, I envy you, but only slightly. His brother is single, after all,” Asteria drawls as she saunters over, the shards of broken glass crunching beneath her boots.
I laugh openly at that with a shake of my head. “We never did talk about that first night at Howler’s. I saw you flirting with him at the bar, though at the time I couldn’t place where I knew him because somebody fucked with my memories. Again.” I raise an eyebrow and stare pointedly at her.
“Oh, that was so fun. He was absolutely terrified of me after our little meet at the park and I couldn’t help myself with teasing him at the club. He’s just so damn cute,” her lavender eyes sparkle as she talks about Treyvar and I smile knowingly at her.
“What? Don’t look at me like that. He is a wolf, after all,” she rolls her eyes, but I don’t miss the way her lips pinch with the flush of her cheeks.
Hekate’s movements catch my attention and I turn to watch as she swirls her arms around, closing her eyes and murmurs a spell under her breath. The broken glass raises off the floor as the pieces float through the air toward the shower, molding back into a solid pane and settling into the door frame. The cracked tiles in the shower solidify, transforming into a mosaic of black, white, and iridescent aqua tiles as a second shower head shimmers onto the bare side of the new wall.
I stare in awe as her magic effortlessly transfigures the bathroom, replacing the broken sink with a solid slab of black marble carved with dual basins and bright white cabinetry. An expansive mirror adorned by a wood frame carved with ivy spreads across the wall over the wide sinks and my smile grows wide, noticing how the details match the woodwork from Kyran’s bar. The flooring shimmers for a moment and settles into an elegant white marble tiling accented with black and aqua filigree designs on sparse tiles, complimenting the shower. Fluffy white towels with black and aqua embroidery drape over new matte black bars, and matching floor mats appear by the shower and sinks, tying the room together nicely.
“This is gorgeous,” I breathe, complimenting Hekate when she lowers her arm and looks around satisfactorily.
“It was Kyran’s vision, I just did the magic,” she says nonchalantly and I laugh, turning to give her a tight hug.
“Thank you. Not just for me, but for him as well. This means a lot,” I murmur into her shoulder and she pats the back of my head affectionately.
“It’s the least I can do, truly. Now,” she pushes me back by the shoulders, “get out of these clothes so we can ready you for your ceremony.”
I do as she commands and strip off my clothing, handing them to Asteria as she waves me toward the new shower, turning away to undoubtedly alter my outfit for the evening. I shower slowly, letting the heat of the water soothe me and I envision my future living here with Kyran. An easy, relaxed smile rests on my lips as I daydream and think about seeing him again tonight, waiting to meet me beneath the rising full moon surrounded by thousands of our kind eager to celebrate with us.