Chapter 33

Flora’s P.O.V

The light of the sun falling on my face woke me up from my slumber.

At first I was startled at having someone’s arms around me, but then I remembered everything from last night and snuggled deeper into Clay’s arms.

This would be the first time in my life that I had spent the night in Clay’s arms. Back when we were still in our pack, we had to sneak behind everyone’s back to date. And then, after the rogue attack when everyone found out about our relationship, we didn’t have permission to spend the nights together as Riley had still been skeptical. But now, after two years of being apart and having our memories erased, I knew I had finally done the right thing.

Clay was my heart and soul and he had been the first to sacrifice everything for me. Now it was my turn to stand by his side no matter what.

I felt his fingers on my skin an instant later, gliding across my back in slow, lazy strokes. At first I thought he was randomly drawing images on my back with his fingers, but he didn’t stay there. He traced his fingers down my arms slowly, as if feeling the textures of my skin. When he went to slide his fingers across my waist, a laugh escaped my lips.

“What are you doing?” I asked, still smiling. “It tickles.”

“Remembering you.” Clay whispered, his hot breath fanning my neck as he leaned in to place a kiss to my nape.

It was the way he said it that just hit me. I turned to face him so I could look into his eyes, but Clay brought his hand up to trace my pendant, the gorgeous stone that he had given me.

“Did you know that I actually got this stone on my way back from Lindersay?”

“No.” I looked at him in surprise, feeling overwhelmed that we finally had our memories back. “You never told me how you got it.”

Clay smiled, still tracing the pendant as it lay on my chest. “We stopped in front of this diner in a small town while travelling back to our pack. There was this old lady in front of that dinner, in a tiny stall selling all kinds of jewelry. No one was interested in buying things from her because they thought it was fishy how this dusty old lady could get her hands on such precious gems. They had to either be fake or stolen.”

“You didn’t think so?”

“No.” He shook his head. “The lady looked too sincere to be selling fake or stolen stuff, so I went to take a look. It was then that I saw this heart and I was instantly reminded of you.”

My heart felt like it was about to explode. Clay bought this pendant while returning from his training at Lindersay? That was a month before he started his temporary job as a Professor at our pack’s college, two months before we became lovers. Had he always felt something about me? The same way that I had always felt this connection to him?

“Thank you for giving this to me,” I touched the pendant lightly. “Thank you for loving me even after everything you had to go through.”

“I’m not the only one who suffered.” Clay wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer. “You suffered too and the biggest test we had to face was staying away from each other.”

I felt it then, that little sinking feeling in my gut, telling me that it wasn’t over yet. We might yet have to face even more tests. I wanted to scream at the sky, yell at the moon to stop testing us. No more! Haven’t we had enough? But the feeling won’t pass. It wasn’t over.

So I changed the subject to distract myself from my worries.

“Did you notice the fact that all your rogues are all males?” I asked Clay. “There are absolutely no female rogues. Don’t you think it’s a bit strange?”

My mind also went to the fact that not only were all the rogues males, but all the Maidens…

“I never gave it much thought,” Clay said now, frowning in concentration. “To me they are just my pack, my brethren and my new family.”

To hear him call the rogues his family hurt. He was supposed to be the future Alpha of ReedStone pack. He belonged to a wealthy family who had spared him no luxuries and he had lived a good life till now. But then he fell in love with me…someone who wasn’t his mate. And his life changed for the worse.

“Loving you was never a mistake.” Clay said now, as if he had read my mind. “I don’t care what everyone else thinks, I will always choose to be with you.”

“I love you.” I claimed his lips then, wrapping my arm around his neck, pulling him even closer.

This kiss wasn’t rough or hurried, it was tender and sweet. I savored the moments it lasted and then slept with my head on Clay’s shoulders.

We had each other now and for the time being, we weren’t going anywhere. I knew this bubble of happiness that I felt now would burst sooner or later, but now wasn’t the time to think about it. Today, I won’t let what I can’t control, ruin this moment between me and Clay.

Andre and everyone else could wait.

*

*

The Moon Goddess watched from her heavenly chariot as the scenes unfolded in front of her.

She had trusted her son to be the judge, but he ended up helping the ones he wasn’t supposed to. She sighed in regret.

Maybe she had been too lenient with her child? Maybe she hadn't made her point clear enough?

But the time to play around was over. It was time to finish this game once and for all. She had suffered in silence for centuries…no more. It was time to take matters into her own hand.

Zeus’s spell was powerful, but the gift he had given her was no better than a curse. But he was the one who had taught her that in order to gain something; one must lose something of equal importance.

So in order to gain back the love of her life…she will sacrifice the true love of another. Their life blood will give life to her beloved, painting the moon red for one night. But she will not be the one to have blood on her hands.

Two months…in two months, her lover will be beside her, and those who continued to disrespect her would bleed to death.