A Gift from the Goddess



Chapter One Hundred & Five

This should have been expected, I knew that.

Selene had touched Myra, thereby reembodying her with the power of a Goddess. Exactly as it had been when our species was first created. Only, I'd be lying if I said it didn't raise some questions regarding her rebirth now.

At the very least, I knew her body had aged in accordance with how old she was meant to be. We'd walked up as she was shifting back, meaning she had aged past eighteen. Hopefully, this meant that the only thing found to be out of place would be her memories missing from the time she wasn't here.

Though, despite having the gift of foresight, things rarely went as I expected.

I shook the thoughts from my head, knowing there were more important issues to worry about. And, right now, the only thing that mattered was making sure she was alright.

"Hey, you're okay..." I continued to soothe, patting her back gently. "You're fine. You don't have anything to worry about."

After a few more seconds had passed, she finally looked back up to meet my eyes, her gaze only filled with fear and confusion... and my heart ached for her, knowing I did this to her. Knowing this might be a bigger adjustment than I realised.

"Aria, you look... different," she pointed out.

And I bit my lip, unsure how to answer that right now. Perhaps omitting some things would be for the best until she had time to adapt.

"I, um... I'm a bit older than when we last saw each other. But it's still me. I'm still Aria."

I hadn't had a chance to look in the mirror yet, but I knew from the last time I saw my reflection that I looked much older. War, stress, pain, and Thea has that effect on a person.

"And... and where are we? The... cemetery? What is this...."noveldrama

She moved to look behind her, turning in the direction of her gravestone, but I immediately moved forward and grabbed her face, stopping her from looking. There would be a day and a time for that soon, but right now was neither of those.

"Hey, hey, look at me," I said gently, wrapping the blanket I brought around her. "Don't worry about that. We're just going to get you to the hospital now and have you looked over. Is that okay?"

we??" she asked, confused by who else I was referring to.

It was then that Aleric took another few steps forward, making his presence known, but clearly still in shock over the whole situation. My resurrection alone had probably been difficult enough without bringing Myra into the equation. "Aleric came with me," I said to her.

"I'm ah... I'm happy to see you, Myra," he said, trying to sound as normal as possible. He must have realised what I was trying to do.

"A-Alpha heir?!" she squeaked out, immediately trying to bow her head in respect.

Oh, right. I'd forgotten that Myra barely knew Aleric, having only met a few times. His presence was probably just overwhelming her further due to Myra's beliefs on rank.

"You don't need to do that," I said to her, implying she didn't need to bow. "Aleric is going to carry you to the car. He came to help. Will you be okay with that?"

"B-but, Aria...," she whispered to me frantically. "I don't think that's a good idea. I'm not dressed, and I'm covered in dirt. He shouldn't be handling me. I can wait if you call for someone else. M-maybe I can walk...."

Even if rank did matter, which it absolutely didn't, there was no reason for Myra to be concerned. She held the same ranked entitlement as me now, as came with the title of Saintess. She would never need to worry about status ever again.

"It's fine. Aleric doesn't mind, does he?" I said, turning to look at him.

He gave a warm smile, obviously trying to make himself seem less intimidating, and that alone made my chest swell. I knew this had to all seem completely insane and yet he was going along with it so well. Trying to not freak out Myra further.

"Of course, I wouldn't mind," he said. "I'm just as worried about you as Aria is. We should get you out of the cold as soon as possible."

He crouched down in front of us, moving to pick her up, and I reached my hand out to gently touch his arm as he did so, catching his eyes briefly. A small gesture to let him know I appreciated what he was doing and to feel the sparks once mоге.

Once bundled up in Aleric's arms, the three of us headed back to the car, leaving towards the hospital immediately. I sat in the back with Myra the entire journey, holding her close to help with her anxiety, and before too long had passed, we finally arrived.

...And what followed was... chaos.

So many hospital staff members were confused by my appearance, knowing I should have been in the morgue. Unlike the rest of the pack, these people had physically written the paperwork for my medical records. The records that said I was dead.

But it was as we explained who the girl in Aleric's arms was that things truly became hectic. Several people didn't believe us, some left immediately out of fear... which then only left a small handful of people remaining who agreed to help treat her. By that point, I was just grateful for whatever I could get.

Not within Myra's hearing range, I told a story to the doctors. One where the Goddess had bestowed Myra's life back to her, blessing her with her mark. Even going as far as to say that both our lives held greater purpose, a divine plan in place that our Great Mother, Selene, needed us to fulfil. Anything that would be easier to explain than how I blackmailed our deity.

And, for the most part, it had been good enough to put their worries at ease. At least, for now.

Nothing of major concern was found to be wrong with either of us, though they did mention that Myra's heart rate was slightly elevated and her temperature a little cold. For that reason, they were keeping her overnight for observation just to be on the safe side. I attributed her issues to her reanimation and figured it would even out soon enough. Compared to me, she had been deceased for a much longer time.

It was only after another hour or so had passed that things finally began to calm down again, leaving just the three of us in Myra's hospital room alone. And all of us felt... exhausted.

So much so that Myra had already closed her eyes, little snores leaving her as she fell into a deep sleep. As if nothing was amiss and she hadn't just come back to life a few hours earlier.

She looked so peaceful.

Satisfied she was now safe, I slowly got out of my chair and walked towards where Aleric was leaning against a wall, immediately wrapping my arms around his waist. And as I rested my head against his chest, I felt so incredibly tranquil.

He touched my hair with one hand, holding me firmly against him with his other, and I swear I could have fallen asleep myself right then and there.

... How did I get so lucky?

I breathed in his scent, taking comfort from his presence. Knowing I would have struggled without his support. He was so incredible to be able to keep going, despite the craziness of it all. But perhaps he had already gained a lifetime of experience in this field, having dealt firsthand with all my outrageous claims these last few years.

"Thank you," I whispered. "Thank you for everything,"

"I'm just happy to have you back," he replied, gently rubbing my back. "Truthfully, I'm still not completely convinced I'm awake, but I don't think I'm creative enough to make this all up."

I had to laugh a little at that. It was pretty accurate. Honestly, even I was wondering deep down if maybe the Abyss had just become more realistic, moving on from only prior memories to new scenarios. Perhaps all of this was just an elaborate vision Selene trapped me in to keep me from escaping.

But, either way, I couldn't find it in me to complain.

After all, I couldn't have felt happier than in this very moment. My mate in my arms and my best friend returned. "Do you want me to find you some food?" he asked.

It was something I'd forgotten about in the mess of everything happening but, thinking about it now, I realised that I

hadn't eaten in a very, very long time.

I nodded my head. "If you wouldn't mind... I just need something light. I shouldn't eat too much since I've gone a while without food."

"Leave it to me," he said, detangling himself from my arms.

But it was then, before he could leave, that Myra then chose to speak, probably having been woken up by our conversation in the room.

"You two seem... close," she mumbled sleepily, rubbing at her eyes. "But, Aria, I thought you didn't like Aleric. Didn't you say he was arrogant and not as great as everyone said he was?"

I instantly froze up at her words, taken by surprise, but I knew she probably didn't realise what she was saying right now. The poor girl was exhausted and half asleep, it was no wonder she was saying stuff without a filter.

Quickly, I turned back around towards Aleric to see him looking at me with a raised brow, an amused expression across his face.

"I, uh... yeah, turns out I was mistaken," I said with a guilty look. "I got him confused with somebody else. Someone I used to know a long time ago."

Aleric laughed softly at that and shot me a knowing glance, realising what I was actually insinuating. But I really had meant what I said,

"I'll get you some food," was all he said in reply.

And he left before Myra could say anything else that would expose me further.

"You're going to get me in trouble," I said with a small laugh, walking back over to the chair by her bed.

"Mmm, I'm sorry," she yawned. "I just don't really know what's going on. None of this feels.... real."

"I know... It's all a little confusing, right?"

She nodded her head, still drowsy, but slowly sat up in bed.

"Did those doctors... did they call you 'Alpha??" she then asked, catching me off guard. "Or were they referring to Aleric?

Is that... is that what he is now? The Alpha?"

"They were talking to both of us," I answered. "We currently hold that title jointly. Tytus, um... Tytus unfortunately passed away."

'Because I killed him.' But I didn't add that part.

"But... if you're together, shouldn't you just be the Luna? And what happened with wanting to become Beta?"

It felt like such a long time ago but, in reality, it had only been a few years. How quickly things changed that it could already seem like a decade had passed.

"It's... a long story," I said, thinking back on everything Myra had missed. "But there will be plenty of time later to explain. Just focus on resting first and I'll answer all of your questions once you're ready. I promise.

She nodded her head and looked as though she was about to fall asleep again... but then something loud rang out from down the hallway.

Or, rather a loud commotion, might have been a more apt description.

"What the hell are you talking about?" someone yelled. It sounded like it was coming from the administration desk. "I want answers- right now."

"...Aria...?" Myra whispered next to me, now scared from whatever was happening.

"It's fine. Nothing to worry about," I said.

But whilst I said everything was fine, I still hid her from the view of the door by partially closing the hospital bed curtain, and proceeded to stand myself between her and whatever was outside. I wasn't willing to take any chances after everything that had happened.

A few seconds later, I could faintly make out a second voice that had joined the conversation, but, unlike the first person, this one wasn't yelling. I took that to mean that they were trying to calm the angry individual down.

"What? So, it's true then?" the guy shouted back.

...And then the next thing I knew, all I could hear was running.

Footsteps becoming louder and louder as they approached this room, sprinting down the hallway in our direction. But it

was as I was getting into a defensive stance that I heard Aleric's voice, instantly pausing me.

"Wait, Cai, hang on a second," Aleric yelled. "Don't just go running in there."

Cai

Relief immediately flooded me as I straightened back up, eager to now see him appear. And, thankfully, he didn't keep me waiting long.

Cai came rushing to the door, hastily holding on to the frame to just help stop himself moving... and then our eyes met.

He was really here.

"Aria," he exhaled, sounding in disbelief.

And that was the only thing that was said before he charged towards me, swiftly wrapping me up in his arms to spin us around.

"Hey, Cai," I said, squealing with laughter.

"What the actual hell is this?" he said, setting me down to look at me again. "I thought people were playing some kind of sick joke when I heard you were here. And not just in the morgue, but actually walking and talking. Good thing Aleric

found me or I was about to be extremely pissed off at your hospital staff."

"Ah, you know, just can't get rid of me," I smiled. "Who else is going to make your life unnecessarily difficult?” However, his expression then became more serious, a frown forming between his brows, and I knew what he was about to say.

"Aria... back then... you know, I'm sorry I didn't... I should have done.”

"Stop," I said, cutting him off. "It was only because of you that we managed to save Aleric and get as far as we did. Thea would have won if we hadn't all been there, giving it our all. We fought until the bitter end and paid a price to rid ourselves of that monster. It was a fair trade."

His jaw tensed as he nodded and immediately pulled me back into his arms. A reassurance we both needed, sharing an experience from surviving something so horrible.

But just as I was about to pull away, suddenly I felt as Cai froze up in my arms, becoming completely rigid and refusing to budge.

And words I never expected to hear from him then fell from his lips.

"Mine," he growled.

A tone I recognised all too well, having heard it only hours earlier from my own mate.

"Cai...?" I asked, confused by what was happening.

He couldn't be talking about me, right? That was impossible.

...Which only meant....

And, just as the thought came to me, a little voice then spoke up behind us, barely louder than a whisper, confirming the conclusion I'd just come to.

"...Mine," I heard Myra say.