Chapter 172
Chapter 172
Ellie POV
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I heard shuffling as someone entered the temple. It took a moment for me to stand with the boys strapped to me. At first, I didn’t see anyone when I looked around, then I spotted a figure kneeling near the door.
I don’t know what I expected the priestess to look like. Maybe I expected someone who matched the dreams of the goddess I’ve been having.
Instead, I found an old woman kneeling before the door, her silver hair spilling down her back in a long braid. Her robe was simple, white edged with blue thread, and when she turned, her eyes were pale and clear as polished quartz.
“You are welcome here,” she said.
Her voice was low, soft as the wind through leaves.
“Thank you,” I answered. It wasn’t the correct answer. I knew there was a phrase that was supposed to follow, but I couldn’t remember it.
The corners of her mouth lifted in the smallest of smiles. “The goddess whispers of those who seek her with honest hearts p>
I didn’t know how to answer that. “I I need guidance p>
She nodded, motioning for me to join her. We sat together on the smooth stone floor before the great statue of the goddess. The sunlight touched her face and made the silver in her hair gleam.
lan was strapped to my chest, and August settled sleepily against my shoulder. She looked at the boys with that soft smile that older people usually have when they see children. I wanted to ask her if she was a mother, for some reason. I didn’t.
“I didn’t know where else to turn p>
“I’ve been expecting you,” she said with a smile. “You look so much like your mother p>
“You knew my mother?” I asked quietly.
“I did,” she said. “Selene was a dear friend. Fierce, bright, and burdened with more sight than any one soul should carry p>
My throat tightened. “She was a seer p>
“She was the seer,” the priestess corrected gently. “The last of her kind, or so we thought. The Moonstone bloodline has always carried the mark of the divine. Some say the goddess herself touched your ancestor generations ago, gifting her with the ability to walk between worlds p>
I stared at the floor. “And the price of that gift is to be born without a wolf. Alaric told me p>
She studied me for a long moment. “You say that as if it’s a curse p>
“Isn’t it?” The words came sharper than I intended. “Every wolf comes of age waiting to feel that first pull-the bond, the transformation, the strength. I waited too. And when it never came, I thought something was broken p>
The priestess reached over, her hand warm against mine. “Child, you were never broken. You were chosen. The goddess cannot dwell in two bodies at once. To carry her touch, something else must yield. It has been true for generations of your family, the cost of carrying the goddess with you is your wolf p>
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Chapter 172
+25 Bonus
I swallowed hard. “But I don’t understand why. Why me? Why now p>
“Because the world tilts again,” she said simply. “The balance between light and shadow weakens. The goddess does not send her messengers without reason p>
Her gaze held mine, sharp despite her years. “You have been seeing her, haven’t you? In your dreams p>
I hesitated. “Yes. But not just her. Sometimes… other things. Shadows. Wolves.” “Tell me of these other things,” she said patiently.
I took a deep breath to steady my voice. “I dreamed of a wolf last night. Huge and grey with blue eyes. It pursued me relentlessly, but calmly… it was unnerving. Just as it was about to attack me, I was saved by another wolf… one that I knew p>
“One that you knew? But you did not know the wolf who attacked you,” she said thoughtfully. “Dreams are not always literal. It could be that the one who chased you was not a person at all p>
“What was it then p>
“Manifestation. A vessel for what you fear most. For guilt. For the weight of things left unresolved. Who was it who saved you from these things p>
My breath caught. “Nolan p>
The name hung between us, fragile and heavy.
The priestess didn’t ask who he was. I’m sure she didn’t have to. “You dream of him, too p>
I nodded, the memory of the black wolf vivid behind my eyelids. “He saved me in the dream. He fought the other one p>
“As he has done before,” she murmured.
That startled me. “What do you mean p>
The priestess smiled faintly. “The goddess moves through bloodlines, through love, through vows that bind souls beyond death. Your bond with him is not gone, only buried. Even in the realm of dreams, his spirit knows where to find you p>
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