Gift of the Goddess

Selene stood in front of the grand mirror in her bedroom. She etched its simple inlaid braided pattern into her memory, remembering when her mother gifted it to her on her tenth birthday. How excited she had been to have a mirror of her own, just like her mothers, to someday get ready for a mate in front of. A pang of regret spread thorough her and she wondered if she would have a mirror like this in her new home.

The soft glow of sunsets last light streamed through the window bathed everything in a golden hue that was in direct comparison to how cold and hollow she felt.

In the reflection, her strapless gown glittered and shimmered in the ambient light, hugging her curves tightly in some places and draping loosely in others. It was a few shades lighter than the one she had worn yesterday, but adorned with a myriad of twinkling crystals that mimicked the night sky itself. She was a tapestry of stars.

Her heart pounded in her chest as her mother stepped around to face her, adjusting the curls and ringlets that cascaded down around her face from the fixture at her crown.

"I have something for you, wait here," said Estrella, and walked over to a vanity on the far side of the room. She fetched a small box that had been set there earlier in the morning. She lifted a necklace from the box that sparkled and glittered in the sunset. It's intricate silver design was inlaid with dozens of tiny diamonds and sapphires surrounding a pale blue stone that mimicked the full moon, and was almost the exact shade of her eyes.

"This is my gift to you. I hope that you always wear it and think of home," said Estrella, setting the necklace at Selene's throat and walking behind her to adjust the clasp.

"It's beautiful," breathed Selene, and the knot in her stomach gripped tighter.

The ceremony of Bonding was meant to be a sacred and joyous event between lovers, yet Selene felt as though she were walking to her own execution.

"You also look exceptionally beautiful tonight, I can't wait for everyone to see," Estrella murmured with a tender smile, smoothing the dark blue fabric that clung to Selene's slender form.

Selene swallowed hard. Her reflection looked even more pale than usual, if that was possible. Her eyes were slightly red from all the crying and she had faint dark circles even the makeup couldn't cover.

"I can't do this, mother. I don't trust him. There's darkness, there's—something just isn't right, I can feel it," Selene pleaded. The anger and the storm within her quieting in the resignation, giving way to grief and hopelessness.

Estrella's expression softened, and she once again cupped Selene's face with gentle hands.

"I know, and were it just us I would keep you with the pack forever. But this union is not just for you. It is for the survival of the Nyxbourne Pack. This alliance will protect us."

"Is that what you've seen for the future? Is there no way out of this?" asked Selene. Perhaps fate had something else in store for her, something other than what she was heading for.

Her mother's face was thoughtful for a moment, as if trying to decide what to say.

"I am the Matriarch of this pack Selene, and sometimes I have to make decisions that even I do not wish to for the sake of the greater good. I saw that you would go through many trials thought I know not what they are, and that pains me. But I also saw that for the greater good, you would endure. This was the only path left for us."

Tears threatened to spill from Selene's eyes for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.

Everything seemed so far above her, like she was a puppet being controlled and paraded out on a stage she had no say in. "But what of love? What of finding my True Mate?"

Estrella's pursed her lips. "Sometimes, love is a seed that must be planted, and seeds take time to grow. Other times, we must make sacrifices to protect those we hold dear."

Selene's breath hitched, and she nodded reluctantly. The burden of duty pressed heavily upon her shoulders as she allowed her mother to fasten the last few silver ribbons through her midnight hair. She had wanted to run at first, to flee as far as she could and retain her freedom, for the chance to chase her own destiny, but the weight of her family's legacy—and the thought of her smaller siblings—held her in place.

With trembling steps, she turned and marched toward her new destiny.