The 27th

Chapter 27

Retracting her hand from her chest, the lady took her warmth with it, moving it to stroke the younger girls uneven hair.
"Why don't we get you cleaned up, hm? We can get you in a bath to warm you up, get a meal in you and get you to bed. I know how uncomfortable it is to sleep on the ground." Thaelia looked to the male who stood at her side. She had been with him for months at this point without separation. Though she didn't fully trust him, she grew attached to him and couldn't help but feel safe in his proximity.

"It okay." He assured her. "Mom no hurt you."

"That is right." Her attention went back to the women talking. "I cannot hurt you. It is against my nature." His mother than her fingers through the short, choppy hair of her son's mate. "Come, child." She wrapped her arms around her shoulders, guiding her out the door. "No harm will come to you."

The two made their way back outside, back into the cold. Arias followed behind the pair for a while before veering off to the left, climbing  a a set of snow covered stairs. She looked higher up the incline to see the destination in which they led but she could not see it.

"His house is up there. He wanted to fix it up before you see it. It's been while since he was home."

"Why?"

"Why what? Why he's been gone? The Enforcers respond to pleas of help. He left for a few months to help rescue you and the other victims so the pipes are frozen and it's dirty. He wants it perfect for you."

"No." She shook her head. "You said until I see it. Why would I be in his house?"

"He didn't tell you?" She led the pair down a path leading up to a large, wooden house.

"Tell me what?" She froze in the doorway of the house as the older lady helped to remove the furs. She's trusted him enough to remain by his side, to travel all the way here and now he's kept something from her? Was he lying to her this whole time? Did he lead here all the way up here to see if she would believe his lies, to turn against the the progress and teachings the humans helped her with?

"We never did talk about it English so I can only assume he didn't tell you because he didn't know the English words."

"Tell me what?" She refused to move when his mother tried to lead her further into the house. "Has he been lying to me this entire time?"

"No. No, child. I didn't say that to frighten you, or for you to question his motives. The reason you are here is a good one, I assure you. I only meant to ask if you knew since you cannot feel your wolf." Once all of the outer furs and jackets were gone, the younger of the pair stood shivering in a light long sleeved shirt and leggings. "I will explain everything but we have to get you warm before you get sick."

Upstairs they went, into a guest room where Thaelia was informed she would be staying until Aria's house was in order. She next found herself stripped and in a warm bath, his mother cleaning her skin and her hair, as her bandaged hands could not get wet. She felt quite uncomfortable in this situation, a complete stranger tending to her naked body, but the mother was never inappropriate and it was quite relaxing to have her hair washed by another.

The water had been drained several times and replaced, her body being coated with dirt from her travels. It was filled twice just to wash her skin, once for her hair and a forth for her just to relax in the warm water. During this process, the mother explained everything, the information that was kept from her which made her doubt her reasoning for being here.

"I must first tell you a story, a legend amongst the shifters, in order for you to understand.

The Sun God and the Moon Goddess were created in order to maintain life on this Earth. The two were kept apart, while one rose, the other sank, only meeting at dawn and dusk. Through these small interactions, they grew fond of each other and eventually fell in love.

Though, they could not stay together, otherwise, the Earth would become unbalanced, but, they did not listen. Tired of being alone in the dark, The Moon Goddess stayed in the sky as the Sun God rose and they met for the first time, no longer just a brief interaction.

Unable to part from one other, they each stayed in the sky, which threw the Earth into an unbalanced state. It was too hot, rivers dried up and land began to burn, killing many while all suffered. The two saw this but stayed together. That was until the Moon grew sick.

She belonged in the darkness and because she was constantly in the light, she was dying. It was then, that the two had to leave each other. The Moon, not wanting to be alone, begged the Sun to stay but he knew they couldn't, so he created the stars to keep her company. They added light to the dark but not enough to harm her.

The Moon, after realizing how much pain and suffering they had caused for Earth and the people on it, blessed them in order to apologize. She gave them undeniable love.

She knew her and the Sun were too different so instead, the broke a soul into two and placed them into two bodies. These souls were opposites of each other, just like she and the Sun, they were strong together. However, she also made them balanced, as she and the Sun were not.

This was not enough though. The people were still dying, even if they found their other half, because the Earth was too hard to live off of, so she needed another solution. After watching how savage some people were, she determined they were not worthy of her love, even if she had cause the destruction they had to live in. Those who did live in her love, praises and thanking her for all they have done, she blessed them further, giving them a gift to help them better off the land. She gave them a wolf.

As time went on and the Earth healed, the blessed kept their wolves and their love while the others were cursed to live a weak and lonely life. Some found love but it was not true. Some wolves were paired with the cursed, as their souls were not as tainted as their parents. Some wolves were unworthy of her gifts so she took them away. She determined those who live a good life, those who have a pure soul deserve love.

She created what is now known as mates, otherwise known as soulmates."

"That is a beautiful story," Thaelia commented, "but what does that have to do with me?"

"You and Arias are both worthy of her gift. You both have your wolves which means you also have her gift of mates. Since your wolf is suppressed, you cannot feel it but Arias can. He can feel that the two of you are destined. You are mates."

Thaelia recalled this as she sat alone in the tub, letting the warm water relax her body as her mind ran. Aria's mother left her alone to think it over as she prepared her a meal, yet, she didn't know what to think.

Her life had been written for her, her entire life dictated by those outside of the room she had been trapped in. Then, after years, she was freed, only to not be truly free. Her life was now tethered to a man she did not know. She was connected to him through a force she couldn't feel, didn't even know if it truly existed or not. The only thing she could do was trust the words of strangers, something that didn't work out for her in the past.

She didn't know what to think.