Cruel Fate

8

Ovidia sat Cedric and Conon down in Cedric's office. It was time to tell them her whole story now that she knew it. The two boys sat in front of her, listening to her attentively. She had been here nearly a year, and they knew almost nothing about her.

"You know my name." She stated the obvious and then continued. "I am one-hundred and seventeen years old, ninety-eight years ago my parents buried me in the spot that Beta Conon found me in."

They wanted to ask questions but let her tell her tale. "My parents had something, something dangerous if in the wrong hands. They had been running from everyone. Their family, their pack, the world."

"What did they have?" Conon asked, too enthralled in her story to be mindful of interruption.

"Me." Ovidia looked Conon dead into his eyes, letting him know she wasn't playing around, though it was in her nature to do so. "My blood once held the power to heal all wounds. So, my mother held me down while my father drained my blood, leaving just enough to keep me alive, and they buried me, pouring my drained blood over my grave, and then they disappeared. Over time my blood lost its magical ability to save my life, growing out the moss around my grave, its roots tangling in hair, leaving it blue." She paused, taking a breath, "And the earth pushed my body back into the living world when it was ready."

The two men looked at her, then at each other. "We've heard of your ability," Conon said, glancing the girl up and down, earning a glare from Cedric.

"It doesn't bring back the dead," Ovidia said before Conon could even ask.

"How did you? -"

"It's something my mother said people thought I could do."

"What was it like being...dead?" Cedric asked, his hands folded as he leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees.

Ovidia tilted her head, "I wasn't entirely dead, but...it was peaceful. I wasn't aware of the amount of time I spent under the dirt. Most of the time was spent healing my body."

Cedric nodded slowly and Conon spoke, "Since you've remembered, do you regret losing your power?"

She tilted her head before shaking her head, "No. I don't, it was causing more harm than good. I guess it depends on perspective."

"Do you want to find your parents?" Cedric grabbed her hands in his, "I will provide everything I can to help you find them."

"No, I have a feeling they'll return soon."

"You were a lot less eerie when you didn't talk." Conon grimaced and nudged her side.

After Conan left Ovidia stayed seated as Cedric went behind his desk to finish up work. "There's a bit more." she pursed her lips as their eyes stared into each other. "The day before I was buried, some men that wanted me for my blood, captured my mate. To get to me. They drained every drop of her blood and they-... the point is, I know what it's like to lose your mate."

"You know?"

"About your mate? Yes, you talk in your sleep, and she visited me in a dream."

"Bit of a dream hopper, isn't she?" Cedric laughed to himself.

That she was. Ashe had visited both of them in multiple dreams. Cedric shakes his head and pats his lap, "Come here."

Ovidia complied and got from her seat to move to her new one. He pulled her closer to him, nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck. His hands wandered her body, something he couldn't help doing. Like his body couldn't believe this was real. That she was real. "Ashe visited me in another dream."

Ovidia looked up at him, waiting for him to finish.

"Ashe came to me, she said something confusing." Cedric looked down at Ovidia then continued, "She said that part of her soul is intertwined with yours. It intertwined with yours when you were buried."

"Ashe visited me as well. I was having memories that weren't mine. And now I understand why."

For Cedric, it explained how Ovidia knew of his secret nickname.

Puppy.

It was something Ashe would call him. It melted his heart and turned him into putty in her arms, giving her the power to sculpt him to her will. Frankly, he enjoyed the time Ovidia had called him that, the moment after was more enjoyable when he kissed her for the first time.

After they mated, she would become Luna of the Moon Oasis pack. The members were hopeful of it. Of her. Everyone seemed to like her. Especially the young children, the teens, and regrettably the unmated wolves. Though when Cedric gave the unmated wolves a harsh glare and a low growl they backed off. The only wolves allowed to run into her arms were the children. Ovidia had a knack for making others feel better even without her magical blood.

A young girl, maybe thirteen, ran to Ovidia when she spotted the woman watching a bee flitter from rose to tulip. The girl sobbed while catching her breath. Ovidia turned a worried gaze to the blonde girl, whose hair stuck to her wet cheeks, brown eyes shut tight before opening wide and letting more hot tears rain down her face to meet at her chin. Gilly was her name. There were dirt and grass stains on the grey jeans she wore. Ovidia embraced the girl and smoothed out her hair, using her thumbs to wipe away the young teen's pesky tears. When Gilly could talk through a sentence without hiccupping, she informed Ovidia of how a group of girls had been teasing her for the odd coloring of her wolf. Thirteen was early for a wolf to shift, but not uncommon. So, with Gilly behind Ovidia's back- still sobbing quietly, Ovidia talked to all of the girls. Reminding them that belittling others would not be tolerated, that making others feel lesser simply because of how they looked wasn't okay. Ovida had been soft and kind with her words and in the end, some of the other pack members watched as she hugged the children and smoothed out their hair. And without her having to ask, the girls all apologized to Gilly, and off they all went to the small cafe in their large community to get coffee and talk about whatever it was that interested them.

Cedric didn't only love Ovidia for how caring she was. He loved her for a lot more than that, and he couldn't imagine a timeline where he would ever stop loving her.

Never in a million years. That was a long while, even for wolves.