In the midst of a new beginning, troubles start to arise. Thrown into a world she thought was fantasy. Artemis now has to learn how to live with a new being inside of her. She needs to learn to trust people if she wishes to survive.
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Third
"Focus on yourself. Imagine the magic flow in your blood, running to do your bidding. Feel its essence filling your senses and building inside like a growing fire." Rowena instructs. She sits on her chair, still in the office, while Artemis listens carefully to her words.
"Willed the magic, like rains on a horse. Good. Open your hand and let a small flame grow." Closing her eyes, Artemis envision a blue flame growing on the palm of her hand.
"Woah! You did it!" Dean proudly says. Exited, Artemis opens her eyes and watches the blue flame. "Omg! Omg!" She looks up at the three sisters, expecting to see smiles. Instead of smiles, grim faces are all she sees.
"What's wrong?" She asks with a frown, unsure why they are like this. "You're tainted." Rava sneers, and disgust drips from her words. The air caught in her throat, making it hard to speak or breathe. Three growls come from her mates and best friend. "Watch your fucking mouth!" Elli snarls viciously.
"what do you mean tainted?" Artemis's steady voice cuts through the tension in the room. Victoria clutches Artemis's hand, trying to calm herself. "Sorry, touchy subject." Rava clears her throat awkwardly. "What she means is that David's magic signature is all up in your own magic." Rhea sighs.
And just like that, Artemis' exterior breaks. Suddenly, everything is too much.
Too much noise.
Too quiet.
Too much touch.
Too many people.
Elli is up on her feet before anyone can comprehend the storm on the horizon. "Ari, Ari, look at me! You're safe; you're safe! They cannot hurt you. They are not here!" Elli kneels as she takes Artemis's hands before it's too late.
Artemis flinches back, avoiding her touch. "They took so much from me! What else do they want?"
"They took my will to live in the past. I won't let it happen again!" Her body shakes with anger, and magic swarms around her like a hoard of bees. Fire dances in her eyes; her rage takes over, silencing everything else. Rowena steps forward, preparing to protect everyone.
"What is going on? Why is she reacting like this? Her magic reacts like a violent volcano!" Rava shakes in her spot, her voice uneven. Her sisters turn in surprise, their eyes big as a golf ball. "What does it mean?" Elli's gaze is still stuck on her best friend's tear-struck face.
Rowena's face hardens, and a frightening moment passes. "Just like it sounds, if we do not contain it now, she can destroy the whole pack land in a minute." Dean gasps in shock, and quickly turns to his mother. "Evacuate the pack, now!" He doesn't wait for her to respond and steps closer to Artemis.
Victoria does the same, and together they hug Artemis. Fire leeches onto their bodies, creating painful burns. "This is what I meant by tainted, her powers are not supposed to hurt them."
Those words pierce through Artemis' brain like a spear. She's hurting them; she's inflicting pain on her alphas. With a thud, she falls with them to the floor. Her tears won't stop falling and her sobs slice through the agonizing silence.
"I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry." Her cries break Elli's heart all over again.
"Shhh, it's ok, it's ok. We will heal fast; we are wolves." Dean whisper, and she whimpers. They hold her close, providing comfort. Victoria traces circles on her neck; the soothing touches cause Artemis to sigh in contentment. Her cries dry out, and the silence grows thick with tension.
"What the fuck was that?" Lydia is the first to break the silence. "Artemis, you are powerful. But even in my wildest dreams, I would not have imagined your magic reacting like this. And his signature only implied that. You need to be purged from his magic before you will be nothing but a tool for his disposal." Rowena hovers above the trio on the floor. Urgency in her voice as she starts to pace.
"The next full moon is 11 days away. You have to stop yourself from using your magic by then. We will do the ceremony on the lake where you were before we came here."
"What does it means? How did it happen?" Artemis says in a small voice, exhaustion rendered her limp. "The only way is to torture you, but that's not possible. Last I heard he was in the USA." Rava says, confused. The whole situation doesn't make sense to her.
"No, no, no. I can't believe it." Artemis's voice cracks with fear and sadness.
"What? Fire, what's wrong?" Victoria asks. A frown on her face and a sinking feeling drop inside. Anxiety bubbles up, afraid of Artemis's answer.
Artemis stay silent. This is not the way she imagined this conversation going on. Gathering her courage, she sits up. The twins sit as well, and Artemis leans against Dean.
Sighing she begins, "they are my ex. My abusive ex to be exact." A tear falls from her eye as she closes her eyes. Her ex is the reason for her mental health issues, plus her physical ones.
Before she met David, she was a healthy person. She never broke a bone in her body, she never had cavities or was hospitalized for any severe medical problem. Yet, one day with them put her in a coma for six months because her body couldn't handle the abuse it went through. She needed another six months just to make it a few steps without fearing they would be back.
"That prick almost killed her," Elli says quietly. Her mind replays the horror she saw when she got to the hospital. Cables coming out everywhere. The bed soaked with her blood, the smell of it was so strong she can still smell it.
The sisters look down, guilt eating them alive. To know your blood and family member could do such atrocities is more than one can bear.
Rhea's eyes filled with unshed tears. She feels ashamed for not being able to foresee it and stop it from happing. Lifting her head, she asks the question that confused her. "Why are you referring to him as they/them?"
Rowena chuckles darkly as if venom drips from her mouth. "Of course, he is not non-binary the way humans and surps see it. He saw himself above you, didn't he? When the abuse started, he treated you as if you are a bug who can be squished to death."
Artemis stares at her in shock. How can she know all of this?
Rowena smiles sadly before continuing, "here's a little lesson. Gods or goddesses are all non-binary. They don't have sex organs, so they cannot be females or males. They are not humans or half-humans to possess it. They may look like "men" or "women" but, they are not. You can refer to them however you like. Selena, though, prefers she/they." Artemis looks at her questioningly, wondering where this is going.
"As we told you, he was absolutely raging when our grandfather chose me. He considers himself to be a god and that's why he changed it. The little shit thinks he is powerful as a god." She sneers, her eyes blazing with heated fire.
