The King's Prey (Unedited Edition)

Chapter 43 : Trust Me

Absquatulate • [ub-skwa-chew-late]
To leave without saying goodbye.

🖤

~+~

~ Anastasia ~

"Moon Goddess..." I find myself exhaling. The air escapes my lungs, struggling to return after it's gone. The picture has cleared now as this powerful being sits before me—the very spirit that carries the weight of all werewolves upon her shoulders.

In other circumstances, I nearly fainted when I saw her appear out of thin air, thinking it was only this strange forest attempting to hallucinate me. But these past several months have taught me more than I ever thought I would need to know about the reality of the world. And now—after Delphine's conscience has merged with mine—I feel accustomed to every unnatural event and encounter I run into.

"Yes," she says softly, returning a smile at my shocked expression. "I'm sorry this introduction is so informal. I would've done this on different terms if it wasn't so urgent."

I shake away the awe, focusing back on our conversation. "No, no. It's ok. I just—I'm sorry...So much has happened that I'm struggling to comprehend everything at once." Pent-up emotions threaten to spill out of my mouth.

Overwhelmed is an understatement for how out of place I feel sitting before her. When I had first seen her in those woods on my walk with Sterling—that same glowing orb—I thought I was only insane. I thought that all of my reckless emotions with Samuel were beginning to pile up and drive me mad—until tonight. She must've been watching over me—sensing the fate of my life.

"I wouldn't expect anything less from someone in your position," she reassures me. I nod and release a breath I didn't realize I was holding in. She doesn't acknowledge my nakedness, making this strange encounter a lot less stressful. Keeping her golden eyes on me, the nerves in my body begin to relax. "First of all, I wanted to apologize for the force I had to use when bringing you and your wolf here. I ran out of options, but I needed to speak to you alone."

"Alone?"

Moon Goddess only nods, taking a moment to sort through what to say next. "There was some kind of distress within your wolf's conscience when you finished your shift. It woke me up—it called out to me." I search her face for any hints on what this conversation might lead to, but only sadness spreads through her features.

"What's wrong?" I ask, my words laced with concern.

"I understand that you just met your wolf less than a few hours ago. Given that you were raised among humans your whole life, you surely never expected any of this to happen," Moon Goddess says.

Then she takes my hands that are still gripping onto my knees, gently turning the palms upwards to exam them. "Your powers—the powers that you wield are some of the most impressive I've ever seen in my life."

"My powers...?" I raise a brow, giving her an accusatory look as if she's purposefully held this secret from me—yet none of this is her fault. We both stare at my palms. "Like when my hands had suddenly heated up?"

She gives me another slight nod. "Most times, your situation is extremely unexplainable. A child with a human as one parent and a wolf as another rarely ever shifts into their wolf form, yet you and your sister seem to be the only exceptions."

Her words remind me of the hectic conversation I had with my mother—of all the truth that had gone unsaid my entire life simply spilling out of her mouth. Recollecting what I'm able to recall, I say, "My sister and I, our dad's name is Maddox—at least that's what my mother told me."