Accepting Fate - (Slums to Riches, Book one)

Chapter 51

Angelique gagged from the metallic taste in her mouth. She bit herself open, twice, while enduring the pain she inflicted on Michael. He said he wanted it, begged her to finish the change, but her energy flowed through him. She caused his body to writhe in pain, his hands to bleed from pounding the ground, and his voice to go hoarse from screaming. She poured her energy into him, keeping enough for emergency spells. Only the goddesses knew what else would happen that day. 

It lasted a mere two minutes, but they lay beside each other, panting and exhausted, as though it lasted ten times longer. 

"Our new son will rest while he changes. It is time to explain. Reveal only what they need to know, when they need to know it. Be mindful how you relay this information."

"Because it will affect the future. I know. Could you give me a minute to gather myself. I have to block my thoughts--"

"Those who hear are meant to hear. Those who do not, have not opened themselves to hear us. Therefor, we will relay the information in visions, not words."

"Cook will see everything."

"As will our new son and Maureen."

"Will he be put through the trial?"

"Not until he is ready. He and your other siblings will have a year."

Angelique sat up when movement caught her eye. She shook her head at Logan, who had stepped closer to the stairs. He rejoined the others around the patio table to eat their dinner. Her stomach rumbled when the scent of mashed potatoes and a rich beefy gravy carried towards her. Unfortunately, she could also smell the pork chops Andrew sliced into. Even her wolf shied away from the scent.

"Okay, let me have it. I'd like to know what you meant by my other siblings going through this as well."

The started by showing her Michael's struggles. Each night he would lay on his bed, fighting a ghost he couldn't beat. Then he walked into the shower that very evening, begging the mothers for help, to change him, so he could become like Angelique. His choice of words made her understand what he had endured while linked to her mind as one demon after another scratched her soul.

They went back in time to when the elders still roamed the Earth. They would not allow her to hear the spell to open and close the doorway to the underworld, but it stored in her subconscious for when she needed it. Try as she might, her mind would not reveal the secret. Apparently, Thomas and Patricia did not need to be sent home yet.

The mothers showed her the history of the shifters and the first children born with the same animals as their parents. None before looked the same. Wolves birthed other canines, lions birthed felines, various bear species came from the elder bear, a variety of mythical creatures and water-shifters filled the world. Unicorns and pegasus lost their horns and wings to become horses. Almost a century passed before the elders birthed children resembling themselves.

They replaced the elder tiger with the first tiger born to the lion, and in her vision, they placed Michael in front of him. Jamie, stood in front of the lion, Ty stood in front of the shark, Andrew stood in front of the wolf, Angelique stood in front of her mother with Cook behind her, and Jenny stood alone. Her mother's passing created her. Lastly, Mama bear stood in front of her mother. Each of the elders, including the ghostly voice of Jenny's mother, called out their names.

Angelique now understood the prediction Ben spoke of. The demons did not choose them at random. The elders did.

The image changed with Cook standing in front of Meredith and Angelique standing in front of her grandfather, with Andrew standing behind her.

"What does that mean?"

"A choice. Either he will serve you, or our daughter will serve you."

"So, if Andrew chooses not to accept, he will become my first, but if he does accept, Cook will assist me."

"Correct."

"Will that affect my status as wolf-queen? Don't get me wrong. I don't mind continuing to honor the terms of the will, but let's face it. I am not the best candidate for that position."

"You will retain your title. Altering your status will affect the future. Detrimentally."

"Got it. Okay. I'm ready for everything else. Thank you for explaining. It clears up so many questions I had."

"You are welcome, daughter. Now, we will show you some of the future. It is important to reveal at this time to motivate your decisions. However, it is not consequential, or relevant, to your immediate future."

"Then don't hold back. Give me as much information as you can, as fast as you can. My siblings are getting anxious."

The visions flashed through her mind like videos on steroids. They played out so fast her head ached when the last one ended. Thankfully, they prepared her for the arrival of mates, and gave her options to deal with each situation. She saw the mare Lightning spoke of, remembering the white mare who often played nurse-maid when she came out to play, or tossed her blankets off her. Logan needed to find her and bring her home before she birthed the next horse-queen.

Taking a deep breath, and wiping the sweat from her brow, she opened her eyes to darkness, illuminated by the light from the house and the stars above them. Her eyes dropped to Michael who no longer slumbered.

"It's time, Mickey. Don't fight it."

Michael cried out when his bones popped and reshaped, then reverted back, only to reshape a second time. He did not shift fully, but both his wolf and tiger had stepped forward for the partial shift. Like her, his body became more muscular and he grew at least two feet taller. With an Asian mother and a five-foot wolf father, he would never grow as tall as Andrew and Ty. After all, his tiger needed strength, but also a streamline body for speed.

After his partial shift, Michael was heaved into the air and hung motionless, until he cried out and flung his head back. Energy burst from him in a bright beam directed at the sky. It spread along the dome and then splashed down in heavy raindrops. The dry ground sucked it up greedily, and sprouted random patches of grass. On both side of the stairs, running along the veranda, five giant bushes appeared. As they grew, carnations bloomed, as bright orange as a setting sun. Then, near the east wing, where most of the grass sprouted, other carnation bushes burst to life in various colors. The scent from the honeysuckles, the carnations, and the pine from the forests, masked all the other odors around the farms and ranches.

If Senior's son needed flowers from his shop, he didn't have to go far to find some.

Angelique waved to Logan when Michael started floating back down. He caught him before his feet could touch the ground and then carried him back to the house, with Angelique leading the way.

"Lay him on the couch for now. I need to wash my face, and then I'll have to stay with him until he wakes up."

"Why not his bedroom?"

"You all have questions. It's better to answer them in the living room."

Of all her siblings, she worried about Jamie the most. She never dealt with change in a calm manner, and when hurricane Jamie arrived, things flew at people's heads. Michael had too many sharp objects in his room.

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