CINDE, The Kings Mate (boyxboy) ✓

Follow Up

[A/N] However many years later this is, there is finally a follow up to the story, it comes after the explanation, so if you don't want to read that just run down the page. Enjoy.

A Little Bit of an Explanation:

Ursula was already 25 and could not find her mate as a werewolf and had for the most part retreated from the pack, ashamed and to some extent shunned as they believed an unmated wolf at an old age was someone cursed or disliked by Luna.

Was was taken under the wing of a flitter of water sprites who offered her refuge and a home and Ursula felt welcomed and happy. Eventually the water sprites took it upon themselves to adopt Ursula as their child, or more accurately, as their relative and flitter sister. This is a ceremony that takes place under the light of the full moon, by the well, when Luna watches and is able to give her permission.

Luna did so, and Ursula became one of the first werewolf water sprites to be.

Ursula was already 41 by the time she found out she was mated with a werewolf. The mate in question had grown very sick, therefor denying ursula his company, as it would mean her catching his sickness and dying. Water sprites are fragile, and some degree of this imprinted on Ursula, a common cold could wipe her out in a few days. Water sprites have no actual limit to their life span, uninterrupted by disease or accidents they could possibly live forever but they are very frail.

Her mate decided that if he did not recover soon he would request death by the crescent moon blade so that he did not die by the illness and, therefor, force her die. This way he could allow her to live on to a water sprites natural life span.

So, as a true believer in Luna, or Selene as the water sprites called her, she would pray at the foot of Aventine hill, where many left offerings for the goddess, believing that if they prayed hard enough that Luna would come from the well at the top of the hill and grant them their wishes.

After a while Ursula climbed into the well and decided to wait praying every day, she did not leave.

When Cinde was born and his mother was sentenced to death his Puer, in his moment of rage, took the newborn baby and threw him into the well.

Ursula caught the baby and saw it as a sign from Luna to protect what you can when you know your loved ones hearts have already ceased beating. Putting all of her faith into this she protected and nurtured the baby as her own, as best as she can, looking after the lively wolf. Enjoying her life with him.

She took little time before requesting of Luna, as Alcmene had once done, to adopt the child by the moon. However, she made a special request during the ritual that he be free of a wolf title. He should not be classified as an alpha or a beta or omega as sprites do not believe in rankings in power.

She asked that he live and breath as a normal werewolf so that he may be with his mate as she was not able to be with hers and, of course, grow up as one normally would.

Eventually, Puer sees the baby growing up under the nurturing care of Ursula, in the woods, and demands that she allow him to kill him as the boy was supposed to die. Ursula laughed in his face. This was a ridiculous demand. However, her strength was not enough to defend the toddler Cinde or herself against that man and there was little she could do.

Ursula bled to death coddling the young Cinde in her arms.

When Puer then turned to add Cinde's blood to his adoptive mothers he is forced to look the toddler in the face. He cannot move, stunned by the striking resemblance of this boy to his deceased wife. He stands there a long time, the boy staring back at him, his eyes wide and empty, a kind of expectation within them, an expectation of death. Every time he tries to gather the energy to kill the boy he cannot. So he does not.