Beckett

The goddess was here. In the flesh. Usually, the goddess would announce mates with a bright light and a chiming sound. Many couples were left with a physical, matching mark. Only the oldest records mentioned Selene actually appearing to bless couples, and while it was considered the greatest honor among wolves, I couldn't remember a happy outcome for any of those mates.

I pushed away the thought. Those stories were from centuries ago, and while history might repeat itself more often than we liked, I refused to believe such a fate waited for Devany and me. We had not gone through all this to not have a happy ending, and I would be happy anywhere as long as I could call her mine.

Devany trembled against me. She had been shaking since she rescued me. When she entered my prison, I'd been assailed by a dozen different thoughts and feelings. Elation. Love. Desire. And then, when I saw the state she was in, rage had gripped me so tightly I thought I might explode. Bruises and cuts disfigured her face, and her clothes were ripped to shreds, leaving her completely exposed.

Once I realized she was not seriously hurt, I had calmed down. I hadn't decided if I was going to ask her about it yet. Since she had come through the Mate Run to reach me, I suspected the cause already. A woman who went through that kind of trauma didn't need to relive it until she was ready, but I swore to the goddess–the one currently watching me a vengeful gleam in her eye that likely matched my own–I would hunt down every bastard who had touched her and kill him.

Devany pulled away from me and staggered toward Selene. I held my breath, waiting to hear what either of them would say. Most wolves who'd claimed to have met the goddess said they'd been overwhelmed, and if they could speak at all, they only spouted praises. Others simply fell to their knees in reverence until Selene told them to rise and gave her blessing.

"Your timing is shit," Devany said with a growl so full of her wolf that I was shocked she wasn't partially shifted.

"Dev," I gasped, leaping between her and Selene. The gods had struck down mortals for less. I braced myself for the end. "You can't speak that way."

Selene laughed. She actually laughed. It was a charming sound, full of sparkle and bells, and all the anxiety in my body melted away. Gently, she pushed me aside and cupped Devany's bruised cheek in her hand.

"You are even more than I dreamed you would be."

Devany's silver brows knotted together. "What does that mean? Have you been watching me?"

"I watch over all my wolves. Even those who don't yet know what they are."

"And all those years you just watched? Watched me struggle. Watched me wander. When you clearly have the power to intervene. Why now?"

So many emotions flitted across Devany's face, but the most powerful one was pain. I wanted to smooth it away and promise she would never feel that way again, but it would be a lie. Even now, safe in this place with Selene, the dangers of our world waited. Just outside the barrier, and the moment the goddess left us, we would be thrust back into the war. And after what my Leann and the other pack leaders pulled today, I was certain war was coming.

"The gods have rules we must follow, and I have already broken too many. I wouldn't care if only I was at risk, but I won't be the one punished."

I slipped my hand through Devany's. She squeezed it, and I fixed Selene with a hard look. "So, why now?"

"Is it because of the Mate Run?" Devany asked, her voice breathless with hope.

The sound of it thrilled me. Sometimes I worried how she would respond to finding out we were mates, but she sounded like she wanted me as much as I wanted her. My wolf growled in approval, and suddenly, I was very ready for Selene to grant her blessing and be gone. We could handle the rest of the claiming on our own.

Selene's attention swung to me as if she could understand my thoughts, but I wasn't at all embarrassed. She had created us to be in touch with our animalist needs and desires. I would not apologize for wanting to make Devany mine in every way.

"As I have said, I have broken many rules already. You may have felt alone, but I guided you when I could. I worked to lead you to the right places to find the answers you so desperately sought. Answers I made sure you knew you needed."

Devany's face softened, and she looked at me. "I found you."

Ignoring the goddess watching, I kissed Devany. At first, she tasted like earth and blood and salt, and I swept my tongue inside her mouth, washing it all away until there was nothing left but the taste of her and me.

She broke the kiss and rested her forehead against mine. "I hoped it was you."

Pushing back her hair, I looked into her eyes. "I always knew it was you."

We turned to Selene together, both of us waiting for her to declare us mates, but the goddess wore a sad smile.

"She is my mate, isn't it?" I demanded, panicked when she remained silent.

She wiped a tear off her glowing cheek. "The moment her soul formed, I saw how it was destined to meet yours. Your paths were so tangled together, it was nearly impossible to find one that didn't cross."

The relief I felt was dizzying. Devany felt it, too, and she laid her head on my shoulder. But it was short-lived because Selene still did not look happy.

"I thought I had found that one path, but I made a mistake."

"What are you saying?"

Selene's jaw jutted out, and her eyes grew hard. "I am here today because of your mate bond."

"Thank the gods–"

"And I deliver not a blessing, but a curse. Devany, if you accept this mating, you will die."