004 - Selene

***FLASHBACK.***

Underworld.

Lucy - 13 years old. 

LUCY.

My hands were too red and itchy now. I’d been doing target shooting using fire for the last hour and I was getting tired of it. I blew up the whole line of target range before I walked out of the pit where I was practicing. I reminded my mentor, Gargon, not to say a word to my father, or I would blow up his face next time.

No. I was not scared of anyone. Despite my stubbornness, I was my father’s favorite. He doted on me and no one was allowed to touch me. But I didn’t say I didn’t get punished - I did. But only he was allowed to punish me.

I jumped over the hurdles of fire before I was able to reach the fields that smelled like burned coals and grounds. Demons take pleasure in smelling anything that burns, especially flesh being burned, and although I didn’t fancy it, I was getting used to it by now. 

Another boring day. I wondered when my father would take me to see other creatures again. My father’s capacity to travel in between realms was the only thing that interested me in this place because when he took me with him, I got to meet interesting beings.

I was already halfway to the hot spring where I planned to spend my free time when I noticed a light glowing from behind the dark, ruined building as if many bulbs had been installed there.

This place has always been dark, so I got curious.

"Who are you?" I asked. The female who had her back to me had glorious shiny black hair that ended below her bum. And despite not carrying anything, she was glowing, as if the lights were radiating from inside her skin.

The female slowly turned around, and I found myself face-to-face with the most beautiful female I had ever laid my eyes on. I had seen the Goddess of Chaos. She was beautiful in her own way, but the one in front of me was beyond beautiful like she was ethereal. She definitely didn’t belong in the Underworld.

"Hello, little wolf…" And her voice was like a soft lullaby.

My eyes widened as I stepped back when the words she used to greet me sank in. Only a few knew of the wolf within me because my father made sure of that.

"How did you know?" I asked, my brows slightly furrowing.

"Because I know you…"

"Who are you?"

"They call me Selene…"

"You have a beautiful name."

"And you have a beautiful one too…"

I smiled at her but I didn’t know what to say more.

"Do you like it here?" She asked, and her eyes showed sincerity with her question.

"Did my father ask you to ask me?"

"No."

"Will you tell him my answer?"

"No. It’s a secret I will keep for the rest of my days…"

I smiled at her. I didn’t know why, but I felt I could trust her. "No. I don’t want to be here."

"I understand. Do you know who I am?"

I shook my head before I spoke. "Are you a friend of my father?"

She giggled softly, which made her hair sway, and everything around us just lit up. "Your father never liked me. But we’re not enemies... We just... don’t get along."

"Oh… Are you one of the Goddesses of the Underworld?"

"No. I am the Goddess of the Moon."

My mouth dropped open as I openly stared at her. That was why her name sounded familiar. My mother used to talk about her. She was the Goddess of love and the moon. She was the one that mated my mother with my stepfather.

"My mother and father, are their souls with you…" My body shook for a while before I wiped the tears from my eyes to keep them from trickling down my cheeks. "I tried to find their souls here… I couldn’t find them. I miss them."

"Yes… They are with me."

"Will you tell them I... love them." I had a hard time saying the word love. Demons knew about lust and desire, but love was a rare thing.

She nodded her head and smiled warmly at me.

"Are they together?"

She nodded her head again and bent down to my level before her warm and soft fingers traced my cheeks, drying up my tears in an instant. "And they will be together until the moment they are reborn to find each other again."

"Thank you…" I opened my arms and threw them around her. 

She was surprised by my action, but it didn’t take long before she wrapped her arms around me, her warmth enveloping my whole body, and it felt like it was mommy hugging me.

"I will always look after my wolves, including their souls."

"Are you looking after me too?"

"I tried, and I will keep trying… As long as you give me a part of your soul."

"I don’t understand."

"Listen, little one. As long as there’s wolf blood running in your veins, I will do my best to look after you. But once, once your father takes all of it. I can’t do anything for you anymore."

"I don’t understand…"

"One day, everything will make sense. Just don’t forget that once you met Selene."

She turned her back on me and was ready to walk away when I ran after her and blocked her way. "Do I have a mate?"

"All my wolves have a mate fated for them."

"I am a wolf too!"

She just smiled at me and my eyes watered. Why couldn’t she say yes to me directly?

"Are you not giving me a mate?"

"It all depends on you."

"I don’t understand."

"Remember, all wolves have fated mates. But if you’re no longer one…"

"Then my mate would be left alone without a mate…" My heart ached, not just for me but for the wolf who was meant to be my fated mate. "But how can I find my mate if I am stuck here?"

"You will find your answers in time." Her pointed finger descended until it touched the tip of my nose. "Your fate depends on you."

"But you can see the future…"

"But I will never interfere with your free will. And the future can always change, especially when the heart changes." She smiled again before she continued. "I will go now. I just went here to visit a special person, and now my purpose here is done."

I nodded my head and moved away from blocking her way. I watched as she walked away like she was just floating, and every path she walked on just glimmered as if she was spreading some sparkles on them.

"Selene!" I called after her, making her stop in her tracks. "Do you think my mate… will like me? Because I’m a… demon." I said the last part in a very soft voice.

My eyes watered because I remembered how my mother did her best to conceal my identity. Demons were not welcomed in the human or werewolf realms. What guarantee do I have that he will accept me?

She turned her head slowly and looked at me. The love flitting in her eyes was overwhelming my young heart - it was giving me hope. "You have to find each other to know the answer…"

  

***END OF FLASHBACK.***