Chapter 3

Steven's POV

"Hey! Who are you?" I turned back to see a blonde girl staring at me from behind.

"Well, I'm a boy," I said, unsure of the right response to her question.

"I can see that. I mean, who are you? Tell me your identity," she said boldly.

"I don't know; I can't remember," I admitted sadly.

"You can't remember? How?"

"I'm not sure. This morning, I found myself by the lake, and all I can recall is my mom instructing me to wait for her here, saying she would return to fetch me," I described.

"Are you still waiting for her?" she inquired, and I nodded.

After a brief pause, she joined me and sat down.

"I'm Ashley," she introduced herself with a smile.

""""""""""'''''''

"There's no way I'll ever listen to that fanatic goddess's sayings!" I yelled, frustration boiling inside me.

"You have to, Steven. She is our Matchmaker; you cannot disobey our goddess," Liam insisted, trying to reason with me.

"But how? How am I not your destined mate when we are so obviously perfect for each other?" Maya cried, her voice laced with desperation.

"I told you going to her for a blessing was a crazy idea to begin with, but you never listen, do you?!" I retorted, my patience thinning.

"I... I had no idea she was going to say this," she murmured, tears welling in her eyes. I sighed, trying to calm the tension.

"You don't need to worry, Maya; this won't change any of our plans," I assured her, though uncertainty gnawed at me.

"But she said…."

"What she said is utter nonsense!" I yelled, cutting Liam short before he could finish his thought.

"If you disobey her, it will spell doom for our pack; she warned you!" Liam pressed, his voice firm.

"Then what will you have me do? The girl that is my supposed destined mate is a human! I haven't seen her for more than fifteen years, and I don't know much about her—only her name, Ashley, that's all. Now tell me how the hell I'm supposed to find her and convince her to marry a werewolf alpha!" My frustration spilled out.

"The goddess has destined this; she will find a way for you. But now, you should cancel the marriage with Maya. She..."

"No one is cancelling my marriage!" Maya interrupted, her voice steady despite her tears.

"But you heard what the..."

"Yes, I heard what the goddess said, and I am telling you now, no one is cancelling anything!!" she yelled, her temper flaring.

"You are crazy, Maya. How could you ever think of disobeying." I began, but she moved with such speed that she was in front of Liam before I could blink.

"You shut your mouth unless I rip out your throat," she threatened, releasing him after a tense moment.

"The wedding will go on as planned; no one is marrying Jayden except me," she declared, storming out.

"I... I told you she... she's crazy, Steven, I told you," Liam stuttered, his eyes wide with fear.

"Crazy or not, she's powerful. She's the daughter of the Alpha of her clan; I’m marrying her for her power, so the wedding will hold. It must..."

*******

"Where am I?" I wondered as I walked into an empty house.

And then I realized, this is my mansion, my house.

"Who's there?" I enquired as I noticed a figure laying on the floor.

I approached slowly, my heart racing. For some reason, I felt scared.

"Hello?" I said, kneeling to tap the figure.

"Ahhh!!!" I screamed and fell back, horrified at the sight of a face covered in blood.

"Lia... Liam," I stuttered.

The body was Liam's, lying lifeless on the floor. I looked around, my heart sinking further as I saw dead bodies scattered throughout the room—my pack, my family. Maya was among them; everyone was dead.

"You are warned," a cold but overwhelming voice echoed, followed by a loud, hysterical laughter.

"Nooo!!!" I screamed, panic consuming me.

*******

"Is everything alright? I heard you screaming," Liam said, rushing into my room.

I stared at him for a moment, confusion swirling in my mind.

I just saw this guy lifeless and covered in blood seconds ago.

"Steven, are you okay?" he asked again, worry etched on his face.

"I am anything but okay," I replied, standing up and walking out.

"Where are you going?" he asked, following closely behind.

"I'll be back," I answered curtly.

"Leo is coming; what should I tell him?" he pressed, concern growing.

"Who's Leo?" I asked, perplexed.

"You know, the winner of yesterday's hunt; you told him to come by the mansion today, remember?"

I nodded, trying to recall.

"Just give him some money and fix him up a job in the company," I said with a wave of my hand.

"And the human we captured?!"

Liam yelled, panic rising in his voice.

"I'll turn him when I get back!" I yelled back, frustration seeping into my tone.

I stormed out of the mansion, my heart racing. I needed to clear my mind.

Then I started running.

I dashed into the forest, feeling the familiar pull of my wolf instinct. Soon, I was running on all fours, shapeshifting into my wolf form.

I sprinted to the moon tree, where the moon goddess's shrine awaited. I howled into the night, a sound filled with desperation.

The priestess stepped out, standing before me with an air of calm authority.

"Shapeshift back, Alpha; I doubt if I can communicate with you effectively in your wolf form," she said. I obeyed, shifting back to human.

"What brought you here?" she asked, studying me intently.

"Tell your goddess to stop sending me those absurd dreams!" I snapped, frustration boiling over.

She smiled softly, almost knowingly. "She's warning you, Steven. If you continue being disobedient and her warnings come to pass, you won't put all the blame on her like you did seven years ago..."

I stepped closer, my anger flaring as I grabbed her throat. "Maybe I should just kill you so you can go meet your dear goddess—in hell."

"If... if you kill me... you... you’ll never... know... how to... find Ashley," she stuttered, fear flickering in her eyes. I released her, startled by her words.

"Her full name is Ashley Green, and if you love your pack, you'll obey the Moon goddess and make her your mate," she said, her voice steady.

"Is that all you know about her? Just her name?" I pressed, searching for more.

"Yes, and I also know that you do not need to find her; she will find you, Steven. When you finally meet her, the goddess will show you a sign, and you will know."

I shook my head, frustration bubbling up again. "I really should have killed you."

"I can't die yet, Steven. One day you will come in tears seeking my help. I am silently waiting for that day—the day the storm shall arrive," she said, turning back to the tree, her figure fading from view.