Chapter Three

[Lucien’s POV]

I stormed into Celeste’s small cottage behind the sea, furious at her with a thousand and one questions on my mind.

There she was, sitting on a small wooden stool and brewing a potion as always. It had a foul stench, and the yellow mixture bubbled with intensity as the fire increased.

“You knew, didn’t you?” I fired at her, marching furiously towards her.

She placed the lid back on the pot, and began to hum a slow tune as she peeled oranges, without even looking behind her to see me.

“Answer me!” I yelled angrily.

She still didn’t say a word.

Annoyed, I threw the lid of the pot out the window and set the pot down, then with one quick blow, I put out the fire.

There. That got her attention.

Seething with rage, she stopped humming and looked up at me as though a look from her eyes could kill me. “The potion isn’t ready yet. How could you just put out the fire?”’she fired angrily.

“So, you can speak. For a second, I had thought you had suddenly gone deaf and dumb. You’re lucky I didn’t throw out that nonsense you were cooking. Now, answer me. Did you or did you not know Eloise had already been reincarnated?” I asked her, giving her the same deadly look she threw in my direction.

She heaved a sigh, then finally looked away, losing the eye contact battle.

“Speak to me, Celeste, or I’ll find that age masking potion of yours and destroy it. I’ll do much worse if you dare lie to me,” I threatened.

“Yes. Yes, I knew she had been reincarnated,” she finally said.

I scoffed. “And how long have you known?”

“From the moment she was born, of course. I wanted to tell you, but…”

“Save it!” I was mad at her. “Is this the first time?”

“What do you mean?” she asked, her voice faltered.

I became even angrier. “I asked if this is the first time in four hundred years for her to be reincarnated,” I asked, almost at the top of my voice.

“Yes, of course. Why would you think I would keep it away from you if she had been reincarnated all this while?” she asked, looking at me with so much sincerity.

“I don’t know, Celeste. Am I to trust you? You literally hid the fact that she was alive from me for so long!” I fired back at her.

“That’s because she was still a minor at the time. She recently turned eighteen, and I was planning on informing you, but you somehow found out about it first,” she explained.

I couldn’t understand her point. “I don’t get you. Why wouldn’t you tell me about her because she’s a minor? Do you think I would have gone to drag her along with me and told her she’s my bride or something?” I retorted.

She shook her head in the negative. “It’s not that. That girl has been through a lot in this life, and if you had known, you’d have probably caused a scene and ended up setting her entire Pack on fire, then took her away. It would have led to another war, and… and you’d have probably lost her again. I couldn’t have you torturing yourself for four centuries again,” she explained.

“And now that she’s eighteen, you think I won’t set the whole world on fire for her sake?” I asked.

“You can do that, but she’s old enough to do what she likes, and if she doesn’t want you going on a killing spree for her sake, I know you’d respect her wishes,” Celeste responded.

“Fair point. My next question is… Why?” I was fuming, and my heart was breaking.

“Why what?”

“Why was she reborn as an Omega? Why doesn’t she remember who I am? Why is she suffering so much in this life?” I asked angrily.

Celeste stood up and looked at me. “I’m sorry about that, Lucien. There are some things even I can’t control. The most important thing is she was reincarnated and you can make her yours again,” she said.

Something just wasn’t right and I knew it. I could sense it.

“What are you hiding from me?” I asked her.

She swallowed hard and looked away, avoiding my gaze so I couldn’t compel her. I had no time to waste, and just grabbed her neck with my hand, causing her to look up at me and as my hands tightened around my neck, I gazed deeply into her eyes.

“What is it you’re hiding from me?” I inquired.

Slowly, her eyes darkened. “Making her yours won’t be easy. She is mated to the Alpha of her Pack and she is in love with him. The worst part is you are forbidden from telling her the truth about the past. It would make her lose her mind, or in the worst case scenario, she might die,” she said.

I let go of her and pushed her to the floor, which she crashed into with a loud thud.

“I’m sorry, Lucien. I should have told you earlier, but I didn’t know how to. The Moon Goddess is the god of the werewolves and she mated her to an Alpha King. There’s really nothing I could have done to stop it,” Celeste tried to explain frantically.

“Nonsense! Total nonsense!” I yelled angrily, ramming my hand into her cabinet and all the dishes fell out, clattering to the floor and breaking into pieces. “If you had told me about her from the very beginning, I would have had a chance to get her out of there before she got mated to some stupid Alpha King and fell for him!” I yelled again, kicking the pot and spilling its contents.

“You’re right. It’s my fault, but I had my reasons.”

“What the actual fuck is that? You had your reasons? Tell me you’re playing with me right now. I’ve spent years, decades, centuries waiting for the chance to see Eloise once again… to hold her in my arms, to tell her how beautiful she is, to show her how much I love her… and what you’re saying is her heart belongs to someone else? You’re saying I can’t tell her about the good old days? I can’t make her remember me? She isn’t mine anymore? Tell me, Celeste. How does that make sense? Answer me!” I roared.

As she sat on the floor, she shuddered, looking up fearfully at me. “Calm down,” she said.

I kicked the table and it broke into two halves. “Don’t tell me to calm down, Celeste. Don’t fucking do that. You and your witches have failed me. The creator has failed me as well. This is foul play, and I’m not going to just sit around and act like it’s okay. Now, let me make it very clear to you. I don’t give two fucks about the Moon Goddess or whoever she claims to be. Eloise is mine. She has always been, and she will always be. You’re mistaken if you think I give a hoot about if she’s mated to an Alpha or a Beta. I once had her, and I’m going to get her back. No one, not even the creator, if there truly is one, can stop me,” I stated, and with that, I stormed out of the cottage, slamming the tiny door behind me.

I couldn’t remember the last time I was this angry. I needed to take my anger out on someone… anyone, before it ate me up. Hearing some rustling in the bushes, a tiny smile appeared on my lips. Foolishly, a human had decided to take a stroll at night. The moment he left his house that night, he had it coming and I might take responsibility for whatever happened to him next, but I wasn’t going to be sorry for him.

The owls hooted and the trees shook, stricken by the impending doom I would unleash.

The last thing the few people in the area heard that night was a loud scream as I devoured the foolish man hungrily, knowing fully well that it wasn’t going to satisfy my hunger, but at least, I got the chance to vent.

Licking the blood off my lips, I continued my journey with clenched fists and a determined heart. I would get her back at all costs, and nothing would stop me.