Chapter 3: The Will of the Goddess

The darkness peeled back as Laura opened her eyes. There was no pain, her heart was calm, and she wasn’t cold.  She should have been dead. She *had* been dead. She remembered the craggy rocks and the rushing river. The sharp pain in her neck had been the last thing she remembered before the dark had taken her. She remembered the beautiful paradise and the face of the goddess smiling at her.

So where was she now? 

The forest was quiet and beautiful. The sky was dark with night and filled with stars and constellations she had never seen, winking at her. Glowing blue birds landed on the grass and twittered at her as she sat up. Fish swam in the clear water of the lake nearby, peacefully moving through the gentle currents as the wind blew carrying the scent of blooming night flowers. A small brook carved through the earth until it reached the lake nearby, and Alice lay in her lap, seemingly sleeping. 

Laura stroked Alice’s brilliant white fur with a trembling hand and found her warm to touch. She had never been able to touch her wolf this way before.

“Am I in heaven?”

“No,” a gentle voice called. “You are in my realm.”

Laura gasped. The woman was beautiful as she crossed the brook towards her,  gliding across the surface of the water like a spirit. Long, silver curls spiraled around her shoulders and her eyes were as black as the night sky. 

As she drew closer, Laura recognized the glinting phases of the moon embroidered on the hem of her skirt. She trembled, realizing who the woman had to be: the moon goddess.

She was so shocked she couldn’t speak. Then, her despair welled up and overflowed as the woman kneeled beside her and she sobbed. 

“I-I--I just--” 

The words wouldn’t come, stuck and choking on her grief, but the goddess, ever-loving and merciful, simply pulled her close and stroked her hair, allowing Laura to cry in her arms. 

She had never met her mate nor felt the love of her family or anyone. How could she have worked so hard simply to be abandoned and scorned for everything she had done? How could she have died so young after such a painful life? 

What had she done to deserve such a fate?

“I was never meant to be luna, but I tried… I tried so hard, goddess. P-Please, I…”

“I have seen you, Laura, my precious child…” Her voice was so warm and comforting, Laura curled closer to her as Alice growled with contentment. “You have always been meant for a great destiny. The white wolf has always stood guard over the werewolf kingdom.”

“But… But I…”

The goddess pulled back and wiped her tears, cupping her face in her warm hands and meeting her gaze. 

“You have simply been following a path not meant for you. You are the true luna.”

Laura shook her head, “G-Goddess, I don’t understand.”

“You will,” she said with a soft smile. “Your mission is not complete, young one. I am sending you back to where you belong so you may meet your fate.”

Laura flinched, “I… Goddess, I…”

She frowned, “You do not wish to return?”

She didn’t know. On the one hand, she wanted to escape the kingdom and the last three years. What did she owe the kingdom after everything she had given? Why would she ever want to leave such a beautiful paradise?

But what about her mate? She worried her lip anxiously. Would he search the world for her only to die of despair? If this was the afterlife, how could she face him when his time came knowing she had refused the chance for them to be together in this life? 

She wanted to live. She wanted all the happiness she was meant to have, but she didn’t want the agony of the life she had left. 

“You fear walking that path again,” the goddess said, her voice a bit amused. “You fear hiding your true self again trying to reach others’ expectations.”

Laura nodded, “I… will never be good enough as I am.”

The goddess laughed, “What could those greedy nobles know of your purpose? Of what it means to be my cherished child? You have only ever needed to be yourself. Luna is a path only you can determine, not one dictated by others.”

Laura was shocked. 

“Fear not, little one.” She smiled and pulled her and Alice into her arms, covering their eyes with her hands. “You will understand.”

Laura wanted to protest, but the paradise vanished as she was plunged back into darkness.

*******

Laura opened her eyes again, yet she was not where she expected to be. Perhaps, she was dreaming of lying in the grass of a strange forest. Her chest pulsed with pain as she struggled to sit up. Something wet and sticky drew her gaze. It was hard to tell, but the pearly sheen of the berries’ skins made her certain. They were sunberries, one of the deadliest poisons known to werewolves. She threw them away, smearing what she couldn’t shake away on the grass and rolling away.

She cast her gaze around, searching for a way to wash the rest of the poison from her hand, and saw a small puddle of water nearby. Gritting her teeth, she dragged her body towards it and before she could plunge her hand into it, she gasped. 

The face reflected wasn’t familiar to her. The young woman was pretty but younger than Laura. She frowned at her hand and wiggled her fingers. They weren’t her hands either. 

What was happening? Who was she now?

Tentatively, she reached for Alice and found her there, stretching as if from a long sleep. 

Alice growled,*Well, she’s pretty*.

Laura huffed and washed her hand as much as possible. She still felt shaky, but the tremors were easing slowly as the poison seemed to be leaving her new body. Why had she been sent into this girl’s body and not her own?

You think our body survived falling into the canyon?  Laura winced. 

Alice had a point. 

*The poor girl’s soul is gone. Maybe she was starving and didn’t know they were poisonous*.

Grief struck her heart. To die so young for want of food of all things was such a tragedy. She offered a prayer for the young woman’s soul and hoped she was enjoying the paradise of the goddess’ realm. 

“Laura? Laura, where are you?” 

She looked back, frowning at the sound. It didn’t sound quite right. 

“Laurel!” 

She was almost amused. At least the girl’s name was pretty similar to her name. It would make it easier to remember. 

A woman with white hair, leaning forward with a hunched back, walked through the brush and looked at her.

Worry painted her features as she let out a sigh, “Oh Laurel, I've been looking for you! What are you doing here?"

“I… I got a bit turned around.”

“Honestly,” the woman chided with a warm and almost maternal sigh. “Well, come along, child.”

Laura-- No, *Laurel* stood and followed the old woman out of the forest. Slowly, the sounds of a small village became louder.

Most of the people on the streets were women. Some of them were elderly, and there were a few children, but she didn’t see a single man over the age of majority. 

“Where are all the men?”

The old woman looked up at her, “Are you quite alright, dear?”

Laurel winced, “I… may have hit my head when I tripped.”

“They’re off defending the kingdom against the vampires, child. With your father, of course.”

Laurel nodded and followed the older woman. The village had to be that of a small pack located on the border of the werewolf kingdom. Laurel couldn’t tell exactly which once, but she was sure she could figure it out a bit longer. 

“Aren’t you going to return home?”

She smiled, trying to think of an excuse before shaking her head, “No, I wanted to give you something. Could you come with me?”

The old woman smiled, “I do love a good gift. Of course, dear!”

She let out a little sigh of relief. She wouldn’t have to figure out a way to get information about her living situation without giving away the fact that she wasn’t Laurel. So far, so good. With any luck, the old woman would let slip all the other information she needed to know. 

Who was her father?

When would he come back? What about her mother?

Did Laurel have siblings?

The old woman walked ahead of her until they neared a small wooden house. It wasn’t luxurious, but it was homey, cozy in a way she never thought a house could be. Though she was a bit wary about picking up the life Laurel had left behind, she took a deep breath and reminded herself that she had escaped her wretched death and the goddess had given her a second chance. 

She was going to start her new life here.