We really aren't meant to be one. I don't think I've ever heard of a Lycan hating their host this much. I can't help but feel bitter.
Dad continues, and the silence only seems to grow as everyone hangs onto his every word. "That is a part of history that is always glossed over. Allow me to share the full details of the scriptures of our origins."
I look at Evangeline, motioning her closer. I could do with her touch. She walks over and stands beside me as she listens to Father, too. Slowly slipping her hand into mine, I thread my fingers with hers and give it a gentle squeeze.
"The Moon Goddess may have been the ruler of the moon, yet she always remained-"
"Lonely," Evangeline whispers.
Dad smiles. "So you know?"
Evangeline nods, and it feels like she's connecting the dots. "Grandmother made me read those scriptures… time and time again." She looks across at the elder woman who sits emotionlessly at the stand, not even looking this way.
"Then continue," Dad says.
Evangeline's heart thuds, but she obeys. "The Goddess was always lonely with no companion to reside with her, and so from the shadows on the full moon, the very first wolf appeared. His name was Raziel. He had no solid form, an entity born from the darkness of her pain and sorrow. He became a companion for her, yet she wanted more… something to occupy herself with. So, she decided to make her first creation, to place upon earth, A creation she could tend to and look down upon for the rest of her eternal life," Evangeline says, and with each word, her frown is deepening as she continues.
"Raziel was against the idea, saying it would cause her more pain than good. After all, her plan was to create something that, under the full moon, would take on the form of a wolf, her most beloved creature, and during the day would walk amongst humans on two legs. Raziel, had, by this time, fallen in love with her, and liked the idea of being able to turn into a two-legged being himself, offered himself as the test. And so-"
"This is nonsense! What has it to do with Zedkiel?!" Sinclair spits.
"Shut it, pup, and let her fucking finish! Aeron, if you wish to still have a mutt to call son by the end of the fucking day, put a muzzle on him before I end up killing him," I snarl warningly.
Drystan snickers and Dad frowns at him before giving Evangeline a nod to continue. I give her hand a squeeze, and she smiles at me before taking a deep breath and carrying on.
"And so, she turned Raziel into the very first werewolf. However, she had promised that her creation would live on earth, and by the command of the Supreme Eternal God, she was forced to cast Raziel down to earth. A move that shook Selene, and only then did she realise that her love for Raziel had become more. But, when she made the divine decision to create werewolves, she didn't realise that everything comes at a cost. She went to the Supreme God asking for Raziel to join her in the heavens, but she was denied her request."
Evangeline frowns as she continues. "Instead, he gave her permission to create one more being. He granted her the source of life to create a female, to continue the race that she had created by mating her to Raziel. But she could not do it when she herself loved him and so she disobeyed the Eternal God. She came down to earth, disguising herself, and created the bond between herself and Raziel, who no longer remembered her.”
“The bond was instant, snapping into place the moment they touched, and they lived on earth for several months in peace, but she knew it wouldn't last forever. She could not avoid the Eternal God learning of her actions, but something she wasn't expecting happened. She found she was carrying Raziel's child, and that is something that would not be hidden from the Supreme Eternal God. She returned to the heavens, knowing she would have to plead for their lives before him. So, without a word, she left Raziel and returned for her reckoning, and of course, the punishment was far from lenient.”
“The Eternal God revealed that she was not carrying one but two babies, and her punishment? That the moment they were born, he would curse them to a life of doom, and she would never be allowed to see them for going against the commandments of the gods. He also promised that he would curse Raziel to a life of eternal imprisonment upon the earth."
I frown. I remember the story vaguely, but it still didn't make sense why Dad thinks it's all linked to me. She has everyone's attention now, and I know she has the interest of the members of the Court, too. Seems like I wasn't the only one who brushed over the facts, not caring about them. I also knew Evangeline had studied this all in-depth. I watch her, admiring her confidence as she spoke, drawn into the story herself.
"Fearing the life of her children, she began to hatch her own plan, and she did. The moment her children were born, two daughters, she escaped to earth to leave them with Raziel. However, the Eternal God had removed his memory, and that's when she learned that he had already cursed him. He had even reduced him to his original form. When he saw his daughters, despite no longer being a werewolf, he knew that they must protect their offspring at all costs.”
“That is when Selene called upon the power of life that she had been granted to create one more. But she would not create what the Eternal God had wanted her to. She had held onto the power of life that he had given her, and it then came into play, only in an entirely different way than he had wanted.”
“But she wanted to make sure this being was powerful enough to protect her children, so she found a powerful child from a strong tribe and stole him away. She used him as the vessel, and so came the birth of a new species.”
“She created a Lycan, something stronger and far more powerful than even a werewolf. Something to protect her twins, no matter what. She then fused them to him by the mate bond, a bond so powerful that he would always protect them. And what she created… was Zerachiel. A Lycan so powerful that even Raziel was jealous of him.”
“However, in her haste, she did not realise that the vessel was not a mere human but a vampire child, a prince, a pure-blood created by the gods Osiris and Set. In her haste, she had taken one that had not yet awoken. And in doing so, she had committed her second and third grave crimes. She fused two species that should never have become one, and she had stolen the creation of another deity.”
“The Eternal God's wrath knew no bounds, and he imprisoned Selene for ten thousand years on the moon. As for her love, as promised, Raziel was doomed to his prison on earth, a place unknown to us all."
She takes a deep breath, and Dad smiles at her before he takes over.
"And when Raziel learned what she did, he blamed Zerachiel since he was the reason she was thrown into prison. So blinded by his rage, he tried to kill him, refusing to acknowledge him as one of his. But with his own imprisonment, there was not much he could do, so he hatched his own plan. By means that we do not know of, he created a curse to kill Zerachiel, hoping with his death, the Eternal God would ease the punishment of the Goddess herself.
But his curse was so powerful, not only enough to kill Zerachiel, but it was strong enough to destroy the entire planet if it came to be. He didn't realise Selene wanted her creations to live on, even if he was a hybrid. And so, when Raziel's curse collided with Selene's wishes, she fought against the heavens to save her doomed race and countered Raziel's curse with her own. Whereupon Zerachiel's death, the bane itself will end, and they will be reborn upon this earth until the end of time… The only salvation for this planet is if the Lycan Hybrid King defeats the curse once and for all. For with each lifetime, the curse becomes stronger."
Silence.
But the silence is too loud… because something tells me that curse, that evil he is talking about, ties back to Evangeline.
They will be reborn…
Did this mean that I was doomed to die?
This is what my Lycan – no, what Zerachiel doesn't want. Also, how exactly does this involve the Gemini Bane?
The sudden realisation hits, and I turn sharply to Evangeline, whose heart is hammering, and I think she's clicked, too.
"What if not only Zerachiel was reborn?" she whispers, her heart thundering violently, and I nod slowly. "What if the curse… is the mate?"
And what if… somehow his mates were reborn… the twin daughters of the Moon Goddess herself. But then, if that's the case, why is there only one of Evangeline?
She pulls free from my hold, trembling slightly.
The one who killed the Oracle… The one capable of such evil…
I look down at Evangeline. Her heart is no longer beating violently, and she looks up at me, smiling slowly. She places a hand on my arm, her nails digging into my arm, and I realise the sparks aren't as strong.
And that's when I realise she's right here, right in front of me.
Because the woman before me is no longer Evangeline. I realise, with my stomach twisting, that it's not the first time we've met.
She leans closer and whispers in my ear, "You always have been so smart."