Selene and Katia sat speaking quietly in a corner of the cave. The two girls were facing one another, their faces identical in every way. The hair would have been the only difference between them when they were small. Now Katia's body still held the scars of her journey through this and many other lives. They whispered to one another and once in a while Katia would sneak a glance at Nathan. She did not know how she felt about him still. She still loved him but she was afraid of him too. Some would say she played a victim. She did not know how to make anyone understand how what he had done to her made her feel. She knew he was trying to protect her and she did as she pleased. Mate bond or not she still did not deserve for him to try and rape her. If she seeks revenge, she is wrong and playing a game, but it was okay for him to do what he did without repercussions. Maybe this world wasn't where she wanted to live.
Katia searched out Lu and thought maybe I should ask Selene to mate Nathan with a second chance mate and be Lucifer's consort. He would continue to help her understand why she is so messed up. He would not make her feel broken like everyone else does. She cannot look at any one of her friends without thinking about what they must think of her. She was useless at protecting herself and depended on others for most of her life. Katia would have to decide soon what to do. Selene would help her decide. Thinking of never seeing Nathan or feeling the gentleness he had treated her with in the beginning, caused a single tear to run down her cheek.
Nathan snorted when he saw her wipe it away, "What do you have to cry about.?"
Katia looked over at him and noticed how tired he looked. He had dark circles under his eyes and had lost some weight. Was he not eating or sleeping? If he was not then that was his fault, not hers. She may have disobeyed him but he tried to take her in punishment. Stupid Alphas always had to be in controlled and obeyed.
She responded, "My tears are no longer your business Alpha. I will cry when I want and for whatever reason I wish to."
Nathan snarled, "So little Katia has found her backbone. Or is your lover being here given you confidence?"
Dalia screeched, "Nathan! Stop it."
"Why Dalia? Why is she allowed to do what she wants and I am crucified for one mistake?" He yelled back.
Kelp moved next to his mate and growled at Nathan, "You will stop yelling at my mate now."
Dalia patted Kelp on the arm and said, "No worries Kelp. I am alright." Turning her attention back to her brother she pointed out, "Well let me think. Oh yeah, there is the part where you used force, violence, and angry sexual control on your mate. What did she do that warrant that kind of punishment?"
The others remained quiet knowing she did not want them to answer. Snapping her fingers she said, "That's right she disobeyed an order from her mate. How many times have I disobeyed you? You do not always know what is best. Did you even know that Katia cannot stand being cooped inside for long periods let alone in the same place?"
She watched as her brother shook his head in the negative. "That's what I thought. You have run around asking everyone how you deal with a mate that acts like a child. Yet you have never taken the time to learn why she acts the way she does. You just take what everyone else says the reason is."
Nathan asked Katia, "Why did you not tell me any of this?"
"You didn't give me a chance." She replied. Katia turned speaking to Dalia, "Thank you for defending me, Dal. I am okay and you don't need to do it anymore. I think I will be better off without a mate. I won't have to worry about disappointing them."
Selene gasped, "No Titi. I will give you someone else. Don't give up on the gift Zeus gave us."
"You live here with your mate when you find him, and do it for the both of us. I will be in Lu world for a while I think. After that, I don't know. Maybe grandfather would let me have this island." Katia remarked.
She heard Nathan suck in his breath but he did not say anything. He just stared at her as if he could not tell if she was serious or not. She guessed he would find out when all of this was over. She was just tired and wanted to rest her mind and body. The time on the island had helped but it was not long enough.
Cronos sneered at Uranus, "I hope you are happy. Look what you have done to your granddaughter. She wants to live in the underworld with the prince of darkness."
Uranus smirked, "He would take better care of her than this wolf did."
Turning and facing Zeus along with Crius they shimmered into the cave, "Ah, I see we are all here now." Waving his hand, a cage appeared around Zeus and Crius. The looks on their faces were comical. They obviously were not expecting that.
"Granddaughters, would you like to explain why all of these wonderful beings have been brought here and confined?" He said to the girls.
They stood and moved to stand next to him, "You are all being detained until grandfather decides the course he wants to take to defer the prophecy." They said in unison.
Stroking the beard on his chin Uranus commented, "There is just one problem."
Katis looked at him as she asked, "What is that, grandfather?"
Waving his hand once again he answered, "You and the rest need to join your friends."
With that Katia, Selene, Lucifer, Amara, Leo, Hyperion, Theia, Evelynn, and Rose were inside a new cage that had appeared. Evelynn scramed, "Where is Gammy?"
Uranus chuckled, "Calm yourself mate of Cronos. Gammy is safe. She sleeping still in her bed. I will wake her when the time comes that she is needed."
Katia whispered, "Grandfather?"
"My Katia, I am sorry but you are a danger to me. I know that you have been growing your powers and becoming more confident in yourself. I cannot have you deciding someday to turn against me and finish what my children started years ago." He instructed her trying not to feel guilty over once again hurting this granddaughter.
"But, I thought we were stopping the prophecy." Katia stammered.
"You are to trusting little one. Why would I suddenly give up my plans of revenge after all these years? You just added the extra of my having the chance to eliminate anyone who is a threat to me and my rule." Uranus chortled.
While he continued laughing at her, Uranus poofed out of sight.
"Didn't see that coming, did you mate?" Nathan shot at her.
"Shut up, son!" Zeus ordered him with a shove of power.
He shot Zeus a dirty look, "I am not your son. My father is dead." Then he looked back at Katia and the look of hatred on her face made him take a step back. He wondered if that look was for him or her grandfather. She was not looking at him. She was staring at nothing with tears streaming quietly down her cheeks. Lucifer had moved to put his arms around her and comfort her. He was whispering something in her ear. She stood there in his arms while he whispered and rubbed her back. Looking at Selene he opened his arms a little and she stepped in. He closed them around both girls and just whispered to them.
Nathan was talking with Kalen, "What is this? They both are in love with the fallen angel?"
Kalen growled, "It looks that way. Aza will not answer me. She will not even come into the cave. I told her you would not let me out but she ignores me."
Nathan asked amazed, "Her wolf is okay with this?"
Kalen just sighed, "It seems she is. She says we are good for nothing mates and Lucifer does not ask anything of them. He just lets them be who they are."
"What does that mean?" Nathan wondered. "Who are they? They are the moon goddesses."
Aza interrupted Nathan's wonderings with "Yes they are the moon goddesses, but they are more. They are people. They are wolves. They little girls with big responsibilities, they are women with what that entails, they are scared, they want to be accepted, they hope for normal, and they want to take care of everyone."
Kalen finished, "No one sees them as anything other than the moon goddess."
Nathan noticed the girls moving out of Lucifer's arms and Katia was staring at him. He stood staring back and she finally said "No Alpha Nathan, I did not see that coming. Let's see if you see what is about to happen coming."