Macy POV
As much as I want to head straight to the portal, I have to see if Raven is alive. The werewolves need her, and I am not sure if Wren is ready to rule if Raven is gone. They have kept her shielded from the world and its cruelty. She will have to be trained to fight if she wishes to appease her wolf. Edward and Winston can help her with that if Raven and her mates will allow it.
I stand outside of the royal mansion. There was a time when I would walk in uninvited, but things have changed. I feel like a stranger to this realm. It has only been a year for me, but it has been much longer for everyone. I suck in a sharp breath before I knock on the door. I am unsure what I will find inside.
My knock is light on the door. I almost hope they don't answer, but when I hear footsteps on the other side, I know I will not get my wish. The door opens quickly, and Raven jumps into my arms. Unlike the last time I saw her, she looks alive and well. Though she is still bald, she is lovely as ever.
"Oh, Macy," she sobs. "I could feel you fighting her. You were so close to death. Selene knew you were close to death, and then I couldn't feel anymore. I assumed you were…"
Her voice trails off as she hides her head in my shoulder. Her tears are soaking through my robes. Finally, I share her embrace. When I wrap my arms around her, I feel just how frail she has become. I let my tears fall with hers.
"It is okay," I whisper. "You need to rest and eat."
Raven pulls away from me and laughs. "I suppose I do look awful."
"No," I smile. "You are as beautiful as ever."
"You have never been a good liar," she laughs again. "Come inside. You are the one that needs to rest."
I pause. "I can't. I need to get back to the portal and to your sons."
"Absolutely not," Raven pouts. "You will rest and tell me what deal you made with the Moon Goddess."
"Only for a few moments," I sigh. "To tell you what she promised."
Raven glances over her shoulder. "You got her to promise you things? I should have sent you to fight her years ago."
I shake my head as we walk through the mansion. I have not seen this side of Raven for many years. Now that she is no longer controlled by Selene, she is joyful once again. When we walk into the dining room, a familiar face is at the table with Leo.
"Macy," Destin shouts. "Thank fuck."
"It is nice to see you, too, Destin," I smile.
Leo growls from his seat, but Raven glares at him, and he stops. "Destin has been telling us about your time together," he spits.
I grumble under my breath. I should have known this wouldn't be easy.
"Don't be bitter, Leo," Raven says as she sits down. "Macy chose our sons."
I glance at Destin. "Wow. Was that necessary?"
"You forget," he shrugs. "I can't lie."
"You can omit the truth, Dumbass," I whine.
Destin sits back in his seat. "Where is the fun in that?"
"So this is the thanks I get," I pout. "For fighting a fucking Goddess, restoring the moon and fated mates."
Tears flow from Raven's eyes. "I knew you could do it."
"Don't get too excited," I groan. "In fifty years, she will restore mates. Selene is holding a bitter grudge against those who fought against her."
Raven crosses her arms over her chest and grumbles under her breath about overbearing Goddesses. I snicker at her tantrum before I sit.
"How are Oliver and Wren?" Leo asks impatiently.
"They were well when I left," I yawn. "I spent the night before the first battle talking to Wren about her wolf."
Leo growls, but Raven silences him with a look. "They have been at odds since the beginning."
"I fear it is because her wolf wishes to be a warrior, but Wren has not been trained," I tell them.
Another growl comes from Leo. "I will not train my daughter to fight. She is a Princess."
"Then you are setting her up to fail," Destin butts in. "If she is to be Queen, she will need to protect herself."
"You don't know anything about our world," Leo snarls. "Stay out of this."
"Suit yourself," Destin whispers.
Raven quickly changes the subject. I seem to have touched on a sensitive subject for Leo. Instead of trying to argue my point further, I decide to speak with Oliver when I return to the Immortal Realm.
"How are my parents?" I interrupt the conversation.
Raven and Leo share an awkward glance. "What do you mean? They are in the Immortal Realm."
"No," I fight back tears. "They were sent back by Roland and Cassian. I would have assumed they came here."
"We will find them," Raven says, placing her hand on mine. "I promise you that."
I am heartbroken, but I can't stay here. I have to get back to my mates. I will have to trust Raven to do the right thing. I dry my tears and try to focus on anything else.
There is a plate set before me, but I don't have the energy to eat. Carrying around my wings in the Human Realm is much more difficult than I expected. My muscles are sore from fighting with Selene. I rest my elbows on the table and try to stay awake as I listen to the conversations.
Leo and Destin are having some sort of heated argument about the new packs. Every point that Destin makes, Leo counters with something ridiculous. Leo's dislike for Destin is so deep he isn't willing to listen to reason. Luckily for us all, Raven is willing to hear Destin's side.
"Now that the war is over, I will visit these new packs," she says matter of factly. "I will not disband any packs that formed out of necessity. That would make me no better than Selene."
"You don't know what you are saying," Leo growls. "There could be hundreds of new packs."
"There are not," Destin rolls his eyes. "Twenty at the most."
"You think you know everything," Leo hisses in his direction.
"I was on the front lines," Destin spits at him. "Not locked away in a mansion. I know what is out there."
"My mate was dying!" Leo jumps to his feet. "What would you have had me do?"
"Fighting won't change what has been done," Raven tells them. "We all did what we thought was best."
Silence falls over the table, and my eyelids grow heavy. Before I realize what is happening, my head nods forward, and it almost hits the table.
"Oh, dear," Raven sighs. "You are exhausted. Destin, will you take her to the room next to yours? I want to have a word with my mate."