I don't think I was supposed to find out about this.

I lay in the position of a ball in Lenna's apartment, right where Embry had left me. My legs are pressed right up to my chest and I feel empty inside. Due to his sudden vanishing, his magic no longer had the powerful hold it did on me just moments before.

Now I was alone, trapped —not by his magic, but my own running thoughts.

Although I wasn't sure if what I was thinking was correct —the fact that Embry and Destiny both have freshly painted, immaculate black nails made shivers crawl up my spine.

It had to be a coincidence, right? The thought brings forward a headache; my head pounding. But I also wasn't sure if it was due to the fact that Embry had magically subdued me just now and then fled from me. However, he was a warlock —a magical being, so in some way, he could easily be related to Destiny and Artemis. I have known from just meeting him and word of mouth that he was a powerful entity, much like other Goddesses.

Is Embry their brother?

~

"Get up."

My head snaps toward the voice that comes from behind me. Unsurprisingly, it is Destiny who has shown up. I was back at Klayton's house; I didn't know how long it would be for me to go back to my own apartment. It was hard enough going to Lenna's, which was almost identical to mine in every way, however, going back to the place my best friend was killed was not on my to-do-list anytime soon.

"I thought you were Klayton," I whisper from the bed. "And, no thanks. I quite like where I am,"

I'm snuggled up underneath his dark blankets, bundled up to the point where everything feels heavy. As we make eye contact, I pull my own gaze away from hers. I wanted to discuss a lot of things —including the fact that Embry was probably her brother, and she conveniently left that part of her story out.

"I understand that you have just lost some of your closest friends. You know I have been through grief as well," she says sternly and walks over to where I am laying. "Or did you just forget about the pain I endured from Artemis killing my sister?"

"Our pain isn't a competition," I snap as she pulls the covers off me abruptly.

"Of course it isn't, Adira." She sighs and sits down beside me on the bed. "But I don't want you to forget that we have all lost loved ones, and you aren't the only one who has felt this burden. Have you even checked up on Klayton? Normally I have to hide from his sight, and he is nowhere to be found,"

I sit up from the bed, stretching out my legs that were in my fuzzy pajama pants. A yawn escapes my mouth involuntarily, and I wasn't sure if it was because I was tired or from waking myself fully up.

"Klayton and I have an understanding. We don't want to talk about our combined pain, we want to dwell in it and let the emotions fester into something far more lethal," I hiss.

"I just want to make sure we are all on the same page. You need to become the rightful Goddess, and you are the only one who will be able to do this," Destiny says and tucks a piece of her short hair behind her ear. My eyes catch a glimpse of her black nail polish once more from her movements. "Besides that," she continues. "I truly consider you —not only an ally Adira— but an honest friend. You have a pure soul, and both you and your mate deserve to enjoy one another in the most full and happiest ways possible. I hope you can get through these rough times together."

Her words warmed my heart, and I felt similar feelings of closeness towards her as well. I needed to hear those words, and I wanted to additionally comfort her the way she has for me... however, once I opened my mouth to speak all I could think about were those damn black nails.

Just like Embry's.

"And what the fuck would you know about mates, anyway?" I scoff, the words coming out harsher than intended. In one simple sentence, I had projected all of my burning malice. And with the look of hurt that was displayed across Destiny's face, I had succeeded.

"Well," she purses her lips. "'More than you would fucking think."

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The only thing I could hear straining through my ears —the sound of my heart pounding, anticipating where our conversation was headed.

"Embry came to see me," I tell her. I stand from the bed and watch as she does the same quickly.

"And?" She cocks an eyebrow and I watch as she shuffles anxiously.

"He told me he was your brother," I easily lie through my teeth. I knew I was on the right track because she had been looking so nervous, so I was hoping she wouldn't be able to see through my facade. "Why did you never tell me?"

I watch as her mouth drops open slightly, her eyes widening to the size of saucers. I caught her off guard, I think to myself cheekily. Just as I was about to tell her off, she bursts into laughter. My eyebrows furrow in confusion as I stare at the pink-haired beauty.

"B-Brother!" She hollers and doubles over, chuckling as if it was the funniest thing she ever heard. "Now that is something I never thought I would hear." I watch as she wipes a small, straying tear from the side of her eye with her hand.

"O-Okay, fine. He didn't tell me that." I falter. "But please, explain the connection. I know he is something to you, and to Artemis. I also saw his hands," I tell her. "His fingernails."

Her expression is grim as she put her own hands behind her back, keeping them from my own prying eyes. I was hungry for answers, and I know her brain had all of them like a full course buffet.

"Shit," she groans. "You weren't supposed to find out like this."

"Find out like this, or find out at all?" I reply with a slight snarl to my words. She ignores this.

"He isn't my brother, Adira. He's my mate."

~

I finished showering and getting dressed, placing a freshly brewed coffee cup in front of Destiny while my own is still steaming in my hands. Finding out that Embry was her mate was literally the last thing I had seen coming, especially considering the circumstances.

He was trapped in a book, by Destiny's own sister. And here I was, thinking that I was the one who had issues and familial drama.

My story doesn't even compare to hers.

"Care to explain?" I ask her, locking my eyes onto her as I join her at Klayton's coffee table downstairs. He still isn't home, and I assumed he was dealing with pack matters or wallowing away in his own grief. Similar to the way I have been; cooped up alone. Or maybe he was making the funeral arrangements for Isaac and Lenna. It takes a little bit longer to have a werewolf funeral, Klayton told me. Apparently there are special ceremonies to lay pack to rest, especially a Beta —and we both wanted the best of the best, for our former closest friends.

My thoughts are interrupted when Destiny clears her throat roughly.

"So, Embry is my mate. We have known each other for a very long time —forever. All of us. This includes my sisters; Artemis and Theia. However, Artemis and Embry were always the closest. They were best friends; two peas in a pod. Embry and I truly love each other, of course, but he also has always had a connection that runs deep with Artemis too. She's been like his sister..." She sighs deeply and blinks away tears.

"Continue," I urge. "Please."

"He helped her with the dark magic because she asked him too. He didn't truly know what he was getting himself into, and he just wanted to help his best friend. When Artemis trapped inside that book, he was absolutely blindsided. I never thought I would see him again... I gave up on the thought of it."

"Were you mad that he helped her?" I ask quietly, sipping my cup of coffee and listening intently to her words; digesting them.

"I still am," Destiny laughs bitterly as a tears runs down her face. She wipes it away angrily. "I mean, he basically chose her over me. His own mate."

"How did you reconcile? I saw he had freshly painted black nails; just like you."

"We're still working on it," She blushes and I don't press the matter, changing the subject to more important matters than their love life.

"He made that preservation enchantment on the red book so it couldn't be destroyed —like he knew Artemis would betray him. What kind of friendship is that?"

"The kind that lasts forever," she says quietly. I hum in response, recognizing her own sadness but not dwelling too hard on it.

"This all kind of makes sense," I tell her, turning my chair more directly closer to her. "The first time I met Embry —blue hair and all— the very first thing that popped into my head was damn, this guy feels like Destiny," I chuckle.

"I guess it's kind of a mate thing. We are always equals to our mates, no matter our race or anything. It is what is inside that counts," she says.

"Wow Destiny, did you get that straight out of a poem?" I tease and she lightly kicks me from under the table, lightly laughing at my lame joke. The laughter dies down to a silence, where we both just sip our coffee. I still had a million questions to ask Destiny, but I suppose I had drilled her enough. Unexpectedly, Klayton walks around the corner into the kitchen, completely unfazed seeing both of us.

"Adira, Destiny —hello." His lips purse and he nods his head in acknowledgment towards the pink-haired girl, and sends a small smile my way. "I didn't mean to interrupt you girls."

"As if you didn't smell us," Destiny rolls her eyes but a small smirks plays at the side of her mouth. "Nonetheless, I already knew you were coming."

"Of course you did," I deadpan and set my now empty mug down. I stand up and gather Klayton into a big hug; I missed his warm embrace. He immediately tightens his arms around me, inhaling my scent and pecks the top of my head real quick. Destiny watches our interaction with an expression I can't decipher, but I shrug it off.

"I came here as soon as I had enough information from the pack," he tells me quietly as we pull away from one another. "The ceremonies for Lenna and Isaac are ready to take place tomorrow. Will you be okay?" He asks and rubs my hand in comfort.

"As long as you don't let go of this hand, I will be."

"I never will," he promises and leans down to kiss me once again. I feel guilty that Destiny has to awkwardly witness our display right in front of her, but she knew this was going to happen, right?

We pull away from one another and Destiny clears her throat, looking a completely different direction than the two of us.

"I didn't realize there were ceremonies taking place for the deceased. Traditionally it involves praising the Moon Goddess, no?" She asks. The question makes my heart deplete and Klayton growls.

"We changed it up a bit," he seethes.

"Maybe you won't have too for long," Destiny assures the both of us. Then she turns towards me, specifically. "Adira, you only have one more soul left to retrieve and then you can rightfully take your position as Moon Goddess and make a difference in this world. You can finally be someone that Lycan's can worship; a true leader, full of compassion."

"T-There isn't enough time," I groan in frustration. "The only thing on my mind is to lay my best friends to rest and avenge them. I want to kill Artemis —she broke my heart in ways I never thought possible, and she deserves to die."

At this point I'm standing face to face with Destiny, my chin turned up and my eyes squinted in determination. Klayton still holds one of my hands in his.

"She broke your heart?" Destiny laughs bitterly. "Rip hers out."

"W-What?" I ask, my eyes widening at her words. I glance back to Klayton and he also has the same bewildered look on his face.

"Artemis is the only person who has the last remaining piece; her very own soul. However black and twisted it is," Destiny hisses. "It's there. And the only way to get it is to rip her heart out."

My jaw drops, and Klayton's hand tightens around my own in comfort. She was an evil individual; she deserved to die.

"I'll do it," Klayton offers, his warm eyes dancing between both Destiny and me. "She killed my Beta and has attempted to kill the love of my life. I would gladly rip her heart from her chest," he growls, puffing his chest out, and baring his teeth to no one in particular.

"You can't," Destiny and I simultaneously say at the exact same time. Bashfully, we look at each other.

"It has to be me," I whisper to him. My jaw tightens as I look down to the ground, chuckling humorlessly. "Really it's fitting. I have to rip the heart out of someone who is already heartless."

🖤🖤