Chapter 120

120 Chapter One Hundred Twenty

Katie was quick to follow; this time her legs didn’t hurt. Adrenaline pulsed through her body energising her to keep up the assault. However, the oddly dressed cosplay character nimbly dodged all her attempts, smirking and making unnecessary comments every time she got close to hitting him. She finally collapsed deep in the forest, having failed to land a single hit on the man.

Her breath was laboured and the guilt that weighed on her conscience was reaching its limit, “I know I failed... I was there. I watched Kyle get taken away and I watched as four arrows put holes into me... surrounded by hundreds of rogues... I’m not a god. What could I have done?” she yelled at him.

“There it is... The true despair behind shouldering the burden of others. You say you will protect them all from the rogues and then make the mistake of thinking you have to do it all on your own. You train yourself alone and leave the others behind. What good did it get you when in the end, you were going to be killed because of it. What would you have accomplished?” the man continued to ask.

“What’s your point?”

“Well, if you’d watched the way your parents used to fight... Or even that dynamic duo, Frost and Jack o’lantern, is it?”

“The name’s Jackeline...”

“Whatever... My point is that you don’t have to face everything on your own. You have much to lose if you do that. I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll spare his life if and only if...” Katie paid utmost attention to the conditions she was being given. Knowing full well there was nothing she could do to save Cole, she would have liked to know the alternative and hopefully negotiate. She hated being the one being forced to compile, but her wounded pride was nothing compared to the pain she’d feel if she lost him...

“You turn down your Prometheus gifts and walk up to me... I’ll place the Royal at my feet and when you finally touch him, I’ll let you go. If you cannot do that... Then I’ll kill him,” he said to her. Leaping away from her to put distance between them. Katie had expected something vile, but it wasn’t the case. How could she blindly believe what the man said...? She knew she couldn’t get away and could attack him... In fact, she was totally at his mercy and yet he continued to toy with her.

Turning down the power the gifts gave her, she felt the energy leave her legs and the pain return. She placed one foot in front of the other and closed her eyes... and attempt to rid herself of the pain. ‘The pain is imaginary... It’s all in your head... A collection of all your failures just coming back to make sure you never get the chance to fail again...’ this was Ashley’s voice now.

.....

“What are you talking about, Ashley?”

“I have visited your memories, Katie. I’m sorry for the life you’ve lived until this point, but you must accept that mistakes happen. Otherwise, you’ll never be able to bring about the world that you seek,” she replied.

Walking to Cole’s unconscious body was a sea of pain that dulled her very thoughts. The face of the unconscious prince seemed to be the only thing that kept her focused on the goal before her, “Katie, your parents gave up too much for them to merely watch you fail. You need to get up.”

“What parents?”

“All four of them, Katie... All four of them,” the wolf continued. The more Ashley spoke to her, the less the pain got. Her foot suddenly hit an obstacle and nearly made her tumble. It was Cole’s body...

“I see you made it... How do your legs feel?”

“They are fine...” even after everything the man before her had done, she did nothing to attack him.

“You’re not attacking me... Why is that?” he asked.

“I haven’t felt the need to attack since you appeared before us. I figure your someone I should know,” she replied, finally looking the man in the eye...

“That’s good to hear... You might call me Seth,” in a puff of white smoke, the odd man was gone and so was the pain in the girl’s hands and legs...

“Thank you...” she mouthed to the nothingness before her...

Katie got down and checked the male before her for any injuries. Surprisingly, he bore no scratch on his body. ‘Damn, do you even get injured?’ she marvelled. She was sure the strike that took him out would have been powerful enough to leave a mark, but alas the man was unharmed and beginning to stir awake.

‘I guess that was another one of the moon goddess’ attempts to keep me alive. How many favours will I owe that goddess when all this is done?’ she chuckled to herself while she got the royal to his feet.

“What in the world happened? Katie...” Cole’s voice came out groggy as though he was from sleep.

“Did you enjoy your nap?” she asked him, waiting for the oaf to realise where he was putting his weight.

“Oh yeah, it was a peaceful nap. Haven’t had one in a while... Wait, was I supposed to be sleeping? Why are you carrying...” he went silent, his eyes snapping open to look his mate up and down right before giving her the biggest hug she’d ever seen him give.

“Took you long enough,” Katie chuckled, holding on tight to the man. ‘Did it feel this way when you almost lost me?’ Ashley’s words mirrored Katie’s exact feeling. For a moment, they both believed Seth was going to kill him and had found themselves utterly helpless...

......................

Seth finally returned to the palace on the moon where his wife lay with her mouth agape staring at the scene that had just happened in front of her. Seth returned to the palace changing out of the outfit he was into something that was more fitting of this era... after walking a few steps into the palace he shuddered once more at the memory of having to wear those clothes every time he was sent to intervene with mortals on behalf of his goddess.

Finally making it to the room they watched over the world below from, he began his string of complaints and grievances without noticing the look on his wife’s face. “Why do I have to dress like that every time? It’s preposterous. It’s definitely no longer right to dress like that in this day and age. And not to mention the fact that I wore that outfit so many bloody years ago. Do you have to make me wear it again every single time?”

“It’s what you wore when you died. It’s the law that if you are to intervene with the humans on my behalf that you dress in the last connection you had to mankind,” she said to him.

“That is a very absurd law and I want it removed. Ugh, I look like a barbarian in those clothes,” he continued.

“But you were once proud of them. One of the greatest warriors I’ve ever known,” the moon goddess praised, “And besides, I think you still look amazing in that outfit.”

“Name one thing about it that you like and if it’s terrible I am going to...”

“It’s symbolic, Seth. You need to get that through your skull. Katie would have not been able to tell that you weren’t a threat unless you wore it. Besides, it shows off your biceps...” the woman mumbled the last part, popping a piece of ambrosia into her mouth before looking back into the pool. Seth chose to end his tantrum at that point and help ease the nerves his wife was obviously trying to keep hidden from him.

“What’s bothering you, honey?” he asked her, rubbing her shoulders and pulling her into his hands.

“Did you have to go rough on her that much?” she asked him. One of the things he liked about her was her empathy and it shone every time she watched her creatures go through suffering. It had been centuries since the war began and she hadn’t lost that part of her.

“I needed to get her to forget about her legs for the moment and focus on saving her mate. I didn’t even know she like her mate that much. I do feel sorry for her wolf though. Staying restrained the whole time you watch your human half fail to get your mate from the enemy mustn’t feel good,” he commented.

“No, it mustn’t. I hope she can carry on from now. I don’t see us helping her a lot from this point onwards,” the moon goddess’ voice was filled with worry, but Seth knew better... after all, he’d been there to fight the girl.

“I wouldn’t worry about her. She’ll be fine now. Take a close look at where she is,” he pointed to the girl and zoomed out to provide an aerial view. The River of Sirius was well over fifteen miles from where they were and Katie hadn’t seemed to notice the distance they’d travelled.

“But how...”

“I don’t know... The girl kept me on my toes... well, for a mortal. I thought the distance would wear her out, but she was relentless and kept attacking me each time like it was her first. I must say I was impressed. She can walk now and is only going to get stronger from here on out. So fear not, my love...

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