章 47: Chapter Forty Seven
Cole was at a loss of words, "Why? Aren't you the reason for the existence of that scent?"
"Yes, I am. I am merely here to stop you from making an inconvenient encounter. The next time you catch that scent, you will find its source. And this time, the scent will not disappear," the moon goddess said.
"Are you the reason the scent is always appearing and vanishing? Do you keep masking it? Who does it belong to?"
"So full of questions… I don't want to give you the one phrase that everyone has been giving you since you came here. So I will give you two choices, Cole. Either I wipe your memory and let you find the source of that scent the next time you catch it or you accept that this was not the time you were supposed to find out and wait a little bit longer?" the moon goddess said.
"You want me… to wait," this phrase was familiar to him. Although he could not pinpoint it now that it was dawning on him that every time he'd chased down that scent, he was never meant to catch it, "I'm tired of waiting. How about I just let go of these delusions as everyone seems to call them?"
"Would that make you any happier? I am promising you your mate the next time you detect her. Why doesn't that make you happy?" she asked, floating up to him. Cole stayed down, the energy drained out of him. After the effort he'd put in to try and find her even knowing that she was dead, he was ready to give it up.
"My mate is dead. You don't grant second chance mates this early," Cole said.
"What makes you say that? You don't know how I operate," she said.
"Why won't you just tell me who it is?"
"Because that would not be good for either of you," she replied.
"How long do I have to wait, then?" he asked.
"It might just be sooner than you think," she replied, "in the meantime, you should be recuperating from what you've been through."
"You're hiding something, aren't you? You can't have come all this way for something like this," he asked.
"Actually… I did. That's how important it was. But while I'm here, I could tell you more about yourself and the story behind the struggle that ensued during the time of your birth eighteen years ago," she said.
"I'm not very interested in that. Katie Sirius is dead. I've been doing everything I could to forget that," he turned away from the moon goddess to leave.
"Oh, so that's it then. You have no idea what was lost when she died…" the statement froze him in his tracks.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Do you have any idea why I would suddenly place a mate bond between two Royals. As far as you're concerned, I've never done that in the history of werewolves. Haven't you ever asked yourself why I did it with you?" she asked.
"All I ever wondered is why I was given a mate at birth only to have them be killed without me being able to protect them myself. That cruelty alone dulled everything else that might have mattered at that point, but please, do indulge me with the details of our failed union," he spat.
"Well, the two of you were my trump card in bringing this war close to an end," she said.
"What do you mean by that?" this captured his interest.
"Did you think that I would randomly announce the birth of two children destined to be united when they turned of age? Didn't you think there was a reason behind all that? Didn't the efforts the Rogue King put up to avoid all tell you that he was afraid of those children?"
"I'm sorry I didn't think about it that much," Cole replied, thinking back to how he only allowed himself to drown in his own anguish and take it out through training with the pack warriors.
"There is nothing you could have done, Cole. Besides, what they told you helped you grow stronger," she said.
"And what's that strength going to get me when the person I needed it for is already dead," he huffed.
"Well, you could use it to protect the one that lies at the source of the scent you were chasing down. The next time you catch that scent, you will reach its source," she said.
"Fine then, I'll take you at your word. How was the union of the two children supposed to bring an end to the war," Cole asked.
"Well, we all know that werewolves that aren't either alphas or Royals can only give birth with their mates. We also know that alphas and Royals possess the power to turn humans into werewolves. As a result of this, the rogues have been constantly increasing in number and becoming impossible to snuff out. Upon the union of these children, the royals and the alphas were to lose their power to transmit the werewolf gene. The curse that I placed on them centuries ago would finally be lifted," she said.
"That would mean the hierarchy of the rogues would break up. Chaos and disorder would spread amongst their ranks and we'll finally start thinning down their numbers until none of them is left. They will no longer be able to capture women and use them as breeders either," Cole couldn't believe what he was hearing. The sound of this was like a dream to him. Nonetheless, this didn't mean much with his mate dead. "Although, there is no use reminiscing about such a possibility if my mate is already dead."
"Yeah, I guess that would be the case. I would ask that you not give up hope," she said to him.
"This town has been one swarm of secrets from the moment I got here. The very first hunter that I met seemed to hold a secret and everything started to pile up from there. Am I supposed to sit idly by while a lot of things happen around me and pretend it doesn't bother me one bit?" memories of the times his questions had been sidelined flashed through his mind. Cole knew how to play the oblivious card to throw someone off his trail just in case he intended to investigate further.
This was the longest he had ever held out without investigating something that he wanted to find out this badly. The only reason he was staying on the sidelines this entire time was that this town was not exactly something he could call home. Meddling in such affairs when his stay in the town was temporary felt more like a hassle than he'd intended when he came to the town of Brigade.
"That is true. You'd think a town this far out of the werewolf territories would be peaceful and lack secrets of any real magnitude, but that's not the case. I'm afraid that was probably my doing. I notice how oblivious you are and how frustrating it is, so I will at least let you in on one thing," she said, getting his attention. He turned back to her, his attempts at leaving completely cancelled, "All will be revealed late in the evening of Saturday before the clock strikes midnight."
"What's so special about…" he stopped when he realized the moon goddess couldn't tell him any more than that considering she had now given him a clue about the time he was expecting to find the answers to all his questions. "Fine, then. I'll keep out and give all the space required. After all, one day is not something that I cannot wait for. Tomorrow, I will find out the answers to all my questions."
"I'm glad you understand the situation," she replied.
"I wouldn't doubt the judgement of the moon goddess…"
"I'm not all that perfect considering my beloved creation, the werewolves were an act of revenge," she replied.
"Nonetheless, ever since then, there is nothing you haven't done that wasn't in the werewolves' interest. Once you took control of your creation, you never made another mistake," Cole continued.
"You give me far too much credit, son of Lycaon…"
"Do you have to call me that? It sounds like 'Son of Adam.' How will you be able to distinguish me from my father… 'Son of Lycaon One or Junior and Son of Lycaon Two or Senior'?"
"I'm quite sure your father would never accept me to call him any of those two names. Cole, it is then," she said with a hint of finality. Cole bid her farewell and watched the goddess ascend, leaving him on the ground. Something about being in the presence of the moon goddess put Cole's wolf at ease and made him docile despite the anger that had erupted from losing the trail that they had been following.
Despite his promise to the moon goddess, impatience and curiosity racked his mind the longer he ran into the forest heading for the hotel that he was staying in. However, an unusual scent hit his nostrils as he continued on his way there. It wasn't hostile, but it was something that he could ignore as well. His guard went up as he tried to figure out the source of the scent. It took him a few minutes to reach the hotel and was soon shifting to get back in. However, the scent that he was being cautious of was stronger here. In fact, it wasn't one and instead, they were many of them and each one of them was at a power that rivalled Cole's.
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