Emma POV
I gasped and opened my eyes.
I was lying on the ground, surrounded by soft grass. It was tickling and caressing my skin. I could hear the stream nearby. I could smell the flowers around me. I could feel the warm sun on my skin.
Where was I?
There was no stream near the packhouse. There were no flowers on the field behind it. There was no sun today.
I furrowed my eyebrows and sat up.
I gasped.
I knew this field.
I’ve been here before.
I’ve been here when Samuel kidnapped me and when I dreamed about Logan.
It was the same field. I was sure of it. I would never forget it.
I was wearing the same yellow sundress I wore the first time I was here. Everything was exactly the same.
I heard a groan to my right, and I flinched.
It was Nathan. He wasn’t here with me the first time. Why was he here? Where was Logan? I wanted to see Logan.
I jumped up and backed away from him. I tried to find my magic, but I couldn’t feel it.
Nathan looked around until his eyes landed on me. His eyes widened.
“Where are we?” he mumbled, keeping his eyes on me.
Something was different. My body didn’t react to his gaze. My body didn’t react to his voice. I could smell him, but his scent didn’t create tingles in my stomach. Something was very different.
“Where are we, Emma?” he repeated the question and stood up.
I stepped away from him.
He furrowed his eyebrows and looked me up and down. I saw him take a deep breath. His eyes widened. Did he notice the difference too?
“I am not going to hurt you.” he mumbled quietly, his voice laced with guilt and pain.
I heard footsteps behind me, and I turned around abruptly.
Was that Logan? Oh, Goddess, please let it be Logan.
“I’m not Logan, but you will see him soon.” a woman said softly.
She was beautiful. Her hair was almost white. It was flowing down her back in soft waves. Her eyes were blue and glowing. She had soft features. Her skin looked soft, and I wanted to touch it.
“Thank you, Emma.” she said. “I think that you are beautiful too.”
My eyes widened. Was she reading my mind?
She chuckled and nodded.
“Yes, Emma.” she said. “I am reading your mind.”
I froze. How was that possible? Was she...?
She looked behind me and smiled.
“Yes, Nathan, I am the Moon Goddess.” she said, making my eyes widen.
What? How the hell was that possible? Were we really talking to the Moon Goddess right now? It was a dream. It had to be a dream.
Wait...
What if it wasn’t a dream? What if we were dead? Were we dead? Did I kill us both with my magic?
Oh, Goddess! Logan!
“You are not dead, Emma.” she said, looking back at me. “You were here before, don’t you remember?”
I furrowed my eyebrows. That was real? That wasn’t a dream?
“It was real, Emma.” the Moon Goddess said. “You and Logan were here. You met here in your dreams.”
This was getting creepy. I needed to speak. I couldn’t let her just respond to my thoughts.
“What are we doing here?” I asked.
The Moon Goddess looked at Nathan and took a deep breath.
“Come closer.” she told him.
I flinched and took a step back. Why was she calling him closer? Didn’t she know what he wanted to do?
“He is not going to hurt you, Emma.” the Moon Goddess said softly.
I looked at Nathan. There was a mixture of emotions written all over his face. I recognized shock, fear, sadness, and regret.
Nathan came to stand next to me. He kept his eyes on the Moon Goddess.
“I am sorry, Nathan.” she said softly. “You didn’t deserve this. You didn’t deserve this curse.”
My heart raced.
I was right! Logan was my Goddess-given mate!
“Curse?” Nathan mumbled. “I was really her cursed mate?”
The Moon Goddess nodded.
“The bond between you two is gone.” she said. “Can’t you feel it?”
Nathan looked at me and nodded.
“Your true mate is waiting for you back at your pack.” the Moon Goddess said, making Nathan look back at her.
“You are still giving me my mate?” Nathan mumbled. “After everything that I did?”
“You are my child, Nathan.” the Moon Goddess said softly. “You were one of the victims of an ancient curse. I am angry, but I forgive you. You deserve a second chance, but I am not the one who can give it to you.”
The Moon Goddess looked at me.
Nathan sighed and looked down at the ground.
“I don’t think I will get a second chance.” Nathan mumbled. “I’ve done horrible things. They won’t let me go.”
My heart clenched painfully. He did do some terrible things.
But was it really his fault? He was cursed by dark magic. That had to change who he really was. I glanced at the Moon Goddess, and she gave me a small nod.
“He never listened to his wolf.” the Moon Goddess said, making Nathan look back up at her. “Noel’s soul wasn’t darkened by the curse.”
Nathan furrowed his eyebrows.
I looked at him and took a deep breath.
“I will talk to them.” I said, making him look at me. “I will try to explain it to them. I will try to get you back home to your mate.”
Nathan’s eyes widened in shock. “But I...”
“You screwed up.” I interrupted him. “I am giving you a second chance. I don’t want your wolf and your Goddess-given mate to get hurt.”
Nathan was staring at me with a shocked expression on his face.
“I can’t speak for Andrew.” I said, shaking my head. “You threatened his mate. I won’t promise you that Andrew will let you go, but I promise you that I will try to talk to him.”
Nathan sobbed and fell to his knees. He placed his head in his hands and pulled on his hair.
“I am so sorry.” he mumbled. “I am so fucking sorry.”
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for a second.
He did a terrible thing. He deserved to be punished for it. But my heart kept screaming at me that it wasn’t really his fault. If he wasn’t cursed, he would have never done it.
“Don’t screw up again.” I said. “Don’t anger me again. Now we both know that I can fry your ass.”
Nathan looked up at me and nodded.
“And please, for the love of Goddess, stop listening to your father.” I said. “I am sure that you are capable of leading your pack without him.”
Nathan nodded again and stood back up.
“He’s been fueling the darkness inside me since I was a child.” Nathan mumbled. “But I can’t blame him for everything. I screwed up on my own a bunch of times.”
I nodded and took a deep breath.
“You should probably listen to Noel more.” I said. “Eliza said that he is a really good wolf.”
Nathan smiled and nodded. “He is. He is going to be pissed at me. I’ve been shutting him down for days.”
I sighed and looked toward the Moon Goddess. She wasn’t here anymore.
I furrowed my eyebrows and looked around.
“Where is she?” Nathan mumbled.
I shrugged and looked back at him.
“How do we go back?” he asked, looking around the field.
I didn’t know that either.
At least not until I felt a push that made me gasp.
I opened my eyes and saw my beautiful mate’s face above me.