Gunner.
"I think I should go get Mum" I said slowly. Zelena whipped her head around and stared at me wide eyed,
"Why?" she snapped,
"Is something wrong with me?". Her fear exploded and the smell flooded the room. I wrapped Zee in my arms and squeezed her tight.
"There is nothing is wrong with you" I whispered,
"But the mark is in the shape of the Moon Goddess symbol, and Mum knows everything there is to know about her. She'll know what it is" I said as calmly as possible.
Zee's breaths were sharp and fast, she was panicking. I let her go and crouched down in front of her and held her face in my hands. A tear fell from her cheek and I wiped it away. I gave her a kiss and smiled weakly,
"Everything is fine Zelena, it's just a birthmark, you don't need to worry". I looked down at my legs, I was still wearing the towel.
"First, I should put pants on, and you should put some underwear on" I smiled and she giggled. Good she was laughing, I didn't mean to stress her out. I'm worried though, I don't know what this means or if it's important. Mum has told a lot of stories about the Moon Goddess, but I didn't always pay attention to them. I pulled on a pair of shorts and a baggy tank top and Zee pulled on a pair of panties. She took the towel off her head and shook her wet hair loose.
I took her hand and led her downstairs. I stuck my head in the kitchen, but Mum wasn't in there.
"Mum" I called out, no answer. I looked in the library, but she wasn't there either. We went out onto the porch and I saw mum on the swing drinking a cup of tea.
"Hey Ma" I called. She looked up from her cup and smiled brightly as we walked over to her.
"Hello, my darlings, how are you?" she cooed, putting down her cup and standing up. She gave me a hug and kissed my cheek and then did the same to Zee. She sat back down, and I pointed to the swing for Zee to sit next to her, and so she did.
"What's wrong baby? You look worried" Mum said frowning and looking up at me, she knows me too well.
"Well Mum, I found a mark on Zelena's neck, and I just wanted to see if you knew what it was". Mum nodded and turned to Zelena who was half smiling nervously. I nodded at Zee and she turned her back. But before she lifted her hair, Mum noticed the bite mark on her shoulder. She grabbed at Zee's shoulder and examined the bite. She looked up at me pursing her lips together and frowned,
"Gunner" she hissed,
"You didn't have to mark her, she's your True Mate, she isn't going anywhere" she snapped glaring at me. I rolled my eyes at her,
"Is this what you are showing me?"
"No Mum, never mind about that"
"I AM going to worry about that, marking a Mate is very possessive behavior"
"MUM!" I yelled, trying to get her to pay attention. She looked at me, clearly surprised at my sudden outburst.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to yell" I stuttered,
"It's not the bite, it's the back of her neck".
Mum brushed the hair off Zelena's neck and Zee reached back to lift it up. She leaned in a little to get a better look at the mark, then quickly jumped up off the chair and gasped, putting her hands over her mouth.
"That's not possible" she whispered,
"What's not possible Mum?" I snapped. Zee stood up and turned to look at my mum. I grabbed her arm and pulled her close to me, holding her tightly. My mother's reaction made me nervous and an instant urge to protect swept over me.
"Mum!" I yelled, but she didn't answer. She started pacing on the porch in quick little steps, shaking her head, looking at the ground and mumbling.
"Roe?" Zee said shakily,
"Please" she pleaded. Mum stopped pacing and stared at Zelena. Her face was pale and her eyes were huge. She stepped forward and quickly grabbed both our hands.
"Quickly" she whispered,
"Into the library".
She pulled us both back in the house and to the library. She left us in the middle of the room and ran to the shelf in the back corner by the window. She furiously started pulling out books and flipping through them, paying little care to the rough way in which she handled them.
"Mum will you answer me?" I said loudly but she didn't answer. She kept pulling out book after book, flipping through the pages and then throwing it on the ground. I've never seen my mum so careless with her books, she's always so calm and gentle. 'Books are to be respected' she always told us. She was mumbling to herself as she went, I was starting to get really worried.
"Gunner I'm freaking out a bit" Zee said gripping my shirt,
"Yeah, I'm with you there" I whispered,
"Mum, for fuck's sake, what are you looking for?"
"A book" she snapped,
"Yeah, I can see that, now will you tell me why you're going crazy?"
"I'm not crazy, I know that I saw it here somewhere" she muttered,
"Ah yes" she cried.
"Here it is, look, look, look!" she yelled waving us over to her. I walked over to where Mum was standing with Zee behind me, still gripping my shirt. Mum had a big blue book in her hands and was pointing to a page. I took the book and looked at it closely. There was a silhouette of a girl with the same marking on her neck as Zee, three moons in different stages of phasing. I read the blurb next to it out loud,
"The symbol appears on the skin of the next chosen daughter of the Goddess. It will only appear once the girl becomes a woman. The mark will appear at either the base of the neck or the wrist. Only a female Were from the descended bloodline of the first daughter can inherit the mark. With it, she can take on the powers of the Moon"
"I guess you've sealed your bond then" Mum giggled. I looked down at Zelena in disbelief. This isn't real, it can't be. Mum had her hands on her cheeks and was staring between the book and Zee. I continued to read,
"Not all chosen descendants can wield the powers of the Moon, only a select few throughout time have been blessed with the gifts. The powers have been known to include, but are not limited to; Telekinesis, the power to move objects with the mind. Hydrokinesis, the power to move water and manipulate the tides. Aerokinesis, the power to manipulate air and weather. Shape shifting, the power to morph oneself into another form. Gravitokinesis, the power to manipulate gravity".
"Mum. Are you for real with this?" I said closing the book.
"I absolutely am" she said snatching the book from me,
"Come sit, sit" she said ushering us to the sofa. Mum sat down on the coffee table in front of us and leaned in close.
"I thought the line had disappeared years ago, the last known descendant was living in Northern Alaska, but their pack was wiped out by hunters, I think not quite twenty years ago. There hasn't been a known Triple Goddess for more than a hundred years"
"Are you trying to tell me that you think I'm some kind of god" Zee laughed.
"Oh no my darling, you are not a god" Mum chuckled holding Zelena's hand,
"You are the chosen daughter of the Moon Goddess, you are a descendant of the first daughter Selena, that must be why you were given this name. They are quite similar don't you think?"
"But how, my father is just a human?"
"Yes, darling but what about your mother? The Goddess is passed from mother to daughter. What do you know about your mum?"
"I don't know anything about my mother. All my dad ever said was that I was a waste of his time and he can't believe that I came from her. She died when I was a baby, I don't know what she looks like. I don't even know her name". Mum pulled Zee into her arms and hugged her,
"Oh, my sweet thing" she whispered. Mum turned to look at me and sighed,
"Gunner, baby, I know how you will feel about this, but I think we need to talk to Zelena's father"
"WHAT?" I screamed, standing up.
"Are you fucking kidding me, there is no way 'that' man is getting anywhere near Zelena"
"Gunner" Zee said softly reaching for my hand,
"It's not going to fucking happen" I demanded and stormed out the door.
I went out on the porch for some fresh air. How could she even consider letting that bastard talk to Zelena? I stomped back and forth along the porch trying to cool down. It wasn't working though. There's no way this is happening, NONE! Has she lost her damn mind, superpowers and daughters of the Goddess. How fucking crazy is that? Mum has completely lost it. Holy shit, what if she hasn't lost it, what if she's right. HA! No. No way.
I saw Dad walk over from the fire pit and stood at the bottom of the steps.
"Son, if you keep stomping like that you're going to break through the floorboards" he said sarcastically. I looked at him and snarled. I'm not in the mood for jokes.
"Funny" I snapped,
"You want to tell me what's got you all pissy?" he teased.
"I'm not pissy"
"Oh really, this is you not pissy then?" he chuckled. I held in the growl that was sitting on my lips, and frowned. Oh, I'll show you that I'm not pissy.
"Your fucking wife has lost her fucking mind" I screamed as I stopped pacing and turned to look at him.
"She's in there talking about the daughter of the Goddess, and how Zelena has superpowers now and all that crap. AND she wants to invite Zee's dad to dinner. How about that?" I rushed out in a single breath. I was panting heavily, and I could feel my bones cracking and creaking inside me. Just the thought of seeing that man, of him being close to Zelena again, it was setting off a serious rage. Dad walked up to me and grabbed me by the shoulders.
"Gunner, first of all, take a bloody breath. Second, Zelena's father is NOT coming for dinner. And finally, why are you screaming about your mother?"
I took a deep breath in, and then let it out again slowly, my body slowly started to cool down. Okay maybe I'm acting a little pissy. I looked at my father's face and told him what is going on.
"Zelena has a mark on her neck in the shape of the Moon Goddess' symbol. Mum has now got it in her head that Zelena is a long-lost descendant of the Goddess and therefore she has magical superpowers. But to make sure that her theory is correct, she wants us to go and have a nice little chat with Zee's father and find out more about her parents".
Dad stared at me blankly for a moment, contemplating what I had just told him. He let go of my shoulders and stood up straight.
"Where is your mum?" he asked,
"In the library with Zee" I told him.
"You know that she knows more about our history than anyone else?"
"I know Dad, but this is just ridiculous".
We both looked at each other in silence for a moment, I think we were both stalling. If this is true, then everything will change. Do I want it to be true, or do I want to live this normal boring life we were talking about?
"Come on son, let's go have a calm conversation with your mum and your Mate" he said patting my shoulder. I took another deep breath, nodded my head, and turned around, walking for the door.