AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Mates?” she repeated, and I nodded. "Well, that's something. During the war, I heard of a white wolf with two mates. But I hadn't believed the rumors."
"It was true," I told her. "That was my friend Ruby. It was the first time a wolf was ever granted two mates. And now the same thing has happened to me."
“You know, you don’t look very happy for a woman who has two men in her life that are crazy about her. I dated two men once. It was the best time ever.”
I chuckled as the snakes in her hair hissed excitedly. "If only things were like that," I replied, and she frowned.
As lovely as Finola was, I didn't want to say too much, but I admitted that Rumir and Lucian couldn’t get along. I told her how I felt, that I’d arrived and turned their lives upside down.
Their mate, the one who was created for them, had brought them nothing but trouble.
She listened as I spoke, and when I finished, she turned to face me.
“I’ve been around for a long time, Natalie, and while I don't know everything, I know a fair bit. And so, I'm going to give you a bit of advice. There is a human saying that God doesn't give us more than we can bear. Well, the same goes for other gods. Your Goddess makes the decision about mate bonds, yes?”
I nodded, and she continued. "And I don’t think she’d do that without thinking it through. You were mated to those men for a reason, and I think it is probably because the three of you must have something you must learn from each other. All relationships include lessons to be learned, and none are easy.
You weren’t created solely to be mated to those men. You were created to be you, to cultivate the woman you are meant to become. If those men already hated each other before you arrived, I can’t see how you made things any worse.”
She was right. I’d just been making them both face issues that should have been dealt with long ago.
“You've been trying to fix things, but you can only guide people, Natalie. If they don't want to take a step forward, that's not on you. You must think of yourself, because if you don’t, this could destroy you. Just as forcing your mates to do anything they don’t want to might destroy them.”
Finola smiled, and her snakes hissed in agreement. Then she took my hand as one of her snakes brushed against my cheek. It was only then that I realized a tear had slipped from my eye.
“So go to them,” Finola whispered. “Speak your truth and make both men listen. But a decision must be made, because this relationship isn't moving forward. Are you three going to live separate lives forever, with you being stretched thin trying to be with them both? All healthy relationships move forward, Natalie. Otherwise, what's the point?"
I sat back, her words drilling into my mind. She was right. I sighed. “There is no point,” I mumbled to myself.
We sat in silence for a time until I began to cry silently once I realized the decision I’d have to make. I’d been fighting to make this thing between the three of us work, but holding on wasn’t always the right thing to do. Sometimes, it was better to let go.
I’d tried so hard but Lucian wasn’t ready for this, and I would not force him to do something that would hurt him. In another life, we might have been good together, but this was the afterlife—there was nothing beyond this. Maybe one day, he would heal and find love again.
I just needed to accept that wasn’t going to be with me.
I held my chest, my body trembling.
As for Rumir, asking him to be okay with me being was Lucian was like asking him to go against his biological makeup. I hadn’t seen it before, but it wasn’t okay.
“I really wanted this to work,” I whispered, my voice cracking.
Finola said nothing, but just continued to hold my hand.
“I know what I need to do,” I told her. “Now, I just have to find the nerve to do it.”
