Chapter 118

“How dare you come here with your demon spawn? Look at what they did to my son. Just look at him!” The woman stood over her son and screamed at the goddess followed by wolves.

The three-faced goddess moved to the woman and held open her arms. The woman dove into them and started to sob. “Please save him, Mother. I have dedicated my life to you and I have never asked you for a boon. This is my ask. Save him. Please.” She pulled back and looked at the goddess, but her face was grim.

“I’m sorry, my daughter, I cannot.” The three-faced goddess held the woman in her arms as she broke. Her legs failed her, and she crumpled down to her knees.

“I will do anything, give anything, just save my son.” She wailed as the goddess held her.

The goddess with the wolves moved closer to the young man, boy really, and she crouched over him. The wolves all moved closer and closer until they, too, were crouched over the boy.

“Get away from him. Look at what your children did. Though we have never worshipped you, I didn’t shun you either. I gave you rites on your day.” The woman cried into the dress of her goddess. “Why did they have to take him? He was a good boy. He never hunted you or yours.”

The second goddess looked up, and the light of the moon caught her face and I gasped as I knew this goddess. “I know, and they are sorry. Their alpha was hunted, and they assumed wrongly it was your son. They have come to apologize.” The woman cried harder.

She turned to her goddess, and the shifting face of the three-faced goddess was hard to stare at. Whenever I thought I could see her features clearly, they shifted. “Please, Mother. I will give you my life if you would just save him. He is still breathing. I wouldn’t ask you to break the laws of nature, but he still breathes.” She begged on her knees. “I will give you anything. My life, would you take my life as payment? I have followed and loved you and it would be an easy decision if you would just save my son.” The woman begged on her knees, blood still smeared over her face, but her goddess never faltered.

“I cannot. It is not in my power to bring him from the veil of death.”

“No.” She wailed.

“But it is within mine.” The second goddess offered.

“What?” The woman froze at her goddess’s feet. She turned to face the second goddess. “Moon Goddess, mother of wolves and death, do not promise what cannot be done.” She crumpled onto the ground.

“What would you be willing to give for me to save your son?” The goddess looked over at the woman as she crouched over the boy. “Would you give up your life to me to save your boy?”

The woman shuffled on her knees towards the goddess. “Yes. I would give you anything. Please, just save him if you can.”

“Would you give up his life?”

The woman froze. Her face dropped. “Stop playing with my emotions. The point is to save his life.”

The goddess smiled. “Yes, I can save his life by giving him a new life. Would you still love him if he was different? Changed?”

“Would he still be my son?”

“Yes.”

“Then I would love him even if he was changed. He would still be my boy.”

“Even if he worshipped me instead of your goddess?”

“Yes.” She turned back to the three-faced goddess. “I would never turn my back on you, but he is my boy.”

“I understand.” The goddess whispered in understanding.

“Then so be it.” The goddess raised her hands, and the boy’s body rippled. “Come forth.” The goddess called, and the boy’s body split. I recognized the shift before it finished. Where once the boy lay, a new giant wolf stood, with black fur and red eyes. The wolf panted and sat, his eyes cutting over the clearing and landing on his mother. He plodded over to the shivering woman.

She stared up at him and slowly raised her hands. “My boy.” She traced her hands through his fur, and when he allowed it, she dove for him and wrapped her arms around him.

The three-faced goddess watched and smiled. “Thank you, sister, for giving her what I couldn’t.” The moon goddess nodded and walked off. The goddess crouched over the two. “I could not save him, but I will give you a boon.” She placed her hand on the woman’s head. “From earth to hearth, the power will flow. Down through the lines, the seed will grow. A gift from a goddess, a power to bless. The ones from your line, with power to shine. Through fate, you create stitches, your line of the first witches. As we will it, so mote it be.”

Chapter 119