Kataya's POV
I looked up at her. “Do any of them ever come back?”
We reached the sidewalk in front of my house. The weight of her hand on my shoulder had stopped me. “Only one hasn’t come back and his mate is still waiting for him. She’s gone through a lot of pain, unfortunately.”
I tilted my head. “Like what?”
“Well, she wasn’t pure. She was pregnant. The priests believe she lost her baby because of her sins.”
“But isn’t that something that can’t be anyone’s fault?”
She nodded her head. “That’s right, but her baby died just minutes after it was born.” The streetlamps illuminated the area around us.
“She must have been very sad. Mommy was sad when she lost my sister while in her belly.”
Jeremiah Lynn nodded. “That’s right. Her baby was part hers and part her mat
Omniscient POV“Is this your way of helping them choose? You ignore them?”The ethereal beauty stood before him, her hair outstretched. The glow cast around her spiritual form lent to her charm. “It’s not that I ignore them. I don’t know what to say?”His steps radiated with heat. A lesser person would have been burned. She welcomed the warmth and light. It gave her power. “You lie! I can’t and won’t take another turning from me to be a damn shifter. Why don’t you stop them beasts from hurting her?”Her delicate shoulders shrugged. “Because we gave them all the freedom to do as they please. Just as the mortals commit atrocities, so do the shifters. What would you have me do? Condemn them all?”Gritting his teeth, the man ground out her name, “Onwa! You have already condemned them with this deal. We are on our third and two have chosen
Kataya’s POVThe next day, I woke up to do what was necessary. Only there was a small difference inside me. I was determined to be the best shifter, so the moon goddess would speak to me. It was uncertain how I would go about doing so, but I figured as long as I spoke with one of the priests, I would have some inkling. Instead of making my breakfast, I got dressed. I could hear my dad in his study snoring away.Memories of last night flitted through my mind. It wasn’t a bad dream; it was real. My parents weren’t my parents. My mother wanted to give me to the temple. Questions on her love arose to mind. “Did she even care about me? Was it just a lie?”“Was what a lie?”Startled by her voice, I jumped and squealed. “Ah”She walked towards me. Her hair tousled from sleep. She appeared to have been well rested to me. “What were you talking about?
Marquelle’s POVWhile I was in the classroom getting the lesson prepared for the day, my mind drifted to the conversation I had with my students in the previous class. Scrubbing my face, embarrassment welled inside me that soon was replaced by sadness. “I practically broadcasted my mate left me.”An enormous sigh left my lips. Shaking my head, I wanted to dismiss the thoughts. And yet that faithful night when he left came to mind. The clouds opened, blocking out the sun. “Quelle, I’m sorry. I can’t stay here. Our community is… it’s not right.”The warmth from my hands seeped into his skin. His shoulders slumped from revealing his decision. “I know. I know there’s … problems, but I need you here.”“I want to be with you. Why can’t you come with me? We can start fresh elsewhere.”His back was to me. My hand went to my stomach. “Wha
Kataya’s POVWe all turned around when someone cleared their voice. I faintly thought I heard Ms. Tanis curse, but when I looked at her, she had a tight smile on her face. The assistant principal reached out to touch Rei Kang’s shoulder. “I hear your little ones are talking about things children shouldn’t involve themselves in.”A child popped out from behind him. It was one of Celia’s friends. She stuck her tongue out at me. Ms. Tanis moved to the side, getting Celia away from her leg. “Exactly right, hence why I was about to get them into the classroom and explain why this shouldn’t be a topic of discussion.”I watched and paid attention to the way they acted with each other. When assistant principal Dickerson spoke, I detected a strange tone. “Is that right? Then we should all go to the classroom so you can show ME how you handle unruly students.”Ms. Tanis stiffened. &l
Ari King’s POVI followed Rei out of the classroom, mostly to check on Ms. Tanis. When he hit her, the impact reverberated through the common area. The fact that Hiru followed us was surprising. Rei and I found Ms. Tanis leaning against the wall. “Ms. Tanis? Are you alright?”She looked up to see the three of us. Her left cheek was considerably swollen. “What are you three doing outside of the class?”Hiru looked down when he saw her face, but whispered. “He put that dumb lion out for calling him out on hitting you. Ari left and then so did I.”It was ironic to me that Hiru followed us. I had heard him threaten the slime with his father’s intervention. “And that sneaky snake said he would tell his father. So, he left.” Rei shoved his thumb in Hiru’s direction.She looked at us with tears welling in her eyes. “You should still be in class.”
Hiru’s POVI know the principal and assistant principal are against having Kataya in the school. Our elder and dad talked about how everyone should treat her. Dad hadn’t agreed one way or the other just yet. He’s against violence aimed at women or children. I may be rude to her, but I’ve never intentionally hurt her. Seeing how Mr. Dickerson treated Ms. Tanis and Kataya got my blood boiling.“Mr. Dickerson, I was sure my dad, the snake king, said never to harm women or children. You’ve slapped Ms. Tanis and bruised Kataya. What do you think he will say concerning that?”The older man stiffened. His glare leveled at me. I stood there, unyielding. “Sorry, little prince.” Sarcasm dripped from his voice. “I was not aware you care so much for the shifterless child.”My brows furrowed. I didn’t care about her. It was wrong to abuse her and Ms. Tanis. “Then I take it y
She knew it was time. Kataya stood there covered in red paint. Hiru pointing his fingers and laughing at her. Ari King glared and the serpent as he tried to place his jacket over her shoulders. Katya brushed him aside. Rei Kang held his twin brother's arm to keep him from hauling off to punch Hiru. Samuel had grabbed Hiru’s arm. “Dude, you said you were just going to reject her! Why would you humiliate her on top of that?” Kataya tilted her head, hearing his words. Hiru and Samuel were both her mates. Along with Ari and Rei. It was too much. She’d had enough. For far too long, Hiru tormented her. Samuel tried his best, but he did nothing to keep his best friend in line. She was done. Beyond done. Her white dress was stained with red paint. Her hair weighted down by the liquid, causing her tight curls to clump together. Red paint slid down her dark skin. The Hiru fan club gawked, pointed fingers, and laughed at her. Every girl adored Hiru. He was the snake king's son. A beautiful you
In the beginning, there was the Sun God and the Moon Goddess. The Sun ruled the light, shining brightly on the flora and fauna. He led with a heated ferocity most plants and animals enjoyed. The Moon Goddess basked in the borrowed light from the Sun God. Glowing where there was darkness, lighting the way when needed. Over time, their roles changed, mixed, and warped. The people changed as well. The animals they once admired integrated with their souls. Their souls, being tied to the moon, changed once a month when she was at her most robust. Some changed to felines, others canines, then there were reptiles and primates. No two people were the same. Families of four could have one of each shifting animal. The Sun God became enraged. The people began to solely worship the Moon Goddess, much to her dismay. No matter how many times she spoke with the shifters they didn’t heed her words. In order to calm his ire, the Moon Goddess selected a special child born from a shifting species. Sh