Vindicator

Chapter 14

Karma was clothed in her black attire, face hidden and brows coloured to match her attire. She was currently sitting between two bickering sisters; twins, to be exact. She rubbed her temples through her coverings, a headache starting to form.

"He's my mate, and he will be with me!" The one known as Samantha yelled at her mirror image.

"It's not up to you! He doesn't have to be with you, he wants to be with me! Just accept his rejection!" The one known as Allison yelled back, frustrated.

This situation was brought to Karma's attention through Jenna, the first wolf she'd helped aside from her mother. The twins were from Jenna's pack, and Samantha was mated to Clarke. The problem was that Allison and Clarke had been dating for over two years, and Clarke had sworn that she was his mate. He had turned 18 two months prior, and while he couldn't be 100% certain, he said he felt a different pull to her after his birthday.

From what Karma understood, Clarke had planned to surprise Allison at midnight on her birthday and confirm they were mates. He was then going to give her an engagement ring as her birthday gift. The problem, though, was that Allison was gone when he got there; in her place was Samantha, whom Clarke realized was his fated mate. He rejected her immediately, the ring in his hand reminding him who he truly wanted to be with. Unfortunately, Samantha refused to accept the rejection which left the three in an uncomfortable triangle.

The twins continued to bicker, like they had been for the past half hour. As much as Karma wanted to support the mate bond, she couldn't in good conscience force someone to stay with their fated mate if they didn't want to. That was why she'd arranged to meet with Clarke and the twins, only Clarke still hadn't appeared.

"The one whose opinion we actually want" Alessia mumbled grumpily. The bickering twins were getting on her nerves, too.

Sighing heavily, Karma closed her eyes and said a silent prayed to the Moon Goddess for strength to get through this without snapping at the twins.

As if her call had been heard and answered, Karma found herself in that dreamy space where she met the Moon Goddess before. Just like she had left her last time, the Goddess was sitting at the edge of the water with her feet dangling into its dark surface.

"Hello, sweet Karma" the Goddess greeted her warmly.

"Hello, Moon Goddess" she answered, bowing her head.

"Come join me" she said, patting the spot beside her.

Karma complied without question, then turned to find the Moon Goddess studying her.

"You have questions, I know. As you have not called on me before this, I have strength enough to assist you, but I must hurry" she explained.

Karma simply nodded, not wanting to waste time with words.

Smiling, the goddess began. "In regards to your latest quandary; you have twins vying for the same mate. One is fated, the other is chosen. I will explain this: identical twins are naturally occurring clones; they can each have the same mate. There are two potential mates for them, and whomever comes into contact with a fated mate first is tied to them. One of the twins knew this, and sought to steal her sister's boyfriend and mate out of jealousy. Had she not interfered, the couple would have found that they are fated mates" she explained.

Karma's eyes widened, she had a lot of questions about this; but none seemed important enough to interrupt. She simply nodded her understanding.

Pleased with her silence, the Goddess continued. "As for your questions...I cannot answer them all, but I will give you one answer to a question, and one answer to a question you have not yet thought of" she began.

"First, you want to know why you have seen no other wolves in the Lupine Realm, other than ones you specifically seek...And even then, they are dormant." She said, voicing the question that had bothered Karma most since she first entered the strange realm.

Continuing, the Goddess explained. "The answer is that I have left all wolves dormant, as much as it pains me. The exceptions being Faith and Alessia, of course" she said with a smile.

"The Lupine Realm in its infancy was teeming with life. Once upon a time, shifting from your human body to your wolf was not an actual shift of your physical form, but a trade. The body of the wolf in the Lupine Realm could be switched for the human form, and vice versa. As the sanctity of the matebond was forsaken more frequently, and chosen mates became more common; so, too, did murders in the Lupine Realm...These murders also translated to death in the Mortal Realm" the Moon Goddess said sadly. "Wolves were meant to cherish and protect the mate bond, and when their human did not agree...They took matters into their own realm and killed the object of their human's desire."

Karma gasped in horror. In the many scenarios between fated and unfated mates that she'd worked through, it was clear that the wolf half was more protective of their fated mate. Still, Karma was shocked to learn they would go to such lengths to ensure they found their mate.

"To rectify this situation, I put all wolves in a dormant state, as they lived alone in the Lupine realm...The human side had dealings with other living creatures in the Mortal Realm, so putting them into dormancy was out of the question. This also lead to forcing the human form to be capable of shifting to the wolf, instead of a simple swap. The wolves would still be allowed freedom at the discretion of the human side...And for the remaining time, they would be caged within the consciousness of their human half. This is the price for their crimes against their own kind, as much as it pains me to shackle them so" the Goddess paused to wipe a tear from her pale cheek, and Karma was mesmerized. Against the Goddess's pale, glowing skin, it was hard to catch; but, Karma could have sworn the tear was a shooting star.

Pressing on, the Moon Goddess was visibly becoming weaker. Her posture wasn't as strong and tall as before, and her words became more hurried. "It is for this reason, too, that the fog exists...In the event someone ever wandered into the Lupine Realm, it would be possible for them to slaughter all of werewolf kind who lay dormant there. The fog ensures that only those wolves I want to be found, are found." She explained, watching Karma's expression carefully throughout her explanation.

Pleased that Karma didn't look too baffled, and she saw no intention from the girl to interrupt her, the Goddess continued. "I am explaining this to you now to answer a question you have not considered. The physical body of the wolf lies dormant in the Lupine Realm, where you can also exist. So, if you were to find someone's wolf, you could feasibly trade places with them to exist in that werewolf's mind temporarily. This must be a consensual act, where both wolf and human side accept you. It will allow you to control someone's body as if you were them; however, they will be able to draw from your strength as if you were their wolf."

"Why would I need to do that?" Karma wondered aloud.

"Soon, you will come upon a young she-wolf in need...She will be bait for a trap to catch you, and you will need this knowledge to save her and remain safe" the Goddess explained.

Not pausing to let Karma ask more, she hurried on. "I will lift the fog...Find their wolf, connect with them, and have them welcome you. This is not an act you can force; remember that it must be consensual. That is all I can offer you, I'm afraid. You are doing so wonderful, my dear Karma. I continue to watch over you" she finished, her last words no more than a whisper before Karma found herself between the bickering twins once more.