Moon Child

17. Lessons

I walked quickly after Aria into the nearby wooded area. I watched her back angrily as we did so. Slowly, her glowing white figure morphed into the red-headed Aria that I grew to know. Her feet landing on the ground as she began walking instead of floating. Finally, she stopped abruptly, making me run into her and stumble back a few steps.

"Why did you let that happen?" I asked angrily. She sighed and rolled her eyes. She could have pretended she didn't know what I was talking about, but that would've been a waste of both of our time.

"I wanted you to know a portion of what the mate bond feels like. You were numb to the effects compared to Liam, and, although he's an idiot, you didn't understand either... not completely anyway. You still don't. But I think you have a better idea now of what the mate bond truly feels like. It's special. I want you to be fully aware of the consequences before throwing it away out of spite," she explained.

Why not just tell me?" I asked with a shake of my head.

"You may have believed me, but you wouldn't know what it felt like until you felt it for yourself. It's not something I can describe to you. It's not something I experience. He's still a boy, Dani. He has a lot of growing up to do," she explained. I sighed and ran my hands over my arms to try and get some heat back.

"Why are we outside?" I asked. Her hand raised beside her in a short arch as she whispered something to herself. It was suddenly comfortably warm. I relaxed, only a touch, as I waited for Aria to speak.

"Nature is a force and source of energy for us... well another one. When the moon is new, you will be weaker, as you now know. You can make up for it a little bit by drawing from the Earth's energy. It still won't be enough to make you feel one hundred percent, but it'll be enough to get you through the day without passing out like you did last time," she explained before she sunk to her knees in the dirt. "Do as I do," she said. I went to my knees as well, curious about where she was going with this. I mirrored Aria as she pressed her hands into the ground, took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"Try to feel the movement under the Earth; the flow of energy," she instructed. I took a deep breath and focused as she said. It took a moment but I finally found the invisible stream under the hard dirt. A small smile graced my lips at my minor accomplishment. I felt slightly recharged.

"That was... relaxing," I said as I sat back and enjoyed having my guard down. She chuckled.

"Well, you stress too much anyway. It's a nice charge on a new moon, but the moon will have you stronger than Earth on any given day. Full moons will nearly triple everything about you from vision to power," she explained. I sighed as my smile fell and my thoughts drifted back to Liam.

"You shouldn't let him consume your thoughts," she said knowingly. I couldn't help it after that kiss. Thinking about everything simultaneously made my head spin with questions.

"But I don't know what to do about it... or him. I felt it in every nerve of my body when he kissed me, but... he wants Sophia. And I'm not going to be his second choice," I said defiantly.

"He wanted her... but no regular wolf can resist the mate bond. They can try but it'll eventually drive them mad until they can't think about anything else. He literally can't take a breath without thinking about you. Stubborn at first, but I told you: he's a boy. He hasn't quite matured, but he realizes the fault in his mistake. He's trying to make amends. It's the only way to ease his soul and keep from going completely mad and bloodthirsty. Denying a mate, can turn a wolf insane, literally. It's rude to deny a gift from a Goddess, and there is a price to pay for doing so. It would be wise to forgive and show your maturity. You don't want to see what happens to a wolf who's denied a mate," she said. I knew she was probably right, but I still wanted to hold on to my grudge because I was hurt.

"I'm not saying to accept him with open arms, just talk to him. You can have another mate, but he only gets you. And without you, he'll turn feral," she reminded me.

"I wouldn't even know what to say to him," I breathed.

"Just say whatever comes to mind. Be truthful. Some wolves will kill themselves before going feral. He literally wouldn't be able to live without you. He feels even worse because he knows that it's no one's fault but his own," she explained.

'What are you in his head or something?" I asked. I she nodded. I sighed heavily. I didn't want him to kill himself by any means, I was still so angry though.

"What's next on the lesson plan?" I asked, trying to change the subject. I didn't want to think about Liam anymore. She sighed before she stood.

"You know what; you need to go see him tonight," she said.

"Can I give him time to stew? He only acknowledged wo I was to him today," I said with a bit of a whine.

"Don't be spiteful. He acknowledged you and pushed his own embarrassment aside. The longer you wait, the worse he'll get. Go see him, even if it's just to tell him that you don't hate him. And I know you don't," she ordered.

"I don't need a guy. I've been fine on my own so far," I argued in frustration. She shook her head.

"You're a demi-goddess first, a wolf second, but still a wolf by nature. You will need a mate, period. It's been that way since the beginning. You just have more of me in you than I originally thought. You're not entirely immune to the bond, but not completely destroyed by it either. You're only hurt," she said. I groaned as my head went back slightly.

"Why are you pushing this so hard?" I asked. Her eyes narrowed at me slightly. I guess she wasn't used to people questioning her.

"I have my reasons. I was okay with you teasing him a little, but you're being completely irrational now and playing with his life," she said. "I'll meet you in your room for your next lesson," she said before she disappeared. The heat went with her. I shivered before getting up quickly and retracing my steps back to the house. It was a good thing we weren't far or I would've been lost. I went to my room and saw Aria was already there as her white figure.

"Glamour," she said simply.

"What?" I asked confused, and still pissed from my cold walk. She whispered something before turning back to her normal red-haired self.

"Glamour; it's the act of changing you r appearance or anything really so it appears different to other people. Clothes, face, hair, anything. Just think about what you want to change and how you want to look. Be as specific as you can and just focus," she instructed. I took a breath and closed my eyes as I focused on my hair. I thought of changing it to my father's dirty blonde color with his straight hair and honey accents. I focused hard and cleared my mind of everything else.

"Good, not link your fingers together and say 'with a knot'," she instructed. I did as she said and repeated her words. I opened my eyes and went to look at myself in the mirror. I touched my hair in shock to see it was the exact color of my father's. "Now to undo it, just link your fingers back together and say 'untie' as she let go," she said. I did it and watched as my hair changed back to its natural, black color right before my eyes. I blinked as I just stared at my reflection.

"H-How?" I asked confused. She whispered something under her breath before she touched my arm. I gasped at myself in the mirror. I was still me, but everything seemed to be glowing. My eyes looked brighter and more iridescent. My hair looked smoother and a darker hue of black. My skin was clearer. I looked... beautiful. My clothes were changed too. I was in a bright blue, V-neck sweater and cropped blue jeans with gray ankle boots. I touched the mirror in shock, unsure of the way I looked. She tied it off and looked at me approvingly.

"There, now go see your mate," she said. My eyes bulged.

"You want me to go like this?!" I asked in shock. She only smirked.

"Just trust me," she said. I shook my head.

"I hope toying with my love life won't become a regular thing with you," I said unamused. She only hugged me. When she let go, we were outside of the Miller's house. Then she dissolved with the next gust of wind.

"Go easy on him," her voice whispered in the wind. I was left standing there with two options: risk freezing to death and walk home, or go to the door. I sighed and faced the house as the cold stung my cheeks. I was going to have to find a way to get Aria back for this stunt.