Chapter 208

Carol’s POV

“Carol, wake up my daughter,” a soft and musical voice spoke to me through the light breeze that caressed my features.

I stirred in my sleep, feeling groggy but oddly awake. When I opened my eyes, I saw that was staring up at the night sky. A woman stood over me with long blonde hair that cascaded down her bare shoulders and across her back. In her hair were lovely flowers that were wrapped through her delicate curls. Her ocean-blue eyes sparkled under the illuminating rays of the moon.

I noticed right away that her skin was completely flawless; though she looked old enough to be my mother, she had no wrinkles or aging spots on her percaline skin. She wore a white dress that made me think of her as a bride of some sort; it was strapless and hugged her perfectly formed body beautifully, showing off every single one of her gorgeous curves.

“Beautiful…” I whispered, not realizing I had said that out loud until I saw her cherry-red lips tipping upward in a smile. “Who are you?”

“You already know who I am,” she said, stepping away from me suddenly.

I frowned and sat up; I noticed my surroundings for the first time and my frown deepened. I didn’t recognize where I was; I was seated near a riverbed and beyond the water was nothing but a green field. It smelled like spring in this area and the air was cool to the touch, but not super cold. It was comfortable and I felt oddly safe here.

“You created this place with your mind,” the woman said simply. “You should feel safe here.”

I blinked at her; did she just read my mind? Because I know for a fact that I did not just say that out loud. My heart hammered wildly in my chest as I stared at this mystery model in front of me. She looked off in the distance where the river met the ocean and then she looked upward at the large full moon that decorated the sky; twinkling stars surrounded it.

“Why am I here?” I asked the woman.

“You are here because your soul needed a place to rest while your body recovered,” she answered.

I gasped as the memory flooded my mind; I remembered how I couldn’t control my body and then I felt that insane heat. That man broke into my room and tried to have his way with me… and then Aiden saved me.

Aiden.

Where was Aiden??

“Your mate is safe,” she assured me, once again reading my thoughts. “He hasn’t left your side.”

I frowned and glanced around myself; I didn’t see him at all, so I wasn’t sure what she was talking about that he hadn’t left my side.

“In the mortal world,” he explained. “He’s by your side in the hospital.”

My heart fell deep into my stomach as I stared down at my hands.

“I’m not in the mortal world…” I whispered hoarsely; it wasn’t a question, just an observation. “Which means… I must be dead.”

“No,” she told me gently. “You are very much alive. As I said, your soul is just resting while your body recovers. You will make a full recovery,” she assured me.

I lifted my gaze to look at her and I realized I knew exactly who she was; I had never seen her before and I honestly doubted that she even existed, but all those doubts were gone from my head now.

“You’re the Goddess,” I whispered, once again, not asking a question.

She smiled and then she gave me a small nod of her head.

“I am,” she answered. “And you are very important to me, Carol.”

I furrowed my brows together.

“I’m important to you?” I asked, confused.

“I had chosen you from the very beginning to be my High Priestess,” she explained. “I’m afraid there’s an evil brewing under your nose and the world needs your protection.”

I frowned.

“Jenna might be a bitch, but I doubt she’s a risk to the world. She’s only a risk to me,” I murmured, tugging at my fingers nervously.

“I am not speaking of Jenna,” she told me softly. “But of the one who brought her into this world.”

I lifted my gaze to meet hers.

“Elizabeth…” I whispered.

“You must be careful,” the Goddess told me gently. “She won’t stop until she gets what she wants, even if it means killing everyone in her path. The covens and the werewolf packs need your protection now more than ever.”

“I only want to protect my pack…” I admitted, tears filling my eyes. “That’s always been my priority since I became the Luna and married Aiden. My pack needs me…”

“You are way greater than you give yourself credit for, Carol,” the Goddess told me softly. “You have a bigger purpose, as does your mate. Soon, your destinies will find you both.”

“Our destinies?” I asked, my brows furrowed together. “I don’t understand. What are our destinies?”

She smiled and put a hand on my shoulder.

“All will be revealed soon enough; but for right now, you must be wary of the Queen and stop her before she can unleash the true evil into this world. Jenna cannot take the crown; if she does, I’m afraid this world will fall into the hands of darkness.”

I bit my lip and then I nodded. I knew she was right; the queen was evil and Jenna was her spawn. I had to stop her, but first, I needed to get back to the mortal world and to my mate.

“Be well, my daughter,” the Goddess said.

At that moment, I realized she was fading, or maybe it was me that was fading. I wanted to call back out to her, but my vision became blurry until there was nothing but darkness.

…..

The light beeping woke me, and my eyes flew open; I gaped, as if I hadn’t been breathing until seconds ago. I felt movement from beside me, my heart thumping wildly in my chest as I looked over at Aiden.

“You’re awake,” he said, sighing out a breath of relief.

He looked so worried and exhausted. How long had I been out of it? What had happened?

“W…what happened?” I asked, my breathing erratic.

He sat on the edge of the bed, wrapping his arms around me.

“You were drugged,” he answered. “Alison had a suspicion when she saw that you drank the tea. It took us a while to get her to talk because she was worried about treason and having it get back to Jenna, but she said that Jenna was in the kitchen with her when she made the tea and she thinks that she could have spiked it.”

My heart fell deep into my stomach as I stared up at him; tears filling my eyes. I should have known that Jenna had something to do with this. She probably let that stranger into the manor as well so he could have his way with me.

My stomach twisted with disgust.

“When I got to your suite, there was a rogue in there. He was trying to…” his voice trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

I put my hands on his face and made him look into my eyes.

“He didn’t though,” I said softly. “You saved me, Aiden. You came for me.”

He kissed the bridge of my nose, and I closed my eyes, soaking him in. I’ve missed him so much and I was so glad that he was that he was here with me right now.

“I will always save you, Carol. You are my mate, and I love you. I knew something was wrong as soon as I arrived and I had to find you,” he whispered.

I kissed his lips tenderly, melting into his warm embrace and the sweetness of his mouth.

“Where’s Alison now? Is she safe?” I asked.

“Jenna doesn’t suspect that she said anything,” Aiden assured me. “Oliver is making sure that everything remains okay at the manor. He’s keeping an eye on things and reporting what he can back to me. The King has been in meetings all morning trying to figure out how a rogue got into his pack. He was furious when he found out about what happened to you, and I might have yelled at him for being careless and allowing a rogue to cross his borders.”

“And you’re still alive?” I asked, raising my brows.

He smirked and kissed the side of my head.

“He was just as angry about the rogue as I was and even more so worried about you,” Aiden told me. “He knew I was pissed; you’re my mate and he can’t stop a wolf from protecting his mate.”

I nodded thoughtfully.

“I can’t believe I was stupid enough to get drugged,” I murmured, laying back in bed, suddenly feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. With everything going on, I was surprised I was still functioning.

“The doctor will be in soon to talk to you,” Aiden said. “He popped in once in a while to change your IV bags and give you medication.”

I nodded and gave him a tired smile.

Then a thought occurred to me.

Holy shit… I was drugged!!

“The baby!!”