A Gift from the Goddess novel Chapter 109

*MARCHIA POV*

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'The Devils of the Mist'.

That was what I’d grown up being told, at least.

Unlike any other territory in the country, if not the world, they were regarded as some of the most dangerous people you would ever meet. A force you didn’t want to cross, lest your head be taken in payment of apology.

…And, of all places to find oneself, I had been sent there today.

I’d been eleven years old when the Council of the Silver Mist was first established. Back then, it was completely unheard of for more than one Alpha to control a pack, and yet the council consisted of at least three in their midst; three and a Luna, if you included the second Saintess. A conglomerate of two packs that now held authority over whatever they desired.

But for the past seven years, we’d been taught in our pack that their ways were wrong. That we held traditions with respect for a reason. That no one pack alone should hold so much power over others… and yet they did.

“Marchia,” a voice then said nearby, catching my attention.

I looked up and found a warrior standing there, a clipboard in hand.

“You’re Marchia, correct?” they asked. “The others have already gone inside the waiting area if you want to head on in.”

I nodded my head silently, failing to find my voice from nerves, and walked to where they had instructed; a large hall where I was expected to find a few others in similar situations.

I couldn’t help but wonder though that, if I were to become trapped here, whether anyone would ever find my body.

…But that was presumptuous of me, I guess, to assume that anyone would even bother to come looking. After all, I’d effectively been sent here as a sacrifice.

Inside the hall, I found three others; a boy and two girls. Each dressed with an emblem that represented their home pack, making it immediately clear why we were all here.

Because today was one of the most invaluable days for many small packs. Today was the day where a select few would be able to approach the council… and appeal for their aid.

I couldn’t imagine our Elders or Alpha ever agreeing to such a thing several years ago, their hatred for this place running far too deep. But I suppose it didn’t matter what they thought anymore. After all, none of them had survived the massacre that destroyed my home.

“You’re… Chia, right?” one of the girls then said, having caught sight of me in the doorway.

I frowned, looking her up and down, but couldn’t initially place her at all. Her brown hair and matching eyes didn’t particularly strike anything in my memory, though she was pretty, all things considered.

…But it was then as I noticed her emblem, one of a waterfall inside a circle, that recognition finally hit me. She was from the Grey Falls pack.

This meant she was most likely the eldest child of the Alpha there… Felix.

Her presence here told me that her pack must not be doing too well. Probably financially, if I could recall correctly. They were running low on resources after their last rogue attack a few years back. It would make complete sense if they weren’t able to recover, their pack being just as small as my own.

“Oh… You’re, um… Felix, right?” I asked.

Her lip twitched into a nervous smile as she nodded.

“Yeah, it’s been a while. We met a few years ago at a party,” she explained.

It was surprising she even remembered me at all; especially given my position. No one ever remembers the third daughter of a Gamma. I used to be considered basically unranked due to my circumstances; no true purpose other than to live and die, possibly becoming mated to someone in a neighbouring pack to form an alliance.

…I wonder if people would remember me now though? …Now that I was the highest-ranked survivor? It probably didn’t matter. They had Nicholas for everything these days. He didn’t even have a drop of ranked blood in him and yet they still all chose him over me to become the next Alpha. He held the most desired features they were after: he was a good fighter… and he was a man.

Naturally, they wanted me to take him as a chosen mate to avoid conflict, but that hadn’t been possible. Nicholas had already found his mate several years earlier, a girl who also held no rank. There was therefore no union able to made, leaving me as the undesired thorn in their side.

And so, what better way to get rid of your only competition than to send her on a suicide mission? To the place everyone dreaded to even step foot in?

Today was going to be a win-win for my pack regardless of the outcome. Either I secured the deal with the Council of the Silver Mist… or I died in the process. It would be a day to celebrate a fresh start for them regardless.

“Have you ever met them before?” she asked, noticing me fidget with the hem of my shirt.

But I shook my head. Of course, I hadn’t. This was my first time even stepping foot out of my pack. All I had were scary stories and doubt filling my mind, wondering if all the things I’d been taught to think were actually true.

That they might really be devils.

“...Have you?” I asked quietly.

However, she shook her head too. “No… But I know of them. I saw them in passing once and my mother explained to me who they were.”

…And with that, the door behind us suddenly opened loudly, and a man walked in.

A sight that made me both terrified and in awe.

You could see the way he carried himself with such confidence, feel the sheer authority rolling off him without even trying, that there was no question over whether he was an Alpha. A powerful one at that.

His body was built so incredibly strong, his hair as black as night… and yet those weren’t the scariest features about him.

No, that would be his eyes. Cold, green eyes that pierced without even trying. Almost as if they could cut you down where you stood.

…And it sent a shiver of fear through me, thinking how easily he could do just that.

“That’s Alpha Aleric,” Felix whispered to me as he strode to the top of the room, seating himself on a chair. Though if he could hear us at all, his face didn’t betray it as he held the same icy expression the entire time. “Lethal with all things combat, strength unlike any other you will ever see. And he has a nickname too… The Handler.”

“...The Handler?”

She nodded. “You might think he’s intimidating however I heard he’s the one you want to be dealing with. His exterior is scary, sure, but, believe it or not, he’s actually the most normal one of the whole bunch despite his brute strength. He just got the nickname because he’s the only one able to handle *her*. A creature even more deadly than him.”

“Who—.”

But I never got a chance to ask as suddenly the door opened again, this time giving way to a girl who looked only to be in her mid-twenties.

…And she was stunning.

With flowing silver hair and striking violet eyes, she was unlike anyone I had ever seen before. Almost ethereal in how she carried herself, an elegance about her that one could only attain from an extremely sophisticated upbringing. There was no question to her importance; her entire being radiated with it.

I went to look away, now somewhat uncomfortable by Felix’s words but, as I was about to do so, suddenly the girl’s gaze caught mine… and I froze.

“...That’s Alpha Ariadne,” Felix said. “...The most dangerous being you’ll ever come across.”

And the person Felix had apparently just described then smiled at me gently, her face only full of kindness as she did so, before turning towards the other Alpha.

“...Or you might know her better as the Silver Saintess.”

They were words that instantly made my heart stop.

I’d heard of her before, of course. Everyone knew about the Saintess. There were only two in existence and, before that, none had lived for centuries prior. They were living, breathing embodiments of the Goddess herself.

I remembered the first announcement when I was seven years old. Everyone had said it was a blessing that someone such as her was walking amongst us now. A sign from our deity that we were loved.

…But then everything changed once she became eighteen.

“They say her mark from Selene turned her insane. That the power of the Goddess descended her into madness,” Felix said with fear in her voice. “A crazy, power-hungry creature that will change moods as easily as flicking a switch. She brutally murdered her last attendant, right in front of the girl’s mother no less, and single-handedly killed her last Alpha with no mercy, doing so before she had even experienced her first shift. Then, of course,… there was the 'union day'.”

I knew what she was talking about. It was the day the notice was issued.

‘Submit’, it had read.

There was no second choice. The authority of a Saintess was undeniable. Our pack was forced to bend the knee to her, even at the cost of our previous alliances. And not just us either; hundreds of packs were. Many went to try and negotiate independence, but all left her pack more cemented in the alliance than before. No Alpha had the power to refuse her.

So, this was the person who had done all of that? The girl who had just walked in and smiled at me so kindly?

And a feeling of cold dread shot through me to my core.

“Why is she called the Silver Saintess?” I asked, curiosity now creeping back in despite my situation.

“It’s not just because of her hair, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Felix replied. “It’s because someone once stabbed her with a silver weapon… and she still didn’t die. Twice. Not even silver is strong enough to purge her existence from this world. She truly lives up to her title through and through… there is no question that she is touched by the Goddess. No one else has ever survived such a thing.”

…She was a monster. So powerful, so dangerous… no one like that should be able to exist. And not just her either, but the man too. If she was that strong… then what did that make him if he was the only one able to control her?

And, almost as if on queue, the Saintess then arrived next to her cold Alpha mate… though her presence apparently did more than expected. His face had immediately softened as she entered, almost like ice finally melting.

“Can we keep this one short?” Alpha Aleric said to the Saintess. “I need to check a few things before it gets dark today and Cai needs a hand with some stuff up north.”

“Stop it,” she hissed back. “This is important. It’ll take as long as it takes. Cai can wait.”

I frowned at the encounter between them, unsure how to feel, but I didn’t get much time to dwell on it. Quickly, the Saintess’ eyes then flicked up to the four of us by the door, and gestured for us to approach.

“You can come forward,” she said gently. “It’s a pleasure to meet with you all today, even though it might not be under the most pleasant of circumstances for you. Thank you for coming all the way here to meet with us.”

Per her instruction, we all nervously crept forwards, bowing our heads in respect towards her. And I swear you could have heard a pin drop with how silently anxious everyone was, holding their breath for fear even the smallest thing would upset her.

'She could tell us to jump off a bridge right now and we’d probably all do it,' I thought anxiously. She had absolute control to utilise as she wished; the authority that came from being chosen by the Goddess.

…But wasn’t there supposed to be more of them? I’d heard about there being at least four, but I was under the impression that the council consisted of several other members too. A few former Elders, Betas and Gammas were said to be included in their midst.