赤裸裸的滑稽故事

Ashleigh sat quietly in the passenger seat of the SUV. They had been driving for an hour already without a word. She glanced at her mother, unsure if she should ask where they were going.

Ashleigh confirmed Corrine’s suspicion about what had happened between her and Granger. And though Ashleigh had made sure Corrine knew that Caleb had stopped him before things went too far,

Corrine had been unable to control her temper. She had destroyed several pieces of furniture and even thrown Ashleigh’s desk into a wall.

But she hadn’t really said anything.

“Mom…” Ashleigh said.

Corrine did not respond.

Ashleigh sighed and looked away.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly.

Corrine slammed on the breaks. The seat belt tightened painfully against Ashleigh’s chest as her body was jostled at the sudden drop in speed. Before she could recover, Corrine had already turned to her, grabbing one of her hands and squeezing it.

“You have nothing to apologize for!” Corrine stated firmly.

Ashleigh kept her eyes turned down.

“Look at me,” Corrine requested. “Hey, look at me.”

Ashleigh turned her head slowly, not wishing to meet her mother’s eyes.

“I am not angry at you,” Corrine said.

Ashleigh’s eyes closed. There were no tears left for her to shed. Instead, her eyes were swollen and dry from all the time she had already spent crying._.

“You did nothing wrong, Ashleigh. I am angry that I didn’t know and didn’t protect you.”

“Mom, no I–“

“I know you don’t blame me. But you should,” Corrine interrupted, her voice shaky. “I knew more was going on when you pushed the wedding back. I should have pushed; I should have made you tell me everything.”

“You tried,” Ashleigh protested.

Corrine gave Ashleigh a sad smile. She reached her hand up and touched Ashleigh’s cheek.

“Not hard enough.”

They were quiet for a moment. Ashleigh didn’t blame her mother, not in the slightest. She knew that no matter what Corrine had said or pushed for, Ashleigh would not have told her about Caleb before today.

But convincing a mother that her child’s pain was not somehow her responsibility was a losing battle.

Corrine let go of Ashleigh and turned her attention back to the road. She wiped away the tears that had threatened to fall and moved the car back into drive before continuing their journey.

“Where are we going?” Ashleigh asked after a few minutes.

“We need to know the truth.”

“The truth?” Ashleigh asked.

Corrine nodded.

“After what Granger has done….” Corrine began, gripping the steering wheel hard enough that her knuckles showed white. “…regardless of how far he went. I refuse to believe he is your mate. Otherwise, how could he….”

She clenched her jaw and took a deep breath.

“But Alpha Caleb…” she sighed again, “presents other concerns….”

Ashleigh wanted to ask what she meant. But Corrine continued before she had a chance.

“We need to know who your true mate is.”

“How?” Ashleigh asked.

“We are going to see the Priestess.”

Ashleigh was confused. She was aware of her pack’s traditions, beliefs, and customs and even some of those that belonged to other packs. Yet, she had never heard of anyone called the Priestess.

“The Priestess?” she asked.

Corrine nodded.

“The Priestesses are like a pack all their own,” Corrine began. “Children from all over the world are sent to them.”

Corrine saw the immediate concern in Ashleigh’s eyes.

“Not many, at most, once a year, and it is not forced,” she explained. “After their first shift, a wolf knows if they are meant to be a Priestess, they request to go.”

“But who are they? Where are they? Why don’t I know about them?” Ashleigh asked excitedly. How could there be a whole pack of wolves she had never heard of?

“The Priestesses are not like the rest of us. They do not interact with the world if they can help it. They are entirely devoted to the Goddess and her blessings. No pack would ever go against them or seek their aid against others.

“They have abilities unlike the rest of us. For example, they can touch some of the magic we once thought belonged only to the Fae. But, in reality, it belongs to the Goddess.”

“How have I never heard about them?” asked Ashleigh, completely fascinated.

“They don’t want to be known. So only a select few ever know about them. Lunas specifically. Even our Alphas don’t know how to reach them. They know of them, but being able to see them, speak with them. Only the Luna holds that right.”

Corrine paused, a thought occurring to her.

“Actually, not all Alphas would know. Alpha Caleb, for instance, or Alpha Gorn of Spring.”

“Why?”

“Well, Caleb hasn’t found his Luna yet, and since Fiona is still around, there was no reason for her to share this knowledge. As for Gorn… well….”

“He doesn’t have a Luna either. Has he not found his mate?”

“Oh, he found her… a long time ago,” Corrine replied sadly.

Ashleigh saw a look in her mother’s eyes, a distant sadness.

“Anyway, it doesn’t matter,” Corrine said, perking herself up. “If a Priestess is needed, she will be found.”

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly that, part of their gift, their ability, is knowing when they are needed and allowing themselves to be found.”

“How is that possible?” Ashleigh asked.

“I don’t know,” Corrine answered simply. “But if you don’t believe me….”

Corrine slowed the car, pulling over to the side of the road. She smiled and pointed ahead. Ashleigh turned to where she was pointing.

The snow outside was falling softly, the windshield wiper clearing her field of view every few seconds. A large white and grey wolf sat not far from the road, just at the start of the tree line.

Even from this distance, Ashleigh could see that it had unique markings. Between its eyes, a dark crescent moon, up towards the ears were smaller, more intricate patterns that she couldn’t make out.

“That’s…?” Ashleigh whispered out.

“That is a Priestess,” Corrine answered.

“But how?”

“I don’t know. But it is proof that they can help you, that you need them. They will be able to give you the answers you need.”

Ashleigh turned to look at her mother.

“Aren’t you coming with me?”

“I can’t,” Corrine smiled, “as I said, they don’t like to interact with the world. So they will only come to those that need them.”

“Have you ever met one?” Ashleigh asked, looking back out to the wolf that sat watching her.

“Once,” Corrine replied softly, “when I was pregnant with you.”

Ashleigh turned back to look at her mother with wide eyes.

“Why?”

Corrine swallowed. The memory was hard for her.

“I felt like there was something wrong. I thought I was losing you.”

Ashleigh reached out and held Corrine’s hand.

“It’s ok,” Corrine smiled with a clenched jaw as the memory was pushed back inside the vault of her heart. “It was a long time ago, and in the end, you were fine.”

Corrine straightened herself and cleared her throat.

“Now, you need to go. The Priestess won’t wait forever.”

Ashleigh nodded. She swallowed her nerves as she reached for the door handle after a final glance at her mother. She opened the door and left the car.

Her heartbeat grew faster and faster as she approached the wolf. Ashleigh couldn’t help but notice that the wolf was more prominent than any other she had seen before. The thought made her nervous.

The wolf stood up; Ashleigh’s natural reflexes moved her into a defensive position. The wolf turned away and began to move into the trees. Ashleigh watched it before glancing back at her mother in the car. Corrine nodded to her, telling her to follow the wolf.

Ashleigh took a few steps toward the wolf but suddenly stopped. The wolf looked back at her, and somehow, Ashleigh knew the problem. She nodded to the wolf, then removed all of her clothes and shifted into her own wolf.

Corrine watched as Ashleigh, in her wolf form, followed the Priestess into the trees. Once they were out of sight, she got out of the car to collect Ashleigh’s belongings.

Holding her child’s clothing in her hands, Corrine thought back to when she and Wyatt had been to this same place more than eighteen years before.

“We will provide her the answers she seeks.”

Corrine wasn’t surprised by the voice. Somehow, she had expected it. She turned around to see a woman. The dark skin of rich chocolate, beautiful green eyes of jade, and a head of golden curls. Just as she remembered her.

“Is this because of me?” Corrine asked, looking away from the other woman.

“Nothing that has happened was because of you,” The Priestess answered.

Corrine let out a bitter laugh. She knew without looking back that the Priestess was gone.