Werewolf’s Heartsong

Chapter 243

Chapter 59: *“…forgive…the unforgivable.”

Alora turned to meet Darien’s gaze, he had a look in his eye that said he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Alora swallowed, feeling a little guilty for not telling Darien about the challenge from Matthew.

Darien was not the only one looking at Alora in stunned surprise over who her new challenger was. Jaxon, Mason, Garrett, Lexus, and Jamison all wore

“Did you know he was one of your challengers?” Darien asked.

Alora winced, ducking her head a little. “Yeees.” Alora said, drawing out the word.

Darien’s face scrunched in an expression of confusion. “And you didn’t say anything because….?”

Alora shrugged. “It just didn’t seem important. Besides, it was a last–minute entry.”

Darien frowned, he didn’t know how to feel about this. Obviously, he was worried about Alora, and how this challenge was making her feel. Before he could say

The beat of the song Alora had chosen, Andromeda by Dance With the Dead, already blasting out of the stadium speakers. That right there put Darien’s less song was a message in and of itself.

****

Matt felt the questioning stares from the Alpha Class fighters sitting behind him, the feeling had the hair on the back of his neck rising. The question wou

Matt was very aware that he was in for a beating from Alora, one he felt he deserved. He wanted to apologize to her for what he did. Even though he felt that no apology would ever be enough for rejecting a gift from the Moon Goddess herself. That was what Alora had been… a gift. He could never take the rejection back, he could only hope the next male lucky ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

enough to receive Alora as a fated mate, would treasure her immensely.

Matt made his way to the arena, making it to the platform before Alora. The song she had chosen started out with the sounds of a thunderstorm, before i as Alora took her place on the fighter’s platform in front of him.

He was struck by how beautiful she was, a nearly polar opposite to Sarah. Maybe it was an illusion, a combination of the stadium lighting and her caram colored skin, but her eyes glowed. Regret weighed heavily on his heart.

Ares let out a mournful sound, the loss of what could have been was painful to him. Ares knew why his humanoid form had chosen to challenge their now

****

Alora and Matthew did not start fighting right away, instead Alora studied Matthew with a narrowed gaze as she tried to figure out why Matthew would challenge her after rejecting her that morning.

“Why would he challenge us? What is his motivation?‘ Alora asked Xena and Selena.

‘I don’t know.‘ Xena responded

‘Maybe he feels guilty for rejecting us?‘ Selena suggested with a questioning tone.

‘You could always ask.‘ Xena offered

Alora agreed with Xena, her gaze still narrowed she tilted her head to the side and asked Matthew. “Why?”

Matthew’s expression spoke of sadness and regret. Making Alora feel Selena was on to

something.

Matt took in a deep breath he let out in a remorseful sigh. “I owe it to you after what I did this morning. It was a disservice to not only you but our Moon Goddess.”

‘Oh wow.‘ Xena said, stunned.

‘I feel like you should tell him what the Moon Goddess said‘ Selena told Alora.

‘I do too. It is strange, but I also feel he needs this fight.‘ Alora told them.

‘Closure…he needs closure.‘ Selena said.

Although she didn’t respond verbally, Alora felt Xena’s agreement with Selena’s

statement.

Alora accepted Matthew’s answer and his need for this fight with a nod. Alora decided she would give him a good fight, and entered into a ready fighting stance and waited.

Matthew felt a sense of relief when Alora simply nodded at his answer and took her fighter’s stance. He made the first move, coming at her fast, but not f

Matthew reacted fast as he fell, twisting his body in the air to land on his feet and then jumping back a few feet. He barely had time to take a defensive p his arm.

The kick had sent Matthew stumbling to the side a bit, he and his wolf admired the

amount of power Alora had as they regained their balance. Matthew went in for another.

attack, only to have it beautifully deflected before receiving another brutal blow. At one

point Matthew felt like they were a lowly peasant going up against a powerful Goddess. Ast

the battle wore on, Matt increasingly felt like his moves were slow and bumbling while

Alora’s were fast and graceful.

Eventually, when it got closer to the end of the five allotted minutes for the fight, Aloral

decided the battle needed to end definitively. With a whip–like kick to Matthew’s stomach,

she sent him flying off the platform and across the arena floor. He rolled a few times, before

coming to a stop on his back. Matt let out a pain filled groan when he landed on his back and didn’t bother to get up as the countdown started.

After the countdown ended, Alora hopped off the platform and calmly walked over te

Matthew. Coming to a stop she looked down and met his gaze. There in his eyes, Alora could

see that the battle they fought had given him the closure he had sought from it. Alora

reached her hand out in an offer, he looked at it in confusion for a moment, before he

accepted her help to his feet.

Matthew was taller than Alora, so once he was on his feet, she had to look up to meet his

gaze. Alora decided Matthew deserved to know what the Moon Goddess and her consort had

told Xena, Selena and her. At least the part of it that involved him.

“Be at peace, our rejection of each other was a part of a greater plan our Moon Goddess had for us. We were both under powerful black magic spells that only a rejection was able to break. Your real fated mate is out there somewhere just as mine is.” Alora kept her voice low, to keep anyone but Matthew from hearing her.

Matthew looked at Alora in surprise, shocked at what she had told him. However, before he could come back to his senses and ask her questions, Alora had already made her way back across the aren

‘Ares?‘ Matthew asked.

I sensed only the truth in her words.‘ Ares answered.

As Alora walked away from Matthew, she felt as if she was closing one more chapter of her adolescent life and opening another of her adult life. It was an odd feeling to her, not a bad odd, just an odd feeling. Approaching her seat, she met Darie

worried gaze.

“I’m fine, we both needed the fight.” Alora said, not needing to wait for the question that his eyes had been asking.

Darien frowned, his expression still worried. “What was it you were telling him when you helped him up?”

Alora sat down next to Darien and let out a resigned sigh, knowing he would just keep asking her questions if she didn’t answer him. “I told him what the Moon Goddess told me, that our rejection of each other was necessary. Told him his true fate

Darien blinked in surprise, struck silent for a moment. What Alora had done was incredibly generous. It also told Darien that Alora didn’t hold Matt’s rejection of her against him.

“You’ve forgiven him?” Darien asked, although it sounded more like a statement.

Alora nodded. “I have. What happened was tragic, but necessary.” The tragic necessity of what happened allowed Alora the ability to forgive, what would have been unforgivable.