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Chapter 48: The Daughters of Artemis
Maeve
I followed the group of women down into a steep, rocky valley. Myla and Pete flanked me on either
side, still in their wolf forms. They were beginning to tire, their breathing heavy as we made it to the
base of the valley, the sun beginning to set over the mountains to the west.
We approached a wall of vines growing up the side of a rock wall. The trail we had been walking on
ended abruptly at the wall, and I looked around, confused.
But then the women walked into the vines, one by one. I followed them, holding back the vines and
entering a long, lightless tunnel.
“What?” I murmured, apprehension tingling across my skin. Light began to trickle in, the tunnel opening
up to a valley of green, rolling hills and towering cliff faces. I gasped as I stepped out into the light,
seeing the buildings carved into the rocky mountain behind me and the waterfall flowing into a wide
creek in which several bridges weaved over the water.
“Welcome to the city of Dianny,” the woman said, her dark eyes creasing into a smile. She hadn’t yet
told me her name, but based on the fact that her pack mates were coming up to her, bowing their
heads in greeting, I assumed she was their leader, or at least their Luna.
The city was ancient, the buildings built into the mountains were totally carved out of stone and towered
high above our heads. All of the facades had carvings on them, symbols etched into red stone. The
lower levels were painted in colorful, sweeping murals, telling some story I didn’t understand.
I heard a yelp behind me and turned, watching as Myla and Pete were surrounded and led away.
“Hey!” I called after them, but I lost them in the crowd.
“Don’t worry,” the woman said kindly, “They’re not in danger. We will give them clothes and food, and
reunite you when they’re rested.”
“Who are you?” | asked, my tone brass and slightly bitter. I was nervous.
“My name is Una. I’m the Alpha of the Daughters of Artemis.”
“The Alpha?” I looked around at the crowd of people that had begun to gather, ripples of hushed
conversation surrounding us.
“Yes,” she laughed, waving her hand in dismissal, “Much like the White Queens, we are led by a female
line. Come, I will take you to your mate.”
“He’s not,” I shut my mouth, biting my lip to stop myself from saying anything further.
The crowd parted for us as we walked across the soft grass of what looked to be a market square, and
soon we passed under the entrance of one of the tall buildings built into the side of the mountain.
It was cool inside the building. It was lined with archways leading back outside, a cool breeze wafting
through the open space and as we turned down a hallway, several children ran past us, squealing in
delight as they tossed a ball back and forth.
So many people, I thought, how did I not know about this place?
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtUna motioned me to follow her as she turned a corner. I walked beneath a large, ornately decorated
archway into a courtyard bursting with fruit trees and tropical flowers.
“Troy?”
He looked up from the book on his lap, his eyes blinking as he straightened up, looking at me as
though he’d seen a ghost.
“Maeve?” He stood, running to me but stopping short of Una, his eyes narrowing suspiciously on her
for a moment before stepping forward and pulling me to his chest away from her.
“You were right in saying she would come,” Una smiled sincerely, no hint of cruelty in her eyes.
Troy nodded once, then bent his mouth to my ear, “Who are these people?”
“The Sisters of Artemis,” I replied, looking at Una. She smiled again, nodding her head.
“That’s impossible,” Troy said, looking Una up and down.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“He knows the legends, the myths,” Una said, her voice lifted as she began to walk around the
courtyard.
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Chapter 48: The Daughters of Artemis
“What myths?” I asked, and Troy opened his mouth to reply but Una continued.
“It’ll all be explained, I promise. But first, I must say that you are not prisoners here, any of you. You are
able to leave whenever you want, but
_She raised her hand as I opened my mouth to speak, to say we would be taking our leave now, “It
would be wise for you to stay, at least long enough for us to show you what is to come.”
“What do you mean, what’s to come?” Troy took my hand and took a step forward, standing
protectively in front of me as Una spoke.
“You will know everything-in time. Now, it is time to rest. I will show you to your room. Follow me,” she
walked out through the archway and back into the corridor. We followed, glancing at each other as we
trailed her through the winding hallway and up several flights of stairs.
Finally we stopped, at least seven stories above ground level, and she led us to a door. She turned,
handing me a set of keys.
*This will be your home during your stay, and whenever you decide to visit.”
“Visit? Troy looked dubious, but I unlocked the door, pushing it open to reveal the most beautiful room I
had ever seen in my life.
The red stone walls were vibrant against the polished, pale wood furniture. Troy’s mouth dropped open
as he looked up at the half-dome ceiling, a mural painted along every inch.
*This is the White Queen’s apartment,” Una said, her hand on the doorknob. “Dinner is in a few hours.
Please join us in the courtyard whenever you’re rested.”
She closed the door, leaving Troy and I alone in the incredible space.
I walked over to the window, looking out over the rolling hills and great waterfall that was so close I
could almost touch it.
“Did she say ‘the White Queen’s apartment?” Troy asked as he walked into the bathroom, running his
hands over the giant bathtub that had been carved out of the side of the mountain, the rock polished to
a crimson gleam.
“She did,” I answered, opening a large wardrobe. It was full of clothes, the fabric a vivid white and soft
to the touch. I pulled off my clothes before Troy could even reply, letting a long, flowy dress fall over my
shoulders. “Oh, that’s better,” I sighed, running my hands down the fabric.
*I can see your nipples,” Troy snorted, coming out of the bathroom to inspect the wardrobe himself.
“Look, there’s clothes for you here too-” | pulled a long, simple white shirt off of a hanger and held it up
to him, noticing the strange clothes he was already wearing for the first time. “How long have you been
here?” –
“Since last night,” he said, taking off the itchy outfit he was wearing and stepping into a pair of soft blue
pants, pulling the shirt over his head. It fit him in a strange way, so different compared to the usual garb
he wore on a daily basis, but the people I had seen in the square had been wearing similar fashions of
loose, flowing fabrics that were lightly dyed. He shrugged, looking at himself in the mirror.
“What happened to you and Robbie?”
He told me everything, how they had been smoked out by what they believed to be Wolfsbane, how
they had met a group of men when they awoke, the leader of the group turning out to be a man named
Ismir, who just so happened to be Una’s husband.
*They fed us, let us bathe. They gave me some kind of tea to help the pain in my arm,” he lifted his
arm, rotating it, and clenching his fist. “It feels as good as new. Healed fully, actually.”
*Healed?” I said, a sudden burst of jealousy rippling over my skin. “I thought White Queens were the
only ones with healing powers?”
He shook his head, sitting down on the edge of the bed, then laid back against it, closing his eyes.
“You’ve heard of the fable of Lycaon?”
“Of course, everyone has.”
“Well, it’s not a fable. These are his direct descendants.”
“What?” I sat next to him, laying down and propping myself up on my elbow to look down at him as he
spoke.
“Yeah, at least, that’s what I’ve gathered in the short time I’ve been here.”
“How is that possible?”
“Well, how are White Queens possible? Aren’t you all supposedly descended from the Moon Goddess
herself?*
“Yes…”
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm“Through Morrighan, the daughter of the Moon Goddess. The twin of Lycaon.”
“Twins? I’ve never heard that part of the story.” I said, falling back against the pillow next to him.
*I don’t know the details, but something is strange about these people, especially Una.”
“You said they used Wolfsbane on you?”
He nodded, sighing deeply.
“Where’s Robbie?” I asked, swallowing against the tightness in my throat as I thought of Myla and Pete
being led away.
He shrugged, rolling over to face me. “Robbie has a room here too, I think. They kind of just… left us to
our own devices. We weren’t prisoners at all. The ladies here love Robbie.”
I laughed. “What do you mean?”
“After we ate, we were taken to the square to meet Una. I told her my crew would be coming for me,
but that seemed to be exactly what she wanted. I overheard some women talking about Robbie, saying
how his offspring would be big, strong wolves. They seemed to be, well, more than willing to give it a
shot,”
“Are you saying Robbie is off enjoying the company of a woman right now, Troy?” I laughed.
“Probably more than one-”
“Oh, okay. Thank you for that image.”
Speaking of that,” he said softly, a slight purr to his voice. He rose onto his elbow, bending down to kiss
me, taking my lower lip between his teeth
“You want to do this? Right now?” I mumbled, melting into his touch.
“Why not? We’re alone. We’re probably safe, at least for the time being. Wait-” He looked around the
room, his muscles tightening in concern, “Where’s Duck?”
“Last I saw, he was chasing some kids around in the square,” I breathed, pulling him back to me and
kissing him fully.
“Who came with you?” he asked, breaking away from the kiss.
“Myla and Pete. Keaton stayed behind.”
“We can’t mind-link here, Maeve,” he said quickly, reaching to stroke my face as he spoke. “There’s
something about this place, I just can’t put my finger on it,”
For some odd reason, I didn’t have the faintest desire to talk about our predicament. All I wanted was
Troy. I pulled him back to me again, locking my legs around his as I lifted my hips to him, silently
begging him to take me.
He hiked up my dress, matching my urgency with his own.
The room seemed to spin as I laid there, weightless, his touch sending electric sparks through my skin.
I looked up at the ceiling and the mural seemed to move, to come alive, the small figures of white
wolves dancing in the soft evening light above Troy’s shoulder.
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