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Trinity
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I didn't know exactly what to expect when my training began. I knew that I would be learning a lot from both sides, but I didn't know how to begin. So I woke nervously the day after we arrived.
We had spent the entire first day doing nothing but resting. And between the nine of us, the warlocks, guards, Reece and me, we talked about what all I needed to learn. We all agreed I needed to know the history of both of my heritages. There was a general consensus that the men would all practice more combat training to make sure they would leave here stronger as well. But no one really knew what the Sentinelle had in mind for me to learn how to control my Goddess abilities.
Though there was one thing that they all agreed on, if they could not be with me personally then I was to be with Gabriel. We did not know any of the people here and had not had the chance to gauge their attitude or intentions.
This was a strange place filled with people we were not certain of. Needless to say Reece's, hell everyone's, stranger danger alarm was blaring. They were treating me like I was a two year old prone to running off or something. But, it was kind of sweet too, in a way. To have so many people worried about my well-being was actually heartwarming. And yes, I have a habit of not listening when I get mad, and I don't like being ordered around too much. But I promised I would at least try my best to behave the way they wanted. I would try at least.
The first day seemed to be just for me to train, but the guys were going to take the time to meet and get to know the members of the Sentinelle. They wanted to see if they could be trusted before they left me with any of them for an extended period of time. It was almost like I had a whole fleet filled with Reece, Noah, and Carter. Everyone was being so protective that it made me smile.
My first training day was to be nothing more than learning histories from Gabriel, so everyone felt comfortable leaving me for the day. The eight of them would be meeting with everyone as a group. The main reason was going to be because Vincent needed to be present when they met them.
Vincent, as part of his ability, would be able to tell what the true intentions of someone's heart was. If they were not an ally, if they harbored ill intent toward us, he would know. This made Vincent an invaluable and irreplaceable member of our team.
After breakfast they left me in my room with Gabriel, Reece giving me a quick kiss before leaving. Then Gabriel and I settled in to begin our long study session. We would even be having lunch in my room while we were studying. Good thing I loved learning and was actually looking forward to this.
We began by learning about the history of the original Luna Goddess, Nehalennia. Like all the Gods and Goddesses, she began her existence pre religion, pre dynasty, pre anything. There was not much in the way for the Gods and Goddesses before people began to worship them.
Nehalennia spent the first few thousand years of her existence with the animals that she cared so much about. As dynasties around the world began to form and the people of the world gained more knowledge of the Goddess Nehalennia, the number of loyal followers she had steadily grew.
With worshipers steadily growing, Nehalennia became stronger and stronger. Those who devoutly followed the Goddess were granted the form of the animals she so dearly loved. There were many animals she protected, but what she loved the most were wolves.
To Nehalennia, wolves were the most fiercely loyal and trustworthy of the animals. The wolves were like the children she wanted but never had. All the animals she cared for were like her children.
Those who gained the ability to shift from one form to another were stronger than humans. Not to mention that the shifters had better senses, like those of the animal they had the form of.
When it was discovered that the children of these shifters were also born with the same abilities as their parents it meant that there had been the creation of these new species. Humans, those who didn't believe in or worship Nehalennia, did not approve of or accept the new species of shifters.
It was like this for all the children born from Thoth and Selene as well. These people that were different were shunned by humanity. No matter how peaceful that they were, humans just did not accept what they did not understand. They were scared and jealous of those who had something that they did not.
Over several thousand years, Nehalennia watched her people as they grew and flourished, all the while saddened by the fact that her people were forced to hide who they were from the humans.
Nehalennia made certain all shifters had a future that would continue. Every shifter had a destined mate somewhere in the world. They would find their everlasting happiness eventually. There was never anything to fear as long as they stayed faithful to the Goddess.
A little more than two thousand years ago, the Goddess grew weary of her life here on earth. That was when she decided to ascend to the heavens. Or as some say, the moon, which is why she is known as the Moon Goddess. But she has remained the mother and goddess to all shifters in the world.
Now, for the legend of the Goddess Incarnate, that was something she told her followers before she left. The Sentinelle, named for their function of being sentinels on the lookout for the return of the goddess.
The original members of the organization were there with the Goddess before she ascended. They were there to receive her tutelage, her wisdoms for the future. Nehalennia told them that in one thousand years she would choose the most worthy woman among the shifters to be her reincarnation. She did not say with certainty that it would be a wolf shifter but since she loved her wolves above all others it was expected that she would choose a woman among them.
They were told that the reincarnation would be the queen of all shifters. It would be her job to rule, to lead her people to a prosperous future. It would fall upon the queen to help those born differently to be accepted by all.
She informed her followers that there would be a new queen a thousand years after the death of the reincarnation. This process would continue until the most worthy and suitable new Goddess Incarnate came along. Someone worthy of keeping the title and passing it down among her bloodline.
No one knew that the unworthy queen would not be able to have children. That was not something that Gabriel told me, but something I figured for myself. I didn't know if I was correct in that line of thinking, but I felt it.
Could that have been why I was destined to lose my baby. Would that happen every time I conceived? Was I the fabled true queen and losing the baby was truly an accident? I don't think I would ever know.
And perhaps I was wrong and the unworthy would still have children, but their children would inherit none of the Goddess Incarnate's abilities or status. This was all just something that would remain in the air, unable to be answered, until the truth was revealed by the original goddess herself.
I spent the entire day trying to absorb as much of these legends and histories that I could. It was fascinating to say the least. But I was also a little more scared and nervous with each new bit of information that I learned. I knew that I was who they said I was, the Goddess had told me herself, but how could I ever live up to their expectations?
I continued to think about these things as Gabriel moved on to talk about the first Goddess Incarnate, Queen Ylsa. Ylsa had been a kind and courageous leader. Everyone loved the queen and any of the wolves would have done anything for her. But she, being a wolf shifter, focused all her efforts on the wolves and not the entire shifter world.
Ylsa was an amazing queen and Goddess Incarnate, by all accounts. But where she lacked was compassion for the world and not just the people she was born into. She needed to expand herself more.
Was that why I was chosen this time? A wolf who was raised knowing that there was something different about her heritage. A wolf who was raised as an outsider and didn't have the same prejudices that a lot of others wolves seemed to have. I guess time would tell.
I was in a dazed stupor from all the information I was absorbing when I heard a commotion outside my room. Someone was yelling and several people seemed to be stomping through the halls leading to the chamber.
The surprised and shocked look on Gabriel's face told me all that I needed to know. He didn't know what was going on any more than I did. He stopped his lecture and I put down my pen at the same time.
The two of us stood, waiting for the interruption to reach us.
