The Goddess is Mysterious

The rest of the day flew by for Lyra as she helped Sheryl clean the pack house. She was just coming back from picking vegetables from the pack's garden for dinner when she heard her name called from behind. She turned in dread to acknowledge the alpha's niece Amber and her hangers-on Sam and Shay.

She nodded politely to them as they approached her and Amber giggled, "You must be so excited for your birthday. I hear they're letting you eat at the table like a real girl. Who do you think your mate is? I bet he's not a member of the pack. He's probably a chihuahua instead of a wolf." Shay hid a smile behind her perfectly manicured nails and nodded along. Sam raised a brow and tilted his head in thought.

He then shook him head minutely and disagreed playfully, "no, no, not a chihuahua. Most likely a pug. Then his little ugly face will match hers." Shay snorted and added, "If his looks need to match hers it'll be a hyena." They all laughed and shoved past Lyra, and she slowly let out the breath she'd been holding.

She had worried things would get physical as they often did with those three and she had no desire to sport bruises or a busted lip on her special day. She hurried along to the kitchen to help Sheryl with dinner before anyone else happened upon her.

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Sheryl was humming along to some pop song and mixing up a cake mix when Lyra pushed into the kitchen using her hip to open the door. She sat her large basket down and began pulling out herbs and root vegetables to rinse in the sink. "Hey Sheryl?", she asked quietly. "how likely is it that my mate isn't from our pack?"

She'd be lying if she said she didn't want some guy to come running in like prince charming to take her away, but she was a practical girl and she knew the odds were probably super low. Sheryl stopped humming and set down her whisk beside the bowl. She heaved a great sigh and answered honestly, "I don't know honey. The Moon Goddess works in mysterious ways. Many wolves do find their mate within their birth pack, but many don't. Some don't find their mate right away and some never do. I hope that the goddess smiles on you and gives you a mate you deserve."

Sheryl was good at being vague like that. She never gave Lyra sweet lies, but she was never unnecessarily cruel either. Lyra supposed that Sheryl treated her how a mother might, but she wouldn't know. Though she had never coddled her like some of the other children had been treated by their mothers, she had always tried to protect Lyra from the worst of the abuse she had received at the hands of those who hated her for what her father had done.

Lyra shrugged and began methodically slicing, dicing, and chopping the vegetables. "I'd like to think the goddess would see that I'm not wanted here and take me to a pack where I wasn't known. Or maybe I don't even need a mate. Maybe I could go find a job in the regular world and leave this place under my own power." Sheryl smiled sadly and replied, "maybe so."