[Rock]I didn’t like the idea of sharing Carmen with anyone. How would that have even worked if he’d accepted her? How would I have met her? Would he have brought her out of the pack lands more than her parents permitted her before? Would he have accepted me as the second mate to her?The possibility of a second chance mate being out there for her made me angry. I didn’t want to share my mate. I was never selfish in this way before. I would share and even give things to people, but my attachment to Carmen was solid. No one else would claim my mate. “No. For those of us who are gifted two mates, that’s it for us. It seems that my early assessment was incorrect. Carmen had two mates, but she was only meant to accept one,” Orella answered. Closing my eyes, I breathed a sigh of relief. What I felt for Carmen was unlike anything I had ever felt before. I never wanted to own something or someone as completely as I wanted to own her. “What’s interesting is that it seems the goddess planned it this way. She knew the odds were good that her other mate would reject her. There was a magical message mixed up in the foundation of the blessing.” “What was the message?” Carmen asked. “The goddess always intended Rock for your mate and only gave you a second mate because your father begged her every night to give you a werewolf mate. A werewolf would merely see your weaknesses, but a fae would see you,” Orella explained. “You were only meant to have one mate, Carmen. It would have been whoever accepted you first.”“What if he had accepted her?” I asked. “The goddess would have had a second option for you. Apparently, there was a whole procession based on the actions of that boy. If he hadn’t rejected her, you and several other people would have had different mates. As it all came together and you accepted Carmen, the goddess’ plan goes on. Since you accepted Rock, Carmen, your family will be permitted to keep the Beta seat of Hallowed Moon. Your brother will now be able to impregnate his wife.” “The goddess was the one stopping them from having pups? If Jordan had accepted me, then my family wouldn’t have stayed the Betas of the pack,” Carmen whispered. “If you had rejected Rock or been accepted by Jordan, none of your children would have been born Beta and your brother would have remained sterile. It was a punishment, but she didn’t elaborate. I will tell you that you will be able to bear one child with Rock, but will never have another child,” Orella told her. One child. It was enough for me. “Will I never have another child because I won’t survive it?” she asked quietly. “You will survive, but only just. The goddess has a plan to get you the two children you desire. It is being put into motion. Don’t worry.” Orella smiled softly at Carmen. “Will my child be blind, though?” Orella sighed. “It is not the curse many think it is. Your child will be half-troll. If they are born with eyes, then they will not be blind. I don’t know anything about the child themselves.”The woman was interesting. She was about as tall as Carmen with sparkling white hair and similar icy blue eyes like Carmen had. She looked as if she should be dancing with the way she floated as she moved. Her skin was a rosy golden color and she was the epitome of gracefulness. If I didn’t know she was blind, I wouldn’t have guessed it. It reminded me of the times when Carmen acted as if she could see. I wondered if this was possible for her. It would make her feel more confident if she could learn whatever this woman used. “Someone in your family was given this blessing and it was passed on to you. As I said, this is woven into your very being and it cannot be removed. We can teach you how to use this magic. My magic reacts to you, so I know you can use it,” she told Carmen. Whatever Carmen’s father did, it created changes to the whole pack and basically ensured that his daughter would end up taken by the fae. I felt the goddess intended our mating to do more than punish Carmen’s father, though. Queen Maeve was planning to use my mating as the seal to our alliance with the werewolves. Kingdoms had been united for centuries through marriage bonds. Carmen was the daughter of someone who would be considered a noble among werewolves. I was the third son of a noble troll. It made a lot of sense. The goddess was trying to create this alliance before we had ever considered it. It made me smile to think that she was always planning for this alliance to happen. “One child…. I’m sorry, Rock. I thought I would be able to get us at least two.” Carmen sighed. “One is enough for me. Plus, she said the goddess has a plan to get us a second child. All we have to do is focus on when we want to have our biological child. Everything will come together after that. This is all good news. I haven’t heard anything bad yet.”“There is something blocking me from seeing Carmen’s future. I can’t see as far as I can with my other clients. There’s some sort of darkness muddling the vision. I can see that something terrible will happen if you do not hire the young men from Carmen’s village. They will be what stops someone from doing something to her,” Orella said. “Someone is going to do something to her? Why? What?” I asked. “They mean for it to be a prank because they see her as being mad with power rather than being concerned for your business. Some people don’t understand the difference between trolls and werewolves. If you bring the boys into the company, they’ll show the others that Carmen is just passionate about your success.” Carmen had gotten on a few of the guys about the paperwork they were supposed to do. I would usually do it myself, but Carmen said that it was not my responsibility and the guys were taking advantage of my desire to stay on top of everything. She was right, but I never saw the benefit of pressing it. Now that she was there for me to answer to, I was backing what she said. Maybe they thought she was forcing me. It wouldn't be good if they thought she was mad with power. Any decrees I made might be seen as her controlling me. If the healer said the solution was hiring the boys, then I would. They were entry-level, but seemed to have the intention of getting better. Carmen’s safety was more important to me than what the boys had to offer. Even if they didn’t get better right away, they would have plenty of time to get better. I’d keep them on until I knew Carmen was safe or until they quit. Both of them seemed serious about being of use and proving themselves. “Is the darkness from the warlock, Rhett, who’s interested in Carmen? Is he a threat? I know how to find the power he’s afraid of if we need it. I can make sure he never bothers her again,” I growled. “I don’t know, but, I have dealt with the warlock before and he is no real threat. His dark spirit wants to experience life and be entertained. It has kept him alive this long because Rhett entertains it and they seem to understand each other on a different level.” Orella explained. “So he won’t hurt me?” Carmen asked. “I don’t believe so. I don’t think it’s his darkness that’s stopping me from seeing anything. It’s not strong enough for that, even though it is powerful,” the healer replied to my mate. Carmen nodded, and then put a hand to her head. I hugged her to me. Orella looked mildly concerned. “Werewolves are not as strong as fae when it comes to this sort of inspection…. I feel as if it would be best if Carmen were to go home and rest.” “I’m sorry, I’m just so dizzy.” I pulled Carmen into my lap and picked her up as I stood, holding her like a princess. Carmen leaned her head against my shoulder. She hated being carried around by people like this, but there was no way she could make it back to the truck on her own two feet. “A quick word of warning, as I looked at her past while I was examining her, take everything you hear from her pack with a grain of salt and do your own research. They infantilize her far more than most humans with blind family members. She is not as weak and her wolf is not as underpowered as they say. Once she is trained by us, you’ll see her moving more naturally and without need for assistance,” Orella explained. “I’ll do that. I appreciate your help. Should I make another appointment to start training her?” I asked. “No, someone will come to your home to train her. Once she can use the magic she’s been given, the training will stop and it will be up to Carmen to keep learning on her own. It will be a matter of exploring the magic on her own.” “I appreciate it. When can we expect the first visitor, so I can be ready with proper hospitality?” “Monday. I would like for her to have time to rest and relax. Let your mate have time with only you. It will help with her healing. Keep her with you as much as you can. Do not leave her at home let her go into the office because that’s where she feels connected to you.” “Yes, ma’am,” I replied with a smile. “Carmen was right, you have a beautiful smile.” “Ma’am?” I asked, shocked. “She thinks it every time she hears you smile. It makes your voice brighten in a lovely sort of way. I know it’s different for people who can see it, but we can only hear it. From what I’ve heard, you’re a very handsome man.” Carmen growled and put her arms around my neck possessively. Orella laughed. “I have no interest in your mate. I have been alive a very long time and my own true mates would have an issue with me stealing someone else’s true mate.” “We’ll be going now,” I said. “Thank you for the compliment. You didn’t have to say that.” “You are very welcome. Safe travels.” I headed out of the office and cautiously went down the stairs. Carmen relaxed her grip on my neck and leaned against me in a tranquil way. People stopped and looked at us as we walked through the fae village. I couldn’t wait to get out of this place. The forest village was more judgmental than the fae lands in the human territory. They still believed in a certain sort of aesthetic in the goddess’ matches. A troll and a werewolf didn’t fit it. I focused on the road ahead instead of the whispers and stares. A man stepped into our path. He was an elf I had never seen before. He was wearing a golden wreath around the crown of his head, indicating that he was a royal. I remembered that Queen Ivy had been married recently. With a little effort, I went down on one knee and bent my head. It was proper etiquette for encountering royals in the forest village if you were a larger species. It was harder on some trolls than on others, but they didn’t like us towering over them. It made them feel small.  “Hail, Troll, I haven’t seen you here before. And what’s that, you’re carrying? A human…. No… a werewolf. How odd to see in the land of the fae.” “Hail, Prince, I am Rock Beaumont of the human realm village. This is my true mate, Carmen Rosen of the Hallowed Moon Pack.” “Beaumont? As in Lady Eru Beaumont?” he asked. “That is my mother,” I replied. “Then it seems you are of noble birth as well. I met your mother a few years ago when I was visiting the troll village in the fae realm.” “My mother returns home from time to time. She loves living in the human realm, though. Many of her friends are here, but my brothers are still living in the fae realm.” “Yes, Haldor and Goran. I can see a little of you in them. You’re the one who’s half-human. I was wondering what a half-human troll looked like. Sorry to keep you from your path. I am getting to know everyone who lives here. I am Ewan Larkspur. Safe journey, Rock and Carmen.” He smiled and went on his way. “That was annoying,” Carmen muttered. I managed to stifle a laugh as I stood and started back on our way. She was saying what I was thinking, again. I hugged her a little closer to me and she snuggled into my arms. “Rock, tell me about your mom,” Carmen requested.