Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 34185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34185 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 171(@200wpm)___ 137(@250wpm)___ 114(@300wpm)
“And their children?” Dustin was intrigued. “Where did they go?”
“Over time, they found their own way. Many went back to the earth realm, some stayed in Fhomhair, and some even mated with other species and lived on other worlds. Consus had an entire tribe that she called the Ierós—in the divine language, it means the sacred ones. Others have called her children the Harvest Moon Tribe as there was nothing her alpha descendants touched that did not grow in abundance. Her offspring were equal parts human/shifter/goddess. My father called them the Copii Cerealelor, the children of the grain.” Notalus ran the back of his thumb down Dustin’s cheek, gazing on him as if he was the beautiful specimen in the universe.
Dustin tilted his head to the dazzling orange moon rising high above them as dusk set in. “And you believe that I’m a lost descendant of that pack?”
“Not lost anymore… but yes, I believe it, and it is what I know,” Notalus contended. “When I encountered you on the Volkov lands last year, I could sense a part of Fhomhair inside of you, but I needed to do more research before I came to the conclusion.”
“Are you sure?” Dustin asked. He didn’t want to be told he was something that he wasn’t. But by gods, it would explain why he’d never felt like a true member of any pack he’d joined, as if the other shifters sensed something different in him that wasn’t welcome. So he’d been alone most of his life after his father died.
“I’m more than positive. Especially after you confirmed you were a stronger alpha than a zenith. Consus only had alpha wolves, but they had the strength of the gods. They were a peaceful pack that lived in harmony and never challenged her mate or each other. The children of the grain were harvesters; they didn’t prosper on rank.”
“This is insane. I didn’t have a big family, and the few relatives I knew of never mentioned anything about a relationship to a goddess. My father didn’t know much about my mother besides she was a wealthy debutante. A rebellious human girl that sought out my father on nights she wanted to rile her parents. They hooked up a few times for about a year until she got pregnant. My father wanted to make her his mate, but after she gave birth to me at nineteen, she thrust me into his arms with a quilt she had made and disappeared. My father and I never heard from her again. It was five years when my dad heard she’d married some fancy doctor her mama picked out. I guess a life with a poor farmer wasn’t what she’d envisioned for herself.”
“It was your father that was the descendant of Consus, and he may not have known his true heritage. The Copii Cerealelor spread out over the world years ago, before I was of age to rule. We always knew they were out there living amongst humans and working jobs like landscaping, building greenhouses, or working for nurseries. But I had never encountered one… until I met you.”
“I believe you.” Dustin inhaled deeply. “What you told me is my truth. And while I’ve never been here before, I feel it deep in my bones that this is where I belong. But…” Notalus looked as if he was holding his breath as he waited for him to continue. “Even though the Volkov pack never accepted all of me, I’ll still miss providing for them. I will miss Henry’s cooking.”
Notalus let out a relieved-sounding breath. “You will not only be able to still provide for your packmates in the White Mountains, but you will be able to provide for the world, my handsome mortal. Anything produced in Fhomhair, we are free to share with the world. If you so desire orange sassafras in the state of Maine, so shall it be, my alpha.”
Dustin stared at Notalus because there was no way he was saying what it sounded like.
“You heard me right. I am the Lord of Autumn, and I have chosen you to be my consort. The harvest you choose to send to the earthly realm will not be debated by me or anyone else.”
“You’re telling me I will decide what is harvested, what is grown, and when?”
“Who are we to tell an alpha of the Harvest Moon Tribe what to grow? We will all be spectators to your greatness.”
“I was kinda wondering why in the hell you’d want me as a husband.” Dustin smirked. “I guess my questions have been answered.”
“It’s not only because you are part god and one of the sacred children of the grain. But you are also one of the sexiest, most generous men I’ve ever met. And I’ve met a lot of men over my time, handsome.”