~~

Acacia

~~

I was currently preparing to leave the Fae compound, my first time ever being let out. We used to live in a magical mound that was hidden away from the humans, but as time went on we migrated to living inside houses instead of in underground castles. I barely remember living in the ground, but I much prefer living in the light of the sun every day.

I am a Dryad so I love being out where the sun could hit my face. When I was in my woodland form I liked to sun my leaves and branches as I sat by the lake in the back of the compound.

This was the first time that I have ever been given permission to leave home, even though I was nearly ninety years old. The reason I never left was because our Queen didn't often give her permission to leave.

Some would run away of course, and when they came back they would be punished for having left without the Queen's approval. I had seen what her punishments could be like so I never wanted to experience them for myself.

There was an upside though. The Queen had been willing to accept more and more of modern society into our daily lives and she was even more accepting of the other races of nonhumans.

She used to have a vampire friend named Dietrich who was helping to introduce her to the world around us. He had told her that she was too stuck in her ways and that she needed to embrace life, not flee from it. Since she had met him I had noticed her wrath became less destructive. Still, she didn't like being disobeyed.

I think Dietrich was a good influence on our Queen, and I am sure he was a consort of hers, a lover that she treasured dearly. But alas, Dietrich could not be tied down for too long, he had his own people to govern.

Enough about the past though. I was finally getting to leave the compound. I was selected to be one of Queen Gloriana's envoys at a wedding for a wolf Alpha. She didn't often send envoys to things like this, but this Alpha was from a pack that for some reason held a high amount of significance to our Queen.

Their previous members had helped us in more than one way and this particular pack was also the largest and most powerful wolf pack in the country. And I had heard rumors that the new Alpha's mate was a half witch and that meant she could do magic like I could. I wonder if we would be allowed to become friends.

Now that I was granted permission to leave I could come and go as I please. This trip out for the wedding was opening new doors for me that I had feared I would never have. I was beyond excited.

When we got to the wedding, Breon wanted us to stay away from all of the shifters, at least as much as possible. Breon was the leader of our envoy. Essentially he was the boss during this trip.

But, can you imagine the surprise I got when I felt something inside of me begin to be drawn by something that felt like a magnet. There was a pull inside of me trying to draw to me a man that I saw standing and staring at me. The man was tall, and handsome with ashy blond hair and bright green eyes that made me think of leaves in the summer sun. His eyes and hair almost seemed to match me.

However, not everyone was supportive of what I was feeling in this instant. I couldn't believe my ears when Breon objected so vehemently.

~~

Cedar

~~

So many things have been happening around me lately. Too many things. It started last year when my sister met her mate and started to move on with her life. I was just happy that her mate and I got along nicely so that I didn't feel like I was being pushed aside and forgotten.

When we first met Trinity I had hoped that at some point we would end up mating. She was beautiful, funny, strong, and sweet. I couldn't help but fall for her. The problem was, she never saw me that way so I was just pining for her in silence.

When she met her mate I actually cried. I had wanted to be with her so badly. Then I found out that her mate was an asshole to her, someone that didn't appreciate the wonderful person she was.

I did everything I could to help Trinity, even after she mated. I knew I never had a chance with her, but I still loved her. I wanted to be there for her even if it would never mean the same for her that it did for me.

Now, here I was at her wedding. And to make matters worse, for me, her mate had only been acting like an asshole. He loved her more than I do, or so it looks like. And now I was crying on the inside because I will never have the chance to be there for her again.

I had somehow made it through the ceremony and was now trying to put on a happy face through the reception. When Trinity's guard Shane stood up the moment a beautiful woman came to introduce herself I nearly lost my composure. How could he have the happiness that I was longing for?

I was looking down at the table when the next group came forward. I smelled something then. Something that was like tree bark and beautiful magnolia flowers.

My head shot up and looked for the source of the scent. There were three men and three women standing before me, but only one of them seemed to be glowing like the sun itself was radiating from her. Hey hair was close to the same shade of ashy blonde that I had, and her eyes were a similar shade of green. She was so pretty and looked so sweet, and her complexion was just a little darker than an olive tone. She was perfect.

"Again?"

"Another one?"

"What's going on?"

"How is this happening?" I could hear these whispers as the wedding guests stared at me while I stood there standing like an idiot.

"It seems this is a very fortunate day. Cedar, it appears your mate is among this envoy from the Fae. Will you all please join us up here." Reece invited the other group and me to join him where he was.

I moved as if hypnotized, unable to take my eyes off of her. Then, something happened that angered me. 

"This is impossible." An exotic looking man with golden eyes and a beautiful mahogany complexion spoke with disbelief, disdain, and anger in his voice.

"How is it impossible?" Reece smiled at the man. "This is a wonderful thing to have happened. An event so filled with love that it is spreading to those around us."

"It is not right that one of us should mate with a shifter. We are not of the same type of people. This is not proper." His exoticly accented voice was trying to nullify everything that was happening for me.

"Is the Fae Queen against a relationship like this, Breon?" Reece asked him, slight anger in his voice.

"She does not usually approve." The man named Breon answered.

"I admit it has been quite some time since I have met with Gloriana, but when last we spoke she was more open to a new world way of thinking." Dietrich stood up from the table that I have been sitting at. "I am certain that she would have no problem with the union. The Fae have mixed with humans, why not another powerful species?"

"It has never been done." Breon told him. "You simply would not understand."

"I understand more than you think." Dietrich smiled down at Shawn as he spoke, causing Shawn to blush under his gaze. "I have recently mated within this pack myself."

"You, Dietrich, the leader of all vampires is allowing yourself to be sullied like this."

"Breon! Stop this." The beautiful girl that I couldn't take my eyes off of yelled. "I am certain that Queen Glory would have no problem with it at all." She turned and smiled at me then.

"Acacia, you understand nothing." That was her name? Acacia? So pretty. 

"I understand everything Breon. I am the one who feels what the spirits are telling me."

"I trust in Casey." Another woman in the group chimed in. "We must follow not just our hearts, but also the whims of the spirits and gods. We are but pawns in this world for them to move at their leisure." 

"Thank you River." Acacia smiled at her, it seemed Casey was a nickname for her.

"Is this truly what you wish to do? To lower yourself to this point?"

"It seems to me Breon, that you are the only one with a bias here. Believe in the powers that lead us all. That is all we can do, is it not." Trinity spoke up, unable to remain quiet any longer.

The man Breon looked at my Luna and first love in disbelief. He simply was not understanding it yet.

"How can you all not see what is happening here?" He asked in desperation.

"You have not been mated yet have you Breon?" Breon shook his head. "Then you would not understand the feeling you have when you are with your mate. The sense of completion, the feeling of being at home no matter where you are. You would not understand the longing you feel for that person even with the first meeting. You would not understand the sense of peace you feel when looking at them, seeing the love and adoration you feel reflected back in their eyes as well. I am sorry that you have never felt that, Breon, and I ask the Moon Goddess to help you with finding you mate soon."

"That may happen sooner than you think." A strange, gravelly voice spoke out and rang through the entire reception.

  Following that the newcomers told us Trinity was the new Luna Queen and Goddess Incarnate. I always knew she was special. But I had a mate now, and she was all I had eyes for.

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