Rejected? Deuces! A Gay Werewolf Novella

Virginia Woolf once said, “I am in the mood to dissolve into the sky.”

Well, after many times of letting myself dissolve into the skies of the void and sleeping through one hell of a coma, I was ready to go back to the land of the living.

“Hey! Somebody get a doctor in here, quick!”

“Carson?! Carson, it’s Fianna!”

My eyelids feel like they’re being bogged down by sandbags full of cement and I can’t breathe due to something blocking my mouth and nostrils.

“Come back to us, son. Your father and I miss you.”

My bones feel like they have been run over by ten thousand pianos and are slowly being rebuilt. My arms and legs feel as if I’ve been swimming in a mixture of whipped heavy cream and Jell-O.

Wait a minute. That feels like I’m coming back...home.

“I’m going to need all of you to leave at this time. You’ll be assured that Carson will wake up very soon. It’s a miracle that the Goddess herself reverse his and everybody’s deaths.”

Well, doc, when your mother is the Moon Goddess and you’re her descendant, anything and everything is possible.

“Doc, I’m staying by his side...orders from the Altimare Dynasty to...he can’t afford to have another ambush...”

Wait, is that the hunter girl named Bianca, the sister of Arianna? Well, it looks like she’ll be given a surprise in three, two one...

“Oh, my Goddess! I got to...who will watch-thank you, Fianna. Call me if he wakes up, please? I gotta go.”

“Carson, Bianca had to leave, but I’ll be staying by your side. Your return to the living did wonders...I still know that my sister and nieces aren’t a part of the resurrection, but they want you to be happy.”

I know that they did. Poor Gia, Larae, and Tamia. But at least the Moon Goddess is taking care of them with the angels.

I’m so tired, y’all. I feel like I need to rest a little bit longer. I just need a bit more sleep.

“Rest, my child, I heard the voice of Mom- the Moon Goddess- say in a gentle whisper. “You will wake up stronger and healthier than you can imagine. All will be made clear when daylight draws near.”

I only mumbled a “Yes, Mom,” before I let the hands of sleep take me under.

**********

A few days later, I feel a strong force within me. Power.

I began to open my eyes slowly, but squeeze them back shut due to the rush of bright light that’s too much for me. “Carson,” I heard a female voice say in wonder. “Quick, somebody close the blinds and dim the lights. It’s too bright for him to handle.”

A few footsteps and then a small rattling sound, then a click of a knob.

“Carson, open your eyes slowly,” I heard the female voice say gently.

I did so, finally taking in the cream-colored walls of the large hospital room as I saw the curly-haired and cocoa-colored eyes of Fianna, the last daughter of the Dark Dahlia witch coven of Boulder. “Welcome back,” she breathed as she pressed the call button for a nurse. “Thank Goddess that you’re okay.”

I took a deep breath, grateful that the ventilator in my mouth was finally out of the way so I could breathe fully. “Wow,” I said, taking in the numerous amount of gifts that were surrounding my bed and raking up space. “Is all of this for me.”

“You think that’s something? Wait until you get back home,” Fianna said excitedly. “All the supernatural leaders have loaded your new bedroom with stuffed animals, cards, roses to fill three flower shops, jewelry that can make Beyoncé turn green with envy- the works. Hell, you even have a few new cars waiting for you.”

The door swung open to reveal eight masculine men that were as powerful as they were sexy in their jeans and T-shirts. “Carson,” the red-headed mermaid known as Alain said. “Thank the Goddess that you’re now alive. And I take it that you already know who we are.”

I nodded, feeling giddy at the sight of these muscular gods who can put every Chippendales dancer out of business. “You’re my mates- my second-chance mates,” I concluded. “Gavin, Francesco, Ferdinand, Alain, Nicholas, Zechariah, Quentin, and Dominic- the Elite Eight.”

“That is correct, our love,” Nicholas purred, his eyes glowing molten gold. “And it’s a shame that a fool like Regan would dare murder a treasure such as yourself. Thank Goddess that She knew that you couldn’t be killed like he thought you would. It would’ve earned him more pain and torture before he could even be given the blessing of death.”

“Please,” Gavin the werewolf said. “No more talk of Regan. Today is when we finally see our mate and vow to make him the happiest man alive.”

“Where is he?” I heard an older man’s voice boom as the door swung open. “Carson?!”

My eyes widened as I finally got a look at my two fathers- the two Kings of the Werewolves- known as Iain and Archer as they (dressed in their royal attire) came to my bedside and wrapped me in a tearful home. “Our son,” King Iain sobbed. “Our son is home at last.”

“We missed you, baby boy,” Archer cooed in my ear. “Thank the Goddess that our son- our brother as the third Moon Wolf- has brought you back to us all.”

MOON WOLF?! What that What?

Fianna noticed my look of surprise. “That’s right, child,” she drawled happily. It turns out that you and your fathers are also brothers and direct sons of the Moon Goddess herself. Child, you hit the lotto! I need to tell Ciara all about this right here.”

The door swung open again to reveal an older male doctor who had a fatherly look in his eyes. “And he wakens,” he said. “Son, my name is Dr. Samuel Kingslake, the human doctor who oversaw you while you were comatose. It breaks my heart to let you know that-”

“I already know,” I finished for the doctor, cutting him off. “Gia and her daughters died on impact. I know that they weren’t resurrected like the rest of the ones who were after the Moon Goddess dealt with him. And while I will miss them, they were always the ones who showed me how to love myself. They deserved to have their rest.”

“Then you should already know that you have been given many powers,” Dr. Kingslake replied.

“Powers?”

The older man smiled. “As a mage, I sensed that you not only have your wolf back, but you also have the same blend of species of the supernatural as your mates- a werecat, a vampire, an angel, a demon, a hellhound, a merman, and a dragon. But more importantly-”

“I’m also a phoenix, created by the Goddess,” I finished. “Sorry, doc, but the Moon Goddess told me that part. But what she didn’t tell me was that my fathers and I are also brothers and Moon Wolves, directly descended from her.”

“Well, that’s because most people like to think it’s all a myth- the Moon Wolves, that is. But it’s very real, son” King Iain replied, sitting on my left. “We’re the most powerful wolves known to mankind and everyone wants to have the same powers as we do, hence many wanting us dead like- you know. And some just want us dead for sport. But we can never be killed. Placed in a coma, yes, but we always rise out of the ashes and be stronger.”

“And as Moon Wolves, you will need protection,” I heard the firm yet cheerful voice of Bianca Albritton say as she and her little sister Ariana walk into the room. “My Hunter Dynasty has been commissioned by the Goddess herself to make sure that no harm comes to you and that we are your heavenly Guardians. In fact, Fianna and her mother Lady Marianne are also your advisors. But I want to say that because you chose to come back to us, I finally have my little sister back with me.”

Arianna separated from her sister as she handed me a large bouquet of calla lilies and a box of chocolate truffles. “You brought me back to my family,” she said. “You realized that you needed to come here and fulfill your destiny as the True Royal of the Wolves and the mate of the Eight. and I’m now back with my favorite sister. Thank you, Carson Hadley, for coming back home.”

“You’re welcome,” I said, sniffing the roses. “You’re a lovely girl and any man would be lucky to have you as your mate.”

Arianna preened shyly.

“All right, everyone. I’ll need you all to scoot,” said a motherly Black nurse as she came into the room with a food container in hand. “I need to run some vitals on young Carson over here before he eats and gets some rest.”

Everyone groaned but followed the doctor out of the room. “Carson,” Gavin said, giving me a warm smile. “It’s good to have you back with us. I can’t wait to have you as my and my friends’ mate. You will be loved for all eternity. I promise you that.”

“Thank you,” I said, letting a small tear fall down my face.

“Child, you are blessed,” she said, looking over her clipboard after setting down the food container. “I just need to run some vitals and you can eat. I hope you like fried chicken and collard greens.”

I smiled. “It’s my favorite,” I assured her. “Thank you, ma’am.”

“Call me Cathy Sue,” the nurse said. “Or Mama McNeese.”

And for the rest of the afternoon, I was greeted by various doctors, nurses, and even patients who all but made sure that I was welcomed and known that I was loved by all. I even got to meet some of those people who were back from the dead thanks to me coming back. All too soon, it was now nighttime and I was ready to rest. Fianna told me that Ciara and my dads were preparing my room at the latter’s main residence in the rich part of Denver (my new home) and that everybody was waiting for me with plans for a giant party.

I can only imagine what’s to come. After dissolving into the sky many times, it was good to be back on the ground.