ZELENA THE MOON GODDESS REBORN

Give it one more go, sliding the thin cotton into the needle.

After the fifth attempt, it enters, "Yes!"

My mother, who is pregnant, flinches at my shout.

We had been residing in the realm of the moon for some time.

I had been attempting to learn how to live as a woman without guards or servants and, as my aunts put it, "no distractions" while my mother carried my sister after the twins were born.

She gave birth to another son and, shortly after, my younger sister.

In every way imaginable, my father is enthralled with my mother, and he detests having to leave us to make sure my husbands obey.

They are not even remotely attractive to me right now.

I want to be with my parents after hearing them lament how terrible their death was.

How could I want three unappreciative partners?

even when they are my mates.

Could you please try to keep me from going into labor, Selene?

Mom asks, appearing quite frightened.

I did not realize mom gets sensitive when she is pregnant, and dad constantly tries to console her.

His patience is admirable, but I have also discovered that moms are just sensitive when it comes to getting pregnant and giving birth.

My aunts explained to me why my father was descended from royalty on both sides, but my mother was born into a lower social class.

Finding out that mom did not have the strength she usually does when she is not pregnant hurt me.

"I apologize, Mommy; after trying so hard, I just got excited."

As she completed her new quilt, she smiled broadly at me.

I am a pretty good small hanker-shifter and can do simple designs, but I can not make a single shirt, sheet, or anything my mother makes. I have a lot of work ahead of me.

I want to accomplish this as well as she can, so it irritates me.

I made the mistake of pinching my fingers while trying to knit my first shirt.

My mother was having a terrible time getting her to laugh.

She finally laughed at my words, "Not funny, Mom, it hurts like a bee sting," which made me laugh too.

"I hope they treat you well, Selene. Keep in mind what I said and what your fathers said. If they dare to ruin the life we have built for you, go with the person you love." Are we all clear, my love?

My mother, who was very concerned about me, saw my smile.

Despite the fact that my mother and I are not very similar, she has always been my best friend and for much more.

Except for the training, I resemble my father more than anything.

I am not very resilient to hits, but my mother's tactical advantage on the battlefield helped me get past a lot of the obstacles I encountered when training with my father.

Even my fated mates could not win him over; he is the most vicious god alive.

Over the years, they have all been defeated.

In order to educate them, my father must travel back and forth, but I have learned how to win on the battlefield—a skill that will help me win over my mates, just as my mother did before me.

If my twin siblings are born healthy, that makes eight of us total—they have certainly outdone our mother.

I hurriedly got up to assist my mother when I saw her begin to get out of her rocking chair, but as usual, everything fell on me, causing my mother to sit back down.

Mom sighed heavily as I put everything on the third chair, which held more of our sewing kits. "I am sorry, I will clean it in a second, I just want to help you get up is all," mom said.

When I eventually get up and get clean, my baby brother Leroy bumps me back into my rocking chair and says, "You have no self-control do you Selene? Mother is pregnant with Stella; the least you could do is fix your horrible coordination problems!"

When our mother pinched his cheek, he spoke with a refined posture, and I laugh at his state of mind at the moment.

"You, Leroy, your sister, and all of you are far from flawless, and I am really disappointed in you." Gods, being brown does not make for perfect puppies, and you have brought up that part of yourself in these situations. Now, before I kick you there, get our stuff ready with your aunts.

Leroy approached me without pausing to apologize for his impolite behavior. I detest seeing Mother regress when she is spending so much time with our sister.

I growled low at him. Despite carrying our sister, our mother is no coward.